The spring numbers are in for Chicago. Similar to the winter book, 670 The Score led the way among local sports radio brands. The station finished 4th overall in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) with a 4.7, and 5th 5th overall for the full week (M-SU 6a-12a) with a 4.1. Both sets of numbers represent listening among Men 25-54 and include the station’s radio and streaming numbers. All numbers to follow for The Score throughout this article will include the combined radio and streaming performance with Men 25-54.
Starting with mornings, Mully & Haugh led the station to a 7th place tie with a 3.5. The show was up two rankings and down two tenths of a share from the winter book.
In middays, Dan Bernstein and Leila Rahimi popped the best number for the quarter for The Score. Their 9a-12p program delivered a 6.1 share which elevated them to 3rd place. Their performance improved by one ranking and three tenths from the winter book. The Score’s second midday show, The Laurence Holmes Show, finished 5th with a 4.8. That was up one tenth from the winter but down two rankings.
Shifting to afternoons, Danny Parkins and Matt Spiegel captured another top 5 finish. The talented tandem produced a 4.9 which was a nine tenths of a point improvement from the winter book. The afternoon show also gained three ranking positions.
Closing things out at night, The Score ranked 5th between 6p-Midnight with a 3.9. Chicago Cubs baseball and Joe Ostrowski contributed to the station’s strong evening performance.
For ESPN 1000, the quarter was a bit more challenging. In weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) the station was ranked 21st with a 1.7. The full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) produced the same exact share but a lower ranking at 23rd.
In morning drive the story was more frustrating. Between the hours of 5a-9a, which features two hours of ESPN Radio’s Keyshawn, J-Will and Zubin and two hours of David Kaplan and Jonathan Hood, 1000 was tied for 27th with WGN at just under a 1 share.
The 9a-12p timeslot which includes an hour of Kaplan and Hood and two hours of Carmen DeFalco and John Jurkovic, the station finished 21st with a 1.5.
There was one brighter note for the station during the midday hours. From Noon to 2p, Mike Greenberg’s national show ‘Greeny’ ranked 6th with a 4.3 share, just five tenths of a point behind The Score. Greeny’s show was ESPN 1000’s top rated program for the quarter.
Turning to afternoons, Tom Waddle and Marc Silverman were off from where they usually performer. They generated a 1.5 between 2p-6p, placing them 24th for the book. Finishing up at night between the hours of 6p-Mid, the combination of Chicago White Sox baseball and Chris Bleck & Adam Abdalla earned a 2.2 share to rank 23rd.
After losing a little ground last year, The Score has settled back in. The consistency from Parkins, Holmes, Bernstein, Mully and Haugh, combined with the additions of Rahimi and Spiegel to the weekday lineup have helped the station improve. Having Cubs games back is also a big positive.
Meanwhile for 1000, a meter issue appears to be stunting the station’s growth. If a show drops a few tenths of a point or dips during specific times of the year that’s understandable, but the same hosts on 1000’s airwaves all performed in the 2019 spring book prior to the pandemic. Looking back thru a few other market ratings reports since, the station’s shows are usually in the top ten or the teen’s not the twenties. Even the first place White Sox, one of baseball’s best first half stories, didn’t get the ratings credit they deserved.
Regardless, these are the things you deal with in PPM. It’s a peaks and valley’s system. The Score right now is doing everything they have to do to serve their audience. In return, the meters are sticking with them. They deserve a tip of the cap for informing and entertaining their listeners.
For 1000, their team is far too talented to not be closer in the competition. A market like Chicago should have two thriving sports brands, and for most of the past six years, they’ve had that. If anyone can figure out how to get things back on track and make it a fun two horse race again, it’s Mike Thomas. But while he goes hunting for meters, it’s Mitch Rosen who gets to toast his team this quarter for a job well done.
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.
