from Philly.com
December 16, 2005
Larry DiAngelus, for one, is sad to see Howard Stern wrap up his run on the public airwaves today as he prepares to jump next month to satellite radio.
The lawyer from Media, a specialist in "driver's license restoration," has been an advertiser on the Howard Stern Show on WYSP-FM (94.1) in Philadelphia. "His market is our market: bad drivers," DiAngelus said.
Young men, in other words. Stern holds a commanding lead among male listeners ages 25 to 54 in the Philadelphia market. His morning drive-time show is No. 2 overall to news broadcasts on KYW-AM (1060), according to Arbitron, the market-research firm. "There are going to be a whole lot of male listeners up for grabs," said Ray Mayo, managing director of MayoSeitz Media Inc., of Blue Bell. Rival stations are already angling for Stern fans and advertisers.
WPEN-AM (950) switched from oldies to a sports-talk format in October to grab male listeners. "When all those people are looking around, I suspect we'll get a boost" in ratings, station manager Bob DeBlois said.
CBS Radio, which owns WYSP and KYW, has several other Philadelphia stations that could land Stern listeners, including sports-talk venue WIP-AM (610). Until Wednesday, CBS Radio was known as the Infinity Broadcasting Network.
CBS Radio is countering with rocker David Lee Roth, who debuts Jan. 3. Until then, WYSP will rerun Stern shows.
"Our sales department is being very aggressive" in pitching Roth's show, said Scott Herman, an executive vice president in New York for CBS Radio.
Given Roth's thin resume in radio, "it is a wait-and-see thing," Herman said. "Howard Stern was on the air for 20 years."
Stern's considerable history, however, presented a problem for CBS. Many advertisers wanted nothing to do with his earthy antics. Stern-shunners Dunkin' Donuts Inc. and Microsoft Corp. have signed up to advertise on Roth's show, Herman said.
Steven Singer Jewelers, a Center City retailer, is another early convert. "We are cautiously optimistic," owner Steven Singer said. Roth "is very passionate" about doing the show well.
Even so, Singer is also following Stern to Sirius Satellite Radio, which is selling limited spots on its talk shows.
Stern had "an amazing run," said Bob Cole, of Bob & Ron's World Wide Stereo, an early advertiser. When the spots began airing, "my parking lots went from Fords and Chevys to BMWs and Mercedes," he said.
Stern is now moving Sirius gear, said Cole, who expects to stop advertising on WYSP. "They come in asking, 'How do I get that thing to get Howard?' They don't even know the name."
DiAngelus, the lawyer, said he would continue to advertise on WYSP but would add other stations as well. "It is going to take at least three stations to bring in the volume we got" with advertisements on Stern's show, he said.
DiAngelus said his six incoming lines often lit up at once after his advertisement aired.
By that measure, Stern has slipped in recent months as he sniped on the air at his bosses in a bitter, yearlong breakup. Arbitron said Stern's audience among 25- to 54-year-old men in Philadelphia was down 22 percent in the summer, compared with the same period of 2004.
"People don't want to hear his bitching," DiAngelus said. "They want to be entertained."
The Winter 2005 Arbitron isn’t one Howard Stern is likely to boast about – at least as far as his top three markets go. The syndicated morning man’s 12+ ratings are down in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, according to Arbitron ratings released April 25.
On his Infinity-owned WXRK (K-Rock) New York flagship, Stern fell from a first place 7.0 to a second place 6.4 in the Winter, unseated by "El Vacilón de la Mañana" on Spanish Broadcasting System’s WSKQ (La Mega).
In Los Angeles, Stern slid from a fourth place tie in the Fall (4.6) to finish sixth in the Winter (3.9) on Infinity FM Talk KLSX. And Stern managed only a 2.2 on Infinity FM Talk WCKG Chicago, ranked 16th. That’s down from a 3.0 in the Fall, when he tied for 12th place.
Stern is also down in Detroit (3.2-2.7 on Infinity’s WKRK) and in San Diego (4.9-3.2 on Infinity’s KPLN).
However, in Stern’s Philadelphia stronghold, he gained share (8.7-9.0) on Infinity’s WYSP, remaining in second place. And Stern improved his Boston market position on Infinity’s WBCN, from third in the Fall (5.4) to second in the Winter (6.6).
from the Philadelphia Inquirer
Oct. 21, 2004
Talk is... chic?
Arbitron Inc. has just released its summer radio ratings, and Philadelphians seem to be all ears for talk radio - specifically WPHT-AM (1210) and Howard Stern on talk-rock WYSP-FM (94.1).
Among the total audience age 12 and over, WPHT roared from 11th place in the spring into a tie for sixth in all-day listening. Each daypart showed a rise, fueling one of WPHT's strongest ratings "books" in years.
Stern, meanwhile, enjoyed his best showing in five years as he edged out all-news KYW-AM (1060) to win the morning battle for "12-plus" listeners. Stern, leaving for Sirius satellite radio at the end of 2005, easily captured the male audience but flagged among women, as usual.
WDAS-FM (105.3) and KYW tied for supremacy among top-rated stations among 12-plus listeners all day. Following were light-rock WBEB-FM (101.1), urban contemporary WUSL-FM (98.9), and smooth jazz WJJZ-FM (106.1). Joining WPHT in the tie for sixth were classic-rock WMGK-FM (102.9) and oldies WOGL-FM (98.1).
Back to WPHT. Among the 12-plus listeners in the morning, Michael Smerconish shot from a ninth-place tie in the spring to fourth place. His show ranked behind WYSP, KYW and Tom Joyner's syndicated show on 'DAS-FM. Smerconish edged out Chris & Tiffany on WBEB.
In WPHT's key demographic, men ages 25 to 54, Smerconish tied Evans & Andie on country WXTU-FM (92.5) for seventh place. Stern, on WYSP, led that category, followed by KYW; John DeBella on WMGK; Angelo Cataldi and crew on sports-talk WIP-AM (610); Joyner on 'DAS; and Joe Conklin, Vinnie the Crumb, and company on WMMR-FM (93.3).
WPHT's strong book comes as general manager Sil Scaglione, also g.m. of WOGL, changes his portfolio. Earlier this week, Infinity Broadcasting cut him from WPHT and left him with WOGL. David Yadgaroff, who was named general manager of KYW-AM only four months ago, added WPHT to his domain.
More radio talk
One exception to solid talk ratings among stronger-signal stations is WNTP-AM (990), which went to syndicated conservative talk in April. It has barely registered on Arbitron's radar.
It's too soon to measure the local impact of Air America, the liberal talk network. WHAT-AM (1340) began carrying Al Franken and Randi Rhodes on Aug. 30, three-quarters into the ratings period (July 1 to Sept. 22).
Similarly, the summer ratings included only 10 days of Howard Eskin's 30-day suspension. The WIP afternoon host again easily captured his key audience, men ages 25 to 54. His rating was 41 percent higher than the two jocks who tied for second in that demo: Andre Gardner on WMGK and Razz, replaced in midsurvey by Jaxon, on WMMR.
And it's too soon to objectively assess the format change at WPEN-AM (950) from standards to rock oldies, which began Sept. 1. (Judging by the "INQlings" phone and e-mail log, though, senior-citizen listeners are still all shook up.)
--snips--
from the Philadelphia Inquirer
July 18, 2004
To the naked ear, Howard Stern is still our regent of raunch. Lately, he has groused to his loyal listeners about the zit on his nose and the cellulite on his butt, dished about his morning trysts with his model-girlfriend, and opined on the watchability of DVD porn.
But Stern has also ushered in the era of shock-jock politics, so when he split for a long vacation at the start of July, he minced no words:
"I'm not only anti-Bush, I support John Kerry... . He's going to be the guy who gets us back on track... . Our audience is really making a difference in this upcoming election... . It turns out everyone listens to us, especially a lot of dudes who are swing voters."
This might seem a bit outlandish, the idea that Stern, who features a 30-second audio clip of flatulence on his Web site, would fancy himself a presidential power broker. After all, this is a guy whose ill-fated 1994 New York gubernatorial bid was based on only two issues: "Fix the roads at night, and kill the criminals."
But he has been railing against Bush for months, on everything from Iraq to gay rights, and this is a guy who each week commandeers 8.2 million pairs of ears; only Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity have bigger audiences. Stern is a fixture in a number of key states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio and Missouri. And, starting Monday, he is picking up three new markets in Florida, including the swing-voter cities of Orlando and Tampa, along with Pittsburgh.
"Howard is now a huge political force," insists Michael Harrison, a radio industry expert who edits Talkers magazine. "Look at his audience. These are normally apolitical people, the non-zealots, who generally haven't made up their minds about this election... . That's very different from Limbaugh, who is only preaching to his choir of conservative listeners."
Matthew Felling, a former talk show personality and current media analyst, says: "This year, we could see more mullets and T-shirts at the polls than ever before. If Howard tells people to wake up 15 minutes early on Election Day to vote against Bush, it'll happen. Some of his listeners would consider it a debt paid for all the free entertainment he has given them. Some are so suggestible that they'd strip naked in his studio for a 12-pack of Powerade."
The Bush campaign is ignoring Stern's attacks, which began in earnest in March after the Federal Communications Commission cracked down on his crass talk. Bush spokesman Kevin Madden hews to the high road: "The American people are going to choose their President based on careful consideration of the big issues facing the country, namely the economy and winning the war on terror."
Other Bush backers are willing to utter Stern's name, if only to shrug him off. GOP pollster David Winston says: "Listeners may find it interesting that Stern opposes the President, but they'll put it in the context of entertainment. He's an entertainer, not a political sage."
But conservative commentator Rich Lowry senses potential trouble: "Obviously, the Bush people would be happier if Stern was praising Bush... . And it's definitely true that popular culture seems to be breaking against Bush. Blockbuster movies and books are bashing Bush, and now there's Stern. It has all been negative. It shows you where the energy is."
Stern has been dissing Bush daily, calling him the kinds of names that ticked-off motorists usually use in traffic, and generally painting him as mortal danger to the republic. He has also retooled his official Web site, adding a plethora of anti-Bush links, and featuring a 60-second anti-Bush audio attack ("You committed American troops to war, but when it was your turn to go to war, you went to Daddy and said: 'Boo hoo...'. ").
And fan Web sites record his every utterance. Here's a typical excerpt from June 28: "Howard said that [Fahrenheit 9/11] is scary because it's so real and you see what the President is up to while in office. Howard spent a couple of minutes on that and then took a call from High Pitch Erik who was flushing the toilet."
Naturally, Stern's attacks have drawn the attention of Democrats - who decided last month to commission a poll about Stern. So they hired President Clinton's former pollster, Mark Penn. And they were pleasantly surprised to learn that - contrary to the stereotype - Stern's acolytes are not just kids who party hard and wear their baseball caps backward.
The first surprise, according to Penn: nationwide, 17 percent of all likely voters polled listen to Stern. The second: Stern fans are just as likely as non-fans to attend religious services daily or weekly; just as likely to be highly educated; more likely than non-fans to have young children at home; and more likely than non-fans to own a gun. In other words, average Americans. And Stern fans in 18 battleground states said that they now prefer Kerry over Bush by 59 percent to 37 percent.
Simon Rosenberg, who directs the New Democratic Network, the group that sponsored the poll, says: "Democrats have been hammered on conservative talk radio for years, and now we have a glimmer of hope. I've seen this guy's impact, first-hand. It's incredible. I went on his show [June 29] to talk about the poll, and right after that, 25,000 people downloaded the poll from our Web site."
And Tom Lindenfeld, a Democratic strategist, says: "What's compelling here is that Stern is not a political person. That makes him more genuine. His audience may not accept a political message from a normal political source, but they'll take it from him. He can open the door for us, and then maybe we can reinforce that message."
Some skeptics are trying to undercut Stern by questioning his motives - contending that his assaults are fueled not by concern for the commonweal, but for his career; after all, the Republican-led FCC has slapped him with heavy fines, and the Clear Channel Communications chain (whose owner is close to Bush) dumped Stern this year in several key markets.
That's why Lowry says: "I'm not sure how many swing voters are going to decide on the basis of, 'Hey, let's vote to make sure that Howard doesn't have to pay any more fines,' as opposed to voting the way they normally vote - for their own pocketbooks."
And while some observers believe that Stern's politicization is sincere, they also detect a savvy strain of pragmatism; as Jesse Walker, an ex-disc jockey and author of a book on alternative radio, notes: "If he gets more political, it's harder to censor him, because the courts are more wary about suppressing political speech than, say, a discussion about penis size."
Stern critics vent in cyberspace, too. One ex-fan insists, in a posting on Rosenberg's Web site, that Stern "needs to stick to entertaining the demented, and keep his huge hypocritical nose out of politics."
On the air, Stern typically bristles at these kinds of barbs. He's currently vacationing, and his agent, Don Buchwald, did not respond to e-mailed questions about the critics. But Stern, who wants to be respected, has hinted in broadcasts that he would welcome a studio visit from John Kerry. Such an event could legitimize Stern as a broker, although he has also told listeners that he won't put the squeeze on Kerry for any favors.
Rosenberg loves the idea of a Kerry visit; the Democratic operative says: "We're a diverse party, so why not put Kerry on the air, and make Howard's fans part of our family?" But thus far, the Kerry campaign sees wisdom in avoidance ("I have no comment in any direction, 360 degrees," says spokeswoman Kathy Roeder), which means that it is heeding analyst Felling's argument that "you don't want to align yourself too closely with a guy who pines after porn stars on a daily basis."
It's still possible, of course, that there is no such thing as a shock-jock voting bloc, and that the politicized fans who are messaging Stern's Web site are aberrations ("I just love you so much! I've never registered to vote until recently and I will vote for Kerry... . Some jerks at work don't like you, but I tell them to know their role and shut their holes.").
But maybe the Sterniacs are for real, as even some Republicans suspect. As party strategist Mike Murphy told conservative columnist Andrew Ferguson the other day, "Stern listeners should be Bush voters... . He is a symptom that something's going wrong."
Or, as radio industry expert Harrison says: "In a close race, everything counts. Any slight, insult, remark or incident can count. That's when Howard would count."
from the Philadelphia Inquirer
May 4, 2004
--snips--
Waking up
The Federal Communications Commission may have had problems with Howard Stern, but Philly radio listeners don't. For the umpteenth consecutive ratings period, Stern's show on WYSP-FM (94.1) whipped the non-news morning competition in the winter Arbitrons, which came out last week.
As usual, news KYW-AM (1060) was tops in the morning among all listeners 12 and over.
Stern's was the most-listened-to show among all listeners in the 18-to-34 and 25-to-54 demographics. Among men 25 to 54, Stern's ratings were more than 21/2 times those of KYW at No. 2.
from FMQB
April 27, 2004
In Boston, where WBCN was the first affiliate to "Stand Up For Stern," Howard vaulted from a sixth place 4.6 12+ in the Fall to a second-place 8.2 in the Winter.
In L.A., Stern advanced from sixth to fourth 12+ (3.7-4.2) on KLSX during the Winter survey, which covers January 8-March 31. Stern's rants began in earnest on February 26 -- the day Clear Channel suspended him in six markets -- so March is where you'd expect to see the biggest spikes. That's the case in L.A., where Stern had the number-one morning show in the extrapolated March monthly -- 5.4 12+ and 7.0 adults 25-54. He also tied KROQ's Kevin and Bean for first in 18-34 (in March) with a 9.6.
In Chicago, Stern leapt from 15th place in the Fall to ninth in the Winter. In the 25-54 demo, he went from sixth to third.
In the Stern stronghold of Philadelphia, WYSP maintained its second place morning drive finish, inching 8.9-9.0.
Stern gained 1.9-2.5 on WKRK/Detroit, but only moved up from 16th to 15th. (The bigger story in Detroit was WRIF's Drew & Mike crushing 7.6-8.7, unseating WWJ from No. 1.)
Even in San Diego, where Howard wasn't heard for almost five weeks of the 12-week survey, KIOZ maintained its morning drive ratings (4.6-4.7).
from the Philadelphia Inquirer
January 10, 2004
Christmas music helped push adult-contemporary WBEB-FM (101.1) to the top of the quarterly radio ratings.
B101 enjoyed its strongest Arbitron "book" in at least a year among listeners ages 12 and over. Its 7.4 rating represented a 14 percent rise from fall 2002 to fall 2003, and a 48 percent rise from the previous quarter.
The numbers released Thursday covered the period Sept. 18 to Dec. 10. A rating point is 1 percent of the audience.
As usual, urban adult-contemporary WDAS-FM (105.3) was the highest-rated station among listeners in the advertiser-friendly demographic of ages 25 to 54. WDAS, which finished at No. 1 among listeners 12 and older in the previous period, was third in that category behind all-news KYW-AM (1060).
On Nov. 11, B101 and rival WSNI-FM (104.5) changed from their adult-contemporary formats to all-Christmas lineups through Dec. 25.
Sunny 104.5's rating among listeners 12 and older also rose 48 percent from summer to fall. Its 4.0 put the station in seventh place.
Other stations around the country that played Christmas music saw similar upticks in the ratings.
Also noted from the ratings:
In the mornings, the order of the top four stations was unchanged from the previous book. Among listeners 12 and older, the ranking was:
KYW, followed by Howard Stern on WYSP-FM (94.1), Tom Joyner on WDAS-FM, and Chris McCoy and Tiffany Hill on WBEB. (Among 25-to-54-year-olds, it was WYSP, followed by KYW, WDAS-FM and WBEB.) Moving into fifth place in both 12-plus and 25-to-54 was the WIP-AM (610) sports-talk team of Angelo Cataldi, Al Morganti and Rhea Hughes.
from the Philadelphia Inquirer
July 18, 2003
In the quarterly Arbitron radio ratings released yesterday, the B was back, but Sunny clouded over.
Soul/R&B WDAS-FM (105.3) was still number one with 25-to-54s, many stations' prime demographic. But the battle this spring was among Philly's light-adult-contemporary stations.
In the period March 27 to June 18, the established WBEB-FM (B101) saw its ratings rise 37 percent in the all-important demographic and regained the ground it lost in the winter Arbitron "book." The station nudged from third to second place among adults. Meanwhile, WSNI-FM (Sunny 104.5) plummeted 33 percent since the winter, sending it from fourth to 13th place in the demo.
Other highlights:
Hip-hop/R&B WUSL-FM (Power 99) was tops with listeners 18 to 34. Again.
Urban WPHI-FM (The Beat 103.9) continued to rise. Among the 18-to-34 crowd, ratings were up 55 percent from a year ago. In the morning, newcomer Jonesy more than doubled the Beat's 18-to-34 rating over last spring. She was fourth in the time slot, behind Howard Stern on WYSP-FM (94.1), Chio on top-40 WIOQ-FM (Q102), and the Dream Team on Power 99.
Paul Barsky nearly tripled the year-to-year morning ratings of adult-contemporary WPTP-FM (96.5) among listeners 18 to 34, and doubled the 25-to-54 audience.
Elsewhere in the a.m. for the 25-to-54 crowd, it was business as usual. Stern on rock WYSP was tops, followed by all-news KYW-AM (1060), Tom Joyner on WDAS-FM; Chris McCoy (paired with the now-departed JJ) on WBEB-FM; and John DeBella on classic rock WMGK-FM (102.9).
Razz, on rock WMMR (93.3), was first in the afternoons among guys. Between 3 and 7 p.m., WMMR's ratings among men 18 to 34 were more than double the station's numbers of last spring. The numbers for Don & Mike, doing afternoon-drive on WYSP, were a third of what they had been a year ago, though the duo saw a small rise from last quarter.
In the all-day ratings for listeners 12 and older, news KYW-AM (1060) was No. 1, followed by a tie between WDAS-FM and WBEB-FM; WIOQ-FM; WUSL-FM; smooth-jazz WJJZ-FM (106.1); a tie between country WXTU-FM (92.5) and oldies WOGL-FM (98.1); and a tie between WPHI-FM and WYSP-FM.
from the Philadelphia Inquirer
April 24, 2003
A happy vibe at WIP-AM (610) over the just-out winter Arbitron ratings. The sports-talk station scored two No. 1s in the coveted demographic of male listeners 25 to 54.
Howard Eskin won afternoons. No surprise there.
In a first, Anthony Gargano and Mike Missanelli were tops in mid-days. But that was Missanelli's last ratings "book" at WIP. A man without a contract, he left early this month - days after the winter ratings period - to do mornings on WMMR-FM (93.3). Gargano now flies solo.
At WIP, the wins translate to bonu$e$. Even to Missanelli, who says he's due $25,000. "If Mike is due a bonus, he will get it," says program director Tom Bigby. "He earned it."
The morning game
Howard Stern, whose syndicated show airs locally on WYSP-FM (94.1), may have slipped in the ratings, but he's still pretty much tops in town in morning radio. Still, "No. 1" depends on how you look at the ratings.
In the "12-plus" numbers, which gauge listeners ages 12 and older, the morning winner was the team of Ed Abrams, Harry Donahue and Beth Trapani on all-news KYW-AM (1060), whose winter was 22 percent better than last winter's - probably because we had 50 percent more snow and 100 percent more war. (Though Arbitron's ratings books are quarterly, we'll compare winter 2003 with winter 2002.)
Stern, whose ratings were off 12 percent winter to winter, was second in the 12-plus. In third, up 12 percent, was the syndicated Tom Joyner on urban WDAS-FM (105.3). Fourth, up 10 percent, was Chio in the Morning on top-40 WIOQ-FM (Q102). Fifth, down 24 percent, was Chris & JJ on adult-contemporary WBEB-FM (B-101). Sixth, up 12 percent, was the Dream Team on urban WUSL-FM (Power 99). Seventh, down 2 percent, was Angelo Cataldi and the crew on WIP. Eighth, down 5 percent, was Don Cannon on oldies WOGL-FM (98.1). Ninth, down 18 percent, was Evans & Andie on country WXTU-FM (92.5). In 10th, up 88 percent, was adult-contemporary WSNI-FM (Sunny 104.5), which changed formats over the year; the morning team in winter 2002 was Chris Knight and Jennifer Ryan, and it's now a solo Ryan amid a more music-intensive setting. That month-plus of Christmas music paid off for Sunny; its audience grew dramatically in the winter book, which covered January through March.
But radio ad people don't "sell" the 12-plus numbers, because advertisers like to target a certain demographic.
Youth-focused stations - such as Power 99, Q102, and WPHI-FM (103.9 The Beat) - aim for 18- to 34-year-olds. In that demo, the morning winner was still Stern on WYSP, followed by Chio on Q102; the Dream Team on Power 99; newcomer Jonesy on The Beat; now-gone interim host Graeme on WMMR; Chris & JJ on B-101; Preston & Steve on WPLY-FM (Y100); Joyner on WDAS-FM; KYW; and Cataldi on WIP. Big winners: Jonesy (up 22 percent, in her second full book) and Chio (up 18 percent over last year).
Most other stations target adults 25 to 54 years old. The tops there this winter: Stern (again) on WYSP, followed by KYW, Joyner on WDAS; Chio on WIOQ; Chris & JJ on WBEB; Cataldi on WIP; a tie for seventh between Graeme on WMMR and John DeBella on WMGK-FM (102.9); Evans & Andie on WXTU; and a tie for 10th between the Dream Team on WUSL and Ryan on WSNI. Big winners: Ryan (up 48 percent), Chio (up 28 percent), DeBella (in his third ratings book, the station is up 20 percent year to year) and Joyner (up 17 percent); the big drop: Chris & JJ, off 34 percent in the 25-to-54s.
WYSP and WIP chase men ages 25 to 54. The top five morning acts in that demo are: Stern on 'YSP, followed by KYW; WIP; WDAS; and WMMR. The latter three showed double-digit gains.
--snips--
from the Philadelphia Inquirer
April 23, 2003
Sunny's rising, the B's been stung, something's finally clicking at Mix, and Newsradio just keeps ticktickticking along.
And what happened to WYSP?
WSNI-FM (Sunny 104.5) showed a stunning rise in the Arbitron radio ratings for Jan. 2 through March 26, released yesterday. The adult-contemporary station, which in August softened its playlist to include Barry Manilow and the Carpenters, seems to have profited at the expense of WBEB-FM (B-101), the market's traditional powerhouse among lighter adult-contemporary outlets.
In most stations' most-coveted demographic - listeners ages 25 to 54 - Sunny's numbers were up 63 percent in the quarterly "book" compared with the same period a year ago, while B-101's dropped nearly 35 percent.
The new No. 1 station in the 25-to-54 demographic was neither of those, however: That title went to soul/R&B station WDAS-FM (105.3), whose ratings rose 21 percent from a year previous.
WDAS also was number one among women 25 to 54, one slot better than last winter.
Though the all-ages ratings put B-101 in fourth place with Sunny in seventh, the 25-to-54 numbers revealed a closer race. Compared with winter 2002, B-101 slipped from first to third place as Sunny soared from 13th place into fourth.
B-101, whose female ratings dropped 35 percent over the year, settled into second place. Sunny's 78-percent rise among women moved it from ninth place to third.
All-news KYW-AM (1060) had a rock-solid showing, especially among women, in this snowy, war-obsessed winter - good for second place among adults. Also significant was the drop of WJJZ-FM (106.1) from third place to ninth within the demographic: The smooth-jazz station's ratings were off 38 percent winter to winter.
B-101 general manager Blaise Howard said yesterday he wasn't worried about B-101's slippage. He recalled a similar situation several years ago when the Jammin' Gold and Star formats emerged to compete for B-101's audience. (Both formats have since been abandoned.) "One book doesn't make you go crazy," he said.
The other big ratings story was the tanking of talk/rock WYSP-FM (94.1). Even two Eagles games in the last weeks of a Super Bowl drive didn't inspire listeners to hang in on weekdays.
Though it remained number one in its target demographic of males 18 to 49, 'YSP's ratings with the testosterone crowd were down 30 percent. Syndicated Howard Stern was off 8 percent among guys in the morning. And, most alarming, the station's Don & Mike afternoon show had a 55-percent dropoff in the demo compared with winter 2002.
And wait - signs of life at adult-contemporary WMWX-FM (Mix 95.7)! The station nearly doubled its 25-to-54 ratings winter to winter, as it rose from 20th to a tie for 16th place with adult-contemporary WPTP-FM (96.5, the Point). Among 18- to 34-year-olds, Mix did even better: 10th place, up from 18th place.
Also worth noting: WMMR-FM (93.3) didn't lose ratings when morning-man Barsky quit on the last day of the fall ratings period. The station's winter 2003 morning ratings were virtually identical to Barsky's the winter before. With Graeme acting as temporary fill-in, the ratings actually rose 17 percent over Barsky's last book.
While advertisers seldom look at the overall ratings (the so-called "12-plus" numbers that cover all listeners), the rankings nonetheless give a snapshot of the stations. KYW, whose 12-plus ratings rose 20 percent (thanks to snow and war), was No. 1, as usual. WSNI rose from 17th place to seventh. Urban WPHI-FM (The Beat, 103.9) cracked the top 10. And WYSP is absent from the top 10: It came in 12th, following sports talk WIP-AM (610).
from the Philadelphia Inquirer
April 3, 2003
Philadelphia is about to get some more testosterone for breakfast, as rock WMMR-FM (93.3) has hired away WIP-AM (610) middayer Mike Missanelli and its former morning comic Joe Conklin to host a morning show with Vinnie the Crumb. No start date yet.
The content: "Guy-oriented and Philly-heavy," says Missanelli, who grew up in Bristol. Conklin, 41, was raised in Olney, and Crumb - not his real name - is 38 and grew up in Northeast Philadelphia. (All profess to be longtime WMMR listeners.)
"It's going to be very local - current stuff from modern culture to sports to politics, with some music," Missanelli says. No shock-jock stuff. "That's been done. This will be a Philly show."
How will it differ from the "Sports Rock" format that 'MMR tried unsuccessfully in 1992-93 with John DeBella and Howard Eskin? "That show was programmed to be sports plus rock," Missanelli says. "We'll do a variety, all over the map."
Missanelli, 45, who started at sports-talk WIP in 1992 after 10 years as an Inquirer sportswriter, tendered his 30 days' notice late Tuesday. Yesterday, he reported to work for his 10 a.m. WIP shift with Anthony Gargano, but management sent him home. Missanelli, who had been working without a contract for about two years, went to his Shore house.
Gargano went solo yesterday. Other WIP staffers will rotate in until a new team is announced, station manager Tom Bigby said. "He's a good guy," Bigby said of Missanelli. "He gave us 10 great years of radio."
Conklin left WIP in January. Crumb is a WMMR holdover.
As for the money: No one's talking, of course, but let's go out on a limb and speculate that Missanelli (whose WIP take was estimated at $275,000) and Conklin ($250,000) came out ahead in their three-year deals. Missanelli said WIP also came up with an attractive offer later in the game.
If this sounds like obscene dough, remember that a morning show typically is a station's moneymaker. And these guys are not even the highest-paid in town.
As for the mission: Well, duh. "They hired us to get ratings," Conklin says, only half-joking that the goal was to knock off Howard Stern, heard here on WYSP-FM (94.1). Stern is still very much on top here.
WMMR, WIP and WYSP are after male listeners ages 25 to 54. In the fall Arbitrons, WYSP was No. 1 in that demographic with an 18.3 - more than twice the listenership of second-place all-news KYW-AM (1060), which had an 8.9. WIP was third, with a 6.8. WMMR was tied with sister-station classic-rock WMGK-FM (102.9) for fourth, with a 5.0.
WMMR was tied for 10th place in the fall among combined male and female listeners in that age group.
Missanelli is a master multitasker. While at WIP, he also sportscasted for a spell for WPHL (Channel 17). While at The Inquirer, he got a law degree from Widener. Though his law license is inactive, he says he might reactivate it so he can do some legal work "now that I'll have my days free." The show will air from 5:30 to 10 a.m. (A lawyer-slash-radio host? Who'd ever do that?)
--snips--
from the NY Daily News
November 13, 2002
Ever wondered how many other people in America are actually listening to, say, Howard Stern at the same time you are?
Tony Sanders, who crunches national numbers for the trade publication Inside Radio, says it's around 1,490,000.
Standard radio ratings, designed for advertisers, use a figure called "cume," which is the cumulative number of persons who tune to a given show or station at some time during an average week.
That's obviously a much higher figure. The national weekly "cume" for Stern has been estimated by the trade mag Talkers at "8 million-plus."
By comparison, Rush Limbaugh is rated at 14.5 million-plus per week, Sean Hannity at 10 million-plus and Dr. Joy Browne and Imus at 5 million-plus.
The numbers of people listening to those hosts at any one time presumably are proportionate to Stern's numbers.
Stern's numbers also mean more than 10 times as many people are listening to him at any given time than are, say, watching cable news channels on television.
Sanders has also tracked Stern's ranking in all of his markets for summer 2002 - though this is just based on his share of the total audience. Like most hosts, Stern scores higher among his specific target audiences, which for him includes younger men.
Overall, Stern is No. 1 in New York, Orlando, Phoenix, Syracuse and York, Pa.
In other cities, it goes like this: Philadelphia, second; Washington, D.C., fourth; Los Angeles, seventh; Baltimore, 16th; Cleveland, second; Buffalo, fourth; Chicago, 10th; Dallas, 11th; Detroit, ninth; Hartford, sixth; Las Vegas, second; Boston, second; San Diego, third; Pittsburgh, third; Seattle, fourth; Rochester, seventh; Miami, fourth; San Francisco, fifth.
--snips--
from the Philadelphia Inquirer
October 15, 2002
--snips--
Radio waves
A summary of the summer Arbitron radio ratings, released yesterday: No huge surprises in overall rankings, though WDAS-FM (105.3) had a strong summer.
WBEB-FM (B101) again was No. 1 among all listeners age 12 and older. WDAS, showing great gains, nipped at the B's heels. Close by, at No. 3, was KYW-AM (1060). In fourth was WUSL-FM (Power 99), followed by WIOQ-FM (Q102), WJJZ-FM (106.1), WOGL-FM (98.1), and WYSP-FM (94.1), with WXTU-FM (92.5) and WMGK-FM (102.9) tied for ninth. WSNI-FM (104.5), which was on the air for two-thirds of the book, had flat ratings and finished 18th.
Shuffling was seen among listeners ages 25 to 54, a preferred demographic. WDAS and WBEB generally flip-flop in first and second place; this time out, WDAS was solidly in first, followed by WBEB. WMGK dramatically pulled up from a tie for sixth place into third. WJJZ remained in fourth. WYSP slipped from third to fifth.
Some drama could be found in the afternoon among the 25-to-54 demo. WDAS moved to No. 1 for the first time in at least a year. Perennial No. 1 WBEB was second. The No. 2 station last year - WYSP - plummeted into a tie for 10th place. (During the period, Opie & Anthony was axed and 'YSP's midday Don & Mike show was moved into the afternoon slot.) WMGK, continuing to gain in the time period, advanced from sixth to third.
--snips--
This is not in the article quoted above but is accurate: Howard was #2 again in the 12+ numbers, though he scored his lowest numbers in at least 2 years. He was #1 again in 25-54.
from the Pholadelphia Inquirer
October 17, 2002
Radio active
--snips--
One winner in Arbitron's newly released summer radio ratings was John DeBella, morning man on WMGK-FM (102.9), who got off to a flying start in his first full "book." Among the coveted age-25-to-54 demographic, DeBella pulled 'MGK from a 10th-place tie in the spring to fifth place. DeBella followed the No. 1 draw (his age-old nemesis, the syndicated Howard Stern on WYSP-FM, 94.1); the Newsradio crew on KYW-AM (1060); the syndicated Tom Joyner on WDAS-FM (105.3); and Chris & JJ on WBEB-FM (B101). While DeBella slid up from sixth to fifth among men 25 to 54, he has a long way to go with women; he was in 11th place, up from a tie for 12th place.
--snips--
from the Philadelphia Inquirer
April 25, 2002
--snips--
The winter Arbitron radio ratings, released Monday, held no surprises for the morning shows. The top five positions held from the fall period. All-news KYW-AM (1060) led among listeners ages 12 and older, followed by Howard Stern on WYSP-FM (94.1), Chris and JJon WBEB-FM (B101, 101.1), Tom Joyner on WDAS-FM (105.3), and Chio in the Morning on WIOQ-FM (Q102, 102.1).
Stern maintained his No. 1 grip on listeners ages 18 to 34 and ages 25 to 54. KYW, on the other hand, is 10th in the morning among 18-to-34-year-olds and second among listeners in the 25-to-54 demo.
frpm the Philadelphia Inquirer
April 23, 2002
B101, Smooth Jazz and Oldies 98 sizzled. The Big Talker and Mix 95.7 fizzled. And Opie & Anthony rocked.
Arbitron released the winter radio ratings yesterday, covering Jan. 3 to March 27. Light rocker WBEB-FM (B101, 101.1) regained the top spot from KYW-AM (Newsradio, 1060) by posting a 7.5 share, meaning that 7.5 percent of the total listening audience tuned in during a typical 15-minute period. KYW posted a 6.8 share; it had a scorching 7.9 in the previous ratings, which covered Sept. 11.
R&B/soul station WDAS-FM (105.3) continued in third place with a 6.1. WJJZ-FM (Smooth Jazz, 106.1) slipped into fourth place with a 5.9, its highest share in some time. Urban/R&B WUSL-FM (Power 99, 98.9) dipped to tie top-40 WIOQ-FM (Q102, 102.1) for fifth place with a 5.2.
Tying for seventh were talk-rock WYSP-FM (94.1) and WOGL-FM (Oldies 98, 98.1). WOGL racked up its best book in eons - a 5.0 share, compared with a 4.3 in the fall.
One success story is Pierre Robert, who does middays on rock WMMR-FM (93.3). His show was tops among men ages 25 to 54 for the first time.
For the book's big success story, let's go to the 3-to-7 p.m. "afternoon drive" slot and WYSP's Opie & Anthony talk show. O&A finished third overall in the time period, behind WBEB and WJJZ. The show was in 17th place a year ago.
Big slippage was noted at WPHT-AM (1210). In going from ninth to 15th place overall, the Big Talker saw a stunning drop in its afternoon-drive audience. Since the departure of Michael Smerconish, the numbers look, well, mediocre.
In the fall book, Jeff Katz hosted the 3-to-5 p.m. half of that time period, and Smerconish hosted from 5 to 7 p.m. Smerconish left in mid-December, three weeks before the end of the fall book, and Katz took over the entire 3-to-7 p.m. block. The time period's share in the fall was a 3.3.
In yesterday's winter book, with Katz hosting 3 to 7 p.m., the share was 1.9. In the 25-to-54 age demographic, WPHT's share last fall was 2.3. The winter number was 1.1.
Further down the charts - and sinking - was WMWX-FM (Mix 95.7), which fell from 19th to 23d place and notched a 0.9 rating. The station recently flipped its morning and afternoon teams, and on Monday changed midday hosts.
Shortly noted
--snips--
Rob Zombie, in town for an appearance at Tower Records on Saturday and a concert at the Electric Factory on Sunday, hankered to see Saturday's Flyers game. When he learned it was sold out, he asked his record company to apply muscle. Box tickets and a dinner in the First Union Center's Lexus Club materialized.
--snips--
Although I don't have the exact numbers, Howard reported on the show today (May 14th) that WYSP Program Director Tim Sabian is saying the show has had the highest ratings book ever.
Does anyone have the actual number's available to send in so they can be posted? Thanks!
from the Philadelphia Inquirer
Friday, October 27, 2000
--snips--
Numbers. The summer Arbitron numbers came out last week, and not much in the ratings rates a mention.
Soft-hits WBEB-FM (101.1) won first place with a 6.4 share, over WDAS and KYW-AM, which tied for second. B101.1 has either tied or beaten KYW for first place six times in the last two years. But this was the first time in recent memory that a station tied the all-news outlet for second.
Among radioheads, the summer book is considered the least significant of the year.
"It might be the least important, but advertisers will let you know about it if you do badly," Blaise Howard, WBEB general manager, said.
--snips--
from the Philadelphia Inquirer
September 22, 2000
--snips--
Stern in trouble? Is Howard Stern losing ground in the Arbitron numbers? And is this a threat to his dominance of the airwaves?
Stern is still the major cultural and financial force in radio. His $20 million annual revenues are Infinity Broadcasting's and radio's best.
But he has lost listeners in all of his major markets; he's down 12 percent on flagship station WXRK-FM (92.7) in New York, and 20 percent on KLSX-FM in Los Angeles over the last two years.
He has lost similar percentages in Chicago, San Francisco and Miami, according to Arbitron data, and he has recently lost affiliates in Denver and Austin.
In Philadelphia, where he is heard on WYSP-FM (94.1), Stern's audience is also in decline. Most dramatic was the almost 4-point hit he took between fall and winter '99, putting him below a 10 percent share of the morning-drive audience. He had recovered to a 10.6 share in spring 2000. His only competitor in town for most of the last decade has been all-news KYW-AM (1060).
A lot of factors are cited for his numbers decline. One is Stern's recent divorce, which changed the dynamic of his show, reducing the tension between the image of the leering 46-year-old radio guy and faithful family man.
Age is another factor. "It's clear that his audience is getting older, and that he needs to recruit younger audience members to replace [them]," said Nicole Ovadia, editor of the Mount Laurel-based trade journal Inside Radio.
She said Stern is far from being in trouble.
"He's still very much listened to."
Even if Stern were in trouble, said Tom Taylor of M Street Journal, who has been chronicling Stern since he came on in 1986, "Philly is one of the last places you'll feel it."
This town, he said, has always been one of the best for Stern. "Howard and Philadelphia have a lot of history, and I am sure they have a lot of history left," he said.
from the Philadelphia Inquirer
August 25, 2000
--snips--
Shore fire. It's a truism that many of the listeners in Philadelphia's radio market go downashore during the summer. That explains why the Arbitron summer ratings sometimes drop precipitously in the quarterly book.
The general manager of one Jersey Shore station wants to exploit that.
Al Parinello, GM of Digital 102.7 (WJSE-FM), a modern-rock station in Somers Point, said he was hoping that when many of the Philadelphians and New Yorkers who go to the Shore in the summer leave for home in a few weeks, they'll take his station with them, via the Internet.
With Howard Stern in the morning as his anchor, Parinello said, he is able to charge the highest ad rates in the market. "The advertisers have come to realize that if they want to reach Philadelphians in the summer, they're going to have to reach them in Jersey," he said.
And Parinello has been using the Internet to try to get the exiles to continue to listen to the station on its Web site, www.wjse.com, when they're out of on-air range.
"As many as three million people per weekend might hear us, or see our billboards or other ads," Parinello said. "I wish I had a dime for everyone who told me, 'I wish there was a station like this in Philadelphia.' Well, now there is."
Trends. A mildly interesting set of Arbitrends, covering the period between May and July, came out this week.
Depending on how you look at them, they either mean absolutely nothing or can signify much more.
One of the more interesting movements in the market came from WYSP-FM (94.1), which went down .6 of a point, maybe fueling more potshots from WMMR-FM (93.3).
Big jumps (.6) came from WBEB-FM (101.1), which is in the top spot, and WJJZ-FM (106.1), which went up .4 of a point.
--snips--
from the Philadelphia Inquirer
July 28, 2000
What we have here, ladies and gentlemen, is a resumption of an old-fashioned Philly radio war of words.
In the spring 2000 Arbitron ratings, released last week, there weren't any major surprises, but there was a minor one.
For the first time in recent memory, WMMR-FM (93.3), placed in the Top 10 stations in this market among listeners aged 12 and older.
During the late '80s, rock station 'MMR dominated the Philadelphia market, perennially No. 1. Then, for several reasons, it declined precipitously over the last decade. The lowest point came in spring '98, when the station found itself in 16th place overall.
According to Sam Milkman, 'MMR's new program director, the days of decline are over. The station is in 10th place with a 3.8 percent share of the market - up 0.6 from spring - and Milkman is crowing.
" 'MMR has not had our act together and we admit that, but we are back, and we are going to take our proper place in the hearts of Philadelphia as the real rock station in Philadelphia," he said.
To Milkman, WYSP-FM (94.1) is overly dependent in the mornings on Howard Stern and, in the fall, on the Eagles games and coach Andy Reid's Monday evening show. " 'YSP is nothing more than a spot carrier for Howard Stern. When he doesn't do well, the rest of the station looks like [junk]."
Ouch.
Neal Mirsky, the program director at WYSP, which is also up 0.6 and is tied for fifth, conceded that 'MMR has been sounding better - "since they've tried to be WYSP Lite." Mirsky points out that 'YSP has been improving in the ratings as well.
"They're improving, but not at our expense," he said. "I don't know that finally cracking the Top 10 is cause for celebration."
Ouch ouch.
Among other movers are contemporary-hits WIOQ-FM (102.1), which gained 0.8 from winter to spring, and oldies WOGL-FM (98.1), which gained 0.7 in that period.
Down are urban adult-contemporary WDAS-FM, which lost 0.8 but remained in third place, and classic-hits WMGK-FM (102.9), which lost 0.6 and fell to 11th place.
KYW-AM (1060), the all-news giant, beat all comers again with a 6.4 rating. Soft-hits WBEB-FM, KYW's biggest ratings competitor, was second with a 6.1 share, a 0.5 decline from winter and a 0.9 drop from spring '99.
"Jerry Lee [president of B101] wants to be No. 1 in ratings," said KYW general manager Roy Shapiro. "I want to be No. 1 in profits. Those are very different goals sometimes."
Then again, Lee makes a whole lot of money, and KYW usually rules the ratings.
Meanwhile, the numbers for WLCE-FM (104.5), are continuing to rise since the station adopted the rock adult-contemporary format last fall. It's gone from a 2.5 share in summer '99 to a 3.4 now, but some of the move has represented an increase in male listeners - curious for a station that aims so much at women.
--snips--
from The Philadelphia Inquirer
April 28, 2000
The talk wars are heating up, and WPHT, pretender to the throne, has come up from nowhere.
Black-oriented stations are doing well, while stations that deal in the music of past eras are not.
A former high flier has taken a big dip in the numbers, and the music upstart that had bested the long-running ratings king is again tied with its news adversary for the top spot.
Such is the picture that comes from the latest Arbitron ratings, released Wednesday.
WPHT-AM (1210), which stole the franchise (Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Laura Schlessinger) from WWDB-FM (96.5), is well behind the leaders, in 19th place. But its share of the audience made an exponential jump, from 0.8 percent to 2.3 percent overall since fall.
"What you see this winter is just a beginning," said 'PHT general manager Chris Claus. "I don't want to be a predictor, but I think we can gain at least another full share point [next book] or even better."
For the top spot in the market, soft-rock WBEB-FM (101.1) and all-news KYW tied with a 6.6 overall rating. The two have been battling for first for a year or so.
WDAS-FM (105.3) and WUSL-FM (98.9), two AMFM-owned urban powerhouses, had good showings. 'DAS jumped up 1.1 points since fall '99, the second-biggest jump of any station in this book, and ended up in fourth place, just behind Power 99.
"It says a lot to have two black radio stations ruling their demos - Power at 18-34 and WDAS at 25-54," said Power big cheese Dave Allan. "They might be able to buy around a No. 2, but they can't buy around a No. 2 and a No. 1." The reference was to media buyers, who have tended to underbuy African American-oriented stations.
Also marooned well behind the leaders was 13th-ranked WLCE-FM (104.5). Alice, the former WYXR, which ditched its rhythmic adult-contemporary format for a rockish AC mix, went up half a point and surged to fifth n the all-important 25-54 demographic.
Can Alice keep up its momentum? Remember this: WEJM-FM (95.7), known as Jammin' Gold, made a similar jump in its early going when it switched from modern rock to rhythmic oldies, but it has been taking a ratings beatdown lately. WEJM lost 1.2 percent of its audience in winter '00.
"Is it going to stick? Damn right it will," said Alice general manager Sil Scaglione. He said the station's mix of music from different decades, concentrating on the '80s and '90s, gives it a broader base than Jammin', and, he added, "we're also very well-funded as far as our ability to market the station."
Other ratings losers were rock WYSP-FM (94.1), which took the biggest drop, from 6.6 to 4.7; WPEN-AM (950), the big-band/nostalgia station that went from 4.6 to 3.4; and oldies WOGL-FM (98.1), which declined from 4.2 to 3.5.
--snips--
from the Philadelphia Inquirer
February 11, 2000
If you thought that, you were wrong.
Although in 1997 and '98 some Arbitron books seemed boring, recently things have gotten interesting.
And when the fall '99 ratings book came out last week, there were some true surprises.
In what might be construed as a mild surprise, WBEB-FM (101.1) was in first place. That is a mild surprise only because the station had already shown signs of breaking the perennial dominance of KYW-AM (1060), tying with that station twice and beating it outright once since early 1998.
'BEB led all stations in percentage of listeners age 12 or older with a 6.8 percent share of the audience. Rock WYSP (94.1), possibly riding the coattails of Howard Stern's marital angst in the morning, was a strong second with a 6.6.
The biggest surprise, however, was that KYW was in third place with a 6.3. The station has not been in third place for the last 20 years.
The book, incidentally, came out about a month later than it was supposed to. Fall books usually come out in mid-January, and the period of time for which the survey measured listeners' reactions ended Dec. 15.
Late that month, one local program director said, Arbitron, based in Columbia, Md., told stations all over the country that the fall ratings would be late. At first many people thought it was because of Y2K, but he said the company's memos said that was not a factor.
Arbitron did not respond to requests for comment.
"They said they moved to a new software package and that [implementing it] would cause some delays," the PD said. "They have had trouble in the past, but nothing of this scale. This was supremely embarrassing. People live or die by these numbers."
The program director explained that stations usually have 12 weeks to sell their advertising time based on each book. So the delay gave stations that did especially well four fewer weeks to sell.
"I'm sure a lot of stations probably were hoping these numbers wouldn't come out at all," the PD said.
Glitches or no glitches, Blaise Howard, general manager of WBEB, was predictably upbeat about his station's showing.
"We've done well in the 'selling demo,' which is [ages] 25-54," said Howard, who pointed out that 'BEB placed second only to WYSP in that demographic. The GM said his station aims strongly at women, and indeed in B101.1's television commercials, which are probably the city's most ubiquitous by a radio station, women are featured prominently.
"We're doing things the old-fashioned way," said Howard, whose music-intensive station happens to be the only one in this market not owned by a large corporation.
"We market our product and develop our brand, and we try to put out our best possible product," he said. The station markets heavily on television and through visual promotions such as billboards and bus ads, as well as by telephone and the Internet. Howard said he planned to keep up the promos.
"If you liked us in 1999, you'll love us in 2000," he said.
Rounding out the top five were urban-adult WDAS-FM (105.3), which tied with urban WUSL-FM (98.9) at 5.4.
The rest of the Top 10: contemporary hits WIOQ-FM (102.1), nostalgia/big-band WPEN-AM (950), smooth jazz WJJZ-FM (106.1), oldies WOGL-FM (98.1), and news/talk WWDB-FM (96.5).
The biggest jump from summer to fall outside of WBEB, which added 1.1 points, was recorded by WIOQ, which was up from 4.2 to 5.2.
As usual, Stern ruled mornings with a 12.7, followed by KYW (10.4), and WBEB (5.8). WYSP also dominated listeners ages 18 to 34, with 'USL taking second place in that demographic.
WMMR doings. A few months after returning to WMMR-FM (93.3) from maternity leave, evening drive DJ Donielle Flynn went to work Jan. 31 and was told she was no longer with the station.
A new DJ, Mark Razz, known on the air simply as Razz, will take Flynn's place. He'll start Monday. Razz used to work at WXRK-FM in New York, where program director Sam Milkman worked before coming back to Philly.
Also at 'MMR, promotions guru Scott Segelbaum reports, Feb. 22 will be "Fat Tuesday" in Philadelphia. Morning DJ Barsky will be celebrating obesity in a big way at the South Street restaurant called Fat Tuesday's. The heaviest listener will receive a prize.
Quite a contrarian response to the city's being dubbed the nation's fattest by Men's Fitness magazine.
WDAS move. WDAS-FM general manager Chester Schofield recently left his position, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family. Joe "Butter" Tamburro, the dean of Philly program directors - Ben Franklin used to listen to him - takes over as interim GM while AMFM Inc., which owns 'DAS and five other local stations, searches for a replacement.
Ratings Chart: http://www.phillynews.com/inquirer/2000/Feb/11/magazine/KCAR11B.htm
from the Philadelphia Inquirer
December 6, 1999
Bill Nissley couldn't figure out what to look at more longingly - these good 76ers tickets just a handshake away, or the knockout woman in a tight mustard-green top and a long dark leather coat, holding them.
The woman - Melissa, no last name - had just bounded into the auto-repair bay of Precision Collision in Horsham, where Nissley was working. Behind her came three people known as the Extreme Team. Not long ago, Melissa ran a successful modeling agency, but now she and the Extreme Team zip around the city making sure guys are listening to WYSP-FM (94.1).
As if they weren't.
It's the area's most-listened-to station among guys.
Nissley and his coworkers were no exception, so the Extreme Team started pelting them with gifts: Tastykakes, T-shirts, WYSP bumper stickers.
Melissa, though, was holding out on the tickets. If Nissley could name WYSP's midday disc jockey, he'd get the Sixers tickets.
"Uh-buh, Uh. Oh," he babbled. He gathered himself back together. "Yeah. John DeBella!"
"All riiiight!" shouted Melissa, who cued the Extreme Team and pointed her microphone toward Nissley. "Now say it!"
"WYSP rockssss!" Nissley screamed into the mike.
The guy-magnet had snagged another one.
Guys will be guys and advertisers love them. Guys also may be the toughest audience to get. But research has shown that when guys are hooked, they are incredibly loyal, unlike women and kids, who flit from station to station.
In Philadelphia, an advertiser who wants to sell guys cars, beer, men's clothing or stereo equipment is probably looking at WYSP: Howard Stern in the morning. John DeBella in the midday. Eagles games. Loud rock and roll all day.
Though WYSP is not the top overall station in town right now - KYW-AM leads by a few tick-tick-ticks - WYSP is where the boys are. Among men ages 18 to 34, its ratings are nearly double those of second-place WUSL-FM (98.9). Aim a little older; among men 18 to 44, WYSP's ratings are more than double that of second-place WMMR-FM (93.3). Among men 25 to 34 - the station's primary market - WYSP's ratings are nearly three times that of WUSL, its nearest competitor.
"Every station has to have a purpose these days," said Tim Sabean, WYSP's operations manager. "It was all less competitive 25 years ago. You had two or three top 40 stations and two or three alternative-rock stations and so forth. Now, with so many places to advertise, to be second or third in a format is not the way out. You have to be unique and aggressive in order to win."
WYSP's road to victory began in the mid-1980s when it picked up Stern, then a brash radio personality in New York only.
"Many radio people said it would never work - that Stern was too New York-oriented and that Philadelphians would never listen to someone from out of the market," said WYSP marketing director Karin Buck.
But it did work. Soon Stern had taken over the morning-drive personality lead from John DeBella, then at WMMR. Still, WYSP languished during the rest of the day and over the weekend.
In the 1992-93 season, the station began airing Eagles games. More guys showed up for the games, but they didn't stay around much longer.
Four years ago, in came Neal Mirsky as program director.
It was the day the classic rock died.
"I...saw the music had to change to pick up on what the station wanted the target audience to be," Mirsky said. Mirsky, himself a baby boomer, liked classic rock. But he knew that guys, especially those a few years younger than he, listened to Stern but tuned elsewhere for music.
"So for my age group, maybe it's the Beatles or Motown or Jim Morrison," Mirsky said. "For those in their 20s and 30s, it's Led Zeppelin and now, maybe, Metallica and Counting Crows and Red Hot Chili Peppers. So we add some Korn and Stone Temple Pilots and Godsmack. And, basically, if it is loud and it rocks, it's on WYSP. With those three franchises - the music, the Eagles and Howard Stern - we've got guys."
Couzin Ed, the nom-de-rock of WYSP's afternoon drive DJ, is the quickest draw at the digital-tape-editing corral, from his control room on the mezzanine of the building that KYW and WYSP share on Independence Mall.
He's taking calls from the request lines in one ear and listening to Melissa's latest phone call from an Extreme Team give-away in another. He also is editing greetings he recorded the day before with Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich and timing a Metallica tune on tape. As the song ends, he flips back to the microphone, where he talks about tickets to a Metallica concert in New York that the station is giving away and makes lascivious comments about Melissa, telling the audience he soon will make her his fiancee.
A guy calls the request line, pleading with Couzin Ed to play some Def Leppard.
"I went through a bad thing with my wife. Now I'm losing a part of my leg to diabetes," he wails. "Some Def Leppard would sure cheer me up."
"Well, I don't generally get calls like that," says Ed, a pleasant-faced man with long curly hair under a bandana, an eyebrow piercing and a slight goatee. Ed's off-air tone is calm, not the stuff of a Metallica head. "But I try to be responsive. This is their station and I wouldn't be on the air without them. If I see a guy as a real person, maybe he listens to me. You can't stray far from normal and still stay with your audience."
DeBella used to stray far from normal when he was the oddball morning guy at WMMR. After he lost his morning lead to Stern, his show drifted both artistically and in the ratings. Then WYSP brought him in and resurrected him as the 10 a.m.-to-3 p.m. man following Stern. DeBella now is more subdued. His music is louder. And he's a winner.
The rest of the WYSP crew - who go by Matt & Huggy, Spike and Rick Allen - don't do as well as DeBella and Couzin Ed, but overall, the listenership is still a guy thing. Which doesn't always sit well with the station's former female listeners.
"From about 1990 until about '96, I used to listen to that station quite a bit. It had great classic rock, Howard Stern in the morning," said Cecilia Rothenberger, a University of Pennsylvania senior. "One can take only so much Foghat. What on earth happened to this station? Considering the migraine-causing crap they have on there now, I feel like any listeners to it might be guys. Anyway, it sucks, in a nutshell."
Mirsky would shrug at such comments.
"These days, you have to decide what your market is and super-serve it," he said. "You just won't hear Motown here. The farthest back we go is, maybe, some Jimi Hendrix. We do lots of research to find out what our audience - those guys - want, and, with a little variation on gut instinct, we intend to give it to them. Hopefully, some women will also listen."
WYSP's management knows that other stations are gunning for their guyness. WIP's sports-talk format is guy-friendly, to be sure, and WUSL's urban sound attracts a lot of younger guys, who may soon be old enough to eat into WYSP's slightly older demographics.
But for the time being, there will be more Melissa, more Stern, more football and more Limp Bizkit, Korn and Godsmack, et al.
"One thing that isn't getting better in the good economy right now is traffic, and we figure we want to own that captive audience in the car, and then when they get out, in the office," said Mirsky. "Nothing does that now like Stern and great rock. But we'll evolve on a daily basis if we have to. The guys at other stations watch too closely, and we want to keep our guys who listen happy - or else they will."
from the: Philadelphia Inquirer
July 20, 1999
The impossible has happened. All-news KYW-AM (1060), after virtually ruling the local Arbitron radio ratings for the last couple of decades, is not in first place anymore.
That crown now belongs to WBEB-FM (101.1) the soft-rock station that has plunged thousands of dollars into marketing and promoting the station.
KYW, which had shared the top spring ranking last year with B101.1 and the year before with rocker WYSP-FM (94.1), fell to third place overall, behind B101 and 'YSP.
In the rankings, released yesterday, B101.1 led all stations with a 7.0 share, followed by WYSP with 6.0 and KYW with a 5.9. Rounding out the top 10 were urban-adult WDAS-FM (105.3); smooth-jazz WJJZ-FM (106.1); urban WUSL-FM (98.9) and pop WIOQ-FM (102.1), which tied for sixth place; oldies WOGL-FM (98.1); big-band/nostalgia WPEN-AM (950); and classic hits WMGK-FM (102.9).
"All I can say is that the champagne will be flowing at 4 p.m. here," said Blaise Howard, WBEB's general manager.
"I think this shows that B101's determination to spend strongly in ... marketing has paid off," said Tom Taylor of the M Street Journal, a trade publication. "They promoted very heavily, in ways you could see and in ways you couldn't see."
It has been almost seven years - spring of 1992, to be exact - since KYW was not in first place exclusively or did not share the top ranking. The station that beat KYW back then? WYSP.
Steve Butler, KYW's director of news and programming, said his station was satisfied with its product and that it would analyze the spring numbers.
In other news. On Friday, Earle Brown, host of WRTI-FM's Sunday Jazz Journeys program, was fired. He is the second music personality within a week to be canned, and his departure has substantiated rumors of programming changes at Temple University's hybrid jazz-and-classical station.
from the: Philadelphia Inquirer
April 26, 1999
In the latest quarterly Arbitron ratings book, you have to look beyond the usual numbers to get any idea of what's happening on the local radio scene.
That's because, for the most part, the major indications of the listening patterns of people 12 and older each quarter have become more or less predictable.
For example, KYW-AM (1060), the all-news station that has reigned supreme in the Arbitron wars, did so again in the latest figures, for winter 1998-99, winning overall honors with a 7.8 percent share of the audience. The station, buoyed every winter by its broadcasts of bad-weather and school-closing news, shot up 1.4 points from fall '98, the best jump of any station in the market, even though the season was fairly mild.
KYW was followed by soft-rock WBEB-FM (101.1), rock WYSP-FM (94.1), urban-adult WDAS-FM (105.3), and urban WUSL-FM (98.9).
This latest book comprises data collected between Jan. 7 and March 31. Thirty-one stations appeared in the survey.
Aside from KYW, WJJZ-FM (106.1) had the biggest jump of all stations, moving 0.7 points to 4.9.
Country WXTU-FM (92.5) took the biggest hit of all stations in the winter survey, which programmers, media buyers and advertisers consider the third-most important of the four annual seasonal surveys.
WXTU fell 0.8 of a share and out of the top 10, moving to 12th place, with a 3.4. Classic-hits WMGK-FM (102.9) also fell, dropping 0.7 of a share and ending up in 13th place.
You want what passes for excitement these days? You'll have to look to morning drive time, and among some obscure but important demographics. The morning winner was KYW, but WYSP's Howard Stern had a strong book and ended up in second place. That is important because Stern has lately been taking a beating in many markets outside his home base of New York; but he still rules Philly's non-news division.
WXXM-FM (95.7) went up 0.5 of a point with former Y-100 morning guy Paul Barsky. He did well despite coming in for just two-thirds of the period. The station also surged among listeners ages 18 to 34. Many rumors, all denied, have owner Greater Media interested in scrapping its modern-rock format in favor of the soul-laden "jammin' oldies" niche.
At WYXR-FM (104.5), morning yakker Nancy Glass seems to be making herself heard. It's something that showed up in the ratings before the station did a massive promotional videotape mailing this month.
Star 104.5 focuses more on women than almost any other station in this market. Glass surged from 10th to sixth among listeners 25 to 54 and from 13th to sixth among women in that age group.
"Man, she's rockin'," said Star general manager Jeff Specter. "She's made these gains without one ounce of promotion since she came in last June. It's a fun show to listen to. Every day, there's another celebrity guest. She gets them because of her Hollywood connections. I did not expect her to have such success early on."
On the low end of the dial, WWDB's experiment with the AM band has yet shown little effect. The station had a 0.6 share in fall '98 as Spanish-language WTEL-AM merged into 'DB, and it maintained that share in winter '99.
from: Philadelphia Inquirer
That's the general impression left by the fall '98 Arbitron ratings, released Wednesday.
If there was a more boring fall book recently, we can't recall it.
As usual, all-news KYW-AM (1060) was on top with a 6.4 percent share of the market. KYW, which has been on top or tied for first since the John Quincy Adams administration, was trailed by urban-adult WDAS-FM (105.3) and soft-hits WBEB-FM (101.1), the last station to tie KYW for first place.
Following were rock WYSP-FM (94.1), whose strong showing probably could not be attributed to its carrying the Eagles' games; oldies WOGL-FM (98.1); and urban WUSL-FM (98.9).
Of the top 10 stations, WOGL and WUSL showed the largest gains, each advancing 0.6 of a percentage point.
The strongest jump of all came from big-band/nostalgia WPEN-AM (950), which gained 0.7 of a percentage point and ended up in 11th place.
In the mornings, Howard Stern at WYSP ranked first with an 11.5 share, even beating KYW from 6 to 10 a.m. KYW had a 10.4.
A couple of tidbits: WKXW-FM (101.5), the loud, boisterous, politically important talk station in Central Jersey, which bills itself as New Jersey 101.5, garnered a higher rating (1.3) than Philly's own longtime talker WPHT-AM (1210), which had a 1.0. Don't think the CBS Radio honchos are too happy about that one.
And WWDB-AM (860), which took over the frequency used by a Spanish-language station, has not yet made an impact on the book. With time, we will see if Beasley Broadcasting's move was a smart one.
--snips--
from: Philadelphia Inquirer
October 23, 1998
WMMR-FM went up, a step in a new direction for a station long in decline.
Urban radio stations were slightly down, as were many other young-leaning rock stations.
Those are the highlights, so to speak, of the summer '98 Arbitron ratings book, released last week mostly to yawns around the Philadelphia radio market.
The yawns didn't come because there wasn't a whole lot of movement or surprise in the quarterly book, which covered the period of July 2 to Sept. 23.
Rather, it was because nobody really ascribes too much weight to the summer book, universally considered the least important of the four quarterly reports that come out every year.
Still, if you did well in the book, you can't help reveling in your victory. Especially if you are WMMR-FM (93.3), the longtime heritage rock station that lately has been taking more hits than it's been playing.
'MMR, which a decade ago was among the top radio stations in the city, even vying for No. 1 at one point, had been scoring steady declines in the ratings in recent years. Last Arbitron book, 'MMR was in 15th place with a 3.0 share of the listening population.
It is now in 12th place with a 3.6. Not superimpressive, but a 0.6 increase in market share is a significant one for the station.
"You know this whole Arbitron thing is a joke, but it's a game we have to play anyway," said general manager Dennis Begley, who will still take it. "We always thought WMMR was a good station. We made some changes in January with our morning, afternoon and evening shows, and those changes are starting to kick in. The station is solid, and sounding great right now."
Begley said the station had embarked on an aggressive marketing campaign with television, bus and billboard ads, and that it had also begun a telephone campaign using the voice of veteran midday guy Pierre Robert.
At WWDB-FM, chances are that the Clinton/Lewinsky/Starr scandal has contributed to the station's surge in ratings this summer. 'DB jumped a full percentage point from spring to summer and moved from 11th place to fifth, the book's most impressive improvements in both categories.
"It was quite a jump, but more than that, I think it was a rebound," said Jim Casale, program director at WWDB, who cited the station's aggressive courting of listener input. "I think we've won the people back."
And Roy Shapiro, the KYW Radio general manager, turned out to be right. Last book that came out, he said that soft-rock WBEB-FM (101.1), which tied KYW-AM for first place in spring, would not be in that rarefied position again. And it wasn't. Both it and KYW fell, the news station losing 0.8 of a point and B-101.1 losing an entire point, which was the biggest hit of the entire book.
B-101.1 was still strongly in second place, however. Following 'BEB was urban-adult WDAS-FM, in third place with a 5.8 percent share; WYSP-FM (94.1) in fourth with a 5.4, and WWDB with a 5.0.
Rounding out the Top 10: oldies WOGL-FM (98.1), country WXTU-FM (92.5), urban WUSL-FM (98.9), classic-hits WMGK-FM (102.9), and smooth jazz WJJZ-FM (106.1).
WYSP's Howard Stern won in the morning, followed by KYW, WBEB, and Tom Joyner at WDAS-FM. WDAS also won the 25-to-54 derby, followed by WBEB, WYSP and WMGK.
In another important demographic, listeners 18 to 34 years of age, WYSP, WUSL and WIOQ-FM (102.1) ruled. Q's third place was a strong showing in a single demographic, because it usually doesn't do very well among all listeners 12 and older.
New stakes in Y100. Lynn Bond Bruder, president and chief operating officer at WPLY-FM (100.3), is not just hired help anymore. She's an owner.
Dan Lerner, owner of the station, said he had granted Bruder and Scott Shannon, the New York disc jockey who is also Y100's programming consultant, part-ownership by allowing their stock options to kick in.
"About three years ago, I recognized that with consolidation going on in the business, as a private owner, I had to create an incentive for strong people to prosper in my company," he said.
Lerner had nothing but praise for Bruder, the Villanova graduate who joined the station in 1985 as a salesperson.
Bruder, he said, "is an outstanding radio executive and an outstanding person. I am lucky to have her."
"I was ecstatic," Bruder said. "It means he wanted to keep me here. It's awesome."
Shannon, said Bruder, "is instrumental in the overall strategy and big picture of this radio station."
The move poses one question: Might Y100 simulcast Shannon's show here in Philly? No way, said Bruder, who pointed out that Shannon had recently ended a six-station syndication deal and now broadcasts only on WPLJ-FM in New York.
"In '93 [when the station changed from Kiss 100 to Y100 and to a modern rock format] , when he first started consulting, that would have been a time to do it," she said. "A lot of [ top shows ] have not made it in syndication, because localization is so important."
--snips--
from the Philadelphia Daily News and robk...
July 17, 1998
The top ranking was a predictable result for KYW, the perennial market leader, but the jump into the big time is a new thing for upstart B101.
Both stations recorded a 7.2 percent share of the audience for the period between April 2 and June 24. A total of 30 stations showed up in the spring book this time.
KYW gained 0.9 of a point over last spring, although it's down 0.2 of a point from winter.
B101 showed the most impressive gains in the book. It's up 1.2 points from the same period last year, and since winter has gone from third place to the first-place tie.
Folks at KYW and B101 are, perhaps predictably, quite happy.
Blaise Howard, the guy who runs B101, pointed to several factors.
"This is a fulfillment of a long-term strategy we had," said Howard, the station's vice president and general manager. "Last year at this time, we thought we had the opportunity to rise and possibly be No. 1, and we did it. It's the best we've done since we've been B101."
Howard credited the station's research and marketing pushes, as well as its status as the only major station in town that is independently owned. "We can react better to market opportunities," he said.
On the other side of town, Roy Shapiro, the guy who runs KYW, expressed satisfaction with his station's ratings. "We are celebrating. I think we had a very strong book," he said.
True, but a few local radioheads said they thought that KYW might even have done better because of the recently ended SEPTA workers' strike. Some postulated that heavy television coverage of the strike might have cut into the radio audience.
Shapiro didn't think the strike was much of a factor either way. "The book is roughly 90 days, and the strike was only 24 of 90 days," Shapiro said. "As we, and many others, including the mayor, observed, we were surprised at how effectively everyone seemed to get around without seriously disrupting their lives. If lives were being disrupted, we would have felt and seen it [in the ratings]."
Those observations finished, Shapiro threw down a gauntlet.
"The easy part is getting to the top," he said. "The hard part is staying on top. A number of stations have made a run at us, but as we stay where we are, others quickly come down."
Then he named names. "I guarantee that next book, B101 will be down."
Yowza!
As for other stations, all-talk WWDB-FM (96.5) took a big slide, losing 1.1 percentage points from winter, dropping from a 5.1 share to a 4.0 share and from fifth place overall to 11th.
WDAS-FM (105.3), which usually dominates the "money demo" (listeners between age 25 and 54), continued to do so this time, and placed third overall with a 6.2 share.
Urban WUSL-FM (98.9) made a nice 0.8 percent comeback from its eighth-place, 4.3 share in winter.
Power tied for fourth with rock WYSP-FM (94.1), home of Howard Stern. 'YSP had a 5.1, not down substantially from winter but a big drop from its 6.3 share in spring '97, and Stern, who usually dominates mornings aside from KYW, placed second again but took a fairly substantial drop from his winter numbers.
In fact, stations that play some form of rock music all either took hits or stayed flat, the most notable being 'YSP, but also upstart WXXM-FM (95.7), the former WFLN, continually eroding WMMR-FM (93.3) and WPLY-FM (100.3), which had a slight increase.
And what to make of WIP? The all-sports station fell in the spring, tumbling to 16th place overall with a 2.8. Has the sports/guy-talk formula veered too far away from sports? Will there be changes in format, or in personnel?
Or will PD Tom Bigby just let the chips fall where they may?
Another station for Beasley. Beasley Broadcasting, which owns WWDB, country WXTU-FM (96.5) and tropical Latin WTEL-AM (860), has added another station to its list in this market, giving it a total of two AMs and two FMs.
This week, Beasley closed on a deal to purchase gospel WTMR-AM (800) in Camden. Brian Beasley, the Florida-based company's senior vice president, said his company decided to buy the station from Gore-Overgaard Broadcasting because "we are trying to cluster our stations in the Philadelphia market. It is a good station, a very well-run operation, and we feel it has an excellent signal for the Philadelphia market."
Beasley said the station would continue to have a gospel format.
Gross' replacement named. Bill McLaughlin, stockbroker, financial adviser and vice president for investments at Smith Barney in Center City, will replace recently retired Harry S. Gross at WPHT-AM (1210). His show will air from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays.
© 1998 Philadelphia Newspapers Inc.
It was a long wait for those of us who follow the stories told every three months by the quarterly Arbitron ratings -- two days, to be exact.
But when the numbers came out Friday morning, it was kind of anticlimactic. No huge surprises.
Unless you work at WDAS-FM (105.3), WJJZ-FM (106.1), or WUSL-FM (98.9).
These three stations, all boasting large concentrations of urban, predominantly African American listeners, showed the most movement in the Arbitron winter book. The book measured the listening habits of selected area radio listeners between Jan. 8 and April 1.
WDAS-FM had the most impressive gain in winter '98, surging from fifth place a year ago (5.4) to second overall (6.4), behind perennial leader KYW-AM (1060), which had a 7.4 percent share of the overall audience. Soft-hits WBEB-FM (101.1) was third with a 5.8 share.
"I've just come back from closing on my house about a half hour ago," said Charles Warfield, the 'DAS general manager who has been on the job for 10 months, in an interview Friday. "So it's been a good day all around."
WJJZ also surged a whole percentage point, moving from 4.1 to 5.1 share and taking fifth place overall -- its highest ranking and rating since it adopted its smooth-jazz format five years ago. "The station has grown very consistently and steadily over the years," said Sil Scaglione, WJJZ general manager. "And I really like our format because it has universal appeal -- men, women, whites, African Americans, people who are in the city and those who are in the suburbs." 'JJZ was tied for fifth with WWDB-FM (96.5).
WUSL-FM (98.9), the urban station that has consistently been among the top raters and billers in the Philadelphia market, took the biggest hit among the 30 stations that appeared in this winter's book.
Power 99's numbers have been declining since its war began with newcomer WPHI-FM (103.9) last year. Since 'PHI went urban -- it used to be WDRE-FM -- it has taken much of Power 99's audience, especially among younger listeners.
In winter '97, Power ranked second with a 6.2 share. It now finds itself in eighth place with a 4.3 share, a decline of almost two percent.
But Helen Little, the station's operations manager, said she was not dismayed by the numbers.
"I think we fared well," she said, referring to the station's gains among women in all of its demos. "The goal is always to be on top [overall], but we are pleased with how we did in the demos."
Little later added: "There's no need for panic. Panic's not good for the blood pressure."
The numbers suggest that Power 99 and Philly 103.9's fight for the hip-hop generation, which has been somewhat nasty at times, has caused many older listeners (30 and above) to abandon both stations in favor of 'DAS and, to a lesser extent, WJJZ.
Also, Power 99 seems to be targeting young women more than ever, especially with its addition of Wendy Williams to its morning team.
Modern-rock WPLY-FM (100.3) also moved down substantially since last winter and last fall. Y-100 was 15th in winter '97 with a 2.8 share, but ranked 16th this time with a 1.7.
Another music station, WMMR-FM (93.3), which continues to try to find itself after years of decline following years of dominance, came in in 16th place with a 3.1 share.
In the mornings, KYW reigned supreme, followed by Howard Stern on WYSP-FM (94.1) and Tom Joyner on WDAS.
'DAS also ruled the important 25-54 demo, earning a 8.6 percent share, followed by WYSP and WBEB-FM (101.1), which logged a strong book all across the board.
WXXM-FM (95.7), formerly classical WFLN-FM, gained half a point, moving to 2.2 from 1.7 in fall.
Thanks to Roger for the above story.
January 15, 1998
In Philadelphia, Stern, who is in first place, went to an all-time high of 11.7%, up from 9.1% a year earlier. "He's just awesome," says Tim Sabean, program director at WYSP-FM. "The show just keeps evolving, and he just keeps reinventing himself. And with the movie, he's able to expand his fan base."
Philadelphia tuned in to news radio. While WYSP rolled, other rock stations stumbled. Max is coming on. WPEN hit some sour notes.
The fall Arbitron book came out yesterday and reflected a radio market that was buzzing with change.
Measuring listeners ages 12 and up, the Arbitrons showed KYW-AM strengthening its No. 1 position in the Philadelphia market -- the nation's fifth largest -- and WYSP-FM soaring from fifth place to second.
"It's a real fall harvest for 'YSP," said Tom Taylor, editor of M Street Journal, a Nashville-based radio magazine. Taylor attributed WYSP's strong showing to Howard Stern in the mornings, Eagles football, and the way the station seemed to own the free Metallica concert.
The first overall numbers for WXXM-FM -- Max -- were not as strong as industry watchers had predicted for the station that replaced the classical WFLN-FM in the fall. Max had a 1.6 share. But its numbers for the 18-to-34-year-old audience were very good, a 3.8 share, and Taylor predicted Max "is ready to explode in the next book."
Dennis Begley, general manager for WXXM-FM as well as three other local Greater Media Broadcasting stations, said the initial Max numbers were promising, and that two of his properties -- WPEN-AM and WMMR-FM, were making changes to reverse the slide shown in the book.
Both will launch new morning shows next week. At rock-and-roll institution WMMR, which came in 15th overall, Mark Davis joins Zack on the drive-time team. Dean Tyler takes the mike for Jerry Stevens at WPEN-FM, the easy-listening station that ranked 12th, down from sixth over the summer.
The fourth Greater Media property, WMGK-FM, increased its share and rank, from ninth to seventh.
In urban radio, Taylor said, "it sure looks like 'PHI-FM and WUSL-FM {Power99} have found their relative levels. 'PHL might have leveled off. 'DAS is solid. WOGL is always solid." Power 99 jumped from eighth to sixth, while 'PHI dropped one notch to 13th.
Dave Allan, vice president of programming for WUSL-FM and WDAS-AM, was proud of Power 99's upward swing, after a period of slippage. "We're sort of getting things back in order, reestablishing ourselves and focusing," he said.
Thanks to Michael for sending this in...
Most surprising is this: For the first time in 4 & 1/2 years, all-news KYW-AM (1060) is not alone on top of the ratings.
KYW ranked first in the market with a 6.3 percent share of the audience. But WYSP-FM (94.1), home of Howard Stern in the morning and rock all day, has tied the news giant for first place, also with a 6.3.
The suits are crowing at 'YSP, on top of the market for the first time in 18 ratings periods. Maybe even more interesting is the morning scene, where Stern, most likely fueled by his Private Parts movie hype, beat out KYW for the first time since the fall 1992 book.
"I'm nuts. This is unbelievable," said 'YSP program director Tim Sabean. He said the station was able to catch up with KYW because of "Howard Stern, the best rock in the world, and the greatest listeners on the Eastern Seaboard."
As for KYW, "We're happy to share the crown with our sister station WYSP, but we'll be No.1 again," general manager Roy Shapiro said.
The biggest gain in the market came from WPHI-FM (103.9), which gained 1.2 shares and moved up five spots, tying for 12th overall with smooth-jazz WJJZ-FM (106.1).
Oldies WOGL-FM (98.1) and album rocker WMMR-FM (93.1), also performed well, gaining a whole share over winter '97.
Who suffered most from 'PHI's gain? Had to be WUSL-FM (98.9), which took a dive, dropping 1.2 shares between winter and spring, 1.8 since spring '96. Power 99 is in fifth place overall with a 5.0 share.
Soft-rock WBEB-FM (101.1) stayed strong, finishing third with a 6.0 share. Also in the Top 10: talk WWDB-FM (96.5), urban-adult WDAS-FM (105.3), classic-hits WMGK-FM (102.9), nostalgia WPEN-AM (950, down a full share), and country WXTU-FM (92.5).
Lower down in the book, dance-pop WIOQ-FM (102.1) took a drop, losing almost a share from 4.5 to 3.6 and falling from eighth to 14th place. Adult-contemporary WYXR-FM (104.5), meanwhile, seems to have reversed its slide this book, gaining 0.9 of a share and jumping three places, from 18th in winter to 15th.
In mornings, Stern and KYW were followed by Chris and JJ at WBEB, Matt Cord and company at WMMR, and Don Cannon at WOGL.
In the important "money demo" of listeners 25-54 years of age, 'YSP ruled, followed by WDAS, WMMR, WOGL, WBEB and WMGK.
The Howard Stern Show is currently in 2nd place, with an 11.1 rating in the 12+ demographic.
"The Howard Stern Show" is currently in 2nd place, with a 9.1 rating for the 12+ demographic.
1) KYW-AM (news) 13.2
2) WYSP-FM (STERN) 11.2 (WYSP was 5 over-all w/5.2 share)
1. KYW - All-news - 12.2
2. Howard Stern - WYSP - 10.9
3. ?? - 5.2
These are the ratings for the 12+ demographic.
1. KYW - All-news - 15.2
2. WYSP - Howard Stern - 9
3. Paul Smith - 5.2
Courtesy of Clay.
In the 12+ demographic, the Stern show's ratings for the Summer book were enough to put the show in 2nd place with a 9.8 share. In first place was All News KYW-AM with a 12.5 share, which possibly carried such high numbers due to the OJ trial. But with men, the numbers are huge for Howard's show. With men 25-54, Howard has a 19.3 share and with men 18-34, he got a 29.8 share.
These brief ratings which Howard read on the air:
men 25-54: Howard - 21.2 share (2nd place is a 9.7 share)
men 25-49: Howard - 23.2 share (2nd place is a 10.4 share)
all persons 25-54: Howard - 17.7 share (2nd place is a 9.2 share)
Back to ratings.
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