The Nielsen winter book showcased the power of SportsRadio 94WIP once again in the city of brotherly love. Starting with weekday prime (M-F, 6a-7p), the radio station accumulated an impressive 12.6 share, good for second among Men 25-54. The Audacy-owned outlet was down however 1.6 shares from the fall.
In morning drive, Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie completed their first full winter book as a duo since the retirement of Angelo Cataldi last February. For the quarter, the duo recorded a 16.7 share, ranking second with Men 25-54. They delivered the best performance in the book among all WIP shows. However, the combination of Cataldi’s program and the then-new offering with DeCamara and Ritchie generated 1.2 shares higher for SportsRadio 94WIP last year.
Moving to middays, Hugh Douglas and Joe Giglio’s first full winter ratings book included a 10.2 share, third-place finish. That represents a four-tenths share gain from the fall book. During the same time last year when middays were occupied by DeCamara and Ritchie, and Giglio and Douglas, the two shows combined for a 15.2 share.
Afternoon drive with Ike Reese and Jack Fritz garnered an 11.0 share, first-place result for the quarter. That was good news considering the station was going through transition following the departure of Jon Marks in late-December. The bad news, the show experienced the largest yearly loss by declining 6.5 shares year-over-year. However, it continued to hold its first-place ranking. Upon the hiring of Ryan Hurley as brand manager of WFAN and Infinity Sports Network in New York last week, Spike Eskin has officially begun his tenure on the Philadelphia afternoon program. His involvement will be part of the spring book.
WIP was also third in the evenings with a 7.9 share among Men 25-54.
Moving over to 97.5 The Fanatic, the Beasley Media Group-owned station registerd a 3.4 share in weekday prime (M-F, 6a-7p) to finish in an eighth-place tie. For the quarter, the station was up one-tenth of a share. The yearly gain is identical.
Lineup changes at 97.5 The Fanatic resulted in new morning and midday programs beginning on March 18, representing the latter stages of the winter ratings book. John Kincade was a constant presence in mornings (6a-10a EST) and generated a 3.5 share for the quarter. Kincade’s program ranked seventh with Men 25-54. The show was up two-tenths of a share from the fall book, and experienced a four-tenths boon year-over-year. Kincade is now co-hosting the show with Andrew Salciunas, who had been part of the midday show after the contentious exit of Anthony Gargano last fall.
The midday slot has been occupied by Bob Cooney since mid-March and earned a 2.6 share, 11th-place result for the quarter. Salciunas hosted most of the programs within the daypart and was also on the air for part of the fall book, which resulted in a 2.8 share finish that positioned the station in a tie for 12th place. Year-over-year, the daypart is down 1.3 shares, along with one ratings position.
Afternoon drive with Tyrone Johnson, Ricky Bottalico and Jen Scordo resulted in a 4.0 share that matched the program’s fall result; however, the program moved into an eighth-place tie rather than remaining in ninth. Year-over-year, The Best Show Ever? is up from a 3.0 share, 11th-place tie. Additionally, 97.5 The Fanatic finished in a 15th-place tie in evenings with a 2.9 share for the quarter among Men 25-54.
For the full week (M-SU, 6a-12a), 97.5 The Fanatic finished with a 3.3 share, earning a 10th-place tie. SportsRadio 94WIP lost the top spot with an 11.2 share in this category, but still secured second overall.
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.
