The winter ratings book marked three straight quarterly radio ratings victories for 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which again topped their local rival 1310 The Ticket according to Nielsen Audio. But it was a strong quarter for both stations, especially considering the recent changes each made to their weekday lineups.
In weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p), 105.3 The Fan earned a 4.8 share with their target audience of Men 25-54, while The Ticket posted a 4.1. ESPN 103.3 was further back with a 1.7. It’s worth noting that The Ticket posted very strong streaming numbers for all of their weekday programs, but those aren’t included in the radio share. Digital listening continues to grow, but Nielsen’s calculated terrestrial numbers are still used to influence ad sales and determine bonuses.
In morning drive, The Fan’s duo featuring Shan Shariff and RJ Choppy edged The Ticket’s iconic show The Musers 4.1 to 3.8. The Fan was tied for 6th, while The Ticket finished 8th in the 5:30a-10a timeslot.
The winter quarter was the first full ratings book for GBag Nation in their new 2p-7p slot and they didn’t disappoint. The Fan’s afternoon show ended the quarter tied for second with a 4.8 share. The duo they replaced, Ben & Skin helped 97.1 The Eagle to a first place finish for the book. Ben Rogers and Jeff “Skin” Wade joined The Eagle a month into the winter book, hosting from 2p-5p on the rock station. Combined with Russ Martin, who fills the 5p-7p hours on The Eagle, the Dallas area rock station earned an 8.8 share from 2p-7p.
For The Ticket, it was the first book for Bob Sturm in afternoon drive as host of The Hardline. Sturm joined Corby Davidson on the show, taking over for the iconic Mike Rhyner who announced his retirement shortly after the New Year. The Hardline, which starts an hour later than its afternoon drive counterpart on The Fan, earned a 4.2 rating from 3p-7p.
Sturm left The Ticket’s midday show BaD Radio after 20 years alongside Dan McDowell. Longtime producer Jake Kemp stepped up to co-host the early afternoon show with McDowell which airs from 12p-3p and follows Norm & Donovan from 10a-12p.
The Fan moved K&C Masterpiece from evenings to middays as part of their lineup restructuring after Ben & Skin left the station last fall. From 10a-2p in the winter book, The Fan finished ahead of The Ticket 5.3 to 4.4.
The overall ratings may not be as high as we’ve seen in previous books for both stations, but The Fan’s program director Gavin Spittle and The Ticket’s Jeff Catlin deserve credit for maintaining steady production while undergoing lineup adjustments.
One key point to be understood, the numbers above are specifically for each station’s radio ratings performance. They do not include streaming numbers. That’s because Nielsen reports those numbers separately. When combined, it changes some of the total performances for both stations.
Brandon Contes is a former reporter for BSM, now working for Awful Announcing. You can find him on Twitter @BrandonContes or reach him by email at Brandon.Contes@gmail.com.
