from The Press of Atlantic City
January 20, 2004
The fall Arbitron ratings have been released, and there are few surprises. The top three stations in the spring survey held on to their positions, but have smaller shares of the audience. It seems as if radio listeners in Atlantic and Cape May counties are turning the dial more than they did in the recent past.
Contem-porary-hit radio WZBZ-FM 99.3 stays in the No. 1 spot with an 8.7 share of radio listeners age 12 and older, but that's down from the 12.1 share it had in the spring. Lite-rock station WFPG-FM 96.9 stays in second place with an 8.5 share, about half a point lower than its 9.1 share in the last rating. Adult-contemporary WAYV-FM 95.1 went from a 7.3 share in the spring to a 6.3 share in the fall, but keeps its hold on third place.
For 13 weeks every spring and fall, Arbitron sends out listening "diaries" to randomly selected residents of Atlantic and Cape May counties. (Residents of other counties fall into different markets.) People keep each diary for a week, and are instructed to write down every station they hear for at least five minutes.
I know you're tired of hearing it, but I have to give the usual disclaimer.
Changes in Arbitron's sampling methods and the diligence people use to fill out the survey forms can cause the results to vary from season to season. So each "book" should be used only as a guideline.
Also note that the numbers given here are for listeners age 12 and older, but that's not what the stations want to know. Each station directs its talk or music towards people of a particular age, race or gender. Although coming out well in the 12-plus numbers is nice, it doesn't do a rock station much good to have a high rating among older women or for an old-standards format to do well with twentysomethings.
That over and done with, here are the ratings. Each share point represents 1 percent of people listening to the radio during a typical 15-minute time slot who are tuned in to each station. The accompanying chart doesn't add up to 100 percent, as out-of-town stations aren't included and Arbitron doesn't release figures for nonprofit stations.
Oldies station WTKU-FM 98.3 tweaked its format since the last rating period, and the numbers show that listeners liked the change. WTKU jumped into fourth place with a 5.9 share, a 2-point gain over the spring survey.
Another big winner in the fall survey was modern-rock station WJSE-FM 102.7, which gained nearly 21/2 points for a 5.2 share and fifth place. That makes it the leader among the area's three rock stations, two-tenths of a point ahead of its nearest competitor, classic-rock station WMGM-FM 103.7.
Most other stations held their ground from the spring, going up or down by no more than a few tenths of a share.
The former WRDR-FM 104.9 is back in southern New Jersey, after a stint as Latin hits station WEMG, geared to the Philadelphia market. Nassau Broadcasting purchased the license in August, changed the call letters to WOJZ and the format to smooth jazz. The result was a jump in the ratings from a 0.5 share in the spring to a 2.2 in the fall.
Morning drive
Shock-jock Howard Stern has been a fixture on East Coast radio for about 20 years, and he's running as strong as ever. Heard locally on WJSE, Stern tops the all-important morning-drive time slot, with an 8.8 share. If you add in local residents who listen to his show on WYSP-FM 94.1 in Philadelphia, he comes up with a whopping 10.9 percent of the weekday morning radio audience.
John Reed, hosting the light-rock tunes on WFPG comes in second with a 7.1 share. He took over the mike last spring when Mike Manion left for a station in Pennsylvania.
Don Williams, conservative talk host on WOND-AM 1400, comes in third with a 6.7 share. That's an improvement over his 5.3 share in the spring, and he still blows away his competition in local talk radio. Jim Gearhart on WKXW-FM 101.5 got a 1.9 share, and Harry Hurley, heard from 8 to 10 a.m. on WKXW-AM 1450, got a 1.7 share for his time slot.
The syndicated "Tom Joyner Morning Show," heard on WTTH-FM 96.9, comes in fourth, as the wacky cast of characters along with urban adult contemporary music got a 6.1 share.
The "Mike & Diane" show on WAYV comes in fifth with a 6.3 share, followed by the hot-adult hits on WZBZ with a 6.1.
There's a tie for seventh place with sister stations WTKU and WMGM. Jerry Beebe and David Allen Pratt keep the oldies spinning on WTKU, and the syndicated "Bob & Tom" show keeps listeners laughing on WMGM. Each one of those attracted 5.5 percent of the morning audience.
Next comes Joe Kelly, playing the country tunes on WPUR-FM 107.3, with a 4.8 share. He's followed by Steve Raymond and Alli Morgan and rock music on WZXL-FM 100.7 with a 4.0 share. Eddie Davis on WIXM-FM 97.3 rounds out the Top 10 with a 3.9 share.
--snip--
from the Atlantic City Press
July 20, 2003
The rich keep getting richer and the poor struggle to get by. That adage seemed to ring true in the results of the Spring 2003 radio survey by the Arbitron Ratings Co., as the top stations in the Atlantic City-Cape May market grabbed an even bigger share of listeners.
Contemporary hit radio station WZBZ-FM 99.3 holds on to its lead in the market among listeners age 12 and older, going up nearly two points to a 12.3 share. Light-rock station WFPG-FM 96.9 stays in second place with a 9.1 share, an increase of 1.2 points from last fall's ratings.
The lead spot in the coveted morning drive time slot shows a tie between "The Mike and Diane Show" on adult-contemporary WAYV-FM 95.1 and WFPG-FM. Popular morning host Mike Manion left WFPG in the middle of the rating period, and John Reed took over the mike.
I know I say it every time, so skip over the next few paragraphs if you're a long-time reader and already know the drill.
The Arbitron Ratings Co. conducted the survey over the course of 13 weeks in the spring. Area residents were selected at random and asked to keep a diary listing every radio station they heard for one week. Each share point equals 1 percent of radios in use that are tuned to a given station during a typical 15-minute period.
The numbers presented here are for listeners age 12 and older, but that's nothing more than bragging rights as far as the stations are concerned. Each radio station has a target audience based on the age, race and gender of the listeners they hope to attract, and they sell commercials based on how well they do in that group. That's why you don't hear makeup commercials on rock stations geared to men or motorcycle commercials on adult-contemporary stations that target women.
Also note that differences in the way Arbitron selects respondents and the methods people use to fill out the diaries can affect the results.
OK, that said, back to the ratings.
WAYV made a nice jump from the fall ratings, moving into third place with a 7.4 share, up from a 5.2 share. Country station WPUR-FM 107.3 lost about a point, and takes fourth place with a 5.2 share. They're tied with classic-rock station WMGM-FM 103.7.
Urban adult-contemporary station WTTH-FM 96.1 kept fifth place, but went down nearly a point to a 4.7 share. News-talk station WOND-AM 1400 slipped more than a point, but rises from seventh to sixth place. They're tied with oldies station WTKU-FM 98.3 and rock station WZXL-FM 100.7.
Math whizzes who add up the numbers on the accompanying chart will find it doesn't add up to 100 percent. That's because out-of-area stations and nonprofit stations are not included.
While the overall ratings were similar to the fall's results, there was a shakeup in the morning-drive slot, the prime hours when people are getting ready for work and school or stuck in traffic on the way there.
"The Mike and Diane Show" on WAYV and John Reed/Mike Manion on WFPG tie for first place, each with an 8.6 share, or an average of 5,500 listeners during the typical 15-minute time slot. That's a big jump for Mike and Diane, who came in seventh place with a 5.4 share in the fall. It's a smaller leap for WFPG, who came in third with a 7.4 share.
The hot hits on WZBZ come in second with a 7.4 share. There's a tie for third place with the syndicated "Bob and Tom Show," heard on WMGM and the syndicated "Tom Joyner Morning Show," heard on WTTH. Each of them has a 6.2 share or about 4,000 average listeners.
Conservative talk host Don Williams, who led the market last time, comes in fourth with a 5.3 share, or 3,400 average listeners. He always seems to do better in the fall ratings, when people tune in for news about electoral politics.
Joe Kelly of WPUR moves up to fifth place with a 5.0 share and 3,200 average listeners, but lost a fraction of a point in the process.
Next comes shock-jock Howard Stern, heard locally on modern-rock station WJSE-FM 102.7 with a 4.4 share. But if you add in the area residents who tune in to Stern on WYSP-FM 94.1 out of Philadelphia, he gets a quite respectable 6.0 share. Jerry Beebe, who recently started doing mornings solo on WTKU, also has a 4.4 share.
The Top 10 are rounded out by nostalgia music on WMID-AM 1340 with a 3.4 share, Eddie Davis on WIXM-FM 97.3 with a 3.3 share, Matthew Arnett on WZXL with a 3.1 share and old standards on WCMC-AM 1230.
--snips--
from The Press of Atlantic City
January 12, 2003
Contemporary hit radio station WZBZ-FM 99.3 increased its hold on the southern New Jersey radio market last fall, as more than 10 percent of listeners in a typical time slot were tuned in to "The Buzz." The station came out on top in the fall survey of listening habits conducted by the Arbitron Ratings Co.
WZBZ, which simulcasts its programs on WGBZ-FM 105.5 in Cape May County, increased its share of listeners by 1.5 points since the spring ratings period, when it also led the market.
Meanwhile, in the coveted morning-drive time slot, talkmeister Don Williams on WOND-AM 1400 regained his status as No. 1 morning host with an 8.1 share. Syndicated host Tom Joyner and his sidekicks, heard locally on WTTH-FM 96.1 came in at a close second with a 7.9 share.
Each share point represents one percent of people age 12 and older who are listening to the radio during a typical 15- minute time slot.
As longtime readers of this column are sick of hearing, the 12 and older numbers, or "12-plus" in radio jargon, is just a beauty contest. Sure it's great to brag about being king of the mountain, but that doesn't sell commercials. Radio stations program their music and talk to appeal to people of a certain age, race and gender. They're more concerned about how they fared in their target demographic group than in the overall population.
Also be aware that differences in Arbitron's sampling methods and how respondents kept their listening diaries influences the result. Each individual rating period should be used as a guideline, not revered as gospel.
That being said, light-rock station WFPG-FM 96.9 holds on to its second-place showing, despite a half-percent decline in share points from the spring ratings.
Most radio stations were within one point of their share from the spring rating period. But two stations did see a substantial drop. After several successive increases, modern-rock station WJSE-FM 102.7 dropped 2.2 share points, and adult-contemporary station WAYV-FM 95.1 dropped 2.3 share points.
Hot Latin hits station WEMG-FM 104.9 (the former WRDR) is not included, as the industry now considers it to be a Philadelphia station. But it did garner a 1.7 share in the southern New Jersey market.
People who bother to add the numbers on the chart will notice that it does not total to 100 percent. That's because ratings of Philadelphia and New York stations are not included, and Arbitron does not release the ratings of nonprofit stations.
Morning drive
The 6 to 10 a.m. time slot is considered prime time for radio. Many stations put their strongest host on the air during the morning rush hour to get as many people to tune in while they drive to work.
As is usually the case when there are hotly contested races in the fall election, conservative talk host Don Williams on WOND led the pack with an 8.1 share. Syndicated host Tom Joyner, who often expresses mor liberal views when the music isn't playing, trailed by a nose with a 7.9 share.
Mike Manion, heard on light-rock station WFPG, comes in third in the morning drive with a 7.4 share. Although WZBZ leads the market, morning hosts Bob and Sheri only come in fourth in radio prime time with a 7.1 share.
Fifth place goes to the wacky crew of the syndicated Bob and Tom Show, heard locally on WMGM-FM 103.7. They're followed by Joe Kelly of country station WPUR-FM 107.3 with a 5.8 share, the Mike and Diane Show on WAYV with a 5.4 share and old standards on WMID-AM 1340.
Matthew Arnett on rock station WZXL-FM 100.7, Eddie Davis on WIXM-FM 97.3 and syndicated shock-jock Howard Stern on WJSE all tie for ninth place with a 3.5 share. If you add in the southern New Jersey residents who listen to Stern on WYSP-FM 94.1 in Philadelphia, he gets a 5.1 share. A little more respectable, but still a far cry from Stern's former domination of the morning airwaves.
--snips--
from The Press of Atlantic City
July 28, 2002
Elaine Rose/Radio
Contemporary hit radio station WZBZ-FM 99.3, better known as "The Buzz," comes out as the most listened-to station among southern New Jersey residents age 12 and older. Equity Communications, owners of WAYV-FM 95.1 and WZXL-FM 100.7, recently bought that station as part of a package deal with Margate Communications.
The Buzz, including Cape May County affiliate WGBZ-FM 105.5, got an 8.7 share in the spring rating period, up more than three points from its showing last fall. That means of all people listening to the radio at any given time, 8.7 percent of those age 12 and older were listening to WZBZ during the typical 15-minute time period.
Mike Manion of light-rock station WFPG-FM 96.9 bested WOND-AM 1400 talkmeister Don Williams by two-tenths of a share to take over as leader of the morning-drive pack.
The results are based on diaries of radio listeners in Atlantic and Cape May counties who recorded every radio station they heard for a week. The surveys were distributed over a 13-week period this spring.
Before going on, a reminder to readers that quirks in Arbitron's sampling methods and the way people filled out the diaries can affect the results. Each "book" is better viewed as a guideline than revered as gospel.
Also, the 12-plus numbers, as they are called in the industry, are little more than a beauty contest. Most radio stations are more interested in the demographic breakdowns of age, sex and race to make sure they are reaching their target audience. Then they can forward that information to advertisers to sell air time for commercials.
Math whizzes who add up all the numbers in the accompanying table will realize that it doesn't equal 100 percent. That's because listenership to stations in New York, Philadelphia and other locales is not included in the table. Also, Arbitron does not release ratings for nonprofit stations.
In the general ratings, 6 a.m. to midnight seven days a week, last fall's leader, WFPG-FM falls to second place with an 8.5 share. They actually improved their share points over the fall, but WZBZ beat them out. Adult-contemporary station WAYV-FM 95.1 falls from second to third place, also while gaining a larger share of the listeners.
Country station WPUR-FM 107.3 took a big jump, going from a 3.9 share and 10th place in the fall to a 5.8 share and fourth place in the spring. Classic-rock station WMGM-FM 103.7 made a leap nearly as large, going from a 4.1 share and ninth place in the fall to a 5.4 share and fifth place in the spring.
Urban adult contemporary station WTTH-FM 96.1, part of the Margate Communications sale to Equity, took a dive, going from a 6.5 share and third place in the fall to a 4.6 share and seventh place in the spring.
WJSE-FM 102.7, a feisty independently owned modern-rock station, continues its steady rise in the ratings, going from a 4.3 share in the fall to 4.8 in the spring.
Numbers for WKXW-FM 101.5 and sister station WKXW-AM 1450 are not included this year, because changes in the AM station in the middle of the rating period mean that the figures are not comparable to those in the last rating.
Morning drive
Morning drive, the hours from 6 to 10 a.m., when people are in their cars on the way to work, are considered prime-time in the radio industry.
Mike Manion on WFPG-FM captures the No. 1 spot for the first time, with an 8.1 share and 5,500 average listeners.
Last year's leader, Don Williams on WOND, falls half a point from his fall ratings to take second place with a 7.9 share and 5,400 average listeners.
Next comes "The Mike and Diane Show" on WAYV, with a 7.8 share and 5,300 average listeners.
Shock-jock Howard Stern, heard locally on WJSE, and who did a broadcast in Atlantic City this spring, comes in fourth with a 6.3 share and 4,300 average listeners. Actually, if you add in the area residents who listen to Stern on WYSP-FM 94.1 in Philadelphia, he would tie Manion for the honor of having the most listeners in the morning-drive slot.
The comedic syndicated "Bob and Tom Show" on WMGM comes in fifth, with a 6.5 share and 4,400 average listeners.
Bob and Sheri, morning hosts on WZBZ come in sixth, with a 6.0 share and 4,100 average listeners on the two affiliated stations.
Joe Kelly, morning host on country station WPUR-FM 107.3, is next with a 4.8 share and 3,300 average listeners.
Syndicated host Tom Joyner and his wacky crew, heard locally on WTTH, once dominated the local market for several consecutive ratings periods. But he takes another dive this time, coming up in eighth place with a 4.5 share and 3,100 average listeners.
Matthew Arnett, morning host on rock station WZXL, comes in ninth with a 4.3 share and 2,900 average listeners. Nostalgia station WMID-AM 1340 and its FM affiliate round out the Top 10 with a 4.2 share and 2,900 average listeners.
--snips--
from FMQB
August 2, 2001
--snips--
Meanwhile, WZXL/Atlantic City’s new Matthew in the Morning show is ranked first in Adults 18-34 in the Spring book, its first full ratings period. Matthew Arnett’s 13.2 share beat Stern, Bob & Tom, John Boy & Billy, Bob & Sheri, and Tom Joyner. The local morning show also posted top numbers in Men 18-34 (18.2), besting Stern by nearly three full points, according to a station press release...
--snips--
from the Press of Atlantic City
July 29, 2001
'The Mike and Diane Show' on WAYV-FM 95.1 tops the market for the spring rating period, with a 9.4 share and 5,600 listeners age 12 and over during the typical 15-minute time slot. That's more than double the 4.6 share they had in the fall, and the best 'book' this dynamic duo has had since they came from Ocean County two years ago.
'The Tom Joyner Morning Show,' a syndicated talk/music program heard locally on WTTH-FM 96.1 and WBNJ-FM 93.1, holds on to its second place with a 7.7 share. That's just a tad up from where it placed in the fall rating period.
Before going any further, my usual caveats.
The numbers given here are for listeners age 12 and older in the Atlantic City-Cape May market, the only figures Arbitron releases to the public. But radio stations target their audiences to groups like young men, baby boomer women or ethnic minorities, and it's doing well in these demographics that is their goal. Almost any station can crunch the numbers so they come out 'number one' in one category or another.
Also, Arbitron's sampling methods and the way people fill out their survey forms can and do affect the results. So any one 'book' doesn't really indicate how popular a show is. Look at the long-term trends to determine that.
For the mathematically challenged, each share point represents 1 percent of radios actually in use that are tuned in to a given station.
Mike Manion, morning host on light-rock station WFPG-AM 96.9 comes in third in the spring ratings race, with a 7.3 share and 4,300 average listeners. That's a nice jump from his 6.2 share in the fall.
The syndicated 'Bob and Tom Show,' heard locally on WMGM-FM 103.7, comes next, with a 5.7 share and 3,400 average listeners.
They're followed by shock-jock Howard Stern, heard on WJSE-FM 102.7, with a 5.6 share and 3,300 average listeners. But if you add in the local residents who listen to Stern on WYSP-FM 94.1 in Philadelphia, he comes up with a quite respectable 6.9 share in our market.
Don Williams, morning talkmeister on WOND-AM 1400, was catapulted to the No. 1 slot last fall by the presidential election. Now, he's back in sixth place, with a 5.4 share and 3,200 average listeners. He's tied with old standards, syndicated on WMID-AM 1340.
Matthew Arnett, the man who won his job on rock-station WZXL-FM 100.7 last year by holding up signs on area highways, comes in next with a 4.9 share and 2,900 average listeners. Co-host Alli Morgan helps him keep the jokes and tunes coming.
Joe Kelly, spinning the country tunes on WPUR-FM 107.3 comes next with a 3.4 share and 2,000 average listeners. That's a drop from his 5.4 share in the fall.
Harry Hurley, the only remaining talk host on WFPG-AM 1450, comes next, with a 2.9 share and 1,700 average listeners. That's a slight drop from his showing in the fall.
The 'Good Morning Guys,' Allison Wing and Jerry Beebe on oldies station WTKU-FM 98.3 round out the Top 10 with a 2.5 share and 1,500 average listeners.
A quick note about the overall ratings that were given last week. Math whizzes may have added up all the numbers on the chart and realized the share points don't total 100 percent. Stations in Philadelphia, New York and northern New Jersey attract some listeners in the Atlantic City-Cape May area, but not enough to make a big impact on the local stations' ratings.
But when you add up all the share points, it comes to about 88.5 percent. That extra 11.5 percent of listeners are tuned in to either public stations, whose ratings aren't released by Arbitron, or to stations with too small a showing to merit a spot in the 'book.'
--snips--
from The Press of Atlantic City
July 30, 2000
It's Monday morning, and you have a half-hour drive to work. What do you tune into on your radio to relieve the tension of rush-hour traffic? Music? Talk? Or maybe a combination of the two.
The strongest morning-drive shows grew even stronger this spring, according to the Arbitron Co.'s survey results. Some stations lost ground, and one newcomer into the southern New Jersey market shook things up a little bit.
Tom Joyner, the syndicated host heard locally on WTTH-FM 96.9 and WBNJ-FM 93.1, holds on to his No. 1 slot in the Atlantic City/Cape May market, with a 9.6 share and 6,100 average listeners on the two sister stations. That's up a tad from his 8.9 share in the fall 1999 survey. Joyner and his crew play a combination of music, comedy, news and the "It's Your World" soap opera to entertain listeners on the way to work.
The Mike and Diane Show on WAYV-FM 95.1 keeps its second-place status in the morning drive race with an 8.2 share and 5,200 average listeners. That's up from a 7.0 share and 4,400 average listeners in the fall, as their hit music and celebrity guest line-up continues to pull people to their spot on the dial.
Each share point represents 1 percent of radio listeners age 12 and over who are tuned in to a given station during a typical 15-minute time period.
Before I go any further, a few points of clarification.
The Arbitron Co. embargoed the results of its survey for the Atlantic City/Cape May market along with those from 16 other areas. I obtained the numbers from another source.
As anyone who has turned on the radio in the last week knows, just about every station and host is crowing about being "No. 1." And no, they're not all liars.
While the results for listeners age 12 and over are the only ones presented here, these figures are just window dressing for the radio stations. Program directors and station managers break down the numbers into different age and sex groups to sell commercials aimed at their core audience. Almost every station manager can massage the data so their crew comes out on top in one category or another.
Also, quirks in Arbitron's sampling methods and the way people filled out the survey forms can affect the results. The numbers are not cast in stone.
Now back to the results.
Light-rock station WFPG-FM 96.9 comes out third on the morning-drive list with a 6.5 share and 4,100 average listeners. That's a big jump from the 5.0 share they had in the fall. Morning host Dave Packer recently left the station for Philadelphia and a replacement should be announced shortly.
Joe Kelly, spinning the country tunes on sister station WPUR-FM 107.3 comes next with a 6.0 share and 3,800 average listeners. That's a notch up from his showing in the fall book.
The syndicated Bob and Tom show on classic-rock station WMGM-FM 103.7 comes in fifth with a 4.4 share and 2,800 average listeners. The comedy team went up just a bit from their ratings in the last survey.
Allison Wing and Jerry Beebe, morning hosts of oldies station WTKU-FM 98.3 come next, with a 3.9 share and 2,500 average listeners. That's a drop from their 5.6 share in the fall.
They're tied by syndicated shock-jock Howard Stern, who was recently added to the area's morning lineup on WJSE-FM 102.7. But if you add in Stern's audience who tunes in on WYSP-FM 94.1 out of Philadelphia, he grabs a respectable 5.5 share and 3,500 average listeners in Atlantic and Cape May counties.
Morning talkmeister Don Williams, heard on WOND-AM 1400 comes next with a 3.8 share and 2,400 average listeners. That's down from a 5.6 share and 3,500 listeners he had during the fall book. But Williams' politically oriented talk may pick up more steam as the November elections approach.
Joe Ciapanna and The Fox, heard on rock station WZXL-FM 100.7, come next with a 3.6 share and 2,300 average listeners. That's a drop from their 5.1 share in the fall, when Scott Hamilton was still Ciapanna's partner.
WFPG-AM 1450 gabber Harry Hurley comes next, with a 3.3 share and 2,100 average listeners. That's a drop from his 5.0 share in the fall, but he, too, may get a larger audience come campaign season. He's tied with nostalgia station WMID-AM 1340.
Rounding out the Top 10 are talk station WBSS-FM 97.3, a simulcast of WKXW-FM 105.5 in Trenton, with a 3.1 share and 2,000 average listeners. It's tied with contemporary hit radio station WZBZ-FM 99.3 and WGBZ-FM 105.5, which are also simulcast together.
from THE PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY
There were some changes in position, but no major surprises, in Arbitron's spring 2000 radio survey.
Adult-contemporary station WAYV-FM 95.1 comes out on top of the heap again, with an 8.8 share among listeners age 12 and over.
That means during an average 15-minute time slot between 6 a.m. and midnight, 8.8 percent of radios that were in use in the Atlantic City-Cape May market were tuned in to WAYV. That's up from its 7.9 share in the fall 1999 rating period.
"We're just delighted with it," said station owner Gary Fisher. "It's the second great book in a row for WAYV."
Fisher attributed WAYV's rating success to a good synergy between the listeners, staff and the new studio in Egg Harbor Township. It's also something of a family station, that mom, dad and the children can all agree upon, he said.
Before I go any further, there are a couple of technical details to take care of.
First, the spring ratings were not officially released by the Arbitron Co.
For reasons that were not given, Arbitron embargoed release of data for the Atlantic City-Cape May market (and 16 other markets) to the press. I obtained the numbers from another source.
Also remember that these figures are to be used as a guideline, not revered as gospel truth. Factors such as where Arbitron sent the survey diaries and how people filled them out can affect the results.
For example, more respondents in western Atlantic County usually means higher ratings for Philadelphia stations. More diaries sent to Cape May County means that area's stations have higher-than-usual scores.
The ratings for listeners age 12 and up are all that is presented here, but they are nothing but a beauty contest as far as the radio stations are concerned. That's not the way they do business.
Stations gear their programs to people of a particular age group, gender or ethnic group, and they are more concerned about the ratings in their targeted demographic.
That's why you don't hear commercials for cosmetics on rock stations that cater to young men or beer ads on stations that want older women to tune in.
Just for your information, the Arbitron considers the Atlantic City-Cape May market to be the 137th largest in the country. We come in just behind Peoria Ill., and Biloxi-Gulfport, Miss., and just ahead of Trenton and Stamford-Norwalk, Conn.
Now, back to the numbers.
Urban adult contemporary station WTTH-FM 96.1 moves up into second place with an 8.2 share, up from a 6.7 from the fall.
Station owner Don Brooks said he's pleased with "The Touch's" showing. Sampling quirks can move the share points up and down, but he's happy as long as WTTH stays in the top three.
Light-rock station WFPG-FM 96.9 comes next, with 7.9 percent of the listening audience, up from a 6.3 share in the fall. Sister station "Cat Country" WPUR-FM 107.3 comes next with a 5.4 share.
When Margate Communications turned off the smooth jazz on the former WSAX-FM 99.3 back in February, my phone line and e-mail were jammed with people who wanted to complain. But the switch to contemporary hit radio apparently paid off as far as the ratings were concerned. WGBZ-FM 99.3, as it's now called, simulcast with sister station WZBZ-FM 105.5 moves up to fifth place with a combined 5.0 share. That's up from a 3.6 rating garnered by the smooth-jazz format.
Classic-rock station WMGM-FM 107.3 comes in sixth with a 4.5 share, up from half a point from the fall. It's followed by sister station WTKU-FM 98.3 that held fairly steady with a 4.3 share.
WZXL-FM 100.7 comes next with a 3.9 share, a hefty drop from its 5.8 showing in the fall. But Fisher said the rock station always seems to come up short in the spring rating period and then makes a comeback in the fall. The competition for rock listeners is intense, Fisher added, with stations in Philadelphia and the local market going after the rock-music lovers.
News-talk station WOND-AM 1400 comes next with a 3.4 share, the same as in the fall. Nostalgia station WMID-AM 1340 and talk station WBSS-FM 97.3 (simulcast with WKXW-FM 101.5 in Trenton) tie for 10th place with a 3.2 share each.
Those with a mathematical bent may have added up the share points on the accompanying chart, and realized it only adds up to 73.4 percent of local listeners.
Stations in Philadelphia, New York and other parts of New Jersey picked up an additional 17.1 percent of the Atlantic City-Cape May market. The other 9.5 share points go to public radio stations and those who didn't garner enough listeners to get listed on the chart.
Around the dials
- Some people say the Arbitron ratings aren't accurate, because they rely on people to fill out diaries for a week to indicate what stations they heard. That may change soon.
This fall, the Philadelphia market will be the first to test Arbitron's new Portable People Meter. This pager-size device, carried around with the respondent, picks up signals from the stations the person hears during the day. Each evening, it is placed in a base that recharges the device and sends the data to Arbitron.
--snips--
- WJSE-FM 102.7 program director Blake Laurelli spent some time in "jail" July 13. Laurelli was "arrested" and held at the Flanders Hotel in Ocean City, while WJSE listeners raised $1,600 in "bail" that was donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
- The Arbitron Co. announced last week that it plans to split from its parent company, the Ceridian Corp.
That will allow Arbitron to pursue new technologies in measuring radio listening habits, company officials said.
from Press Plus
Shock jock Howard Stern has been on WJSE-FM 102.7 for only a week, and he's already a huge success, the station owner said.
"It's caught on so rapidly, I'm absolutely amazed at the timing," WJSE owner Al Parinello said. "We're suddenly having advertisers call us who wouldn't return our phone calls before."
WJSE hit the financial jackpot by bringing Stern -- and his sexual innuendo and bathroom humor -- to southern New Jersey airwaves, Parinello said. In the first four days of selling commercials for Stern's show, WJSE earned three-fourths of its entire revenue for the previous year.
Hits to the station's Web site have quadrupled in the last week, Parinello said.
Stern, whose flagship station is WXRK-FM 92.3 in New York, comes on the air weekdays at 6 a.m. He's officially booked until 10 a.m., but often stays on the air longer. It isn't unusual to hear his voice as late as 11:30.
"It was a tremendously difficult deal to assemble," Parinello said. "It was easily a four-month intense negotiation to put it together."
Other area stations have tried to snag Stern's show, but without success. Parinello said he got the prize for two reasons: he refused to take "no" for an answer, and he was the only one willing to investigate why the syndicators were turning down stations in southern New Jersey.
It turned out, Stern's people were afraid a southern New Jersey presence would eat into the shock-jock's ratings on WYSP-FM 94.1 in Philadelphia, Parinello said. So he went to the folks at WYSP, and they agreed not to block his application to become a Stern syndicate.
In fact, WYSP liked the idea, Parinello said. Plenty of their listeners visit the New Jersey shore, and if they can listen to their favorite host on vacation, they'll stay loyal to him.
Once WYSP gave its blessings, it was only a matter of working out the details, Parinello said.
Parinello wouldn't reveal how much WJSE is paying to broadcast Stern. But he did say it didn't come cheap. And the price was worth it.
"The show is already paid for just from the advertising excitement (we've received) in the past few days," he said.
From All Access.com - Friday November 5, 1999
Alternative WJSE (DIGITAL 102.7)/ATLANTIC CITY is the 51st affiliate for HOWARD STERN, and the only GARDEN STATE affiliate for the KING OF ALL MEDIA.
DONALD TRUMP heard the news and called PARINELLO ENTERPRISE President AL PAR to congratulate him on getting STERN telling him "you are going devastate the competition" and "this is great for ATLANTIC CITY."
PD BLAKE LAURELLI said: "After months of hard work we're thrilled about bringing the most successful radio show in the history of broadcasting to WJSE. We are moving morning star MICHELE AMABILE to middays to replace ALI MORGAN who can be reached at (609) 909-9343."
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