The summer book numbers are in for Nashville and there were a lot of positive takeaways for folks involved with the market’s sports radio stations. The quarter was led by 104.5 The Zone which finished 3rd for the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) with a 7.6 share, and 4th in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) with a 7.7 share. All numbers are with Men 25-54.
What especially caught my eye was the year to year growth across all dayparts. Sports started to come back at the start of July in 2020, so Summer 2021 provided a big boost which should serve The Zone in the upcoming fall book. Compared to 2020, The Zone’s prime and full week numbers grew by 3.6 points. Prime also enjoyed a six position improvement. The full week performed even better gaining seven spots.
In mornings on The Zone, J-Mart and Ramon featuring Jason Martin and Ramon Foster secured a 4th place finish for the quarter with a 6.6 share. That was up from 9th and a 3.9 share in 2020.
During the midday hours of 10a-3p, the combination of Buck Reising’s show from 10a-1p and Blaine Bishop and Mickey Ryan from 1p-3p helped The Zone produce an 8.3 share to finish 3rd in the timeslot. Ryan and Bishop in particular stood out, finishing 2nd in their slot during all three months during the book. The station also doubled its production in the 10a-3p timeslot year over year, picking up 4.2 points and eight positions over that time period.
Moving to afternoon drive, 3HL which features Brent Dougherty, Dawn Davenport and Ron Slay generated a 5th place finish thanks to a 7.3 share. The afternoon trio also improved from 8th and a 4.7 share in 2020.
On the other side of town, the news was also great for 102.5 The Game. The station produced its best summer book in station history. The Game saw all of its weekday shows deliver above a 3 share for the first time since May 2018.
Making the most noise for the quarter was the morning show featuring Robby Stanley and Joe Rexrode. The Nashville duo, which took over the morning slot in October 2020, popped a 4 share for the summer 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.
