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Talk Radio Scoreboard for Major Markets: October 2014

G

Gregg.

Midterm elections gave a boost to several Talk Radio stations, especially WMAL Washington, where the midterms could affect the jobs of numerous listeners. WMAL finished at #6, one of its best ratings in years. WSB Atlanta was not only #1 overall but #2 in the 25-54 demo, something few Talk Radio stations achieve. KFI Los Angeles, WGN Chicago and KTRH Houston also finished in the Top 5.

The news wasn't as good in Market #1, with WOR, iHeart's 50,000 watt powerhouse tied with a Talk station based in Trenton NJ, WKXW, with its tower outside the New York market. And in Boston, WRKO dropped a bit after losing its long-time afternoon host, Howie Carr, who just started at a competing station.

In the next few markets just under the top 10, WAQI (Spanish-language Talk) was #11 in Miami, WJR was #5 in Detroit, KIRO-FM was #2 in Seattle and in Phoenix KFYI was #2 and KTAR-FM was #11.


1. New York ... WABC (Cumulus) #20 ... WOR (iHeart) #23 tie ... WKXW(FM) (Townsquare) #23 tie
2. Los Angeles ... KFI (iHeart) #8 ... KABC (Cumulus) #33* ... KEIB (iHeart) #33*
3. Chicago ... WGN (Tribune) #7 ... WLS (Cumulus) #24
4. San Francisco ... KSFO (Cumulus) #14 tie ... KKSF (iHeart) #27
5. Dallas ... WBAP (Cumulus) #18 tie
6. Houston ... KTRH (iHeart) #5
7. Washington ... WMAL-AM-FM (Cumulus) #6
8. Philadelphia ... WPHT (CBS) #18 tie
9. Atlanta ... WSB/WSBB(FM) (Cox) #1 ... WYAY(FM) (Cumulus) #19
10. Boston ... WRKO (Entercom) #13

* I only include commercial Talk stations that scored at least a one rating, except for heritage Talk outlet KABC Los Angeles and Rush's LA outlet, KEIB.
 
And still no public radio news and information stations listed. Despite all the markets in which they are getting bigger numbers. Despite right-wing talk is dying. Looking at the world through red colored glasses.
 
All-News Scoreboard for Major Markets: November 2014

Once again this month, WTOP is #1 in Washington. And in Chicago, San Francisco and Detroit, WBBM, KCBS and WWJ are in the #2 slot.

Reports say Cumulus is unhappy with the ratings at KGO, which switched a couple of years ago to a mostly All-News format on weekdays. There are reports a local Talk host is being hired for early afternoons. It already has Ronn Owens, held over from the previous Talk format, in late mornings. And syndicated Cumulus Talk host John Batchelor is now being heard at 11pm. This is what Cumulus did when it was ending All-News at WYAY Atlanta. It slowly added a few Talk shows, saying it was still committed to the All-News format. Then eventually the All-News blocks were cancelled outside morning and afternoon drive. Is the same thing happening at KGO?

1. New York...WINS #8 ... WCBS #13 tie
2. Los Angeles...KNX #11
3. Chicago...WBBM/WCFS(FM) #2
4. San Francisco...KCBS/KFRC(FM) #2 ... KGO*^ #17
5. Dallas...KRLD* #15 tie
6. Houston...No All-News station
7. Washington...WTOP(FM) #1 ... WNEW-FM^ #21
8. Philadelphia...KYW #7
9. Atlanta...No All-News station
10. Boston...WBZ* #8
(11. Detroit...WWJ #2)
(13. Seattle...KOMO-AM-FM #13 tie)
(25. Pittsburgh...KQV* does not subscribe)

* part-time All-News station
^ station started All-News in the last couple of years

All stations are owned by CBS except KGO (Cumulus), WTOP (Hubbard), KOMO (Sinclair) and KQV (Calvary). In parenthesis, I include the ratings for the three All-News stations outside the top 10 markets.
 
wadio said:
Gregg, could you possibly add the word, "Commercial" to the beginning of these topics? Thanks! :)
Click to expand...

Better yet, include each new month's information as a post in last month's, and so on. There's no need for a new thread every month.
 
umfan said:
They're fine as new threads. Keep it up, Gregg!
Click to expand...

We're both wasting our time. Gregg launches these threads but never comes back to participate in any discussion about them.
 
Doesn't mean we can't discuss them. Gregg's posts serve as a catalyst for that discussion.

I do wonder if Cumulus and iHeart will come to some agreement in NYC. Neither's talk outlet is doing particularly well and they both may be best served by WABC clearing Rush and Hannity and iHeart dropping WOR. Hannity has returned to KSFO in SF, but think he's carried on tape delay. I believe Cumulus intends to carry Mike Rogers nationally, if not initially, then at some point after he debuts next month. I think he's planned for 12-3, but could be wrong.
 
OK, Talk Fans: Here are the real rankings. Unexpurgated. The rankings the ditto-heads don't want you to see.

1. New York ... WNYC-FM (WNYC) #15 ... WABC (Cumulus) #20 ... WOR (iHeart) #23 tie ... WKXW(FM) (Townsquare) #23 tie WNYC (WNYC) #30.
2. Los Angeles ... KFI (iHeart) #8 ... KPCC (So. Cal. Pub. Radio) #23 ... KABC (Cumulus) #33* ... KEIB (iHeart) #33*
3. Chicago ... WGN (Tribune) #7 ... WBEZ (Chi Pub Media) #20 ... WLS (Cumulus) #24
4. San Francisco ... KQED (KQED) #3 ... KSFO (Cumulus) #14 tie ... KKSF (iHeart) #27
5. Dallas ... WBAP (Cumulus) #18 tie ... KERA (N. Tex Pub Bcstg) #22
6. Houston ... KTRH (iHeart) #5 ... KUHF (Univ of Houston) #18
7. Washington ... WAMU (American Univ) #3 ... WMAL-AM-FM (Cumulus) #6
8. Philadelphia ... WHYY-FM (WHYY) #14 ... WPHT (CBS) #18 tie
9. Atlanta ... WSB/WSBB(FM) (Cox) #1 ... WABE (Atl Bd of Ed) #15 ... WYAY(FM) (Cumulus) #19
10. Boston ... WBUR (Boston U) #7 ... WRKO (Entercom) #13 ... WGBH (WGBH) #17
 
FredLeonard said:
OK, Talk Fans: Here are the real rankings. Unexpurgated. The rankings the ditto-heads don't want you to see.

1. New York ... WNYC-FM (WNYC) #15 ... WABC (Cumulus) #20 ... WOR (iHeart) #23 tie ... WKXW(FM) (Townsquare) #23 tie WNYC (WNYC) #30.
2. Los Angeles ... KFI (iHeart) #8 ... KPCC (So. Cal. Pub. Radio) #23 ... KABC (Cumulus) #33* ... KEIB (iHeart) #33*
3. Chicago ... WGN (Tribune) #7 ... WBEZ (Chi Pub Media) #20 ... WLS (Cumulus) #24
4. San Francisco ... KQED (KQED) #3 ... KSFO (Cumulus) #14 tie ... KKSF (iHeart) #27
5. Dallas ... WBAP (Cumulus) #18 tie ... KERA (N. Tex Pub Bcstg) #22
6. Houston ... KTRH (iHeart) #5 ... KUHF (Univ of Houston) #18
7. Washington ... WAMU (American Univ) #3 ... WMAL-AM-FM (Cumulus) #6
8. Philadelphia ... WHYY-FM (WHYY) #14 ... WPHT (CBS) #18 tie
9. Atlanta ... WSB/WSBB(FM) (Cox) #1 ... WABE (Atl Bd of Ed) #15 ... WYAY(FM) (Cumulus) #19
10. Boston ... WBUR (Boston U) #7 ... WRKO (Entercom) #13 ... WGBH (WGBH) #17
Click to expand...

Do those ratings of public radio stations include the ratings for shows like The Prairie Home Companion, Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me, Piano Jazz, World Cafe, The Splendid Table, Marketplace, Studio 360, and other non-political, non-controversial shows on public radio? Why would a Rush Limbaugh fan care about whether or not people listen to The Prairie Home Companion or The Splendid Table?

The newscasts on public radio, specifically Morning Edition and All Things Considered are left leaning news/talk hybrid shows that blend news reporting with talk radio style features. But the majority of the air time on the entire public radio station network as a whole is mostly non-political, non-controversial "infotainment" shows or locally originating music format broadcasting of either jazz, classical, or some other music format that commercial radio doesn't deal with. So how do you compare such a hodge-podge of variety programming with the results for commercial talk stations?
 
Gee, do those ratings for commercial stations include all the weekend infomercials, handyman shows and even music shows?
 
TheBigA said:
Yes. They are 6AM to midnight, Monday thru Sunday.
Click to expand...

Precisely. Same for every other station, including those that break format on the weekends. Commercial talk stations tend to get very low numbers on weekends. These 6+ average quarter hour share numbers are just that - averages of the station's shares throughout the day and across the week. Since a lot more people tune in weekdays between 6am and 7pm - and especially more tune in during drive times - the shares are (in effect) weighted toward those time periods.

Thanks for giving me a chance to point this out with an intelligent question. I refused to answer a comment as "dumb" as AL's. It was disappointing to see, since he has been making sense lately but the extreme ditto-head obsessive hatred of public radio seems to confuse the thought process of even otherwise rational people.
 
Your comparison is reasonable. It's good that you made the effort to fill it in instead of simply complaining that someone didn't do it for you. However, in all but a few markets, commercial talk outcumes public talk. I know you believe it's a superior product, but I disagree, it simply caters to a different audience.
 
umfan said:
Your comparison is reasonable. It's good that you made the effort to fill it in instead of simply complaining that someone didn't do it for you. However, in all but a few markets, commercial talk outcumes public talk. I know you believe it's a superior product, but I disagree, it simply caters to a different audience.
Click to expand...

Who out cumes whom is not the point. Cume certainly has nothing to do with the validity of the opinions expresses - much as ditto-heads and fox-holes want to claim (more people watch/listen to our side, so we must be right).

The point is "Gregg," for whatever reason, chooses systematically to omit a group of major players in talk radio from his "listings." He claims not to be one of those haters of public radio news and information programming, so why pretend it doesn't exist?

Talk Radio Shows Ranked by Cume

01. The Rush Limbaugh Show
02. Morning Edition
03. The Sean Hannity Show
04. All Things Considered
05. APM Marketplace
06. The Dave Ramsey Show
07. The Glenn Beck Program
08. The Mark Levin Show
09. The Savage Nation
10. Fresh Air from WHYY
 
umfan said:
I know you believe it's a superior product, but I disagree, it simply caters to a different audience.
Click to expand...

It's both. It's superior product, because it's not just one guy talking for 4 hours, but rather a diversity of people talking on a diversity of subjects from a diverse point of view. If you listen for 4 hours, you'll hear stuff you disagree with, and stuff you either agree with or accept. It also does it in a way that's somewhat artistic, with the kind of production you're more likely to see in TV documentaries, not daily radio. But you're right that it also caters to a different audience: One that is more tolerant and willing to hear varying points of view, presented in a slower pace, with less sensationalism. That's not for everyone.
 
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