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Consistent Messaging Matters

Jason Barrett
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Consistent Messaging Matters

It’s been a while since I had a chance to sit in front of a computer screen and spend a few hours putting my thoughts on a page, but that’s a necessary sacrifice when tackling important issues with clients. In some ways I feel like a lion trapped inside of a cage because there have been so many things that I’ve seen and heard over the past few months, all which I could’ve easily written columns on.

But since I can’t expect you to spend five hours of your day consuming my thoughts on every industry issue to capture my attention over the past few months, I’m going to dive into an issue that my colleague Matt Fishman explored in his most recent column.

National Radio Day passed last week and if you follow industry friends on social media, chances are you saw a lot of people touting their career stops and sharing their pride and enthusiasm for the business they work in. For as big as radio is, it still has a small community feel, especially in the sports talk format. It’s something many of us are proud to be a part of and happy to share with anyone who will listen.

In Matt’s column, he asked a great question. “Who is out there promoting radio’s strength and reach?” He mentioned how so much of the industry news today for brands is centered around podcasts and digital media yet AM/FM radio is still a huge part of our present and future business.

I’ll answer the question by giving our team a little bit of credit because for nearly 4 years BSM has tried to elevate the perception of the sports radio format. Sometimes it’s a thankless job. We don’t break the bank off of web traffic and have to track down a lot of news either individually or thru other media outlets. Occasionally we’ll receive a press release, text, direct message or phone call, but we grind to produce the content you read on this site. I wish it was easier, but unfortunately not enough brands make a big deal out of their people, news, events and progress.

Some of that’s because programming people are focused on today’s content and less on overselling the public about station business. Another reason is the newspapers and trades don’t often present a rosy picture of the industry. We constantly read headlines about radio companies selling off, revenues being down, stock prices declining or employees being laid off. Rather than working to change these perceptions by pointing out the many positives our brands produce, most just deal with the negativity and move forward.

On the flip side, if shareholders and advertisers are fed a steady diet of negative news about the radio business, what do you think they’re going to do? They’re going to pay more attention to it and eventually start to buy into it. For that reason, I get why more attention is placed on the industry’s shiny new toys (podcasts, apps, smart speakers, social media, etc.) even if I agree with Matt that enough isn’t done to celebrate radio’s importance and value.

But this is not a new issue. Radio folks have long battled negative perceptions. We’re out there fighting for dollars and ears, and every bit of information we have should be used to defend our position, highlight our brands, people, and progress, and remind clients and fans why radio matters. Instead, we enter the witness protection program when negative news hits, and allow others to control the story.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, you’re going to have peaks and valleys when you operate a brand. Not every month or quarter is going to be up. Not every one of your decisions is going to work out. But there are positive stories inside of the negative ones. You just have to look closer and stay out in front with your message. You also need patience and a long-term strategy because consistency breeds listener and advertiser loyalty.

When I programmed 95.7 The Game in San Francisco and 101 ESPN in St. Louis, I kept the staff informed every single month of our progress. I utilized social media too because I wanted our fans and clients to feel like they were part of the climb. Did we over hype a few things? Yes. Did we beat the competition every quarter? No. Was that the only way to measure success? No. But whether we were 1st or 10th or making a massive move or lesser addition, I knew it was vital to highlight our wins, acknowledge our challenges, and give people a reason to continue believing in and fighting for us.

I know far too many in the radio business who subscribe to the Ricky Bobby way of thinking ‘If you ain’t first, you’re last.’ That’s a silly way to look at a brand or industry’s value. It’s why people buy into the notion that radio is on death row, ad rates aren’t worth what we ask for them, brands that don’t beat the format competitor have failed despite generating strong numbers, and marketing our brands and people isn’t worth the investment.

Yet in the next sentence, the same people poking holes in our business are requesting information on how to be included in our podcasts and social media. Who cares if we can’t show significant impact in the digital space from a ratings or revenue perspective, the word on the street is ‘digital is hot’ so it must be true. The reason for that belief, consistent messaging.

Imagine if every social media platform or technology company measured success by whether or not they beat Facebook or Apple. Or every fast food burger joint based their business future on how they stacked up against McDonalds. Heck, if I compared BSM at this point to the gold standard set by Jacobs Media over the past few decades, most would ask me why I’m in this line of work.

If the only thing that counted was whether or not you finished first in your industry, we’d have less options available. You can survive without winning, but not without progress. I spent time in 7 radio stations this summer and learned that many share a positive view of BSM. Why do they think that? Because I continue investing the company and letting anyone who will listen know about our progress. Once again, consistent messaging matters.

When you’re running a business, you’re not just in charge of hiring and managing people, selling ads, and analyzing ratings. You are a creator, a salesperson, a researcher, a strategist, and a publicist. Everything about the brand’s messaging on-air, online, on social, and on the streets should be consistent with your vision. Anyone involved with the brand should know its strengths, value and purpose.

It may sound cliche, but people like to feel like they’re part of something. If you give them a reason to support you, they will. They understand their will be highs and lows, but they’ll stay loyal if you’re honest and including them on the journey. But when you accept the perception that others have created, and only speak up when it serves your interests, it becomes easier to tune you out. And radio only wins when people tune in.

KNBR to Add FM Simulcast on KFOG-FM

Jason Barrett
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KNBR to Add FM Simulcast on KFOG-FM

KNBR is adding a presence on the FM dial. Cumulus Media has announced today that alternative rock station 104.5/KFOG-FM will begin offering a simulcast of KNBR-AM starting Friday September 6th. The move will give local sports fans another place to turn to for KNBR’s high-profile personalities and in-depth coverage of the Bay Area’s favorite teams.

By moving on to the FM dial, KNBR is now set up for the present and future while being accessible on both the AM and FM band. The move also means increased signal and a broader broadcast range for the station’s content.

“We are excited to bring KNBR, The Sports Leader and official home of the Giants and 49ers, to a wider audience of sports listeners in the Bay Area,” said Doug Harvill, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus San Francisco. “It’s never easy to say goodbye to a station, and we want to thank the staff, listeners, and advertisers who together made KFOG the legendary and beloved station that so many of us in San Francisco had the opportunity to enjoy.”

Mike Salk Expands Role as Part of Bonneville Seattle Management Changes

Jason Barrett
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Following the recent exit of Ryan Maguire as director of news and programming for News/Talk KIRO-FM, Bonneville Seattle has announced a few changes to its management structure. The company is moving forward with four new directors and giving increased responsibilities to a few key managers.

Most familiar to sports radio fans will be the news involving 710 ESPN Seattle program director and morning host Mike Salk. Salk will take on the newly created position of director of programming. He will oversee 710 ESPN Seattle, KIRO-FM, and News/Talk KTTH-AM. Bryan Buckalew will serve as the program director of KIRO-FM, and Colleen O’Brien as the station’s managing editor of the news department.

Additional moves inside the cluster include Tina Sorensen being named the director of digital, managing both content and revenue for Bonneville Seattle’s digital properties. Cathy Cangiano will take on the position of director of sales for 710 ESPN Seattle, KIRO-FM, KTTH-AM, and Seattle Mariners Radio. Alison Lichtbach earns the title of director of finance, managing the company’s business and operations departments. 

Bonneville Seattle VP and market manager Dave Pridemore adds, “These are proven leaders within our organization who are ready for their challenging assignments. They are innovative and prepared to provide guidance as we look to the future of our dynamic and far reaching audio and digital products. This new structure ensures our success in 2020 and beyond and elevates our daily focus on our digital business, which is imperative, as Bonneville Seattle is well positioned in this space to generate significant audience growth and to deliver solid ROI to our clients.”

Where To Go When You Need To Prep

Andy Masur
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Where To Go When You Need To Prep

I’m sure you’ve found yourself sitting in the booth before a baseball game, getting frustrated because you can’t find that one nugget you need for a broadcast. The PR staff is busy and you are left to scratch your head. Never fear, the internet is here to help you solve your problem. But the web is tricky in that there is so much out there and some of it, isn’t legit.

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I know, unbelievable right? So, where can you go for quality, correct and instant info? I have a few suggestions based on my own experiences. 

One of my favorite sites is Baseball-Reference.com. You can research not only Major League players but also guys in your minor league system. If you have questions about pronunciations of a player’s name, they have you covered. Wondering about what uniform numbers a guy has worn over his career, again, it’s there. BR also allows you to dig deep into the archives of old games, complete with box scores of games from yesteryear.

The site is complete with yearly, season, career and franchise records. It will show you progressive records too, which shows what player led in a certain category at a certain point in time. For example if you want to know who the all-time leader in RBI’s was in 1930, it was Cap Anson, the active leader in that same year was Babe Ruth. It’s kind of a fascinating thing to look at if you’re a history buff.

For more cotemporary purposes you can easily access trends in players games. If you want to know what Player A has done since coming back from the IL, highlight the date he first played and highlight the last game played. The site will then generate his numbers from that range of dates. It’s a very helpful tool which also works on the game logs for minor league players. You can also use this site to see what happened on a certain date in MLB history, or birth/death dates of former players as well. Most of this information is free. They do have a pay portion called the Play Index which allows you to see batter/pitcher match ups and other head-to-head numbers.  This is a website I’ve gotten lost on for hours just looking at historical information. 

With today’s tendency to rely on analytics and internal numbers, there’s a great site that continues to get better. BaseballSavant.mlb.com.  The site evolves constantly and recently included in-game updated Statcast information from MLB.

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You can see how many of each pitch type a guy has thrown in real time. They’ve now included win probability, exit velocity leaders and the ability to still see a real time look at each at bat showing exit velo, launch angle, distance, pitch velocity and other useful information while the game is going on. If you want to see how hard Yuli Gurriel’s home run off of Ross Detwiler was hit, you can go to the White Sox/Astros game feed and see that the ball left the bat at 105 MPH at a launch angle of 25 degrees and so on. This is great for reference during a game.

It’s also a great spot to go for pregame prep as well. I use it to get Statcast numbers for the starting pitchers. What is his percentage of barreled balls? What is his average exit velocity? Both easily accessed on this site. I also like to see what a pitcher’s repertoire is. For example, what’s the percentage of fastballs thrown? Curves? Sliders? Also provided within those pages is info on average pitch speed and spin rate. I really enjoy getting lost on this site as well. 

Fangraphs.com is another excellent resource for analytics and stories about players. It’s a great place to check out what they call “Roster Resource”. This is invaluable to see a team’s “go to” lineup against RHP or LHP. You find out the main position, age, how they were acquired, how many options are left, service time, original signing info, where a player ranks on the prospect list and what position they’ve played in the last 6 games.  You get this for position players and pitchers and minor leaguer’s as well.

Fangraphs also provides stories about each player, just by searching his name. Also on a player’s page you can get a daily projection as to how he’ll do that day. As a member you can customize the information you receive on that page, but even for free, analytical info is available for each player. It’s a great resource for those that want to get more in depth on metrics. 

These are the main sites I tend to visit. Below I’ll list some of the other helpful sites folks in the industry have mentioned to me or I’ve also checked out. 

MLB

MLB.COM is the official site of Major League Baseball. So if it’s happening officially in the league, you’ll find the story here. Stat pages are pretty good with biographical information as well. 

Minor League Baseball

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MILB.COM is the official site of Minor League Baseball. You can get great statistical information about the top minor league prospects and all players in a team’s system. Game logs are included for the previous 10 games as well. There’s an option to sign up for MILB TV to watch games live for a fee. 

Baseball Prospectus

Baseballprospectus.com is another good site. This one is mainly a pay site with a basic plan option built in as well. You have to sign up for any service by providing email address, etc. The site has correspondents that cover each MLB team which can help research a team you aren’t as familiar with. Helpful during interleague play for sure.  

Baseball Almanac

Baseball-Almanac.com is basically what it sounds like, a historical account of the game. Check on history of ballparks, information about past playoff series and player information.

1620 The Zone Announces Morning and Midday Show Changes

Jason Barrett
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1620 The Zone in Omaha is making changes to its weekday lineup. The moves which go into effect on Thursday August 15th will bring a change to morning drive and middays.

The Zone is welcoming back Mike’l Severe after a five-year absence. Severe will join long-time morning co-host Damon Benning to create “Severe and Benning in the Morning” from 6a-10a weekdays. Severe had recently hosted “The Bottom Line”, heard on the website of the Omaha World-Herald and KXSP-AM.

“Benning and Severe will offers listeners a new blend of morning sports radio” said NRG Omaha Market Manager Mark Shecterle. “Benning, a former Nebraska football national champion, and Severe, a well-known local TV and radio sports personality, will be able to give listeners an intense focus on Nebraska Football, UNO and Creighton Athletics and all other local sports. We are excited to bring back Mike’l Severe to the NRG family”.

The change in mornings opens the door for former morning show co-host and “Broadcaster of the Year” Gary Sharp to take over the mid-day slot recently vacated by Nick Bahe. “The Gary Sharp Show” will air 10a-2p weekdays, giving Sharp an opportunity to fully exhibit his expertise in sports analysis and his legendary interviewing skills, Shecterle said.  Shecterle added, “Gary has deserved his own show for a while and we are thrilled that he will be anchoring our mid-day slot. By moving to mid-days, we truly believe we have a sports-talk line-up second to none”.

“Unsportsmanlike Conduct” with John Bishop and Josh Peterson, remains in afternoons unaffected. The program will continue airing weekdays from 2p-6p. In addition, KOZN’s Nebraska football post game show, “Big Red Over Reaction”, which airs immediately after the conclusion of each Nebraska game, will now simulcast on sister station KOOO 101.9 The Keg.

With The Zone starting its 20th year, Shecterle said the changes will put everything in place for continued success in ratings and revenue.

NRG Media and Creighton University Announce Contract Extension

Jason Barrett
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NRG Media and Creighton University Announce Contract Extension

Omaha’s top-ranked sports station 1620 The Zone will remain the flagship station for Creighton Men’s Basketball games following an announcement from NRG Media and Creighton Athletics that the two sides have agreed to a new three-year contract extension.

The agreement which covers the 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons gives The Zone exclusive rights to broadcast play-by-play for all home and away games as well as pre-game and post-game coverage. Creighton’s home games will continue to be broadcast on 101.9 The Keg as part of the contract extension.

1620 The Zone’s afternoon host John Bishop will continue handling play-by-play duties while a host of former Bluejays, including Fox Sports Radio talk show host and national college basketball television analyst Nick Bahe, will supply color commentary.

“We’ve had an outstanding relationship with Creighton University for many years, and we are extremely excited that our relationship will continue for many years to come.  Creighton is a fantastic university with a great athletic program, and we are thrilled to be associated with the University,” said Mark Shecterle, General Manager of NRG Radio Omaha.

“We are very happy to continue our relationship with NRG,” Creighton Associate Director of Athletics Kevin Sarver said. “1620 The Zone has long been Omaha’s premier sports talk radio station and having our men’s basketball game broadcasts as part of its programming lineup, along with the home games also available on 101.9 The Keg, is a great fit for our program and our fans.” 

The three-year extension includes The Creighton Athletics Hour – a live call-in show which will air once a week from 6p-7p on The Zone from October through March. A number of Creighton women’s basketball games will also be carried on either 1180 Zone 2 or NewsTalk 1290 KOIL, plus five Creighton Men’s Soccer home match broadcasts will be offered on La Nueva 1020AM/99.5FM. 

Sports Radio’s 2019 Spring Book Ratings Recap

Jason Barrett
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Sports Radio’s 2019 Spring Book Ratings Recap

Each quarter at BSM we highlight how sports radio stations across America have performed in their latest ratings books. I’ve been asked before why this piece comes out a few weeks after the results are in and the answer is that it takes time to gather information from over 20+ markets and other business needs require attention too. That said, I’m grateful that many format folks look forward to reading it.

Having been a programmer and analyzed panel changes, meter counts, hot zips, listener trends and every other factor that goes into generating ratings, I know how much it means to those involved with a radio station to have their work matter and be appreciated. Because I love this format, respect those involved in programming circles, and understand the challenges brands face generating advertising dollars, I continue to research market results and write this column. I hope it helps educate clients on why sports radio brands are worth investing in. I’m also optimistic that industry leaders will be reminded of some of the great work being done by their people and brands and put a few things into perspective when analyzing the numbers. Sometimes they lose sight of it.

But I’d be lying if I said I enjoy writing this column as much as I once did. Although I love giving brands recognition and credit for a job well done, there’s also the reality of this industry continuing to be poorly measured, especially digitally. When I analyze 20-30 markets and find streaming numbers practically invisible for some of the format’s top brands, it’s difficult for me to fake enthusiasm. Too many of these stations have bigger audiences and impact than they receive credit for. It’s got to get better.

This is not a ‘get off my lawn’ moment. It’s a simple reminder that we need more comprehensive data to compete against ALL media. Social media giants and tech companies are eating everyone’s lunch. The projections for the future look similar. To have a fighting chance we’ve got to be able to capture the full story of what these brands are delivering while also adjusting internal mindsets that it doesn’t begin and end with numbers.

Ratings have been a part of my world for the past 15 years. I love studying them and seeing friends, peers, and industry professionals reap the rewards of a job well done. Sports talk radio delivers an emotional connection with its audience and in the process these personalities earn trust. That helps businesses that align with them move product. That by itself is worth investing in. The numbers are the icing on the cake.

With that in mind, here’s a look at how sports radio brands around the country performed during the 2019 spring book.

NEW YORK:

Sports radio listening in the big apple remained strong with WFAN’s Boomer and Gio finishing 1st in the market in morning drive with Men 25-54. FAN’s morning team finished with a low 6 share, two points higher than 98.7 ESPN NY’s airing of Golic and Wingo which came in 10th.

Middays were strong for Beningo and Roberts and CMB on WFAN. Joe and Evan produced a low 7 share to finish 1st between 10a-1p. CMB recorded a high 6 share to come in 2nd during their timeslot of 1p-3p. 98.7 ESPN’s Humpty and Canty and the Stephen A. Smith show generated the same number (just under a mid 3 share) for the quarter. Humpty and Canty were 10th, Smith 11th.

The always interesting battle between Mike Francesa and the Michael Kay Show remained close. If you include both radio and streaming listening for both stations, Francesa wins the head to head matchup by two tenths of a point. Without the Fan’s streaming taken into account Kay wins. Using the combined number, Francesa delivered just above a mid 6 share. Kay was just under a mid 6 share. The two shows finished 1st and 2nd respectively in the market which is outstanding.

The one issue that has created confusion in New York City’s ratings has been the way Entercom New York and ESPN New York’s differ in how they operate and sell ads. ESPN combines radio and streaming whereas The Fan produces them separately.

Regardless of how you want to slice it, both brands had reasons to celebrate the spring book. Summer could be a little different with Kay off the radio due to vocal cord surgery, Gray out due to maternity leave, and Francesa taking a week or two for summer vacation.

LOS ANGELES:

ESPN LA 710 was pleased with its progress for the quarter. The station finished just under a 3 share, gaining six tenths of a point year to year. Mason and Ireland remained the top rated program in the market with a high 3 share. All of 710’s weekday programs improved their numbers from spring to spring. It was the stations best spring book since 2015.

AM 570 LA Sports also had a few reasons to be happy with the quarterly report. The radio station picked up a full point spring to spring in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p). 570 also nearly doubled their share in morning drive year to year thanks to the Dan Patrick Show.

CHICAGO:

670 The Score continued its winning ways, securing victory for the spring book in both weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) and the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) with Men 25-54. The Score generated a low 5 share to finish 4th and 5th respectively in those two categories. Cubs baseball certainly helped. ESPN 1000 came in 9th in prime, and 11th for the full week.

Fueling The Score’s success was the morning team of Mully and Haugh who finished 3rd with just under a mid 7 share. The show was just one tenth of a point away from being tied for 1st overall with Men 25-54. ESPN 1000’s airing of Golic and Wingo did make strides too, gaining 10% to climb into the top 10 with a mid 3 share.

A close race developed in middays between The Score’s Bernstein and McKnight and ESPN 1000’s Kap and Company. The Score’s tandem won the quarter by finishing 7th with a high 3 share. Kap’s program was tied for 9th with a mid 3 share. Also, Laurence Holmes bested Carmen and Jurko between the hours of Noon and 2pm by a little more than a point. Holmes finished 5th, Carmen and Jurko were 9th.

The afternoon drive battle this quarter was won by The Score’s McNeil and Parkins. 670’s show was tied for 3rd with a little better than a mid 5 share, nearly a point and a half ahead of ESPN 1000’s Waddle and Silvy who were 7th with a low 4 share.

One last item worth sharing, 670’s combination of Cubs baseball and Joe Ostrowski were 1st between the hours of 6p-10p. Play by Play and Julie DiCaro were ranked 3rd between the hours of 10p-12a.

SAN FRANCISCO:

Both KNBR and 95.7 The Game had success stories worth sharing this quarter. KNBR finished 2nd overall in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) with a high 5 share, three tenths of a point ahead of The Game. The Sports Leader also won the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) edging The Game by one tenth of a point. The Game’s big victory came in the month of June when the station won the month, finishing 1st overall in the market.

In mornings, KNBR’s Murph and Mac came in 4th, four tenths of a point ahead of Joe, Lo and Dibbs who finished 6th. The former midday team of Gary and Larry led KNBR to a win between 10a-1p, finishing six tenths of a point ahead of Steiny and Guru and 1-hour of The Greg Papa Show with Bonta Hill (Papa has since joined KNBR). The final 2-hours of Papa and Hill’s show from 1p-3p earned The Game a seven tenths of a point victory over Fitz and Brooks (Brooks has since moved to PM drive on KNBR, Fitzgerald is no longer with the station).

Afternoons saw both Tom Tolbert and Damon Bruce perform strong with Tolbert winning the matchup by six tenths of a point. Bruce’s daypart though was The Game’s highest ranked for the quarter. Both shows benefited from a few Giants and Warriors games airing during their time slot.

Closing things out at night, The Game placed 2nd to KNBR’s 5th, winning the evening matchup for the quarter by nearly a point and a half.

Overall a strong showing by both brands. With the recent lineup shuffling at both stations, and football season approaching, the next two books should be an interesting follow.

DALLAS:

It was a strange quarter for both Sports Radio 1310/96.7 The Ticket and 105.3 The Fan. In weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) The Ticket was 1st and The Fan was tied for 10th. For the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) The Ticket was 1st and The Fan 14th. That’s the good news if you’re at The Ticket. Not so much if you’re at The Fan.

However, what makes this strange is that the winter book had the two brands ranked 1st and 3rd in the market, and last year during this same time period The Fan was ranked 4th. Looking deeper into the numbers, June was especially tough year to year for all of the Dallas sports stations. Among Men 25-54, The Ticket’s share was 44% lower, The Fan was down by 38% and ESPN 103.3 down 37.5%. Considering that the lineups haven’t changed, and both stations remain strong relevant brands, it appears a meter or two has created market challenges.

Meter challenges aside, The Ticket had more reason to celebrate thanks to a 1st place finish in mornings from The Musers, a 2nd place finish between the hours of 10a-3p with Norm and Donovan and BaD Radio, and a 1st place performance in afternoons from The Hardline.

For The Fan, their best results came in middays courtesy of GBag Nation. The show was ranked 7th for the quarter. The station’s drive time programs with Shan and RJ and Ben and Skin finished in the teens which hasn’t happened since we started following the market a few years ago.

One positive for The Fan, they defeated The Ticket in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) with Men 18-34. Those numbers though were also lower than usual.

A word of caution to industry folks looking at the market this quarter, tip your cap to Jeff Catlin and his team at The Ticket for their overall 1st and 2nd place finishes but don’t overreact to the results. Both of these stations have been rock solid brands consistently ranked in the Top 5 with much higher shares. With football season approaching, it’s just a matter of time til the meters return and we’ve got another strong battle between two great sports radio brands.

PHILADELPHIA:

Sports Radio WIP has been on a roll for quite some time, and the spring book was no exception. The station won the local competition against 97.5 The Fanatic, finishing a little more than 2 points ahead with Men 25-54 and just under 2 points in front with Persons 25-54.

Mornings remained the same with Angelo Cataldi continuing to own the daypart, registering a 2nd place finish with just under a 10 share. He was also 2nd with Adults with a high 6 share. The Fanatic though has been making strides with Marc Farzetta and turned in a very respectable high 6 share performance to finish 3rd.

In middays, Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie were 3rd for the quarter with just under an 8 share. The Fanatic’s Anthony Gargano and Jason Myrtetus continued to gain ground but were a little more than a point and a half behind en route to finishing 4th.

Turning to afternoons, WIP’s duo of Jon Marks and Ike Reese claimed another quarterly victory, finishing three tenths of a point in front of The Fanatic’s Mike Missanelli. The Fanatic points out that if streaming numbers are included in the mix, it’s a different story. Marks and Reese were ranked 1st overall with Men 25-54 with just above a 9 share. Missanelli was 2nd just under a 9.

Not to be forgotten, evenings on WIP featuring Philadelphia Phillies baseball and night time host Joe Giglio turned in a 1st place finish with Men 25-54 at just under a 10 share. The Fanatic was tied for 5th for the quarter.

HOUSTON:

ESPN 97.5 enjoyed another successful quarter, winning weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) against Sports Radio 610 and SportsTalk 790. 97.5 was three tenths of a point higher than 610 and a point and a half better than 790. One thing worth noting, the lineup schedules for 610, 790 and 97.5 are all different. This can create some confusion if you’re just looking at the traditional Nielsen dayparts.

Looking at the local weekday shows, 97.5 won the hours of 7a-9a thanks to The Bench with John Granato and Lance Zierlein. John and Lance have now won those hours every month since October 2018.

Another positive for 97.5 was the afternoon performance by The Blitz with AJ Hoffman and Fred Faour. The Houston duo won their timeslot of M-F 4p-7p for the quarter. They’ve now finished ahead during those three hours every month since January 2018.

Two positives for 610 saw the station finish one tenth of a point ahead of 97.5 between the hours of 2p-6p. 610 and 97.5 were also tied between the hours of 10a-3p.

610 recently made changes to their weekday lineup which they’re hoping will reverse the latest results. The summer book will offer the first look at how the market receives those changes. For now, 97.5 is in front.

BOSTON:

98.5 The Sports Hub cruised to a comfortable spring book victory generating a low 9 share to finish 1st with Men 25-54. WEEI was 4th with just under a mid 5 share. Both station’s numbers include their streaming performance.

In mornings, Toucher and Rich were 1st with a low 9 share. WEEI’s former morning show Mut and Callahan came in 5th with a mid 6 share. WEEI has since turned mornings over to The Greg Hill Show.

Middays saw The Sports Hub’s Zolak and Bertrand deliver a 3rd place finish with a mid 9 share. The team of Dale and Keefe on WEEI came in 4th with a low 6 share.

The Hub got their best performance in afternoons thanks to Felger and Massarotti. The market’s top rated program produced a low 12 share en route to a 1st place finish. WEEI’s OMF ranked fourth with just under a mid 5 share.

The evening slot also belonged to The Sports Hub. The Adam Jones Show and combination of Bruins and Celtics playoff games led 98.5 to a 1st place finish with a low 10 share. WEEI’s mixture of Boston Red Sox baseball and local programming came in 8th with a low 4 share.

WASHINGTON DC:

106.7 The Fan continued to excel taking 3rd place for the quarter in both weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) and full week (M-SU 6a-Mid). The Fan popped a mid 6 share for the full week and a low 7 share in weekday prime. The Team 980 was rated in the high teens in both categories.

The best performance on The Fan came from The Sports Junkies who delivered a 2nd place finish with just under a 10 share. Grant and Danny ranked 3rd in middays with a low 7 share. Chad Dukes finished up the weekday prime shows by securing a 6th place finish in afternoons with a mid 4 share. The Team 980’s weekday shows were all ranked in the upper teens.

With Cumulus introducing a new sports talker to the market in ESPN 630 The Sports Capitol, there will be more to keep an eye on going forward. Until proven otherwise though, The Fan is operating on a different level.

DETROIT:

97.1 The Ticket continues to operate on another level, delivering some of the best performances for the entire format. The spring book saw the Detroit sports station finish 1st in every daypart with Men 25-54 except mornings (2nd). Karsch and Anderson‘s midday show, Mike Valenti’s afternoon show and the station’s full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) all produced above a 12 share.

An even more impressive case for the brand is how they’ve continued to excel with Persons 25-54. The Ticket were 3rd in mornings with Adults with a mid 5 share, 1st in middays with a low 8 share, 1st in afternoons with a mid 7 share, 2nd in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) with just under a 7 share, and 5th for the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) with a solid 6 share showing.

The Ticket’s continued dominance is a great example of sports radio’s ability to compete and win against ALL formats in top markets. These type of numbers are a big reason why the station was recently nominated for the Marconi Award for Sports Station of the Year.

PHOENIX:

Congratulations is in order for the staff at Arizona Sports 98.7 FM who for the first time in station history entered the top 10 (8th overall) in the money demo of Persons 25-54 for weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p).

An even more impressive performance was found with Men 25-54 where 98.7’s morning team of Doug and Wolf finished 4th with just under a 6 share. The morning show was also 6th with Persons 25-54.

Afternoons saw Burns and Gambo turn in a top 3 performance with a low 6 share among Men 25-54. John and Dave produced the best share on the radio station for the quarter.

Rounding things out, the midday team of Bickley and Marotta came in 6th with a mid 4 share among Men 25-54, and the evening combination of live play by play and Luke Lapinski produced a 5th place finish with Men 25-54 with just under a 5 share.

SEATTLE:

710 ESPN led steady as the market’s top rated sports station due to a strong spring book performance. Among Men 25-54, the radio station ranked 4th in mornings (Brock and Salk), 5th in middays (Bob, Groz and Tom) and 3rd in afternoons (Danny, Dave and Moore). 710 finished 6th overall. KJR was in the upper teens.

Given the lack of excitement from the Mariners this baseball season, both local stations have to be clamoring for football season to hurry up and get here. 710 though made the most of a slower sports period.

MINNEAPOLIS:

KFAN continued to impress, turning in a strong spring book. The station finished 2nd in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) with just under an 11 share and 2nd for the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) with just under a mid 9 share.

Leading the way were The Power Trip who came in 2nd in morning drive with just under a 13 share. Paul Allen followed up by pulling in a low 10 share from 9a to 12p to generate a 3rd place finish.

Moving to the afternoon portion of the schedule, ‘The Common Man‘ also grabbed 3rd place with a low 9 share from Noon to 3p, and Dan Barreiro stayed strong in afternoons, locking up 1st place with a low 11 share.

SKOR North which launched in January and places less emphasis on traditional radio ratings did see some nice gains during the book too. The station grew by a half of a point book to book and year to year. They’ve also increased their cume with Men 25-54 from January to June by 60%.

Two particular stories worth highlighting, Golic and Wingo have tripled their share year over year with Men 25-54, and the afternoon show, Mackey and Judd with Ramie has increased the station’s share by nearly a full point year to year during the hours of 4p-6p. Even more impressive given the brand’s digital first focus, they’ve increased podcast downloads by 60% year to year.

DENVER:

The spring book found 104.3 The Fan in good shape, finishing 4th overall in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) with a mid 6 share. The station was also 6th for the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) with a low 5 share.

Leading the way for The Fan was the morning team of Schlereth and Evans who secured a 1st place ranking with a low 9 share. The combination of Cecil and Pritch and Nick Ferguson (Nick took over the midday slot in late April) delivered a low 5 share to place 7th from 9a to noon. Stokley and Zach came in 8th between noon and 3p with a low 5 share, and The Drive with Tom Nalen and DMac (Nalen joined the show in mid April) were tied for 1st in afternoons with a low 6 share.

Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 which moved to the FM dial in mid-September 2018 also saw some progress this quarter. The station picked up 4 tenths of a point for the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) with Men 25-54 and 5 tenths of a point in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p). The station’s weekday shows, Moser, Lombardi and Kane, Harris, Hastings and Dover, and Kreckman and Lindahl (Andy joined the show in early June) all gained five tenths of a point book to book.

TAMPA:

A few notes from Tampa where WDAE is still celebrating landing the rights to USF by blasting Creed tunes inside the program director’s office. The reunited tandem of Ron and Ian continued making progress finishing the quarter up a full share to secure a top 10 finish. Afternoon drive has improved by 35% year to year.

Another positive worth sharing were the gains among Men 35-64 (Tampa tends to skew older for sports radio listening). Ronnie and TKras were 9th in the demo in mornings up a full share year to year. The station’s weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) performance with Men 35-64 was also in the top 10.

Last but not least, a good start from the Tampa Bay Rays helped the station grow more than 20% year over year at night with Men 25-54.

PORTLAND:

102.9/750 The Game has been on quite a roll in 2019. The Portland sports station won the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) for the quarter, besting former market leader 1080 The Fan, and the Trail Blazers’ radio home NBC Sports Northwest Rip City Radio 620. The Game produced a low 3 share, nine tenths of a point higher than The Fan and nearly triple the performance of Rip City’s.

The best market performance was turned in by The Dan Patrick Show which delivered just under a 9 share for The Game, earning 2nd place with Men 25-54. The show was also 6th with Adults 25-54. The Fan’s morning team of Dusty and Cam finished 13th. Rip City’s morning show was in the mid 20’s.

From 9a-12p The Jim Rome Show won his matchup with just under a 4 share. Rome finished 10th overall. The Fan and Rip City were in the 20’s.

Between the hours of Noon and 3pm, The Bald Faced Truth with John Canzano led The Game to victory over The Fan and Rip City. Canzano was 10th at just under a 4 share. The Fan was ranked 19th. Rip City finished in the mid 20’s.

Closing up in afternoons, The Fan picked up a win thanks to the team of Isaac and Suke. The familiar drive time duo generated a mid 3 share to rank 16th. The Game’s airing of Bill Reiter’s show ranked 21st. Rip City’s Chad Doing and Travis Demers were slightly behind in 22nd.

ST. LOUIS:

101 ESPN remained consistent across all four local dayparts in the spring book. The St. Louis sports station produced a low 7 share to lock up the 3rd position in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) among Men 25-54.

Turning to the weekday programs, The Bernie Miklasz Show‘s mid 7 share performance was enough to lock up 3rd place in morning drive. The Kevin Wheeler also secured a 3rd place finish between 10a-1p with a high 6 share.

The Turn with Anthony Stalter delivered the station’s best share for the quarter, popping a high 8 share to finish 3rd between 1p-3p. And the always strong afternoon show, The Fast Lane, held down the 3rd spot in their daypart with a high 7 share.

CHARLOTTE:

No Hornets. No Panthers. No local MLB. No problem.

WFNZ turned in a top 10 performance with Men 25-54 for the quarter, driven by an impressive 1st place ranking for the book with TSL. Those who listen to the station are spending a lot of time with it, a sign that the station’s content and talent are a destination. WFNZ has now finished in the top 3 for TSL for 11 straight months, dating back to September 2018.

The station’s weekday programming saw Mac and TBone produce a top 10 finish in mornings with a little above a mid 3 share. Wilson and Parcell produced an 8th place finish with just under a mid 4 share, and The Clubhouse with Kyle Bailey reeled in a 7th place finish with a mid 4 share performance.

BALTIMORE:

The spring book saw 105.7 The Fan deliver big, placing 3rd overall with a high 8 share among Men 25-54. Leading the way for the station was the Big Bad Morning Show with Ed Norris, Rob Long and Jerry Coleman. The BBMS finished 3rd in Persons 25-54 and 2nd with Men 25-54 with a low 10 share.

Moving to middays, Vinny and Haynie came in 4th with Persons 25-54 and 2nd with Men 25-54 with just under a mid 9 share. Finishing up in PM drive, Scott Garceau and Jeremy Conn finished 3rd in their daypart with Men 25-54.

INDIANAPOLIS:

For the first time in a while, 107.5/1070 The Fan saw all of their daily local shows deliver Top 10 performances. Leading the way was The Dan Dakich Show which finished 4th overall with a mid 6 share among Men 25-54 during the hours of Noon to 3pm.

In afternoons, The Ride with JMV cracked the top 10 with a high 4 share. The brand new Fan Morning Show featuring Jeff Rickard and Big Joe Staysniak shifted timeslots midway thru the book and helped lift the station to a Top 10 finish with just under a 4 share.

MEMPHIS:

The spring book saw another impressive performance turned in by market leader 92.9 ESPN. The Memphis sports station finished 2nd overall with a low 8 share with Men 25-54 in weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p). Year to year they’re up over 2 points and if you look at a 2 year period it’s even better at 3.5 points.

Looking at the station’s local shows, the best rated performance was turned in by the midday show Jason and John. The popular program hosted by Jason Smith and John Martin produced a mid 9 share to finish 2nd in their time slot.

Next up was The Gary Parrish Show which ranked 2nd in afternoons with just under a mid 8 share. Geoff Calkins maintained his consistent success by finishing 2nd with just under an 8 share. Wrapping things up, the brand new Giannotto and Jeffrey Show popped a low 8 share en route to finishing 3rd in their timeslot. The duo were on the air for half of the spring book and contributed to the station’s best performance from 2p-4p in 4 years.

MILWAUKEE:

The three station race between Entercom, iHeart and Good Karma Brands heated up during the spring book. This quarter the top spot was held by GKB’s ESPN 94.5 which narrowly edged 105.7 The Fan and 97.3 The Game. A half of a point was all that separated the three sports talkers.

In weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p) with Men 25-54, ESPN 94.5 finished two tenths ahead of The Fan and five tenths ahead of The Game. For the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) 94.5 bested both The Fan and The Game by three tenths of a point.

Going forward this is going to be a market to keep your eye on. All three brands feature good talent, the local sports scene is on fire with the Bucks, Brewers and Packers providing a lot of optimism for local fans, and all three brands continue making tweaks to stay ahead of the competition.

What Is The Balance That Makes A Perfect Postgame?

Andy Masur
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What Is The Balance That Makes A Perfect Postgame?

“Hey why don’t they just cut that guy, he’s a bum and can’t get anyone out…”. How many of us have heard that call on a postgame show before? How many of us have had to answer that question on the air?

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I see your hands raised out there and its more of a common thing than you may think. How do you handle it, considering your radio station is partners with that player’s team and you’d like it to stay that way? 

The average postgame caller is part of your “P1” or active listening audience. He or she is a hard-core fan. Fully invested in the team and passionate, sometimes to a fault about the success and failure of that ballclub. They are looking to vent. They are emotional. They are sometimes irrational. You have to be more of a psychologist in this respect. Let them get it off their mind, you don’t necessarily have to agree or disagree, just by saying “I hear you; I get what you’re saying” this may appease them.

You can cut the call loose and follow it up with the numbers, if they support the caller’s argument so be it, if they don’t, so be it as well. You can really diffuse the situation by saying “do you think he’s trying to give up runs?”, or if you have knowledge of the player working on something with the pitching coach, this would be a good time to mention it.

Listen you aren’t supposed to lie, listeners are too smart, this is a better way of being diplomatic to a guy that is scuffling. You are also educating the audience that doesn’t realize what’s going on behind the scenes. In this case you’re protecting yourself while not completely protecting the player, but doing it in a manner that diffuses the situation. 

As host of the postgame show, you have to hope you have a producer that is an excellent call screener. He or she can save you from being put into a situation that can be detrimental to the relationship. It’s an art form to be able to weed out the good calls from the bad calls. In this scenario the producer becomes the psychologist and you are none the wiser. Sometimes a loose cannon will sneak through but with an experienced producer those situations will be few and far between. It’s a good idea to establish what topics you are going to take calls on and which you aren’t for that particular show. 

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There are going to be times where a manager’s choice in lineup, or decision about bringing a certain pitcher in over another, or something to that effect. The first temptation is to rip and openly question. I get that. It happened to me early in my career, where I questioned a choice that the manager made on the postgame show. I knew the manager well and he knew me, but still I made the unconscious choice to make the statement.

The next day, he summoned me to his office. I knew what was coming but took it anyway. He said, “I heard you on my way home, I was a little surprised”. His tone changed a bit when he said, “do you think that I got dumb overnight? Don’t you think I know my team better than anyone? Don’t I deserve that break?”.

 In thinking about it, I felt he was right. I had no idea that the pitcher who normally would work that inning was unavailable that day. The manager didn’t make it known as to not alert the other team. From that moment on, I would give the manager the benefit of the doubt, until he spoke to the media after the game, or until I talked to him the next day. 

Remember you don’t have to be a ‘shill’ for the team your station is partner’s with, you just have to be fair and professional. A 10-2 loss is what it is, a bad loss, you can say it without calling people out. Being true to the fans and the team is not as hard as it sounds. What took place on the field was seen and heard by too many people to try and revise history.

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Point out the facts, usually they are indisputable. Don’t take cheap shots, more than likely you’ll have to face the people you called out at some point or another. Unless you are intentionally trying to rile up a fan base, there are ways to talk about delicate things without being over the top. 

WDAE Announces Partnership with USF

Jason Barrett
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WDAE Announces Partnership with USF

WDAE (95.3 & 96.7 FM/620 AM) and the University of South Florida have announced a new partnership which will bring USF football radio broadcasts to the Tampa sports station starting this fall. The agreement also includes the station expanding USF’s popular “Bulls Unlimited” digital radio programming by offering to two channels on iHeart Radio.

“We are very excited to be partnering with one of the most widely listened to sports stations in the state to bring USF football games to our fans and expand our groundbreaking digital platform,” Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly said. “WDAE is synonymous with sports in the Bay area and we look forward to a tremendous partnership that will continue to expand the USF brand and help connect more fans with the excitement of our Bulls sports teams.”

The three-year deal will kickoff this fall with USF football games airing live on three stations that simulcast the WDAE signal – 95.3 FM, 96.7 FM and 620 AM. All Bulls football games will be heard on WDAE’s stations except when conflicts arise with Tampa Bay Rays baseball games. When Rays conflicts arise, USF football will shift to WHNZ 1250 AM and the “Bulls Unlimited” iHeart Radio channel.

“We are thrilled to welcome USF to the iHeartMedia family,” Market President Chris Soechtig said. “Having a partnership with Tampa Bay’s home team on 95.3 WDAE further solidifies our commitment to deliver exceptional local sports coverage to our listeners. We are counting down the days to kick off!”    

USF’s expanded digital radio presence is expected to provide greater flexibility for airing game broadcasts and other content surrounding the school’s 19 sports teams. The “Bulls Unlimited” digital channel on iHeart Radio, will continue airing all football games and become the primary home for USF men’s and women’s basketball and baseball broadcasts.

Additionally, WDAE will carry some postseason contests involving USF basketball and baseball. The station will also air the USF Football Radio Show on a weekly basis throughout the season as well as the last hour of the pregame show and a 30-minute postgame show during football game broadcasts. The first hour of the Bulls’ traditional two-hour football pregame show will air exclusively on “Bulls Unlimited.”

Mitch Rosen Named PD of 105.7 The Fan in Milwaukee

Jason Barrett
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Mitch Rosen’s car is about to increase its mileage, and his attention span is about to be expanded. The successful programmer of 670 The Score in Chicago is taking on additional responsibilities, being named the new Program Director of 105.7 FM The Fan in Milwaukee.

Rosen will begin the new assignment immediately. He takes over for longtime program director Tom Parker who informed his staff earlier this year that he planned to retire. Parker will serve as a programming consultant at Entercom Milwaukee going forward.

“Having worked closely with Jimmy de Castro and the Entercom Chicago team over the last year and a half, it was the logical next step in the partnership,” said Chuck Sullivan, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Entercom Milwaukee. “Mitch has become quite familiar with the market and the WSSP staff over that time and we are very fortunate to now have him calling the plays in Milwaukee as well.”

“It’s an honor to be part of this great Milwaukee sports brand,” said Rosen. “The Fan team has great personalities who identify with the sports fans who live and breathe Milwaukee and Wisconsin sports. I plan to be here to help in any way I can to expand the brand both on the air and through all the digital platforms, including RADIO.COM Sports.”

The addition of the PD role in Milwaukee doesn’t change anything with Rosen’s current position in Chicago. He’s led The Score for nearly 15 years and will continue to do so.

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