Sports radio listening was alive and well in Chicago for the summer book. 670 The Score turned in the stronger numbers for the quarter among local brands, but ESPN 1000 also gained ground, giving both sides positive momentum entering the fall.
Starting with The Score, the station won the quarter, delivering a 4.1 to rank 5th in the M-SU 6a-Mid category. The Score also produced a 4.8 to place 4th M-F 6a-7p. Those numbers and all used throughout this article are for the coveted Men 25-54 demo and include the combined shares of over the air radio listening and streaming.
Among The Score’s weekday shows, middays were where the brand enjoyed its highest shares. Dan Bernstein and Leila Rahimi popped a 5.9 share M-F 9a-12p to rank 3rd. Laurence Holmes was next best with a 5.3 from Noon to 2p to finish 4th. Bernstein and Rahimi were slightly down two tenths from the spring book. Holmes picked up five tenths during the quarter.
In the drive times, Danny Parkins and Matt Spiegel popped a 4.7 during their M-F 2p-6p slot to rank 4th. Parkins and Spiegel did hold one advantage for the book over other shows though, they finished #1 in afternoon drive among non-Hispanic stations (the top 3 rated stations during Chicago’s 2p-6p timeslot were Mexican Regional and Spanish Contemporary brands). Rounding things out in morning drive, Mike Mulligan and David Haugh reeled in a 4.6 to finish 6th. Mully and Haugh recorded the best quarter to quarter gain though on the station, adding 1.1 points. Parkins and Spiegel were slightly down by two tenths,
For ESPN 1000, the news was much better in the summer than it was in the spring. The station received a 2.7 M-SU 6a-Mid to finish 18th for the book. Among all stations M-F 6a-7p, ESPN 1000 finished tied for 14th with a 2.9. Both numbers were up over a share from the spring book. Good progress.
Looking at the weekday shows, 1000 elevated its morning performance from the spring, delivering a 2.1 share between 5a-9a to earn a tie for 16th. That was up over a share from the prior book. The 5a-9a hours represent two hours of Max-Keyshawn-Jay Willams and two hours of David Kaplan and Jonathan Hood.
In middays, the combination of one hour of Kaplan and Hood and two hours of Carmen DeFalco and John Jurkovic, lifted 1000 to an 11th place 3.2 share finish M-F from 9a-12p. That performance represented a gain of ten ranked positions and a 1.7 share increase. Very strong. Mike Greenberg’s national show, which airs on ESPN 1000 M-F 12p-2p remained the station’s best performer for the quarter, securing a 4.4 share to finish in 7th. Greeny was 6th last book with a 4.3 share, showing the program has been consistently well received in the windy city.
Wrapping things up, 1000’s afternoon team of Waddle & Silvy, featuring Marc Silverman and Tom Waddle, helped the brand snag a 14th place finish with a 2.8 share M-F 2p-6p. That was a 1.3 share increase and ten position jump from the spring book, another positive boost for the station.
At night is where ESPN 1000 enjoyed a head to head win against The Score. The combo of Chicago White Sox baseball and Chris Bleck & Adam Abdalla carried 1000 to a tie for 13th with a 3.2. The Score’s airing of Chicago Cubs baseball and evening talk shows produced a 3.0 to finish 16th.
It’s worth pointing out that 1000 had a rough July but saw a big turnaround in the August monthly. The station went from 0.2 5a-7a, 1.2 7a-10a, 1.7 10a-12p, 2.3 12p-2p, and 1.4 2p-6p in the July monthly to an 0.8, 2.6, 3.7, 5.3 and 3.6 in August. If that activity carries forward to the fall book, especially with the White Sox in the playoffs, the station has a chance to make the race tighter.
That said tightening and winning are two different things, and right now The Score is rolling. The station has won all three books in 2021, has good consistency throughout the lineup, and is positioned well to remain strong in the fall.
Congrats goes out to Mitch Rosen and The Score team on winning the book, and to Mike Thomas and the ESPN 1000 team on making significant progress in the summer book. Chicago listeners have two top notch sports radio brands vying for their attention, and it’s nice to see each side with positive stories to tell heading into the fall book.
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.
