The fall is one of the strongest periods of the year for the sports radio format. The recent information supplied to BSM confirms that a lot of stations are experiencing strong success as they head towards the finish line in 2016. For the month of October here’s what we learned.
- In Minneapolis, KFAN may have produced the highest monthly in the entire country for sports radio. The radio station finished 1st M-SU 6a-Mid with Men 25-54 with an incredible 17.4. Even more amazing, the brand came in 1st with 6+ delivering a phenomenal 8.9. That rating was 1.3 points higher than AC station KS95 who came in 2nd. The return of the Vikings has certainly helped but there’s much more to the brand’s success than just football games. All shows on the station led the market.
- One brand that mirrors KFAN for monthly dominance is 104.5 The Zone in Nashville. The station ruled the local market yet again, turning in a 1st place finish among Men 25-54 M-Su 6a-Mid (15.9) and M-F 6a-7p (16.3). If that wasn’t enough, every show on the station was 1st with Men and Adults 25-54, and the brand gained four share points month to month. Mornings did a 17.6, middays an 18.7, and afternoons a 16.2. When you provide a 16 or 17 share and don’t lead your station, that tells you how powerful a brand is.
- With the Patriots kicking off their 2016 campaign and the Red Sox advancing to the playoffs, ratings remained high in Boston. 98.5 The Sports Hub finished 1st with Men 25-54 M-F 6a-7p (14.3) and M-Su 6a-Mid (12.8). Felger & Massarotti had The Hub’s best performance delivering a 17.2 in afternoons. Meanwhile WEEI also had a big month. The station was 2nd M-Su 6a-Mid and M-F 6a-7p delivering a 10 share in both demos which was two and a half points higher than their previous month. Kirk and Callahan was WEEI’s highest rated show delivering above a 12 share which was three and a half points higher than their previous month. One additional item of interest, among Men 35-64 WEEI remains the market leader. The Hub leads the way in the younger male demos.
- Moving to St. Louis, 101 ESPN received some incredible news. Despite losing the Rams to Los Angeles and entering the fall without a local football team’s rights on the air for the first time since the station launched in 2009, the station’s performance didn’t miss a beat. 101 was dominant yet again, finishing 3rd M-Su 6a-Mid with Men 25-54 with more than a 7 share. Each of the station’s key weekday shows (Bernie Miklasz, Kevin Wheeler, The Turn, and The Fast Lane) recorded between a 7.5 and 9.2 and were inside the top 3. 101 ESPN continues to be the highest rated spoken word brand in the entire market despite not having the rights to one of the market’s local teams.
- Shifting to Dallas, it was another positive month for 105.3 The Fan and Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket. The Ticket finished 1st with Men 25-54 in both M-Su 6a-Mid (6.8) and M-F 6a-7p (8.7). The Fan was 2nd M-Su 6a-Mid (6.2) and 4th M-F 6a-7p (5.4). Among Men 18-34 The Fan (5.9 – 4th) remained ahead of The Ticket (5.3 – 5th) M-F 6a-7p. One other big positive, both stations weekday shows finished inside the Top 5. The Musers were the highest rated show on The Ticket finishing 1st in mornings with a 9.8. G-Bag Nation provided The Fan’s best performance, coming in 3rd in middays with a 6.5.
- 97.1 The Fan continues to set the Columbus, Ohio market on fire. The station finished October in 1st place with Men 25-54 M-F 6a-7p (14.3) and M-Su 6a-Mid (13.5). One additional item of interest, despite a ratings decline on television for the NFL, the same story didn’t ring true for The Fan. The station’s radio broadcasts of NFL games courtesy of Westwood One were 1st across the board. Sunday night football games recorded a 16.1. Monday Night football games delivered a 12.8, and Sunday afternoon games recorded a 9.4.
- Over in Omaha, 1620 The Zone remains atop the local leaderboard. The station finished 5th with Men 25-54 M-F 6a-7p (5.0) and 7th M-Su 6a-Mid (4.2). The station’s morning show featuring Gary Sharp and Damon Benning were 4th with a 6.8, middays with Nick Bahe were 9th with a 2.8, and afternoons with John Bishop and Josh Peterson were 5th with a 5.1.
- Down in Tampa, despite dropping its local morning show for ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike, WDAE remained in excellent shape. The radio station finished 4th among Men 25-54 M-Su 6a-mid with a 5.3.
As we gain additional information from other markets around the country we’ll keep you updated. Stations can send along updates via email to JBarrett@hvy.tcp.mybluehost.me.
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.
