The January ratings have come out in Tampa, and the Nielsen gods were very kind to sports talker 620 WDAE. Considering that the Buccaneers were out of the playoffs, baseball wasn’t in full swing, and the market doesn’t have an NBA team, either the Lightning are a sports talk phenomenon, the NFL Playoffs matter a great deal, or the talent are on fire and producing content that can’t afford to be missed.
Although I’m sure the radio station would love to say it’s the latter, it’s likely a combination of many of those factors, and in any event, a good month is a good month, regardless of how it comes together.
Bear in mind as you review the numbers, that WDAE doesn’t face a serious contender for their sports talk crown in the Tampa market. After CBS and Beasley finalized a business deal in 2014 which resulted in Beasley pulling the plug on the sports format on 98.7 The Fan, the market’s only other sports talk station, Sports Talk 1040, didn’t appear in the January ratings.
That said, WDAE does line up against every other radio station in the market, and it’s clear that their brand of sports talk has had a strong appeal to local listeners.
In the desired demographic of Men 25-54 M-F 6A-7P, the radio station delivered a 6.1, which was good enough for 3rd place. That was up from a 4.3 in December, and a 4.1 at the same time last year. A two share rise is very impressive and shows that the station is onto something.
In analyzing the shows themselves, here’s how they stacked up.
In mornings from 6a-9a, Rick and Tom finished 6th with a 5.6.
From 9a-12p, Ronnie and TKras came in 3rd with a strong 7.7. A 2 point spike from mornings to middays tells you that the audience is making an appointment to hear what Ronnie and Tom have to say.
In the 12p-3p slot, Ron and JP were 3rd with a 6.5. What makes that more impressive is that it was the show’s first official ratings book since former host Ian Beckles departed. Not a bad way to start off for a new show.
To round things out, Steve Duemig produced an 8th place finish in afternoons, delivering a 4.7.
Overall, the middays are where WDAE experienced their largest success, and now the challenge is to maintain the performance in middays, and increase the growth during the drive times. If they can do that, 2016 figures to be very kind to the folks at iHeart Tampa.
Jason Barrett is the Founder and CEO of Barrett Media. The company launched in September 2015 and has provided consulting services to America’s top audio and video brands, while simultaneously covering the media industry at BarrettMedia.com, becoming a daily destination for media professionals. Prior to Barrett Media, Jason built and programmed 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He was also the first sports programmer for SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, which later became 97.5 The Fanatic. Barrett also led 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY, and worked on-air and behind the scenes at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years at ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT producing ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ and ‘GameNight’. JB can be reached on Twitter @SportsRadioPD or by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
