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Rimshots or weak signals that outkick their coverage

What FM radio stations do you know, in any market, large or small, that are rimshots or weaker signals that do well in the Nielsen's?
Could be now or in the past.
 
KPRS-FM-HD2. They just started showing up in the last rating in Kansas City and their FM signal on 106.9 is still not upgraded.
 
They are talking about the translator K295CH, right now it's at 115 watts and they have a CP for 250 watts from the same tower at a slightly lower elevation. Not sure if I would call a translator licensed to a major city a rim shot. Looks like the parent signal is KPRS HD2.
 
They are talking about the translator K295CH, right now it's at 115 watts and they have a CP for 250 watts from the same tower at a slightly lower elevation. Not sure if I would call a translator licensed to a major city a rim shot. Looks like the parent signal is KPRS HD2.
What a great idea! (no, not really) Let's increase ERP, but go lower in elevation.
 
They are only moving 65 feet down the tower and get to double the power. It says the old set up used a directional antenna. The new signal looks more directional to the east. They gain a little coverage area. Who knows maybe different antenna that needs more vertical tower space.
 
KZCE, Cordes Lakes AZ was always kind of the bastard stepchild of Sierra H Broadcasting in Phoenix...owner of the relatively more successful rimshot station Mega 104.3. For awhile it was a dance station, a hip hop station, but it never got above more than a fraction of a 1 share.

A few years back, a new PD came in and flipped it to "101.1 The Bounce" and it blew up more than I ever thought a second-tier rimshot could. Said PD (John Candelaria) exited this week, but what he was able to do with a weak signal and limited budget was very impressive.
 
KZCE, Cordes Lakes AZ was always kind of the bastard stepchild of Sierra H Broadcasting in Phoenix...owner of the relatively more successful rimshot station Mega 104.3. For awhile it was a dance station, a hip hop station, but it never got above more than a fraction of a 1 share.

A few years back, a new PD came in and flipped it to "101.1 The Bounce" and it blew up more than I ever thought a second-tier rimshot could. Said PD (John Candelaria) exited this week, but what he was able to do with a weak signal and limited budget was very impressive.
What is considered; "blew up?" In other words; what are their in-demo ratings and for how many consecutive books?
 
What is considered; "blew up?" In other words; what are their in-demo ratings and for how many consecutive books?
IIRC (and I don't have the breakdowns...maybe you do?) they did far better than the signal ever had done. In the 3 and 4 share range after launch, and then it cooled off. 6+ (the only numbers I can find quickly) they were sitting in the mid to low 2 share range for the last year or so. Certainly competitive with other rim shots like KMVA and KKFR, and far better than when they were "The Beat" and sitting in the fraction of a share range.

Plus the station sounded great, IMO.
 
Research Director at All Access indicated the station reached top 5 in Persons 25-54 (or just outside top 5) on a number of occasions following the flip to The Bounce. I suspect the numbers during the past year haven't been as strong.

In markets such as Detroit, Boston and Chicago, A25-54 performance of this format tends to match or outpace 6+ share, so I'd be surprised if 101.1 The Bounce in Phoenix is materially underperforming its current 6+ share in A18-49 or A25-54.
 
Phoenix certainly has a few I had forgotten about. The previously mentioned KZCE and KOAI.
I know a few of the DFW sticks from 50 miles away have been in the upper reaches recently.

As Kelly A said, it certainly isn't the norm.
 
IIRC (and I don't have the breakdowns...maybe you do?) they did far better than the signal ever had done. In the 3 and 4 share range after launch, and then it cooled off. 6+ (the only numbers I can find quickly) they were sitting in the mid to low 2 share range for the last year or so. Certainly competitive with other rim shots like KMVA and KKFR, and far better than when they were "The Beat" and sitting in the fraction of a share range.

Plus the station sounded great, IMO.
Just because you enjoy the station is not necessarily indicative of actual success. Generally one doesn't see associated revenue with ratings because of a single book 'bounce'. (pardon the pun) Especially for music stations; ad agencies want to see consistent listeners and growth hopefully over multiple books within the target demo.
Also, doing well compared with other rimshots, is a pretty low bar.
 
Maybe going down is to save money on tower rent?
The only reason a station has decreased height recently has been during the TV transition where new and/or additional TV antennas have been mounted and the FM had no choice but to reduce height when the TV station either owned the tower or was the most important occupant.

In some cases, lowering height while increasing power has been analyzed when a station is in a zone very prone to skip conditions where an inversion layer can make your "too high" antenna skip right over the layer and come down in another market. There is an optimum condition for power vs. height and you can be too high. But this is a rare exception.
 
Just because you enjoy the station is not necessarily indicative of actual success. Generally one doesn't see associated revenue with ratings because of a single book 'bounce'. (pardon the pun) Especially for music stations; ad agencies want to see consistent listeners and growth hopefully over multiple books within the target demo.
Yep. Seeing agencies in PPM markets using 6 book averages (skipping Holiday and December and sometimes July and August) for buys. I can't think of a single buy I've been "close to" that used a single book except for on-purpose Holiday buys.

Agency buyers know that ratings wobble. A one-share wobble on a 5 to 6 share station is not unusual and indicates nothing unless it is part of a multi-book downtrend or uptrend.
Also, doing well compared with other rimshots, is a pretty low bar.
Sort of like coming in next to last instead of last in a marathon.

For clarification, mostly for radio "fans" and not "insiders" ad agencies don't buy every station. They buy a certain level, such as the top 5 in their target and then only if the rate matches their goal. They don't buy 25 deep and add those one-share stations. The exception is if that 1-share is actually a 5 share in a specific target, like a geographic zone or income level or ethnicity.
 
For overperformers (ratings wise) versus signal strength in a core metro area, I would like to nominate 105.7 KRNB in Dallas - Ft. Worth.

Looking at non-PPM markets, 104.5 WSNX in Grand Rapids, MI comes to mind. Mediocre to terrible indoor signal across multiple densely populated zip codes due to terrain, intermod, or a combination of the two. Class B, 32 kW signal with 189 meters HAAT with a tower in a rural area 20 to 35 miles from where most of the market's population lives. Same format (not counting pivots between CHR/Pop and CHR/Rhythmic) for almost 40 years, dating back to when the station's studios were still in Muskegon, MI.
 
WHZT 98.1 licensed to Williamston, SC which goes back and forth from rhythmic leaning CHR to rhythmic CHR does not hit all of the Greenville-Spartanburg market but has made some top 5 6+ finishes before and often beat the mainstream CHR station almost half of the time.
 
Just because you enjoy the station is not necessarily indicative of actual success. Generally one doesn't see associated revenue with ratings because of a single book 'bounce'. (pardon the pun) Especially for music stations; ad agencies want to see consistent listeners and growth hopefully over multiple books within the target demo.
Also, doing well compared with other rimshots, is a pretty low bar.

This thread was pretty straightforward. What rim shots or weak signals are punching above their weight? It's an honest question. I put forth my suggestion, noting 6+ numbers, and the fact that it has out performed anything previously on that signal, and added that I thought it sounded pretty good.

Heaven forbid a station without a 100,000 watt signal and a giant corporate budget tries to make a buck.
 
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