who do stations compete with for ratings?

[bostonradiovet]

There is so much crossover in music and formatting these days, who do stations really view as their competions when ratings are out?

Is Mix still going after Kiss or is BOS their new target?
Does ZLX try to beat out BCN? AAF? ROR?
Who is Oldies trying to rank higher than?

So many stations overlap, so many have shared management, who are they really competing against?

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

With owners having more than one station in the same market -
it is a similar situation to breakfast cereals and cigarettes: a few
companies sell their product under many different brand names -
it doesn't really matter which brand you buy, as long as it is one of their's...

 

[MikeyBos]

I'd say, generally speaking, the stations are most directly competing with those other stations that they are most musically similar to.

Mix 98.5 - Music falls in between Kiss and Magic...I would say those are its two most direct competitors
Kiss 108 - Music falls in between Mix and Jam'n which are its most direct competitors. To a lesser extent, I'd say they compete somewhat with Magic; and to an even lesser extent, as a popular radio station, I would say they compete against all other current music stations in the market (except WKLB?)

Oldies 103.3 - Most similar musically to WROR and Magic which I'd say are its most direct competitors. Probably to a lesser extent, WZLX is also a competitor.
WROR - Music falls in between Oldies and WZLX which I'd say are its most direct competitors. Probably to a lesser extent, competes with Magic.

WBOS, WBCN, WAAF and WFNX are pretty much direct competitors now. I'd say these current rock stations to a lesser extent compete with gold-based rock stations WZLX and, to a lesser extent, maybe WROR.

Mike-FM shares lots of music with various stations. I'd guess that Mix and WROR perhaps are its closest competitors.

But there are other ways to look at the overall equation as well. Some stations target more 18-34 (like WAAF and Jam'n and Kiss) whereas some stations target more 25-54 (like Magic and Oldies). So I guess there really are many ways of looking at it and many answers to the question you posed. Ultimately, they're all competing against each other to make the most money though!

There is so much crossover in music and formatting these days, who do stations really view as their competions when ratings are out?

Is Mix still going after Kiss or is BOS their new target?
Does ZLX try to beat out BCN? AAF? ROR?
Who is Oldies trying to rank higher than?

So many stations overlap, so many have shared management, who are they really competing against?

 

[Eli Polonsky]

Kiss 108 - Music falls in between Mix and Jam'n which are its most direct competitors.

Kiss 108 and Jam'n are owned by the same company (Clear Channel).

Oldies 103.3 - Most similar musically to WROR and Magic which I'd say are its most direct competitors. Probably to a lesser extent, WZLX is also a competitor.

Oldies 103.3 and WZLX are owned by the same company (CBS).

WROR - Music falls in between Oldies and WZLX which I'd say are its most direct competitors. Probably to a lesser extent, competes with Magic.

WROR and Magic are owned by the same company (Greater Media).

WBOS, WBCN, WAAF and WFNX are pretty much direct competitors now. I'd say these current rock stations to a lesser extent compete with gold-based rock stations WZLX and, to a lesser extent, maybe WROR.

WZLX and WBCN are owned by the same company (CBS). WBOS and WROR are owned by the same company (Greater Media).

Stations owned by the same company don't compete with each other. They're designed to either formatically complement each other and/or to attract different demos to their co-owned stations, while competing with stations owned by other companies.

 

[rapking]

Kiss 108 - Music falls in between Mix and Jam'n which are its most direct competitors.

Kiss 108 and Jam'n are owned by the same company (Clear Channel).

Oldies 103.3 - Most similar musically to WROR and Magic which I'd say are its most direct competitors. Probably to a lesser extent, WZLX is also a competitor.

Oldies 103.3 and WZLX are owned by the same company (CBS).

WROR - Music falls in between Oldies and WZLX which I'd say are its most direct competitors. Probably to a lesser extent, competes with Magic.

WROR and Magic are owned by the same company (Greater Media).

WBOS, WBCN, WAAF and WFNX are pretty much direct competitors now. I'd say these current rock stations to a lesser extent compete with gold-based rock stations WZLX and, to a lesser extent, maybe WROR.

WZLX and WBCN are owned by the same company (CBS). WBOS and WROR are owned by the same company (Greater Media).

Stations owned by the same company don't compete with each other. They're designed to either formatically complement each other and/or to attract different demos to their co-owned stations, while competing with stations owned by other companies.

And that's Why Act of 96 SUCKS !

 

[bostonradiovet]

I guess the majority of the old fasioned rivalries are dead. No cut and dry competition.

That was my point really...you can't pin point what competitors stations are aiming at. So the ratings really don't mean that much. Not that the current system is all that valid anyway.

 

[Retro]

Mike FM takes jabs at Mix 98-5 every now and then.

 

[TravisWMLN]

Kiss 108 - Music falls in between Mix and Jam'n which are its most direct competitors.

Kiss 108 and Jam'n are owned by the same company (Clear Channel).

Oldies 103.3 - Most similar musically to WROR and Magic which I'd say are its most direct competitors. Probably to a lesser extent, WZLX is also a competitor.

Oldies 103.3 and WZLX are owned by the same company (CBS).

WROR - Music falls in between Oldies and WZLX which I'd say are its most direct competitors. Probably to a lesser extent, competes with Magic.

WROR and Magic are owned by the same company (Greater Media).

WBOS, WBCN, WAAF and WFNX are pretty much direct competitors now. I'd say these current rock stations to a lesser extent compete with gold-based rock stations WZLX and, to a lesser extent, maybe WROR.

WZLX and WBCN are owned by the same company (CBS). WBOS and WROR are owned by the same company (Greater Media).

Stations owned by the same company don't compete with each other. They're designed to either formatically complement each other and/or to attract different demos to their co-owned stations, while competing with stations owned by other companies.

not true...stations in the same cluster try to outdo each other all the time...kind of like two brothers fighting over the same girl or fighting to show which is the better kid to the parents....even though oldies is one flight downstairs and has a little bit older of an audience, zlx still has competition with them

 

[aaronread]

Something tells me it's more "complicated" than this. Stations aren't exactly competing with other stations' programming per se...they're competing to get ad dollars. Obviously ad dollars are linked to ratings, which in turn are linked to programming, but it's not a 1:1:1 relationship.

I couldn't really explain it beyond that, though. Anyone willing to confirm/deny my instinct?