Separate Akron & Canton Markets...why???

[wffm78]

Was looking at the latest Arbitron info on AllAccess.com. Noticed that Akron is now #79 (can recall a few years back when it was Market #60) and Canton is now #136 (can recall when it was Market #100 or so). Since we live in an area where there is little to no population growth, why hasn't there been any move to combine the markets?

The core of the metros are less than 20 miles apart...and Canton radio stations show up in Akron, and Akron shows up well in Canton.

And, a combined Akron/Canton market would have 946,000 people, good enough to be market #57 (similar in size to Rochester, NY and Buffalo, NY).

Would seem that all stations would get bigger budgets and more attention from national and regional media planners as a top 60 market than two smaller individual markets.

 

[fybush]

As with any Arbitron market question, the answer is always "what do the stations paying the most for the book really want"?

Rubber City doesn't do any Stark County business to speak of, and WAKR in particular doesn't even reach Canton very effectively.

WNIR doesn't reach Stark County (and WJMP even less so). It's all Summit and Portage.

WHBC's signals reach Summit County somewhat decently, but all its sales efforts are focused on Stark County.

Only Clear Channel has ever been in a position to sell in both Summit and Stark, and that's a fairly recent development after the 101.7 move-in.

If none of the major players would benefit from a combined Akron-Canton book, why would any of them spend the money to make it happen?

 

[davideduardo]

The OMB definitions of metro areas have had Cleveland and Akron in the same Combined Statistical Area for some time; however, Canton hadn't been included until the latest definitions (issued earlier this year). That said, I'm all but certain that the OMB definitions don't involve anything along the lines of split counties (i.e., they only involve full counties or county-equivalents).

Arbitron does not always use OMB definitions as the base for its MSA's. In fact, the "MSA" at Arbitron does not stand for Metropolitan Statistical Area... it means Metro(politan) Survey Area.

Originally, before Arbitron had a client base of significance (1965 to the early 70's) they defined markets somewhat in parallel with Pulse and Hooper. And those market definitions were defined to an extent by the coverage of the bulk of the rated stations back then... nearly all of them AM.

Cleveland was defined as basically a semicircular market that stoppe with the Akron market... which had its own local and highly listened to AMs.

In later years, markets would be redefined based on listening... unassigned counties could be sucked into an existing MSA if the listening and commute patterns fit Arbitron's specific rules.

But if there are two markets, both rated, they will be consolidated only with a vote of subscribers. That's why in 1980 Miami and Ft Lauderdale, separately rated, were combined: the subscribers wanted it. And that is why, in the distant past, the Riverside San Bernardino market was not absorbed into LA: the subscribers in both places voted against.

Even now, no AM save WTAM would benefit from adding Akron. And while some stations like WMJI do well in Akron, others like my alma mater, 92.3 have pretty sucky signals and would go down if the markets were consolidate. And the Akron stations, without exception I believe, would vote against the idea.

 

[davideduardo]

Would seem that all stations would get bigger budgets and more attention from national and regional media planners as a top 60 market than two smaller individual markets.

Markets outside the top 50 get very little national business, so they would not benefit.

And Carroll County, part of the Canton MSA, is too far from Akron to make it worthwhile for Akron stations to want combining... just as parts of Portage and Summit counties are outside the useful signals of many Canton stations. The end result is that most stations would have lower shares and lower ratings... not a good sales point.

 

[CleveFan]

I think Akron and Canton are better off staying separate as the stations would end up fighting for too big of a piece of pie.

Also, WNPQ cannot reach Akron too well because of WAKZ in Youngstown. Both share the same frequency.

Not to mention there's a lot of Cleveland stations that get a good portion of audience and ratings in Akron, but not so much in Canton. It would be too much and also too confusing.

 

[Tim]

Don't know about Canton, but you'd be surprised how much national business the Akron FMs get.

Maybe that will change in the future, but it's always been pretty decent.

 

[davideduardo]

Don't know about Canton, but you'd be surprised how much national business the Akron FMs get.

Maybe that will change in the future, but it's always been pretty decent.

I saw a BIA figure that national was about 15% of market revenue. And I thought that the figure was possibly inflated by some agencies looking to match DMA buys on TV, which requires adding the market.

The highest Akron biller, compared to Cleveland stations, would be 10th in the bigger market, so some considerable perspective has to be put on looking at that.

 

[Speaker of Truth]

There was a discussion several years ago of rolling Akron over into the Cleveland Metro, causing then Democratic Congressman Tom Sawyer to go nuts, and the idea was shelved within a matter of weeks.

Clear Channel has had success selling WHLO and WKDD in Canton, while WHBC would have to be dragged kicking and screaming into wasting time trying to sell Summit County, when its barely hanging on trying to sell Stark County.

 

[MichaelP]

Even now, no AM save WTAM would benefit from adding Akron. And while some stations like WMJI do well in Akron, others like my alma mater, 92.3 have pretty sucky signals and would go down if the markets were consolidate. And the Akron stations, without exception I believe, would vote against the idea.

Driving down I-77 S just past the SR-21 split I noticed just about every Cleveland FM with the exception of 92.3 comes in well enough to listen. Add in all the Akron and Canton stations and my radio dial is full of choices. the only other spot I've experienced with more "stops" on an FM scan is the Columbus Beltway.

 

[davideduardo]

There was a discussion several years ago of rolling Akron over into the Cleveland Metro, causing then Democratic Congressman Tom Sawyer to go nuts, and the idea was shelved within a matter of weeks.

Remember, though, that OMB definitions are not the base for Arbitron survey metros. But your reference certainly illustrates another of the reasons why it would be unlikely that subscribers would vote to combine Akron with Cleveland.