I see that WZZO has gone down to a 4.9 share, this has to be an all time low for them. What is wrong? Is it that rock is dying, changing demographics, bad jocks, or stale old music? If this is the new normal rating for them, could a format change be in the works?
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WZZO's low ratings
- Thread starter BobSmolarek
- Start date
cuz all the stations in the LV area SUCK! This station can't decide whether to call itself Z 95 or ZZO PICK ONE! It's not hard! And B104 they're a joke. Pop Culture who the hell puts that in your slogan! And quit playing an 80s song after a Pitbull song! Also quit with the random 90s adult 80s crap and the whatever weekends! It's a joke! I think Premium Choice stations by CC is better than this crap and Y102 isn't much better. The Fray is NOT ROCK! Neither is Gavin DeGraw! When you put them in between an AC/DC song and a Rush song it sounds wrong!
B-104 may be a joke but they are not a joke in the ratings, they pulled a 11.3! Their problem is that so much of the current CHR music is urban so they have to play the old stuff so the station doesn't sound too city/urban. But yes it does sound strange to hear Oasis's songs on a CHR in 2011! Maybe ZZO should go right at the Hawk and play the same exact music as the Hawk. Another idea, maybe a super soft AC like WDUV in Tampa. But if ZZO gets a 4.9 or lower next time, I think CC should start to think about a format change.
The discriminating listener in the Lehigh Valley enjoys the Blend on WDIY along with related shows like The Saturday Morning Mix, Good Clean Fun, and the Saturday Night Alternative. Carlos Benjamin, Mike Space, Keith Kelleher, George Libricz Jr, Nate, Dennis Christman, Kate Riess, Mike Riess, Mona Rodriguez, and Stewart Brodian keep the LV audience educated and hip on what is really happening musically. WZZO is irrelevant and meaningless to most.
I want ZZO to play rock because there's no other rock station in the LV. They should maybe tweak to Alternative like Radio 104.5 in Philly. I think they should stick with one name not 2 names, Z95 and ZZO, they should pick one and stick with it.
It's tough for one rock station to please everyone in the younger demographics. Should they lean hard rock? Should they lean alternative? Should they play a lot of classic artists or stick to new music? What sort of demographic is management looking for?
Even though Z95 has fallen, it may still be hitting its target of men 18-34. That's really what a younger rock station aims for. These days that may mean young women are put off by the hard-edged sound and older rock fans above 35 don't like it. But losing those listeners and falling in the overall ratings doesn't matter if Z95 is still #1 among men 18-34.
Once upon a time, all Z95 had to do was play whatever was selling by The Stones, The Eagles, The Who, Tom Petty, Eric Clapton, Bob Segar, Heart, Fleetwood Mac, etc. Everyone in the previous generation roughly agreed with what was good rock music. Maybe women had to put up with some Ozzy or Zeppelin and men had to put up with some Pat Benetar or Hall & Oates. But we were all pretty much on the same page. Which is why for the older listener, Classic HIts 99.9 WODE has such good ratings. (By the way, for those not in the Lehigh Valley, this is the Classic Hits format that's roughly a Classic Rock station that leans toward familiar rock songs... Not the Classic Hits format that used to be called Oldies. That format has to be picked up from 98.1 WOGL Philadelphia.)
Gregg
[email protected]
Even though Z95 has fallen, it may still be hitting its target of men 18-34. That's really what a younger rock station aims for. These days that may mean young women are put off by the hard-edged sound and older rock fans above 35 don't like it. But losing those listeners and falling in the overall ratings doesn't matter if Z95 is still #1 among men 18-34.
Once upon a time, all Z95 had to do was play whatever was selling by The Stones, The Eagles, The Who, Tom Petty, Eric Clapton, Bob Segar, Heart, Fleetwood Mac, etc. Everyone in the previous generation roughly agreed with what was good rock music. Maybe women had to put up with some Ozzy or Zeppelin and men had to put up with some Pat Benetar or Hall & Oates. But we were all pretty much on the same page. Which is why for the older listener, Classic HIts 99.9 WODE has such good ratings. (By the way, for those not in the Lehigh Valley, this is the Classic Hits format that's roughly a Classic Rock station that leans toward familiar rock songs... Not the Classic Hits format that used to be called Oldies. That format has to be picked up from 98.1 WOGL Philadelphia.)
Gregg
[email protected]
1. Stick to one name: either ZZO or Z95
2. Lean towards Alternative, leave the classic rock to WODE
2. Lean towards Alternative, leave the classic rock to WODE
A
ActuallyInTheBiz
Guest
hate to say I told you so, but...I told you so. This is what I posted elsewhere on this board about WZZO 2 years ago:
when a station's overall 12+ numbers go from a 12 or 13 to 5-something, you KNOW there have been back-room discussions about a format flip. they're a shell of what they used to be and they don't manage their heritage position very well at all. They have to know that.
when a station's overall 12+ numbers go from a 12 or 13 to 5-something, you KNOW there have been back-room discussions about a format flip. they're a shell of what they used to be and they don't manage their heritage position very well at all. They have to know that.
A
ActuallyInTheBiz
Guest
the station sounds awful, plain and simple. Tori programs for her own personal tastes (outdated metal). I mean, they RE-ADDED Kiss-Tears Are Falling and a few other songs like that, fer chrissakes! And they did a weekend ticket giveaway for a Ratt/Warrant show...in 2010! It's unbelievable. And the jocks are just...um...not very compelling. They have no money to keep good talent or a PD who actually WORKS with the talent (such as it is) to improve them and inspire them. The station needs to clean house in the programming dept. or flip format. I've said it before and I'll say it again: if an FM in the Valley flipped to an Urban/latino hybrid (hip-hop/some spanish language songs/reggaeton), it would KILL in the ratings. Black/Latino/Asian is now a 55% ethnic block in Allentown. Whites are a MINORITY for the 1st time in history. Do you think that trend is TEMPORARY? Of course not.
A tired, lazy rock station that neither exists in the modern world OR takes care of its history is not "serving your audience"...and the ratings bear that out.
The end.
A tired, lazy rock station that neither exists in the modern world OR takes care of its history is not "serving your audience"...and the ratings bear that out.
The end.
A
ActuallyInTheBiz
Guest
addressing a couple of other points that were mentioned:
1.) It doesn't matter if they use two names (Z95 and WZZO) because both are registered with Arbitron and they get full credit for anybody using either name in a diary. That's a non-issue. And if this market is a PPM market (not yet, i don't think...?) then it also doesn't matter because diary recall is also a non-issue.
2.) Concerning the Men 18-34 demo, in the counties where 107 The Bone has a full signal against WZZO (the only FAIR comparison), The Bone is beating them in Men 18-34. Say goodnight.
There is nowhere for ZZO to go. They're getting squeezed on the classic rock end by The Hawk and the new/hard rock end by The Bone. The Hawk is really a classic rock/classic hits hybrid. Ironically, they are taking advantage of the classic rock heritage that ZZO created in this market to beat ZZO. WZZO fell asleep at the wheel several years ago, they started selling spots for pennies on the dollar, there was a programming staff shake-up a few years ago and they have never rebounded. Their identity crisis goes back years.
And, honestly, if I was a client I'd be PISSED about this whole on-air presentation of "commercials suck, we're going commercial-free for hours at a time" trend. It's a really bad, shortsighted, desperate programming decision. It's lowering the perceived value of spots for ALL OF YOUR CLIENTS. It's totally self-destructive and, mark my words, won't have the ratings payoff they're expecting it to have. It never does...because people aren't stupid.
1.) It doesn't matter if they use two names (Z95 and WZZO) because both are registered with Arbitron and they get full credit for anybody using either name in a diary. That's a non-issue. And if this market is a PPM market (not yet, i don't think...?) then it also doesn't matter because diary recall is also a non-issue.
2.) Concerning the Men 18-34 demo, in the counties where 107 The Bone has a full signal against WZZO (the only FAIR comparison), The Bone is beating them in Men 18-34. Say goodnight.
There is nowhere for ZZO to go. They're getting squeezed on the classic rock end by The Hawk and the new/hard rock end by The Bone. The Hawk is really a classic rock/classic hits hybrid. Ironically, they are taking advantage of the classic rock heritage that ZZO created in this market to beat ZZO. WZZO fell asleep at the wheel several years ago, they started selling spots for pennies on the dollar, there was a programming staff shake-up a few years ago and they have never rebounded. Their identity crisis goes back years.
And, honestly, if I was a client I'd be PISSED about this whole on-air presentation of "commercials suck, we're going commercial-free for hours at a time" trend. It's a really bad, shortsighted, desperate programming decision. It's lowering the perceived value of spots for ALL OF YOUR CLIENTS. It's totally self-destructive and, mark my words, won't have the ratings payoff they're expecting it to have. It never does...because people aren't stupid.
A
ActuallyInTheBiz
Guest
changing WZZO's format to a modern rock/AAA (a la Radio 104.5) wouldn't get them any overall better ratings than they have now (around a 5), so why bother? Those formats tend to not do very well in smaller markets. I'd love it if they did, but it's just a general fact.
I agree with everything you have said Biz.This poor attempt at radio called WZZO, is being wiped away by so called experts who belong in a waste tank.Morning show,not funny.Mid days,not enjoyable.Afternoon drive,a train wreck.And nights,forget it.The funny thing is that they "think" they are great in what they do.Not by a long shot.The station needs a new line up,new production.Everything! They spent all that cash in "up grades" with all of their equipment for the studios but nothing good it coming out.It's 2011 not 1983.Get with it!
AAA would be the way to go. New REM coming out, new Greg Allman currently out, new Decemberist, new Jayhawks. Totally change focus of the station. Kill the hair metal and all that loud rock nonsense. Perhaps keep a few heritage acts like Ozzy and Deep Purple in rotation. Promote shows at Godfrey Daniels, Sellersville Theatre, Mauch Chunk Opera House ect. Promote legitimate artist like Tavern Tan. Then the station will be relevant. As it stands now the station is a joke.
www.wdiy.org. www.wxpn.org
www.wdiy.org. www.wxpn.org
Furthermore, the whole Clear Channel Building may be reasonably modern, but the people working inside of it are irrelevant, clueless, cavemen and Cav women. Josh Dylan is the lone exception. Even though his tastes in music are somewhat questionable, he is still hipper than all the rest of the jabronies there. Just awful. WAEB, WZZO! Awful!
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