Winter book is out – Musings

Yes, I know that the 12+ category doesn’t amount to a hill of beans when it comes to the ratings – and that a station is doing pretty well if it heads up the ratings for its target audience. But I would like to break down the “big picture” just a little bit.

A couple of years ago, we would have said that nobody would have ever overtaken KDKA for the top spot. But for a little over a year now, one could say that about WDVE which has been blowing KDKA out of the water. Country music has ruled via WDSY – the only country station in town which isn’t simulcast.

WPGB comes in 4th place these days and continues to strengthen its place in line. This was the first FM talk station in town and it’s likely that it may hold its ground despite the competition.

Meanwhile, Renda’s WJAS boasts itself as the highest rated Adult Standards station in the country. Yeah, Allegheny County is second in the country (under Dade County FL) in senior citizen population, but I don’t know that it has much to do with that. I think there are quite a few younger folk (who may be middle age by this point) who tune into WJAS.

Saul Frischling’s WRRK – although it took a bit of a dive since the Fall ’06 Book, is an example of one format change proven successful. Remember all of the emails PBRTV received when the format changed in November ’05? Seems that it was much ado about nothing. The station has successfully risen into the top 10 and has remained their for several books now. Excellent move!

WSHH continues to plug away although having dropped a point. In comparing the numbers with WSHH and WWSW – both of which went all Christmas music back in November – it appears that the Christmas format helped both stations. WSHH’s format remained the same post-Christmas and the end result of the Winter Book still came out above any number prior to the Fall ’06 book. Meanwhile, WWSW’s more AC sound may not be proving as successful.

Things to wonder: We’ll have to wait until the Spring Book comes out to see if the change from WRKZ to WTZN was really worthwhile. The station shows a pretty low number, but remember it was classic rock for most of the winter. In the meantime, I will wonder if the station might provide some competition for WPGB as people find it or if the stations are different enough that they attract two different audiences.

It’s about time: Finally, someone woke up and created a new line for Renda’s Greensburg station WGSM (107.1). It only took a year! WGSM was WJJJ and simulcast WAMO-AM and was listed as such on the ratings for a few books after its ownership and format change.

The 12+ Arbitron Book for Winter 2007 was released yesterday and although little has changed, there are still some noteworthy happenings. (If you are looking for the 25-54 Category, the Post-Gazette has the numbers.) Read on for a “Musings” about the 12+. (If you’d like to follow along with the grid, please visit R&R