It’s been a year of change for Audacy radio station 670 The Score in Chicago, with several lineup changes shuffling around names with brand familiarity to adjust to those changes. In just the last year alone, Danny Parkins left The Score for a role on Breakfast Ball on FS1. Additionally, Dan Bernstein was removed following a social media incident with a follower. Meanwhile, Laurence Holmes has moved from middays to afternoon drive, and Leila Rahimi has been elevated to full time in middays following Bernstein’s exit.
Given all these moves that have happened over the past year, Audacy market manager Kevin Cassidy told the Chicago Sun-Times on Thursday that while he would prefer no change, The Score has done a great job adjusting to it.
“I would rather not have change when you’re in the position of success that we’ve had, but it’s part of the reality of our world,” said Cassidy. “That’s why you see us continue to aggressively extend the bench of talent.”
Furthermore, Cassidy referenced the added roles and duties Rahimi and Mark Grote have taken on over the past year as an example of that extension. It’s been less than a month since The Score elevated Rahimi to the lead role in middays with Marshall Harris. And while the station did see some slight decline in ratings following Bernstein’s exit, he is not too concerned with the early returns.
“It’s a little early, obviously, for Leila and Marshall,” Cassidy noted. “What we have is very different than really anything we’ve done before. The engagement level is very high for them initially, which is great. It’s a different-sounding show, but I like that.”
According to the Sun-Times, the midday daypart for The Score dropped to a 6.3 share in the men 25–54 demo for the April ratings period, coming off a 7.7 share in the winter book (Jan–Mar). Nevertheless, Cassidy said that the station doesn’t just look at their ratings share for success. Rather, they also consider how the station has molded into the fabric of how a younger consumer takes in the product via video simulcasts on YouTube and Twitch.
“Our broadcast audience isn’t what it was 20 years ago,” Cassidy said. “But we are growing our digital assets and continue to engage large audiences through digital assets.”
Additionally, The Score also parted ways with executive producer Shane Riordan on the same day as the station announced Rahimi’s elevation to full time. However, there has been no official word on who will be replacing Riordan’s position in a full-time capacity with Spiegel and Holmes in afternoon drive.
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