June Ratings

jabba17 · Jul 12, 2017

Rock turned in another solid month, with River and Rock100.5 both holding on to their ratings from last month. But Radio 105.7 seems to still be floundering. Any chance that IHeartMedia might dump alternative? If so, to what?

WYAY is all the way up to a 2.1 (slow clap)

The Fish is showing its usual summer seasonality. Is there another radio station in Atlanta that has such seasonality? Fish always does great November-December and relatively horrid over the summer (if you can call a 3.9 "horrid").

Speaking of a 3.9, that's what B98.5 has, too, for a rather bad performance that brings up the rear at Digital White Columns. Has B98.5 been affected by Q100? Is Caller 10 falling down on the job?

Alex_0490 · Jul 13, 2017

jabba17 said:
Rock turned in another solid month, with River and Rock100.5 both holding on to their ratings from last month. But Radio 105.7 seems to still be floundering. Any chance that IHeartMedia might dump alternative? If so, to what?

WYAY is all the way up to a 2.1 (slow clap)

The Fish is showing its usual summer seasonality. Is there another radio station in Atlanta that has such seasonality? Fish always does great November-December and relatively horrid over the summer (if you can call a 3.9 "horrid").

Speaking of a 3.9, that's what B98.5 has, too, for a rather bad performance that brings up the rear at Digital White Columns. Has B98.5 been affected by Q100? Is Caller 10 falling down on the job?

As for 105.7, maybe another Urban AC?!..............

RoddyFreeman · Jul 13, 2017

Alex_0490 said:
As for 105.7, maybe another Urban AC?!..............

No. 105.7's signal area doesn't fit the Urban AC format.

Bill Zurmuehl · Jul 13, 2017

WGST simulcast?

RoddyFreeman · Jul 13, 2017

105.7 would be a better signal for El Patron than 105.3 because of 105.7's better signal where more Latino's live. Of course, that would mean a new format for 105.3.

Keep in mind the 6+ numbers do not tell us how 105.7 is doing in its core demo of younger men (although the latest numbers I've seen showed the station with about as many women as men).

RadioDoogie · Jul 13, 2017

Aren't we missing the Soft AC and variety hits formats? The Fish flounders during the summer because most of their listeners are on vacation with their families away from Atlanta metro.

jabba17 · Jul 13, 2017

RadioDoogie said:
Aren't we missing the Soft AC and variety hits formats? The Fish flounders during the summer because most of their listeners are on vacation with their families away from Atlanta metro.

I see what you did there

That, and the Mommy Bus doesn't run during the summer.

104.7 The Fish - Atlanta's Official Listen While You Shuttle The Kids Around Station!

I'd love to see variety hits, but that's just me. Is Soft AC successful anywhere these days?

Lotologist492 · Jul 15, 2017

jabba17 said:
I see what you did there

That, and the Mommy Bus doesn't run during the summer.

104.7 The Fish - Atlanta's Official Listen While You Shuttle The Kids Around Station!

I'd love to see variety hits, but that's just me. Is Soft AC successful anywhere these days?

Soft AC seems to be successful everywhere but A-T-L for whatever reason (maybe the PPM killed it?) Seriously, over ten years since blowing up 94.9 Lite/Peach, one would think soft AC would be worth another try....

RoddyFreeman · Jul 15, 2017

Bill Zurmuehl said:
WGST simulcast?

Five years ago, that would have been a good idea. iHeart should have moved El Patron to 105.7 and simulcasted WGST on 105.3. But since then, Cumulus launched 106.7 so it's too late now for a WGST simulcast.

RoddyFreeman · Jul 15, 2017

Lotologist492 said:
Soft AC seems to be successful everywhere but A-T-L for whatever reason (maybe the PPM killed it?) Seriously, over ten years since blowing up 94.9 Lite/Peach, one would think soft AC would be worth another try....

Everywhere like where? AC has gotten hotter. Advertisers don't want older demos.

DavidEduardo · Jul 15, 2017

RoddyFreeman said:
Everywhere like where? AC has gotten hotter. Advertisers don't want older demos.

There have only been a few instances of softer AC stations in recent years, so your question of "everywhere like where?" is very appropriate.

The launch several years ago of WFEZ in Miami by Cox was pretty much a bomb. Huge 12+ numbers, but all over 55 and no sales. WFEZ was modeled after WDUV in Tampa which was a perennial #1 in 12+ and did OK under 55 but not great. In Miami, it did not work and the format was freshened to reach a demo they could sell and is now doing great. It is a little more gold based and a touch softer than WLYF, but certainly not ultra-soft... a concept that works with bathroom tissue but not in today's radio.

In fact, WDUV, which did OK with the large retirement communities in the Tampa Bay area, was always #1 in 12+ but was barely 15th in revenue. So eventually they updated the format and now are in the top tier of 25-54 stations.

The same issues with very old demos have affected "soft AC" in San Diego, Chicago, San Francisco and a couple of other places.

CTListener · Jul 15, 2017

DavidEduardo said:
There have only been a few instances of softer AC stations in recent years, so your question of "everywhere like where?" is very appropriate.

The launch several years ago of WFEZ in Miami by Cox was pretty much a bomb. Huge 12+ numbers, but all over 55 and no sales. WFEZ was modeled after WDUV in Tampa which was a perennial #1 in 12+ and did OK under 55 but not great. In Miami, it did not work and the format was freshened to reach a demo they could sell and is now doing great. It is a little more gold based and a touch softer than WLYF, but certainly not ultra-soft... a concept that works with bathroom tissue but not in today's radio.

In fact, WDUV, which did OK with the large retirement communities in the Tampa Bay area, was always #1 in 12+ but was barely 15th in revenue. So eventually they updated the format and now are in the top tier of 25-54 stations.

The same issues with very old demos have affected "soft AC" in San Diego, Chicago, San Francisco and a couple of other places.

So is soft contemporary music, the sort of stuff boomers' parents -- and some boomers -- "aged into," pretty much dead? If there's no room for anything that doesn't have a rapid thump-thump-thump beat or elements of rap at today's CHR or AC radio, will everyone now listening to those formats continue to prefer thump-thump-thump right into middle age and beyond, the way many of us boomers still listen (but not exclusively) to rock, uptempo soul and funk? Seems a shame that contemporary music, at least the kind that gets played on CHRs and ACs, has become so monochromatic.

caller10 · Jul 18, 2017

jabba17 said:
Speaking of a 3.9, that's what B98.5 has, too, for a rather bad performance that brings up the rear at Digital White Columns. Has B98.5 been affected by Q100? Is Caller 10 falling down on the job?

Not at all, I am trying to minister to our troubled youth and adults that we must return to and hold steadfast to our roots: Soft Rock, The New Home of Steve & Vicky, 50-minute music hours, and the 98 @ 9. Our kids today don't sit around at home in front of the radio set, thinking "I wonder what song will Adam Bomb play next?"

MarkW · Jul 23, 2017

iHeartless won't fix 105.7. With the exception of L.A. and Houston, they basically use the same cookie cutter format for all of their Alternative stations nationwide.

Same thing is happening in Washington. DC101's ratings have been in the tank for many months; no significant programming changes have been made.

If iHeartless were to do anything w/ 105.7, it would be to flip the format outright. Classic Hits or Urban (re-sync with 96.7 MHz) would be the most likely outcomes, in my view.

secondchoice · Jul 27, 2017

Somewhere recently it was stated that 105.7 had a large number of female listeners. The sub 30 female demos are very sell-able in almost any market. I will bet 105.7 is getting a few third or fourth station targeted “female” buys. Iheart in Atlanta seems to be focusing on the younger demos with the exception of WGST. 640 was effectually killed when they took the 105.7 signal away several years ago.

June Ratings

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