COVID-19 has negatively impacted nearly every sports radio brand in the country, but no station had more to deal with during the summer book than Detroit’s 97.1 The Ticket.
Having to navigate a global pandemic is a tall order, having to do it while losing one of your radio station’s most popular on-air personalities to cancer is unimaginable. On July 27, longtime morning show co-host for The Ticket, Jamie Samuelsen announced he had been battling colon cancer, less than a week later he passed away at the age of 48.
Despite the challenges, The Ticket continued to operate as one of the country’s strongest sports radio brands, finishing top-2 in all dayparts for their target demo of men 25-54. In morning drive, The Ticket’s Mike Stone and Heather Park surely made Jamie Samuelsen proud, finishing second overall with an 11 share.
From 10a – 2p, The Ticket’s midday show hosted by Doug Karsch and Scott Anderson were down a few points from the spring book, but still took the market’s top spot with a 7.2 share. In afternoon drive, 97.1 added Rico Beard to co-host from 2p – 6p with Mike Valenti midway through the book. The new duo continued the station’s dominance in afternoons, generating an 11.7 share which earned them first place.
The popular Detroit sports radio station also finished second for the full week (M-SU 6a – Midnight) with a 9.4 share, up almost a full point from the spring. 97.1 The Ticket continues to perform well beyond their target audience and into the larger demo of adults 25 – 54. Beard and Valenti finished first in afternoons with an 8.2 share, up nearly a point from the spring book. Karsch & Anderson were fourth with a 7.2 share, while Stoney & Heather were third with a 6.9.
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.
