The winter book ratings are in for Houston, and the staff at Sports Radio 610 has reason to celebrate. In addition to remaining ahead of the local format competition, the Houston sports station produced its best weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) performance since 2015. 610 finished 12th overall, up from 14th one year earlier.
The weekday shows for 610 were strong across the board. Starting with mornings, Seth Payne and Sean Pendergast delivered a 3.3 to finish 13th, up two tenths year over year. ‘In The Loop’ with John Lopez and Landry Locker ranked 9th with a 3.7 share, the best finish on the station. The midday duo is up seven tenths over the past twelve months. In afternoons, Clint Stoerner and Ron Hughley rode a 3.6 share to a 12th place tie. The afternoon team has also picked up seven tenths during the past year.
Elsewhere in the market, SportsTalk 790 and ESPN 97.5 were further back. Both brands feature shows during different time periods, making it tougher to offer a straight apples to apples comparison. Taking that into account, 790 finished 24th in mornings (6a-10a) and 22nd in afternoons (3p-7p). Mornings feature Sean Salisbury. Adam Clanton and Adam Wexler form ‘The A Team’ and occupy afternoons. 790’s best production came in middays, where the combination of ‘In The Trenches’ with ND Kalu, and Matt Thomas’ show delivered a solid 2.6 share to snag 15th place.
Meanwhile for 97.5, this was a down quarter. The station ranked 24th in mornings (6a-10a). Those four hours include an hour of ESPN Radio’s ‘Keyshawn Johnson, Jay Williams, and Zubin Mehenti’, and three hours of ‘The Bench’ with John Granato and Lance Zierlein. Middays (10a-3p) were 27th. That five hour block included Granato and Zierlein, Charlie Pallilo, Joel Blank, Nick Shahara, and Josh Innes. Afternoons (3p-7p) consisted of an hour of Innes, and three hours of AJ Hoffman and Fred Faour were 26th.
Right now, 610 is in the driver’s seat. They’ve consistently led the market for over a year, thanks to a talented and consistent lineup. With the added benefit of local sports drama surrounding the Texans and DeShaun Watson, they’re positioned to do well in the months ahead. On the other hand, Houston sports radio has seen ratings shifts before. One mistake or missed opportunity could create a tighter sports radio race in a hurry, so it’s vital all involved stay focused.
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.
