670 The Score Wins Chicago Winter Ratings Book

A tight race one year ago, has become a little more comfortable for 670 The Score. The Chicago sports station won the 2021 winter book, leading in both weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) and full week (M-SU 6a-Mid). 670 produced a 4.6 (stream included) to place 5th in prime. Full week was slightly lower at a 4.2, but their ranking was better, tied for 4th.

Among The Score’s daytime shows, which includes their streaming number, Mully & Haugh tied for 9th in mornings with a 3.7 share. Dan Bernstein and Leila Rahimi started strong in middays with a 4th place 5.8 share. Laurence Holmes followed them with an impressive 5.7 share, 3rd place finish. In afternoons, Danny Parkins and Matt Spiegel came in 8th with a 4.0 share. Spiegel though didn’t officially join the show until February 8th so the first month of the book includes Parkins working with different hosts. Finishing at night, The Score produced a 4.1, good enough for a tie for 5th.

On the flipside, ESPN 1000 finished the full week with a 1.7 share, and weekday prime with a 1.9 share. That placed them 22nd for the full week, and 19th in prime. That was a lower than usual finish for the brand.

Among ESPN 1000’s weekday shows, ESPN Radio’s ‘Keyshawn, J-Will and Zubin’, which airs on 1000 between 5a-7a finished 11th with a 3.2 share. David Kaplan and Jonathan Hood grabbed a 14th place finish with a 2.2 share between 7a-10a. Carmen and Jurko were 20th from 10a-12p with a 1.6 share. Mike Greenberg’s national show, ‘Greeny’, came in 11th from Noon to 2 with a 3.2 share. Waddle & Silvy were surprisingly low in afternoons, registering a 24th place finish and 1.5 share. Wrapping up at night, ESPN 1000 produced a 1.1, placing them 25th in the 7p-12a timeslot.

Overall, The Score has to feel great about the quarter. The station won each daypart among local sports radio competitors, and though listening levels aren’t where they were a few years ago, there’s plenty to build on. Middays were a big strength this book, proving the Bernstein-Rahimi pairing and Laurence Holmes are a hit with local listeners. The area where improvement can be made is in the drive times. With Spiegel now alongside Parkins permanently, and Cubs games about to deliver more cume at night and later in the day, that should help.

For 1000, this is an odd book. Both ESPN Radio national shows delivered the best numbers for the station this quarter which was abnormal. Waddle and Silvy are also usually in the thick of a race, not in 24th place. With Silvy back in studio, the Sox debuting on the station, and a more than capable air staff still in place, look for 1000 to be much more competitive in future months.

Jason Barrett

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.