Columbus sports radio was alive and well in the summer book. The market’s leading brand, 97.1 The Fan, enjoyed strong performances across the board. The station finished 1st in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) with a 12.8 share. A 1st place finish was also produced for the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) courtesy of an 11.6 share. All numbers in this article are for Men 25-54 unless noted otherwise.
The weekday shows produced similar stories. One of the most dominant performances for the quarter came from the afternoon show, Common Man and T-Bone. Mike Ricordati and Jonathan Smith delivered a station best 18.0 share to finish 1st overall in afternoons from 3p-6p. The show also picked up an incredible 3.2 points year over year.
The next best performing show on the station was the midday team of Beau Bishop and James Laurinaitis. Their 9a-12p show also took 1st during the hours of 9a-12p with a 12.2 share. The midday show also grew year over year, gaining 2.5 points and moving up from 3rd.
During the hours of Noon to 3p ET, the station’s combination of Anthony Rothman and Matt ‘Ice’ Hayes produced an 11.8 share to secure 1st place. The only minor setback for the show was the loss of 1.1 points year over year. Given that they’re popping double digit shares and locking up 1st place finishes in the summer of 2020 and 2021, I’m sure they won’t lose any sleep over it.
The one show for the quarter that didn’t finish 1st was the morning show. The Morning Juice with Brandon Beam and Bobby Carpenter came in 5th with a 6.9 between the hours of 6a-9a. The show did though gain two tenths of a point year over year.
A few other nuggets from the book worth passing along. The Fan’s full week production among Adults 25-54 placed them 4th with a 7.0 share. They were also 3rd for the full week with Persons 12+ with a 6.9. In weekday prime, the station tied for 3rd place with an 8.2 share with Adults 25-54 and came in 3rd with Persons 12+ with a 7.7. Even more impressive was the performance of Common Man and T-Bone with both of those categories. The show was 1st overall in afternoons with an 11.6 with Adults 25-54, and 1st overall with Persons 12+ with a 9.0 share.
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.
