It's apples and oranges, Vinnie. Radio is about attracting a high enough number of people in a specific age range and getting enough of them to tune in all at once that you maintain a fairly consistent number of those listeners in that demo in any given 15-minute period. YouTube won't tell you how many of them are 25-54, and how many are in Southern California. If you got 15 million hits on YouTube in a year, but we don't know how many are 80 and how many are in Maine (or Russia), it's irrelevant.
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The old KRTH
- Thread starter David Shapiro
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It's apples and oranges, Vinnie. Radio is about attracting a high enough number of people in a specific age range and getting enough of them to tune in all at once that you maintain a fairly consistent number of those listeners in that demo in any given 15-minute period. YouTube won't tell you how many of them are 25-54, and how many are in Southern California. If you got 15 million hits on YouTube in a year, but we don't know how many are 80 and how many are in Maine (or Russia), it's irrelevant.
Thanks for the input!
All of these numbers have been posted and reposted in this thread and similar threads going back several years. This isn't the first time these people have been confronted with the numbers for this station. The facts are simple: This station is doing better now than it ever has, and that goes for all other stations in this format.
No, because as I said in my first post this morning, to do so requires basing your music choices on how a record did on the charts when it was new. A majority didn't care then. Even fewer care now.
And the ratings are higher than they have ever been, because more people live in the LA / OC metro than ever before. More people listening, due to higher population. If the population today was the same as it was in the 80's, then your numbers are lower, so in reality KRTH is probably performing the same now as it did then proportionally......give or take.
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That's not correct. Ratings are comparative to other stations. Population isn't a factor.
If what you're saying was true, the station would still rank #10.
BTW the classic hits format is doing better today even in cities where the population is dropping.
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Quick quick quick in 5 seconds name the last TV commercial you have seen advertising a radio station in SoCal. What station? Need 10 seconds?
That's irrelevant, because based on that, a majority didn't care the first time around either, but it still aired......for 13 years.
Both of us believe it can be done today, but it's up to radio, not us.
Wrong, WRONG, WRONG!!
The "ratings" we see are actually shares. A share is the percentage of people using radio.
It does not matter how many people are in the market. A 4 share today is the same share as a 4 share in 1960.
A 10 share in Billings, MT, is the same as a 10 share in LA... it means ten percent of the listeners in the market listen to that station.
In any event, the population from the year 2000 has barely changed... for about 12.3 million to 12.8 million in 2015.
KLVE on Channel 34 nearly every day.
All this certainty and so little (as in the square root of jack) understanding of what you're talking about. Despite five years of having it all laid out for you by myself, David, Big A and others who've given up and gone on.
The number with the decimal point? Like 4.8 (KRTH's current 6+ number)? That's the quarter-hour share. It is a percentage of the available audience in any given quarter-hour. Phil Hall, in his final year, had a 1.9 percent share of a metro that had 11 million people. Bob Hamilton, in his best year, had a 3.6 percent share of a metro that had 9 million people.
Today's KRTH has a 4.8 share of a metro that has almost 13 million people. A larger share of a much bigger pie.
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By one guy who had to change formats and another who got blown out when the station fell to tied for 20th. The next guy, Mike Phillips, ditched that stuff and the station went to #6.
You and I had this conversation once (Twice? Ten times???) before. You think if something is on the air, it's working (except for KRTH, which is wildly successful and you think needs fixing).
There are something like 3000 airchecks on a site called reelradio.com, and for a mere $10, you can listen to radio from the past for weeks on end. The membership roster has dropped well below 1000. Where are all the music geeks that love radio the way it used to be?
On this same reelradio.com, there is the entire KFRC Big 610 from 1986, where in a last ditch effort, the station brought back the old jocks from its heyday. It wasn't but a few months before the format was changed to adult standards. There's no earthly reason to do a KRTH reunion. They've moved on and attracted a new audience.
On this same reelradio.com, there is the entire KFRC Big 610 from 1986, where in a last ditch effort, the station brought back the old jocks from its heyday. It wasn't but a few months before the format was changed to adult standards. There's no earthly reason to do a KRTH reunion. They've moved on and attracted a new audience.
If they were going to do any kind of reunion, perhaps one that featured jocks on new music stations that were popular in the 80's and 90's -- KIIS, KPWR, KROQ. Didn't listners of KRTH today listen to those stations back then?
A mistake on my part, not intentional. I've learned a lot. I appreciate the ratings charts you laid out earlier.
Only the ones that lived in Los Angeles 20 and 30 years ago (a lot has changed in L.A., including the residents). And only some of them. And of them, only some of them cared about the jocks. KRTH is doing fine. It doesn't need to trade on the glory of another time or another radio station, which is a first for KRTH.
See, that's just your opinion. You don't really have any proof that this is true. I believe what you're saying is based in fear. Perhaps you're afraid to take chances.
Think of it this way. What's the absolute worst that can happen? Supposing the overnight K-Earth jock had to take a bathroom break and left his intern to babysit the board while The Eurythmics were playing "Sweet Dreams." Let's say the jock took a little longer than anticipated and the intern were a radio geek that decided to follow with a little Stagger Lee by Lloyd Price. Do you REALLY think that's gonna blow-up K-Earth??? What if enough listeners called and requested it? What if a major label band were out there and heard that at 2 in the morning and it inspired them to re-make the song which went on to be a bigger hit than the original and KRTH were given all the credit for it?
With the possible exception of the intern, do you actually think that would have been the worst 3 minutes in anyone's life?
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I'll let Mr. Hagerty answer, but I will give you a quick two cents. Many radio stations are hesitant to do anything anymore and play the ultra, rock hard safe route. And it's agonizing to some listeners that once in a while, would love to hear something different, but cannot. You are right Vinnie and I agree with you. Playing one song is not going to make or break a station on any given night of the week, especially at 2AM, when the VAST majority of people are asleep. What are they afraid of?? That's why I always emphasize radio from days gone by, because then, radio was free to do more, without much consequence. Did it hurt ratings sometimes...sure, but that can happen anytime, anyplace and stations take actions to correct the problem, little tweeks here and there. 1985 isn't any different than 2016 and nor will it be in 2036. Ratings go up, ratings go down. It happens and will happen again.
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Do you actually think interns work overnight shifts? Really? In what universe? Seems to me colleges have rules that prevent that.
Do you actually thing DJs jockey discs? They don't. There are no discs. They're all computer files, triggered by the computer. Please come into the 21st century.
There are 15,330 licensed radio stations in the US. I'm sure a handful still do old school. Nothing wrong by playing off discs or records. I'd do it. A computer is just a convenience. How many stations have I heard that use automation, the phasing goes out and you hear 1/2 the songs left and rights. It sounds horrible.
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