San Diego Ratings (demo rankings)

[K.M. Richards]

From Research Director:

RADIO RATINGS ROUNDUP, May 2024, Part IV | Research Director, Inc.

Ah, MAY, the quintessential embodiment of spring's resplendence, where nature orchestrates its most enchanting symphony. As APRIL's showers subside

researchdirectorinc.com

Rankings by demo, from the linked page:
25-54: #1 KXSN, #2 XHRM, #3 KSON, #4 KLNV, #5 KMYI, #6 (tie) KIOZ and KWFN. It was noted that XTRA dropped to #11 from #5.
18-34: #1 XHRM, #2 KXSN, #3 KHTS, #4 (tie) XTRA and KHTZ, #6 (tie) KSON and KIOZ.
18-49: #1 KXSN, #2 (tie) KHRM and KLNV, #4 KIOZ, #5 (tie) XHTZ, KHTS and KSON. Again, a note about XTRA dropping to #10 from #5.

Now you all have a real basis for comparison instead of relying on the 6+ rankings. You're welcome.

 

[davideduardo]

From Research Director:

RADIO RATINGS ROUNDUP, May 2024, Part IV | Research Director, Inc.

Ah, MAY, the quintessential embodiment of spring's resplendence, where nature orchestrates its most enchanting symphony. As APRIL's showers subside

researchdirectorinc.com

Rankings by demo, from the linked page:
25-54: #1 KXSN, #2 XHRM, #3 KSON, #4 KLNV, #5 KMYI, #6 (tie) KIOZ and KWFN. It was noted that XTRA dropped to #11 from #5.
18-34: #1 XHRM, #2 KXSN, #3 KHTS, #4 (tie) XTRA and KHTZ, #6 (tie) KSON and KIOZ.
18-49: #1 KXSN, #2 (tie) KHRM and KLNV, #4 KIOZ, #5 (tie) XHTZ, KHTS and KSON. Again, a note about XTRA dropping to #10 from #5.

Now you all have a real basis for comparison instead of relying on the 6+ rankings. You're welcome.

What we are noting all over the Southwest is that Regional Mexican as a format is not coming in strongly in 18-34 in the manner we are accustomed to seeing.

I can recall when managers of HBC regional stations would look first at 18-34 before anything else... but that was 20 or so years ago.

Some will say that the music has no appeal to the younger audience, but that is where the most recent Mexican immigrants are to be found and they come with "grupera" music (what it is really called) tastes built-in.

So what is happening? Nielsen is obviously having issues measuring younger Spanish dominant Hispanics so the PPM samples look at broader demos to fill the quotas. We get more English dominant Hispanics, so the totals look good but the division into language preferences is horrible.

In Houston, we have two very good Spanish language stations that can be called either CHR or Adult CHR or something similar. Those are the Audacy and TU stations and both in the last several years have deteriorated in share and rank horribly. Yet their music is monstrously successful all over Latin America. So, again, I think we have a measurement issue.

 

[KilowattKat]

Interesting in that 91X which leans older with a Classic Alternative format, is doing better in the 18+34 demo, than In their 25-54 target audience.

 

[KilowattKat]

As well as Classic Hits Sunny 98.1 ranked #2 in 18-34. They out performed both CHR's in that demo! Are millennials and younger turning away from today's current music?

 

[CTListener]

What we are noting all over the Southwest is that Regional Mexican as a format is not coming in strongly in 18-34 in the manner we are accustomed to seeing.

I can recall when managers of HBC regional stations would look first at 18-34 before anything else... but that was 20 or so years ago.

Some will say that the music has no appeal to the younger audience, but that is where the most recent Mexican immigrants are to be found and they come with "grupera" music (what it is really called) tastes built-in.

So what is happening? Nielsen is obviously having issues measuring younger Spanish dominant Hispanics so the PPM samples look at broader demos to fill the quotas. We get more English dominant Hispanics, so the totals look good but the division into language preferences is horrible.

In Houston, we have two very good Spanish language stations that can be called either CHR or Adult CHR or something similar. Those are the Audacy and TU stations and both in the last several years have deteriorated in share and rank horribly. Yet their music is monstrously successful all over Latin America. So, again, I think we have a measurement issue.

You reject outright the possibility of changing musical tastes as the listeners' years in their native country grow more distant?

 

[K.M. Richards]

As well as Classic Hits Sunny 98.1 ranked #2 in 18-34. They out performed both CHR's in that demo! Are millennials and younger turning away from today's current music?

In Albuquerque, my Classic Hits format The Eighties Channel™ on KRKE has roughly one-third of its audience in the younger demos.

David and I discussed this recently in this thread; perhaps it applies to San Diego as well.

 

[davideduardo]

You reject outright the possibility of changing musical tastes as the listeners' years in their native country grow more distant?

No because the older people who logically have been here longer are listening to regional more than ever... particularly in LA, Chicago and San Francisco where SBS has taken a more gold balance approach to what is often pure currents.

 

[K.M. Richards]

As well as Classic Hits Sunny 98.1 ranked #2 in 18-34. They out performed both CHR's in that demo! Are millennials and younger turning away from today's current music?

I should have mentioned this earlier. My liner voice, Gene Knight, was last heard in San Diego on KXSN (Sunny) and made an observation about that which I included in his bio on my site:

K.M. Richards Programming Services - About Us.

www.kmrichards.com

 

[PrezSquid]

I should have mentioned this earlier. My liner voice, Gene Knight, was last heard in San Diego on KXSN (Sunny) and made an observation about that which I included in his bio on my site:

K.M. Richards Programming Services - About Us.

www.kmrichards.com

This does describe older millenials well, but what about the demos past the 80s? (say people born 90-2005)

 

[K.M. Richards]

This does describe older millenials well, but what about the demos past the 80s? (say people born 90-2005)

I have had this conversation with David (and he referenced it in a thread on the New Mexico board about KRKE) and we are in agreement that those demos probably had parents who listened to stations that were heavy on 80s as gold, so they were "overexposed" to it growing up and that has been a fundamental part of their taste in music.

Really, I don't actually care why they like 80's music ... I'm just happy that listening to the station I program brings them happiness as well.

 

[davideduardo]

I have had this conversation with David (and he referenced it in a thread on the New Mexico board about KRKE) and we are in agreement that those demos probably had parents who listened to stations that were heavy on 80s as gold, so they were "overexposed" to it growing up and that has been a fundamental part of their taste in music.

And plenty of teens that listened to CHR in the 90's heard those stations playing lots of 80's gold. As CHR struggled in the 90's with the "shall we hip or shall we hop" conundrum about playing rap or pure pop, lots of stations depended on 80's hits to create the feel they wanted.

So someone who is in their 30's today likely knows a lot of music that is older than they are. And those in their 40's definitely know much of it.

Really, I don't actually care why they like 80's music ... I'm just happy that listening to the station I program brings them happiness as well.

Yep. Wondering why is often overthinking the "if they like it, play it." Remembering, of course, that "they" is plural.

I often came across people who listened to gold based stations simply because the era of that music was the only time they liked being alive. Think of people in boring jobs, with an unfulfilling family life, big debts, a kid on drugs, a broken old car and... and you have "gold" listeners.