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Chicago Radio Ratings: June 2013

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pjc1961

Nice to see WGN gain a full point since May. For the first time in about five years, they're actually ahead of WBBM in the ratings. Of course, that must be due to the Blackhawks coverage.
 
rbrown said:
Nice to see WGN gain a full point since May. For the first time in about five years, they're actually ahead of WBBM in the ratings. Of course, that must be due to the Blackhawks coverage.
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In 25-54, the station rose to 13th from its normal "around 20th" range. It is behind WBBM in the sales demos.

However, morning drive and middays were essentially unchanged. Afternoons increased somewhat. But evenings went from 30th to the top 5, and weekends moved, also, from 30th to the top 10.

That would reflect sports coverage, and is a fairly typical for WGN historically.

It is fairly easy to deduce that the regular, non-play by play, programming has not changed. But the added cume may expose listeners to the station, and might help familiarize them with some of the recent changes.
 
radioman148 said:
What a mess Cumulus has made out of WLS.
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The "mess" at WLS (AM) is similar to the mess at KGO, the mess at KABC, the quasi-mess at WABC... the stations did not do anything to refresh their programming in the last years of ABC ownership and during the Citadel years. So the demos aged, and the listening was severly dinged as the PPM rolled out.

Cumulus has not been able to fix the problem... but a good case can be made for it having been way too late for remedial action.
 
Just a couple of observations on the ratings. WLS-FM even with some of the changes seems to see a slight even though very slight increase while WLS-AM seems to slide as well as lost their direction. Say what you will about Merlin, and I agree with it, but "The Loop" saw an increase as well. I-101 is going nowhere, and WGN may be getting back on the right track.
 
radioaircheck said:
Just a couple of observations on the ratings. WLS-FM even with some of the changes seems to see a slight even though very slight increase while WLS-AM seems to slide as well as lost their direction. Say what you will about Merlin, and I agree with it, but "The Loop" saw an increase as well. I-101 is going nowhere, and WGN may be getting back on the right track.
Click to expand...

One word sums up WGN's June increase, "Blackhawks".
 
radioman148 said:
radioaircheck said:
Just a couple of observations on the ratings. WLS-FM even with some of the changes seems to see a slight even though very slight increase while WLS-AM seems to slide as well as lost their direction. Say what you will about Merlin, and I agree with it, but "The Loop" saw an increase as well. I-101 is going nowhere, and WGN may be getting back on the right track.
Click to expand...

One word sums up WGN's June increase, "Blackhawks".
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Bingo!
 
I may ask, does anyone who posts on this board even think about tuning in to 890???

They do not bring any good news to the conversation, and are so oversaturated with sports talk (Bears, Bears, Sox, Sox, Sox, Bears, Sox) and commercials that are boring to even an occasional listener that it is an immediate turn-off.

With Jim Johnson leaving, the real problems at WLS are showing through the top of the roof. I wish they could give expanded news updates with a full sports report, as well as a music-less traffic report and weather reports from Jerry Taft or Ray Stagich every half hour. That's what WGN has been doing for years, and I think WLS could emulate that for their news department.

I don't see what the purpose is in traffic on the fives. During John Kass's show a few weeks ago, John Dempsey was forced to do traffic on the fives, and all I got was "no problems to report".

The sports hour at 5 is AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL!!!!! They are totally missing drivetime if they air sports at 5:00. (Besides, if people want to listen to sports in the afternoon, they'd tune to 670 or 1000.)

Weekends are a disaster. As soon as Jake passed, they put on Purity Products. What a waste of airtime, especially since he was a true radio talent that led a good show on weekends. For awhile, he was the only reason to have 890 on for Saturday, other than Notre Dame football. You could say the same for Don & Roma.

Since I want my mind to remain intact, I'm going to end it there.
 
jrls4444 said:
radioman148 said:
What a mess Cumulus has made out of WLS.
Click to expand...

Ain't that the truth. So sad to see what Cumulus has done to the heritage ABC talk stations.
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Actually, Cumulus inherited the stations and the problems from Citadel.

The problem with all the "heritage" ABC AMs is that ABC did not move them away from aging demos (KABC had lost violently more than 15 years ago). Then, the PPM hit all of them hard (KGO being the worse... top 5 to about 20th from one book to another). And then they spent years with Citadel, which was so burdened with debt that they could not invest in the properties.

Those "heritage" stations were dead when Cumulus bought them.
 
It's true that Citadel was a mess, but Cumulus has done absolutely NOTHING to fix the problem. They've only made it WAY WORSE. Citadel kept KGO all talk, Cumulus came it and just destroyed it. At WLS, they fired GM Michael Damsky, who was making some great changes. While Citadel dug a deep hole, Cumulus just keeps digging.
 
jrls4444 said:
It's true that Citadel was a mess, but Cumulus has done absolutely NOTHING to fix the problem. They've only made it WAY WORSE. Citadel kept KGO all talk, Cumulus came it and just destroyed it.
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KGO was dead when Cumulus got it. The "old guard" had not kept the station up to date, and the demos were getting really old in the diary world. When PPM hit, it dropped to 20th in 25-54 and never recovered despite a bunch of efforts to revive and refresh the talent line-up... but mostly the management just blamed the PPM for the problems.

The problem was, of course, not PPM. It was KQED... on FM and much more in tune with the market.

When Cumulus got KGO, the buzzards had picked the bones clean. There was nothing left. And there was no FM to move KGO to, either. Heck, even KCBS added FM in San Francisco, to their great benefit.
 
Wasn't there a time in the 90's that WLS was doing so bad that they were almost changed to a country station.
The way they look now that might not be a bad idea. The station is aged out. Maybe this would be the time to put the nash radio format on until they can figure out what to do. Rush will be leaving would putting huckabe in that time help at all?

The timing of Don and Roma leaving and Jake Hartford dying probably have a big impact on these ratings.

They added the sports hour at 5 which does not belong on Roe Cons show would a third sports station in the metro be well recieved? Music on AM is not a good choice I think they want nash on in the cities maybe this would save them money not having to pay locals and a news department. This would be a temporay band aid witch could get the name in the city until an FM opens.

I see speculation about them buying Q 101 I do think WGN would be more willing to go to 101.1. Cumulis doesn't look to be stable enough to do any buying now.
 
Going back to Nashville said:
Wasn't there a time in the 90's that WLS was doing so bad that they were almost changed to a country station.
The way they look now that might not be a bad idea. The station is aged out. Maybe this would be the time to put the nash radio format on until they can figure out what to do. Rush will be leaving would putting huckabe in that time help at all?

The timing of Don and Roma leaving and Jake Hartford dying probably have a big impact on these ratings.

They added the sports hour at 5 which does not belong on Roe Cons show would a third sports station in the metro be well recieved? Music on AM is not a good choice I think they want nash on in the cities maybe this would save them money not having to pay locals and a news department. This would be a temporay band aid witch could get the name in the city until an FM opens.

I see speculation about them buying Q 101 I do think WGN would be more willing to go to 101.1. Cumulis doesn't look to be stable enough to do any buying now.
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How about WLS going "Oldies" playing the music they originally played. The Big 89 returns & using the original jingles. Play a different Silver Dollar Survey every afternoon. Put Dick Biondi back on from 9--midnight, just like he was on their original lineup and automate the rest of the day to keep costs down.
Before I get the cries of "very old demos", they won't be older than they are now and it just might work on an original station that played the music to begin with.
What have they got to lose the way those ratings are now tanking?
 
What a mess Cumulus has made out of WLS.
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Agreed.

It is apparent they so badly want WLS to be a "full service" news/talk/sports station. They see the (relatively) young & highly attractive demos WSCR fetches, and they want a piece of that action.

The station has a bit of an identity crisis right now.

You can't get at WSCR by only sticking one or two toes in the water.
 
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