Spring ARB for GSP

[MarkSC]

So, Cox's 250 watt translator for Chuck FM now has 3X the share of Clear Channel's Shine 96.7. WMYI is up a tick from Winter, but still a "fresh" #8. And, WESC is beating WSSL, despite CC's best efforts to never let that happen.

Who's running that cluster again?

 

[awp69]

Interesting to see MY actually beat Magic. After those trends, was surprised to see that! There may be hope for them afterall. I'm sure they'll be breathing a sigh of relief to beat their former AC competitor.

Talk about a close book. Just .3 shares separating WORD, B93.7, Hot 98 and MY.

Thought I might add that they really need to stick a fork in The Planet. Don't see how that station can continue for so long with those ratings.

 

[carolinaradio]

Stick a fork in Magic. While I don't know any details, if you're a mainstream AC in the southeast and that's the best you can do, there's something wrong. Entercom puts little effort in to it anymore and the whole station has just gone downhill in the past year, with the numbers following. You can go a whole month and not listen to the station but it sounds the exact same.

I'm glad to see MY up. Still below what they got as mainstream AC, though, so I don't know how they view that. Chuck FM's numbers look good.

Those are some massive shares for Jamz. I can't believe nobody tries to go after them. I know they would never do it, but if CC wanted to try to get more #1 finishes for WSSL, an Urban on 96.7 seems like it would be a smart move to take Jamz down a tad and make Hot uncomfortable.

 

[BrighterDays]

For discussion.

P25-54
#1 WJMZ
#2 WROQ
#3 WSSL
#4 WESC
#5 WMYI
#6 WFBC
#7 WSPA
#7(t) WTPT
#9 WHZT
#10 WORD

 

[carolinaradio]

Magic is bad off. Their target is 25-54 and they're tied with a station that doesn't even target that demo? I would actually say they're the weakest link in the market now. WORD must have a very high 55+ audience.

MY is actually in a pretty comfortable position in their target, ahead of both Magic and B, their biggest threats. Thanks for sharing!

 

[awp69]

Magic is bad off.  Their target is 25-54 and they're tied with a station that doesn't even target that demo?  I would actually say they're the weakest link in the market now.  WORD must have a very high 55+ audience.

MY is actually in a pretty comfortable position in their target, ahead of both Magic and B, their biggest threats.  Thanks for sharing!

That is pretty interesting. With 25-54 the largest advertising demo, perhaps Cox does have a possibility with its new talk station. I have a feeling a lot of that WORD demo is people that have been listening to it for years. So a "fresh" talk station might actually work.

But, yeah, I would have been pretty surprised if MY did worse than Magic in that particular demo (even with all the mistakes they've made). To be tied with The Planet....hmmm....think it's time for a change. For the Planet too.

 

[Scooter Lesley]

Well,...well,...well,...I'm not surprised, but yet about as drastically underwhelmed as I can get.
What a damn mess, and still the poor listeners have to charge their ipods, in self defense!
First off, Marv hand me the black hat,...and the boots too, this time. Let's all use our common sense, and two-step dossie-don't around this weighted mess asigned the call letters of WJMZ.
Now, you don't have to be Kreskin to understand that WROQ has not netted, due to their own efforts. They sound the same as they did 5-6-7 years ago. They have allegedly climbed due to the Flip, Flop, & Flounder of the others...or what the others did not do...run correctly. It is the see-saw of where the shares sit. If one goes down, someone has to come up...it has to go somewhere.
The biggest Boob award, however, still goes to MAGIC, and the Mis-management therein. Firing your Morning team, with no one on deck, and then over-work Stacie, and Lee. It might be a cheap fix, but still a struggling MY 102 will gladly accept those morning listeners that were alienated.
To quote Jed Clampet..."Pittttttttiful,...jest pitttttttiful!".

 

[freqdev]

So, Cox's 250 watt translator for Chuck FM now has 3X the share of Clear Channel's Shine 96.7. WMYI is up a tick from Winter, but still a "fresh" #8. And, WESC is beating WSSL, despite CC's best efforts to never let that happen.

Who's running that cluster again?

thank you for posting brighter cc put 3 stations in the top 5 in the money demo. i'd say that's pretty fresh.

 

[MarkSC]

Hardly. WMYI is still well below where they were when they were doing Mainstream AC right. They regularly hit Top 3 12+ AND 25-54. And, trust me, it's an issue at CC when WSSL is behind WROQ. Plus, you didn't address the dismal failure of 96.7. Chuck proves it can't be blamed on signal.

 

[awp69]

Hardly.  WMYI is still well below where they were when they were doing Mainstream AC right.  They regularly hit Top 3 12+ AND 25-54.  And, trust me, it's an issue at CC when WSSL is behind WROQ.   Plus, you didn't address the dismal failure of 96.7.  Chuck proves it can't be blamed on signal.

At the same time, we really don't know where MY would be if it hadn't flipped. Magic's been on a slow, but steady decline in the ratings. MY has been up and down, which I think was partly because of the way they transitioned to Hot AC. For all we know, MY could have been below Magic by now. Both were in a rut in terms of poorly programmed stagnant AC. MY choose to do something about it. And even if it isn't a huge success at least it's shown that change can be good. Magic stayed the course and now they're behind in the ratings.

Not trying to say that MY did or didn't do the right thing. Even with their marginal success this period, their ratings are still nothing to cheer about. No one has a crystal ball. But you can't say for sure whether they'd be even worse off now if they had stayed with mainstream AC.

I do agree on 96.7. Think there's a lot more potential there than Shine.

 

[freqdev]

And, trust me, ......

i dont think there is a lot of trust or credibility on this site that's why it is so much fun

 

[carolinaradio]

the dismal failure of 96.7. Chuck proves it can't be blamed on signal.

If CC had been smart, they should have put adult hits (or classic hits/oldies) on 96.7 after MY went in their current direction. That could have kept some of the old MY listeners that might have been turned off by the changes and wanted more older music from going to non-CC stations. If they want low overhead, you can't get much cheaper than adult hits. I think Chuck is doing well. They got a 1.8 in their debut book and their signal is a little weaker than 96's. 96.7 hasn't come close to that as Shine in the past almost 5 years. CC missed an opportunity. Gotta love those "positive hits" ...

At the same time, we really don't know where MY would be if it hadn't flipped. Magic's been on a slow, but steady decline in the ratings. MY has been up and down, which I think was partly because of the way they transitioned to Hot AC. For all we know, MY could have been below Magic by now. Both were in a rut in terms of poorly programmed stagnant AC. MY choose to do something about it. And even if it isn't a huge success at least it's shown that change can be good. Magic stayed the course and now they're behind in the ratings.

Not trying to say that MY did or didn't do the right thing. Even with their marginal success this period, their ratings are still nothing to cheer about. No one has a crystal ball. But you can't say for sure whether they'd be even worse off now if they had stayed with mainstream AC.

I do agree on 96.7. Think there's a lot more potential there than Shine.

I agree that both AC's were struggling (although Magic was doing better than now) and one of them needed to do something. MY deserves credit for breaking the stalemate and trying something different since it was unlikely that mainstream AC would be turned around there. Funny thing is, though, MY owned mainstream AC until just several years ago; Magic wasn't a huge threat to them. Would be interesting to see what would have happened had they not changed.
I believe the right thing was done by "freshening" up MY given the circumstances. They had nothing to lose. It looks to have helped them in 25-54 with them ahead of WFBC and WSPA.

Does anyone else think it's concerning that WSPA is tied with WTPT (an 18-34 station) and below WFBC (also 18-34) in their target demo of 25-54? Could changes be in store for them? Not sure what is happening but that does not look good. I almost think they are trying to do themselves in. It has become very stale and off-track for mainstream AC and it seems that management does not care to remedy it anymore. MY's changes certainly didn't light a fire under them to do anything. They are certainly working their skeleton staff to death.

 

[MarkSC]

Indeeed, Magic has done a very poor job in the past year of taking advantage of My pulling out of Mainstream. GSP is a pretty decent AC market, with those two stations splitting the pie over the years. There's no reason Magic shouldn't be consistently top five since the My change. Yes, they have cut the airstaff to nothing, but a bigger problem has been the music mix. Notice that Magic's decline coincides with the decision to have the Top 40 PD's handle it "on the side".

 

[Scooter Lesley]

I'll make this (sorta) short, as if I knew how to do that!
First off, we all need to thank MarkSC for quickly bringing us the skinny on the Spring. Also, in his last post, he made two very strong points, regarding MAGIC's failure to take advantage of MY's continuous struggle: A skeleton airstaff & a boney playlist; NO MEAT!
I could not agree with him more!

 

[carolinaradio]

Indeeed, Magic has done a very poor job in the past year of taking advantage of My pulling out of Mainstream. GSP is a pretty decent AC market, with those two stations splitting the pie over the years. There's no reason Magic shouldn't be consistently top five since the My change. Yes, they have cut the airstaff to nothing, but a bigger problem has been the music mix. Notice that Magic's decline coincides with the decision to have the Top 40 PD's handle it "on the side".

Yeah, Magic could still net a good 6 share or so if run properly, regardless of what 102.5 does now. Their playlist has been very off track for Mainstream AC in the past year. They had a golden opportunity last summer, probably the biggest they've ever had. I think they're also hurting to Chuck FM. That audience came from somewhere.

I hate to be so negative, but I don't see Magic improving unless there are management changes which is unlikely. It's obvious they're clueless about how to run an AC station. If Entercom eventually bails on Magic, which doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility, it will have been totally avoidable, just like the decline of Mainstream AC on My.

 

[awp69]

Yeah, Magic could still net a good 6 share or so if run properly, regardless of what 102.5 does now. Their playlist has been very off track for Mainstream AC in the past year. They had a golden opportunity last summer, probably the biggest they've ever had. I think they're also hurting to Chuck FM. That audience came from somewhere.

I hate to be so negative, but I don't see Magic improving unless there are management changes which is unlikely. It's obvious they're clueless about how to run an AC station. If Entercom eventually bails on Magic, which doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility, it will have been totally avoidable, just like the decline of Mainstream AC on My.

I think regardless of AC's success in the Southeast...you have two things going on here. The older AC crowd is going to get tired of the same songs over and over. That's where Chuck comes in. Way more variety, while mixing in some newer songs, definately still older leaning. Then you've got the younger AC demographic that wants to hear more newer music. That's where MY comes in. Even if it weren't for those two stations, if you don't do enough to keep your playlist interesting, people are going to get bored and seek refuge somewhere else.

 

[carolinaradio]

I think regardless of AC's success in the Southeast...you have two things going on here. The older AC crowd is going to get tired of the same songs over and over. That's where Chuck comes in. Way more variety, while mixing in some newer songs, definately still older leaning. Then you've got the younger AC demographic that wants to hear more newer music. That's where MY comes in. Even if it weren't for those two stations, if you don't do enough to keep your playlist interesting, people are going to get bored and seek refuge somewhere else.

Exactly - I used to switch to 98.9 sometimes when I wanted to hear something older, but those days are long gone. I just listen to 97.7 for older/variety or 102.5 for the 2000s or new. There is room for an AC station, but it needs to be done properly. It can't be a Top 40 PD who has no experience in the format's afterthought. Maybe before, but not anymore. I feel bad for the few personalities they have. It's not their fault.

I think some AC stations sort of lost their way when the format stopped being "soft" and "lite." They are much more aggressive than just a few years ago. The edgier they've gotten, the harder it's become to set them apart from classic hits, adult hits, and Hot AC.

 

[MarkSC]

That's dead on. Too much new and unfamiliar music to build the TSL an AC station lives off of. It's a result of putting guys from other format backgrounds in charge. They turn 7 shares into 4 and walk around like they're smart.

 

[Scooter Lesley]

Oh,...again, MarkSC is so right about these Boobs that strut their alleged Programming geee-nee-us!
Leave it up to me, Scootamus Maximus, to provide the proper visual:
Yes, down the hall, there he comes, the closet toe-suckin' wife swopper, OM/PD/Programming Visionary, fitted turtle-neck, tweed jacket, swede leppels, with matching elbow patches. His swagger down the hall also helps to create a vapor trail from his designer colone. Faking a note on his trusty chipboard, he addresses the new tight skirt of the sales department. Yes, pump-tuating the carpet with her high heels, wearing a nice dress(it's a shame that they didn't have it in her size!)...is the prospect of his third extra marridal affair. Such a strut for someone who Programs two FM's, with combined ratings so small that they would fit in a thimbal, along with the collective morals of my two x-wives, three peas, a doorknob screw, and the heart of a Consultant.

 

[John Ellis]

Okey dokey: time for something rare in our business--honesty.

As 1/2 of the morning team that was fired from 98.9, I'd be shocked if you heard the same format this time next year. I can say this: it's a tough situation. We were asked (told) to cut our breaks down, talk almost never, play comedy clips from late night shows, and "get credit for those laughs"....the result, in my opinion, was an instant alienation of our base--a base we worked hard to build early and often. We'd get emails, FB posts, tweets...all asking "where did you guys go?", and "why don't y'all talk about your kids and life anymore?"

Let the record always show that no matter how much/little experience I have as a jock, it was not my decision to take what was an entertaining, effective, clean AMD show for AC (while playing more songs per hour than any other CC/EC station), and scoop the guts and heart out of it. You had two second-gen radio pros, and a golden opportunity to leverage that name recognition. But, that would have come at the risk of losing one "Survivor" song an hour. God forbid.

Yes, my dad is Bill. And while that doesn't qualify me for a Marconi, it has allowed me total access for over 25 years to the GSP media market. I've been around all the great shows and jocks, almost all of whom have been sent packing by way of corporate cuts. I was given 1 full book--in the middle of some reformatting--to show our worth. In the W12 book for F25-54, our TSL was 2:15, with a 9.8 share in that demo for the FEB trend....when we were doing the show as designed by the guy who hired me. Unfortunately, he left, as did our vision.

I may have not been the answer for that station in morning drive. But I can assure you: we were not the problem.