The Latest Ratings: Explain This...

[awj223]

Do you really think that a lot of Cal students tune in to KGO to listen to their football games? The students who are interested are going to the home games in Strawberry Canyon on a discount, and they're watching road games on TV.

Yes, they do. I know lots of Cal students and was one myself, and some of us listen to KGO for the games. Perhaps most current students don't, but there are many Cal alumni in the Bay Area that listen when they can't watch. Not every game is televised, by the way.

For KGO to alter their programming for a sprinkling of UC students wouldn't make a bunch of sense.

DJ

It's not just for a sprinkling of UC students, it's to get a younger audience. The younger half of the current 25-54 generation is, for the most part, not interested in the type of talk radio on KGO. There's only one host on that station who holds my interest. Sooner or later, they're going to have to go after a younger audience.

 

[DougR]

The Giants and the 49ers are the only teams that draw any type of popular listening audience on the radio in the Bay Area. All other teams are nothing more than niche segments.

Just because you are a Cal fan and are friends with and know other Cal fans, don't let that make you believe that Cal football is anything more than weekend filler on KGO.

 

[WordLife]

Plus, the 49ers are always on TV. And other than baseball, no other sport is really traditionally a radio listening sport. Who is the legendary football radio announcer?

It would benefit the Niners if they didn't sell out...kinda like the Raiders and the only way to catch the updates if you don't want to keep hitting refresh on your browser would be to tune in...

 

[DougR]

The only way to really make a go of it for for sports on radio is if that station is able to brand themselves at the team for that station.

KNBR has done a very good job doing that with the Giants.

The problem for Cal/KGO is that this is not Norman, Oklahoma nor Columbus, Ohio, nor Lincoln, Nebraska. Just because you live in this area does not mean you are a Cal fan like those places.

If KGO tried to make itself THE "Cal Station" it would turn off fans of 9 other Pac 10 schools that live in the Bay Area, along with the U of Michigan transplants, Penn State transplants, etc.

And to offer college football show along with that on weekends would only go right into the 680/1050 wheel house.

Also, the radio listener for Cal football would tend to lean toward the "Old Blues" that only knew how to get the televised game on ABC, and might not have DirecTV nor be aware to FSN or Comcast Sports Net, places where many Cal games air.

 

[BossRadioDJ]

Yes, they do. I know lots of Cal students and was one myself, and some of us listen to KGO for the games.Perhaps most current students don't, but there are many Cal alumni in the Bay Area that listen when they can't watch.Not every game is televised, by the way.

You didn't understand my post. The comment was about current students. If you went to Cal ten, twenty or thirty years ago, you are no longer a "Cal student." You fall into the "Old Blues" category that I mentioned. Could you please quantify the "lots of Cal students" that you know? Would that be thousands of them? Tens of thousands? And what percentage would "some of us" be?

You then validated my post by saying "Perhaps most current students don't [listen to Cal football on KGO], but there are many Cal alumni in the Bay Area that listen when they can't watch."

And, between the major networks, ESPN, ESPNU, Fox Sports Bay Area, Comcast and CSTV, all Cal football games have been telecast at least the past two seasons.

DJ

 

[awj223]

You didn't understand my post. The comment was about current students. If you went to Cal ten, twenty or thirty years ago, you are no longer a "Cal student." You fall into the "Old Blues" category that I mentioned. Could you please quantify the "lots of Cal students" that you know? Would that be thousands of them? Tens of thousands? And what percentage would "some of us" be?

You then validated my post by saying "Perhaps most current students don't [listen to Cal football on KGO], but there are many Cal alumni in the Bay Area that listen when they can't watch."

And, between the major networks, ESPN, ESPNU, Fox Sports Bay Area, Comcast and CSTV, all Cal football games have been telecast at least the past two seasons.

DJ

My comment was about current students. I didn't go to Cal that long ago, and some of these people are still students there. They listened to KGO to get the game that wasn't televised this past season (or was it the season before?) I seem to remember one or two games per season that didn't make it on TV (and Cal radio announcer Joe Starkey made a comment about it on the air during that game).

 

[DougR]

[/quote]

My comment was about current students. I didn't go to Cal that long ago, and some of these people are still students there. They listened to KGO to get the game that wasn't televised this past season (or was it the season before?) I seem to remember one or two games per season that didn't make it on TV (and Cal radio announcer Joe Starkey made a comment about it on the air during that game).
[/quote]

It is just dangerous when you start using "I", "Me", "My friends", "A lot of people I know" to decide on a format for a station.

Sure KGO has an old demo. But it is still not only the #1 overall station in the Bay Area for close to 30 years now, which is meaningless, but is always the #1 billing station in the Bay Area, which means everything.

The fact that "you" only like one host and you know plenty of people that listen just for Cal games just does not matter.

 

[Marv-L.A.]

Revenue is indeed everything these days; I don't know if KGO would be harmed by carrying Cal games on Saturday afternoons and/or evenings, but there isn't a talk-radio station in America that couldn't use SOME younger listeners.