The Chicago sports radio battle continues to favor 670 The Score as evidenced by the latest fall ratings. The Audacy-owned sports radio outlet topped competitor ESPN 1000 in all categories among the Men 25-54 demographic according to the latest Nielsen Audio report.
Weekday prime hours (6a-7p) resulted in a third-place finish for 670 The Score with a 5.5 share. That ranking was the same as last year although the station did improve its share from a 5.0. Compared to the summer ratings book, The Score picked up three tenths of a share, maintaining its third-place position. Ratings data for 670 The Score implements total-line reporting, including both over-the-air and streaming performances in its final numbers.
In morning drive from 5:30a-10a, Mike Mulligan and David Haugh earned a 6.2 share, placing second in the market. The figure is up from the duo’s 5.5 share and second-place finish in the summer book. Moreover, the result tops the 4.8 share Mully & Haugh posted in the fall book last year when the program ranked third.
During middays between 10a-2p, Dan Bernstein and Laurence Holmes amassed a 6.1 share to finish third this fall. Although the program placed second in the 2022 fall book, it had a lower share of 5.6. That means the program gained five tenths year-over-year. In the summer book, Bernstein & Holmes possessed a 5.3 share, good for sixth.
The station continued its strong results in afternoons from 2p-6p. Parkins & Spiegel recorded a 4.8 share to finish third. The program led by Danny Parkins and Matt Spiegel, produced a 5.2 share and fifth-place finish in the summer book. Year-over-year, the show’s share is up one tenth of a point and one ranking position.
Conversely, listenership of ESPN 1000 was lower in the fall book. Despite adding the Chicago Bears to the station’s airwaves, the weekday prime performance saw the outlet finish 18th with a 2.7 share. The Good Karma Brands-owned brand was fifth in the market last year with a 4.2 share. The station was also down six ranked positions and six tenths of a point from the summer book.
Morning programming on ESPN 1000, which is split between the national show Unsportsmanlike featuring Evan Cohen, Chris Canty and Michelle Smallmon and the local program Kap & J.Hood with David Kaplan and Jonathan Hood, finished with a 2.5 share. The 5:30a-10a daypart ranked 21st, down from a 2.6 share and 19th place finish last quarter. Year-over-year, the timeslot was lower by 1.7 share points.
Middays are occupied by a split of ESPN Radio’s national program #Greeny and the local show Carmen and Jurko featuring John Jurkovic and Carmen DeFalco. The timeslot finished with a 2.4 share, tied for 17th this quarter. Compared to the summer book, the program’s share declined from a 3.1 share. In the 2022 fall book, the show was tied for ninth with a 3.7 share.
In afternoon drive, ESPN 1000 finished tied for 15th with a 3.1 share, down from the 4.0 share and sixth-place ranking last quarter. Tom Waddle and Marc Silverman’s program, Waddle & Silvy, ranked third in the 2022 fall ratings book with a 4.8 share.
As it pertains to the full week (M-SU, 6a-12a) in the Men 25-54 demographic, 670 The Score finished fifth with a 4.6 share. ESPN 1000 placed 19th in the market with a 2.5 share. Both share numbers were down year-over-year from when The Score earned a 4.4, 4th place finish, and ESPN 1000 generated a 3.5 share, 10th place tie.
“Ratings reports and analysis are written by BSM and sponsored by Crowd React Media, a division of Harker Bos Group. Learn more about the different ways sports media research can benefit your station and cut through the noise by clicking here.
