The February ratings book is out in Philadelphia, and for 97.5 The Fanatic it was an exceptional month, especially if you take into account the radio station’s advantage in online listening opposite market competitor WIP. Even without the streaming performance, The Fanatic has a lot of momentum on their side, and WIP has some adjustments to make.
Some could point to The Fanatic having a play-by-play advantage due to carrying Flyers hockey and 76ers basketball, but given the putrid performance of the Sixers this season, and the Flyers still sitting on the outside looking in of the Playoffs, the radio station’s performance is a reflection of their weekday programming.
Here’s how things stacked up for the month with Men 25-54.
M-F 6a-10a:
- WIP = Angelo Cataldi – 9.6 (increases to a 10.0 when you add in digital listening)
- 97.5 The Fanatic = Anthony Gargano – 7.7 (increases to 8.3 when you add in digital listening)
M-F 10a-2p:
- 97.5 The Fanatic = Ellis and Mayes – 6.1 (increases to 8.3 when you add in digital listening)
- WIP = Mike and Ike – 5.8 (increases to 5.9 when you add in digital listening)
M-F 2p-6p:
- 97.5 The Fanatic = Mike Missanelli – 8.2 (increases to 9.9 when you add in digital listening)
- WIP = Josh Innes – 7.3 (increases to 7.5 when you add in digital listening)
M-F 6p-7p:
- 97.5 The Fanatic = Joe DeCamara/Flyers-76ers Pre-Game – 9.1 (increases to 9.6 when you add in digital listening)
- WIP = Brian Haddad – 7.6 (no change)
M-F 6a-7p:
- 97.5 The Fanatic = 7.5 (increases to 9.0 when you add in digital listening)
- WIP = 7.5 (increases to 7.7 when you add in digital listening)
M-SU 6a-Mid
- WIP = 7.2 (increases to 7.4 when you add in digital listening)
- 97.5 The Fanatic = 6.6 (increases to 7.6 when you add in digital listening)
Overall, the two stations are tied M-F 6a-7p when you look strictly at the over the air listening, but when digital listening enters the equation (which does count), The Fanatic takes a pretty commanding lead everywhere besides morning drive.
The Fanatic has to especially love seeing an 8.3 combined rating for Anthony Gargano and Ellis and Mayes. That consistency from 6a-2p is very strong, and it only gets stronger when Missanelli and DeCamara/Flyers-Sixers pre-game take over. To see DeCamara holding over Missanelli’s audience is another very strong sign for the radio station.
For WIP, the performance of Angelo Cataldi continues to bail them out. They need to figure out why the digital listening is strong for The Fanatic and weaker on their end, and create a solution to reverse that trend. With baseball season approaching, a healthy season from the Phillies probably wouldn’t hurt either. That said, they’re in a dead heat across the board when you look solely at radio listening, and since buyers spend a lot of their money based on those numbers, there’s still plenty for them to utilize in a positive way.
Overall, it’s a very tight race, but for this particular month, you’d have to give the advantage to The Fanatic.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
