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WNEW Already Hurting WTOP In The Ratings?

D

DToTheJ

Walk of Fame Participant
For the first time in a non-holiday period, another station either other than or in addition to WTOP is in first place - in this case, it's the latter, as WTOP is tied for first with public radio WAMU per stats posted on DCRTV.com, for the first week in January that WNEW was on the air.

You'd have to think that based on the curiosity factor alone, WNEW drew some listeners away from WTOP.
 
It doesn't seem that way... WTOP is often, but not always #1 overall, and WAMU has been #2 many times. WNEW had only a partial week of all-news and was tied for #31 with numbers below many fringe stations.

While it is true that WNEW will draw some listeners from WTOP, that does not appear to be a factor in this ratings report.

...Sam
 
My point exactly, Sam: if WTOP and WAMU are tied at the top of the ratings for a week in which WNEW was only on half of the week, imagine what the following week would look like!
 
DCRTV earlier this week posted a weekly ratings list. And according to the website, not only did WTOP finish third overall behind Hot 99.5 and WAMU, respectively, but they finished second place in both drivetimes. Neophyte WNEW, of course, nothing to write home about at this point, either... but I don't think it's just a coincidence that WTOP is slipping now that they have competition... If WTOP finishes the February PPM period in second place or worse, it's already a victory for CBS.
 
DToTheJ said:
DCRTV earlier this week posted a weekly ratings list. And according to the website, not only did WTOP finish third overall behind Hot 99.5 and WAMU, respectively, but they finished second place in both drivetimes. Neophyte WNEW, of course, nothing to write home about at this point, either... but I don't think it's just a coincidence that WTOP is slipping now that they have competition... If WTOP finishes the February PPM period in second place or worse, it's already a victory for CBS.
Click to expand...

CBS didn't come after WTOP because of its ratings; it did so because WTOP is the highest-billing station in the country. A moral victory in the ratings won't be worth anything if WNEW doesn't profit enough to justify a station with such high overhead and signal deficiencies in the lucrative Virginia suburbs.
 
How is 1580's signal in Northern Virginia? I know they have to power down at sunset from 50,000 watts to just 270 watts. But I wonder if it would be smart for CBS to simulcast WNEW-FM on 1580? Would 1580 fill in the gaps in 99.1's coverage, at least during daylight hours? CBS changed the 1580 call letters to WNEW but kept the mostly brokered talk format.

Let's remember that for a time in the 70s, WAVA-AM-FM simulcast an All-News format. WAVA was on AM 780 and had to sign off at sunset but WAVA-FM 105.1 kept running All-News around the clock. The disadvantage in those days for WAVA was that most cars had only AM radio, which could get WTOP 1500 in most places in the metro Washington area but couldn't get 780 at night and had no FM switch to tune in 105.1.


Gregg
[email protected]

Gregg
[email protected]
 
If CBS can hurt WTOP with WNEW right off the bat, that's proof that CBS knows how to execute an all-news format. Merlin's FM News stations in New York and Chicago are not a threat to CBS's news outlets there.
 
Nick said:
If CBS can hurt WTOP with WNEW right off the bat, that's proof that CBS knows how to execute an all-news format. Merlin's FM News stations in New York and Chicago are not a threat to CBS's news outlets there.
Click to expand...

Don't Forget San Francisco KCBS740/106.9 is still a top rated all-news station in the Bay Area. CBS has slammed down a cumulus O&O KGO-AM 810. Look KGO is an all-tabloid station in SFO. Look at the San Francisco Ratings books it got a 6.6 in January and KGO got a 2.7 in SFO. However in San Jose there are 3 all-news stations in the area KLIV San Jose gets a 1.7, KGO got a 4.7, and KCBS got a 3.2.
 
WTOP-FM in Washington DC has the highest Cume for all-news radio stations in the country its at 6.7-7.4
KCBS-AM 740 and 106.9FM in San francisco has the second highest cume for the all News Stations in the country from 6.0-6.6.

But this is at the mist of KCBS beating KGO in the San Francisco Books in February
KGO at a 2.7
KCBS at a 6.6

in San Jose Books
KGO at a 4.3
KCBS at a 3.2
KLIV is at a 1.6

For Washington DC
WTOP got a 7.5 in the books

WNEW got a .7

In NYC for February for all News

WINS gets a 3.5

WCBS gets a 2.8 in the books

WEMP .7

In east long Island for February 2012

WCBS 3.8

WINS 2.6
 
Maybe WNEW should learn from the WCBS-WINS competition for All-News in NYC. Both stations are owned by CBS now, but even before CBS and Westinghouse (former owner of WINS) merged, the two All-News stations tried to find different paths.

WCBS uses a 30 minute news cycle and gave up the tele-type machine sound effects back in the 70s, concentrates more on suburban news, and is more like the NY Times in its coverage. WINS uses a 20 minute news cycle, still uses the tele-type sound effects in the background, concentrates more on NYC crime and politics, and is more like the NY Post or NY Daily News in coverage.

WNEW isn't co-owned with WTOP so it can't coordinate with WTOP. But to distinguish itself, it could go with a 20 minute news cycle and use tele-type sound effects, so you instantly know which All-News station you've tuned in.

Of course, the biggest problem is the signal. But CBS is making too much money from WPGC and WIAD to switch those stations to 99.1, giving WNEW a full Washington signal. And it wouldn't make any sense to switch WNEW with WJFK, since CBS already owns an FM Sports station in Baltimore.

I'm surprised WNEW's DC ratings have gone down, not up, since the holidays. That's odd.

It's also odd that WNEW isn't doing better in the Baltimore ratings. 103.5 WTOP is much harder to pick up in the Baltimore market with a 103.7 Country station in Havre de Grace, just north of Baltimore. Yet the best WNEW can do in Baltimore, where it has a decent signal, is a tie for #37. WTOP is tied for #19. WNEW's Baltimore ratings have also dropped since the holiday, not gone up.

Other than my suggestions above, I can't figure out why WNEW's ratings are falling.




Gregg
[email protected]
 
Perhaps there's too little awareness (advertising) of WNEW's existence. Synergy with sister CBS stations - whose ratings in the Washington market aren't setting the world on fire - can only take you so far.
 
DToTheJ said:
Perhaps there's too little awareness (advertising) of WNEW's existence. Synergy with sister CBS stations - whose ratings in the Washington market aren't setting the world on fire - can only take you so far.
Click to expand...
I think that when it comes to the radio ratings game that people have to understand that there are more demos than 12 plus and 6 plus which is all that is every shown for the Washington market. The CBS DC stations are all target demo stations(all of them) and 12+ and 6+ are not the demos for any of the stations that they own in the nations 7th largest market.
 
Gregg said:
Maybe WNEW should learn from the WCBS-WINS competition for All-News in NYC. Both stations are owned by CBS now, but even before CBS and Westinghouse (former owner of WINS) merged, the two All-News stations tried to find different paths.

WCBS uses a 30 minute news cycle and gave up the tele-type machine sound effects back in the 70s, concentrates more on suburban news, and is more like the NY Times in its coverage. WINS uses a 20 minute news cycle, still uses the tele-type sound effects in the background, concentrates more on NYC crime and politics, and is more like the NY Post or NY Daily News in coverage.

WNEW isn't co-owned with WTOP so it can't coordinate with WTOP. But to distinguish itself, it could go with a 20 minute news cycle and use tele-type sound effects, so you instantly know which All-News station you've tuned in.

Of course, the biggest problem is the signal. But CBS is making too much money from WPGC and WIAD to switch those stations to 99.1, giving WNEW a full Washington signal. And it wouldn't make any sense to switch WNEW with WJFK, since CBS already owns an FM Sports station in Baltimore.

I'm surprised WNEW's DC ratings have gone down, not up, since the holidays. That's odd.

It's also odd that WNEW isn't doing better in the Baltimore ratings. 103.5 WTOP is much harder to pick up in the Baltimore market with a 103.7 Country station in Havre de Grace, just north of Baltimore. Yet the best WNEW can do in Baltimore, where it has a decent signal, is a tie for #37. WTOP is tied for #19. WNEW's Baltimore ratings have also dropped since the holiday, not gone up.

Other than my suggestions above, I can't figure out why WNEW's ratings are falling.




Gregg
[email protected]
Click to expand...

Well lets look at WEMP in NYC they tend to look at the pages of TMZ.
But in San Francisco the KGO Vs. KCBS All-News competition is strange they tend to look at different sections of the San Francisco Chronicle. KCBS tends to put more emphasis at major headlines in the Bay Area, National Headlines and International headlines. KGO tends to look at features and commentary of the SF Chronicle. Back to Washington DC WTOP is more on the Washington Post and WNEW is still to be determined.
 
Wait wouldn't WNEW have to cross promote themselves with WUSA9 (CBS TV affiliate) to get some attention. I know WTOP-FM does use the WJLA ABC7 Weather staff every 10 minutes after traffic even though WTOP-FM is officially a CBS Radio news affiliate.
 
Last I checked, DCRTV says 99.1 is working on cross-promotion with WUSA, which certainly would help the radio station's cause.
 
WNEW uses the same VO guy for the WINS station ID. If WTOP switched to Cumulus ABC Radio News then it would be a dead end.
 
WNEW tends to include more features than WTOP. WTOP tends to be a headline service like KCBS in SFO and WNEW is more like KGO today more focused on features. I say in DC the all-news stations tend to compete against each other based on which sections on the Washington Post like the San Francisco Market does.
 
I love the news sounders on WNEW. Now that they have gotten used to the format and imaging, it sounds pretty polished. They are still tweaking here and there.
 
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