Latest ratings
November 5, 2022First, a little review…
Several years ago, we only worried about ratings on a quarterly basis. But the “big city” markets (of which Pittsburgh is one, but not to the same degree it once was) have been reporting monthly long enough that “it’s always been that way”. I really don’t get too excited about the ratings anymore but given the way some of the numbers have changed in the last couple of books, it’s worth noting.
Remember, the numbers the public sees are the Age 6+ overall ratings. We don’t get to see the breakdown of the day parts and how the stations truly appeal to their respective target audiences which are reserved for stations – who now must pay exorbitant fees for the privilege of receiving the report – as well as ad agencies and the like. (If your station of choice isn’t listed in the Nielsen Audio report – either you’re looking at the wrong market, or that station is not listed because they do not subscribe.) While those more precise numbers do affect the overall ratings, the overall ratings don’t really tell the full story.
Additionally, stations around the perimeter of the heart of the market where you see ratings like “0.5” or “0.1” may only cover a portion of the market area and, in my humble opinion, do not get a fair shake being compared to the “downtowers” with large power outputs covering large portions of the market region.
And lastly, we are now seeing station web streams being measured and some high-def (“HD-2”) signals. I guess a portable people meter will pick up anything and the unit at the station can decipher the stream from the standard over-the-air audio.
Now that I have said my piece…
I think the most notable thing about the October book in comparison to the three months prior (July-August-September) is how significant some of these swings and dips taking place are.
This being the Country market it is, let’s start there. Coming in 5th overall is iHeart’s WPGB (104.7) “Big Country”. It’s lowest mark in the last four books was in the August book where it had a 3.5. October is its highest with 6.1 Where does that leave Audacy’s venerable WDSY (107.9) “Y-108”? It’s highest point was in August with 5.5 remaining fairly steady with July and September. Then in October… BOOM… 3.9.
Steel City Media still enjoys 3rd place with WRRK (96.9 Braddock) “Bob-FM”, though it seems to be losing steam. Surprisingly though, WLTJ (92.9) “Q-92/9” appears to be out of it’s long rut below the #10 position on the 6+. Could the nightly broadcasts of “Ya Jagoff Podcast” be aiding in bringing listeners to the otherwise all-music station? Meanwhile, also surprising is Renda’s WSHH (99.7) “Wish 99.7” and a gradual decline to #12 with a 3.7. Wish’s highest number in the last few months was 4.7 in July. No doubt Wish will be all-Christmas by Pittsburgh’s Light-up Night going head-to-head with iHeart’s WWSW (94.5) “3-W-S”.
The rest of the numbers are here.
If I had more time on my hands to do so, I would take a look at the positions of the last four months individually to really see how significant – and fast – the changes really took place.
As per usual, I am not looking to debate anyone about any of this. I’m also not looking for “armchair” criticism of what’s wrong with who is doing what to which and why they should be doing it (insert critic’s name here ____’s) way. In addition to what I said above, remember some stations are still working with a “skeleton crew” after the pandemic. Some may need to brush up on their social media activity (because let’s face it, that’s where you find most listeners). Some stations may be enjoying a seasonal boost from sporting (or other) season events while others may be riding the wave until their “season” arrives!
Speaking of seasons… which one is it really?… he writes as the November temperatures soar…
Eric, you’re probably aware of the ratings problems. While the sample supposedly is okay, reality tells you different. PPM markets rise and fall one meter at a time. In Los Angeles we knew with an average of 13 meters in a given month we’d be in good shape. One month we fell to10 meters (average) and our numbers dropped significantly. They came back the following month-and we speculated it was because of The World Cup on another -out of town station-that exploded in one daypart. PPM in L.A. was about 1300 when I was there. I doubt it’s much more than that now. One family (and yes, complete families do get meters) leaving town for vacation can make a significant difference. You might suggest that with the splintering of media choices (online, on the air, HD radio), the audio audience is fragmented more than ever before. I don’t think you can find a radio executive who doesn’t believe that the ratings system has it’s flaws, but it’s all they have. They spend thousands to buy that data when they could be investing in the product to give the listener what it wants. That’s my take on it anway.
Dave, you bring forth a memory of a discussion I had about that topic a few years back. With whom I had that conversation, I don’t remember. I do remember a conversation with my radio boss about the amount he was quoted for his subscription. I seem to recall having to pick myself up off the floor. What came to my mind: “We’re the only game in town so we can be as greedy as we want.”
Anyway, to add to your point about the audience being further fragmented, even when the PPM was new the choices were still fewer than they are now. Now the options are almost endless. And I will add this… very little of it is “appointment” listening too!
Well – -it seems they’ve killed appointment listening. If I had an appointment with a dentist for a root canal I might forget about it for awhile. If I had an appointment to win $1000 or $10,000 I might listen. Things like “The Birthday Game” and those “appointment” promotions have gone by the wayside to be replaced by “text to win” or “enter on our website”. I don’t watch “The Price Is Right” or “Jeopardy” for the thrill of winning. I watch for the fun of the game. Radio’s apparently gotten out of “the game”. Shame.
I guess the days when 50KW KDKA-AM could broadcast a 1KHz signal and still be #1 in the market are long gone.
Not to debate, but perhaps only having a “skeleton crew” is a blessing. The main appeal of a music format station is the music. Perhaps in the 21st Century, disc jockeys are no longer a big factor in what station people tune in. I think that’s especially the case with the “all things to all musical tastes” stations giving way to almost every station having a unique musical sound and playlist. If you like a certain type of music, and only one station in town plays that type, would you switch to different music because you like the disc jockey better? Maybe the reason for stations slipping has more to do with the recording labels churning out inferior product.
George, thanks for bringing up these points. “All things to all musical tastes” – did you say WRRK? Okay it’s not all things but it’s closer than a narrow playlist, unique musical sound. The disc jockeys? Rege Cordic. Porky Chedwick. Jim Quinn. Jack Bogut. Cox on The Radio. Jeff Christy (Rush Limbaugh). Jackson Armstrong. Pittsburgh had some of the best talent in the country on the air and they had a lot of freedom to do their stuff. Today they talk 4 times an hour, usually reading a pre-written liner. It’s not that disk jockeys aren’t important. It’s just that no one seems to know how to curate the music anymore. It’s all too disjointed…and pity the poor “brand manager” who doesn’t have time to teach newer talent how it all should work. The philosophy is simple. If you can’t make it fun, don’t do it. Trouble is, if you don’t do it – it becomes very dull.