It seems as if Blues fans, at least in terms of television ownership, are tired of the team’s big story. You know, big expectations, big hype, big regular season — then a big bust in the playoffs.
According to Nielsen, which measures TV viewership, Blues ratings on local carrier Fox Sports Midwest are down a whopping 25 percent this season over the same stage last year. FSM has televised all but seven of their contests, with the others being shown on NBCSN.
And NBCSN’s ratings in St. Louis for its Blues games have followed the local lead, as Nielsen says they’ve dropped just under 25 percent.
Losing a quarter of the audience is a massive decline, something that if it happened for a network program or local TV newscasts would lead to major upheaval. But in the Blues’ case it’s not the quality of the telecasts or those on the air that is the problem. And it’s not the product that is being shown, either. The Blues are among the best in the West — again. But it’s the track record of the team, with three consecutive first-round playoff exits following much regular-season success, that could be a key factor.
Fans, at least from a TV viewership standpoint, seem to be saying what the NHL’s critics blare — the regular season is too long, with not enough meaning in the grand picture. Add the fact the team doesn’t score much and it’s that recipe that probably has created the big dip.
An eventual fall in viewership for the Blues seemed inevitable, given the recent run of success. FSM had experienced a rating increase for six consecutive years, culminating with Nielsen saying an average of 4.9 percent of homes in the market with a TV turned in last season. FSM’s figure heading into Thursday’s contest, for which the rating is not yet available, was 3.5.
Despite the drop, FSM reports that the Blues are drawing the fourth-best ratings among U.S.-based NHL teams for their local telecasts, are the top-rated cable program in St. Louis most of the time and that ratings are up for the last month. Also pointed out is that their contest Sunday, at Tampa, outrated the NBA All-Star Game later that night by 36 percent.
To read more visit STL Today where this article was originally published
When the monthly ratings come out in New York, the narrative usually revolves around WFAN’s performance. And rightfully so, because they’ve won a lot and earned that respect. It’s hard to knock a brand for producing results.
But when you go inside the numbers, you find that even New York’s leading sports station has some areas to be concerned about. Especially when it comes to local competition versus ESPN New York.
Now based on the way it’s often been presented in the press, you’d be led to believe that ESPN New York is sitting in Antarctica while The Fan is laying out on South Beach in Miami, as both brands search for sunshine. And when you look at the morning story where The Fan’s Boomer and Carton soundly defeat ESPN New York’s Mike and Mike, it’s hard to argue against that notion.
But from where I sit, I think there are a few items worth pointing out.
First, The Fan deserves credit for employing a LIVE and Local strategy. It’s clear that in the nation’s #1 market that it works, and it’s especially evident between 6a-12p where The Fan drives big audiences to their local shows and ESPN New York offers national content which doesn’t have as strong of an appeal.
I’m sure ESPN is looking at the total performance of Mike and Mike throughout the country, not just the New York market, but given their proximity to New York City, I’m sure it drives them nuts to not be a bigger factor in morning drive with arguably the nation’s best national morning show.
But while WFAN holds a strong advantage in the local vs. national category, there’s a different story developing in afternoons and it’s one worth paying attention to, especially over the next 22 months.
Mike Francesa has acknowledged that he’ll be leaving his 1p-6p post on WFAN at the end of 2018. Given his track record over the years, you can see why that’s a major concern for CBS New York. But while Mike remains a top performer in the ratings, there are some signs that show his competition is gaining ground.
That’ll be really interesting to watch going forward because as the audience hears Francesa talk openly about eventually leaving, people could make the decision themselves to listen elsewhere if they feel he’s not invested in entertaining them long-term.
In the January monthly, Francesa did his usual, winning his timeslot of 1p-6p with a ___. He finished ___, which means that if you heard his interview with Katie Nolan in January, he’s likely to get a phone call soon from CBS Executives reminding him that they pay him to finish 1st.
What really stood out to me though in January, was the performance of The Michael Kay Show.
In its 3p-7p timeslot, the show placed 7th with a 4.4 among Men 25-54. WFAN was 2nd during that same time period with a 6.4.
However, this was the fourth straight month that Kay was inside the Top 10. He was 8th in December, 6th in November, and 9th in October.
During the 3p-7p hours, Kay was only 2 ratings points behind Francesa, which isn’t as big as it may seem. The two shows are tied for ATE (Average Time Exposed) and Francesa holds a 40,000 plus advantage in daily and weekly cume. To the outside listener, that may seem like an impossible task, but for radio insiders, that’s a few additional quarter hours or an extra meter or two picking up the show.
Where you have to feel good if you’re in ESPN New York’s shoes, is when you look at two other key factors.
The Men 18-34 story
The Total Reach Story
Starting with the Men 18-34 story, the program added Peter Rosenberg in September. He’s brought a youthful exuberance and high energy act to the show from 4p-7p, and his familiarity to New York listeners on Hot 97’s morning show has also served him well.
Has his addition shown signs of making a difference?
Absolutely!
Looking at the Men 18-34 numbers, ESPN New York is ahead of WFAN in January 3.3 to 2.9.
But that’s only one month, so it has to be a fluke right?
Not exactly.
In December, ESPN New York also won the head to head battle among Men 18-34’s with a 4.0 to 2.6 advantage.
In October and November, WFAN was in front with a 3.7 to 2.8, which means they’ve lost nearly one point during the Fall in that demographic. Additionally, if you go back to the same time last year when Rosenberg wasn’t on the show, WFAN led the way in this demo with a 6.9 to 2.7.
That means that in the span of twelve months, WFAN has lost four ratings points among younger listeners, and ESPN New York has gained between a half a point and a point and a half. That’s a very interesting change.
Switching from the Men 18-34 story, we focus next on Michael Kay’s total reach story.
Why is this important? Because Kay now plays in areas that Francesa doesn’t. Most notably, on television.
In years past Francesa held this advantage and received a ton of praise for his brand being a success across multiple platforms. Well, Kay’s program now has that edge and deserves equal recognition for what he’s accomplished.
Here are some numbers from the Fall of 2015 that are staggering and illustrate the impact that Kay is making in the Big Apple.
Podcast Downloads = 509,479
Mobile Listening Sessions = 466,974
Desktop Streaming Sessions = 92,783
YES Television Cume = 201,000
Radio Total Audience (P6 listeners) = 451,900
If that’s not an impressive story of reaching people, I’m not sure what is. Keep in mind, this doesn’t include duplication or overlap.
I’m sure Francesa’s show has its own powerful digital story, and clearly he leads the Men 25-54 ratings battle, which is the most desirable demographic for sports talk radio measurement.
However, while we’re quick to highlight the power of Mike’s program, and make no mistake, it absolutely is when it comes to the radio ratings picture, we often though ignore the story on the other side of town, or assume that it’s not compelling, which is anything but true in this case.
If I’m inside the sales department of WFAN today, I’m on the phone with my clients reminding them that Mike won the month in the ratings, he wins every month, he’s the most successful host in New York sports radio history, and The Fan is New York’s ratings leader. Those are items you can’t dispute. He also hosts a 5 hour program which gives the client more access to being attached to Mike’s show.
But if I’m inside the sales department of ESPN New York, I’m showing advertisers how my afternoon show has registered in the Top 10 for four straight months (including the latest monthly where it was 7th), is ahead of The Fan with Men 18-34’s, is reaching more than 1.7 million people through radio, television and digital, and is committed to afternoon drive through the end of 2018, whereas the competition is not. I’d also highlight that my program provides three unique personalities that advertisers can connect to (Kay, Rosenberg, and Don LaGreca).
Each radio station has a powerful story to tell, one which should make them a lot of money. The real questions going forward are, will Kay’s program make a bigger impact in the radio ratings, will listeners tune in more or less to Francesa now that they know he’s planning to leave after 2017, and what will matter more to advertisers – the radio ratings or the total reach of a radio program?
The answers to those questions will tell us a lot about the success of these New York sports radio stations in the future.
Kevin Jones, a writer, reporter, and on-air personality who has contributed to media outlets such as Sports Illustrated’s ‘The Cauldron’, the Cleveland Browns website, Pro Football Focus, 91.3 WZMB in Greenville, NC, and WUSA-9 in Washington DC, is heading to the city by the Bay!
Jones has been hired by KNBR to report on the San Francisco Giants and 49ers, and the World Champion Golden State Warriors. He shared the news earlier on Twitter.
Whether Jones will contribute as a host or produce an online podcast remains to be seen. He does though have experience including hosting “The Kevin Jones Podcast” which can be heard by clicking here.
Fox Sports announced Wednesday that it has inked a five-year agreement with NextVR that will find a growing slate of the network’s sporting events broadcast in virtual reality.
The first event in the multi-year partnership will be the Daytona 500, airing Feb. 21, with additional programs to be announced later this year. By watching the event in virtual reality, which offers a 360-degree view of a location, viewers will get to experience the race with a level of realism that doesn’t exist in a traditional TV format. In 2015, Fox and NextVR gave the concept a test-ride by broadcasting boxing, racing and golf in virtual reality.
The partnership is significant in that it marks another milestone for the coming VR push, which is expected to gather momentum this year with the appearance of high-end VR devices from Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Sony Morpheus. Google has energized its VR efforts of late by making Clay Bavor head of that division at the company, while Facebook got a jump start on the field with its purchase of Oculus Rift. And while Apple has never acknowledged publicly that it is working on VR tech, it has made acquisitions such as FaceShift that indicate it is playing around in the space.
By 2020, virtual and augmented reality will represent a $120 billion business, according to industry advisors Digi-Capital.
“It’s all about delivering something new and exciting for our viewers,” said Eric Shanks, Fox Sports president, COO and executive producer. “Virtual reality is the next great frontier in immersive experiences for fans across a wide variety of sports. It’s a rapidly changing technology, and this deal with NextVR positions us to be on the front lines for years to come.”
To read more visit USA Today where this article was originally published
The January ratings have come out in Tampa, and the Nielsen gods were very kind to sports talker 620 WDAE. Considering that the Buccaneers were out of the playoffs, baseball wasn’t in full swing, and the market doesn’t have an NBA team, either the Lightning are a sports talk phenomenon, the NFL Playoffs matter a great deal, or the talent are on fire and producing content that can’t afford to be missed.
Although I’m sure the radio station would love to say it’s the latter, it’s likely a combination of many of those factors, and in any event, a good month is a good month, regardless of how it comes together.
Bear in mind as you review the numbers, that WDAE doesn’t face a serious contender for their sports talk crown in the Tampa market. After CBS and Beasley finalized a business deal in 2014 which resulted in Beasley pulling the plug on the sports format on 98.7 The Fan, the market’s only other sports talk station, Sports Talk 1040, didn’t appear in the January ratings.
That said, WDAE does line up against every other radio station in the market, and it’s clear that their brand of sports talk has had a strong appeal to local listeners.
In the desired demographic of Men 25-54 M-F 6A-7P, the radio station delivered a 6.1, which was good enough for 3rd place. That was up from a 4.3 in December, and a 4.1 at the same time last year. A two share rise is very impressive and shows that the station is onto something.
In analyzing the shows themselves, here’s how they stacked up.
In mornings from 6a-9a, Rick and Tom finished 6th with a 5.6.
From 9a-12p, Ronnie and TKras came in 3rd with a strong 7.7. A 2 point spike from mornings to middays tells you that the audience is making an appointment to hear what Ronnie and Tom have to say.
In the 12p-3p slot, Ron and JP were 3rd with a 6.5. What makes that more impressive is that it was the show’s first official ratings book since former host Ian Beckles departed. Not a bad way to start off for a new show.
To round things out, Steve Duemig produced an 8th place finish in afternoons, delivering a 4.7.
Overall, the middays are where WDAE experienced their largest success, and now the challenge is to maintain the performance in middays, and increase the growth during the drive times. If they can do that, 2016 figures to be very kind to the folks at iHeart Tampa.
The Philadelphia Phillies have announced an extension of their radio broadcast partnership with CBS Radio, and there’s one big change in the new agreement. Going forward, Sports Radio 94 WIP will be positioned as the team’s new radio home.
Financial terms and information about games carried on 1210 WPHT (the team’s former AM radio home) were not disclosed, but the new deal calls for live play-by-play coverage of Phillies spring training, regular season and post-season games. WIP will also host regular shows from the NovaCare Broadcast Booth, a radio studio built on the concourse within Citizens Bank Park.
WIP signed a new deal with the Eagles in March 2015, and with the Phillies now becoming a bigger fixture on their airwaves, they’ve helped themselves in the local play-by-play department.
Credit to Biz Journals who originally provided this information
Since leaving ESPN, Bill Simmons has signed with HBO, produced a weekly podcast, and made occasional appearances on sports radio and television shows. But his writing which had been a big part of his media brand’s success with ESPN and Grantland, has been relatively quiet.
Well, that’s about to change.
Simmons confirmed today on Twitter that he has a brand new website “The Ringer” in development, and reports indicate that a launch is expected to occur in late-Spring or early-Summer. Here’s the announcement.
Simmons also announced several new hires, including seven former Grantland employees. They are Craig Gaines, Bryan Curtis, Ryan O’Hanlon, Danny Chau, Riley McAtee, Joe Fuentes, and Tate Frazier.
The month of January was very kind to Philadelphia sports radio. The termination of Chip Kelly, combined with the NFL Playoffs, led to increased listening, and a tight finish between the market’s two top sports stations. WIP closed the month narrowly eclipsing The Fanatic, 7.9 to 7.8 M-F 6a-7p with Men 25-54.
When you examine the performance of each station’s talk shows, there’s reason to celebrate on both ends.
First, in mornings, Angelo Cataldi continues to reign supreme for WIP. Cataldi recorded an impressive 9.6 to win the head to head battle. However, Anthony Gargano has held the morning slot on The Fanatic for less than a year, and he’s been rapidly climbing. This month’s 8.7 share was very strong, and it shows that Gargano has staying power in morning drive.
When you shift to the midday programs, Mike and Ike bring home the win for WIP over The Fanatic’s Rob Ellis and Harry Mayes. WIP holds a 6.6 to 5.6 advantage. They’ve consistently led the head to head midday battle.
Where things start to turn The Fanatic’s way are when you look to afternoons. Mike Missanelli has been on a roll as of late, and he delivered an 8.9 for the month, which not only beat Josh Innes’ program on WIP, but it placed him #1 in the market. Innes turned in a very solid 7.6 to place 3rd. It was the third straight month Missanelli has beaten Innes in afternoon drive.
One challenge that Innes’ show has faced is a lack of continuity. Tony Bruno left the program last summer, and then Spike Eskin removed himself from the show to focus on programming the radio station at the start of 2016. Innes currently hosts his show with former NFL player Hollis Thomas and Marc Farzetta.
Overall, WIP has a powerhouse in mornings, a consistent lead in middays and some catching up to do in afternoons. Winning two out of three dayparts should give them a reason to feel good.
For The Fanatic, they have the ratings leader in afternoons, a morning show which has the third highest performance of any show in the market (Cataldi and Missanelli were the only other shows with a higher number) and has made incredible strides in less than a year opposite a morning show which was thought to be unbeatable, and their main challenge is in middays, where they’re only 1 point behind. They also have reasons to feel optimistic.
With the Eagles not playing regular season games until September, the battle for weekday sports talk supremacy in Philadelphia over the next few months should be fierce and one worth keeping an eye on.
Tracy McGrady had a brief interlude of playing professional baseball since retiring from the NBA, but he will now make practical use of his basketball knowledge and explore a new career frontier.
The Associated Press’ Brian Mahoney reported Monday that McGrady joined ESPN to be an NBA analyst and will regularly appear on Rachel Nichols’ new show, The Jump, which begins Thursday.
McGrady was a seven-time All-Star whose career could have been even more accomplished if not for nagging injuries.
The 36-year-old only retired from the NBA in August 2013, so he hasn’t been away from the game for long. It appears he still has a passion for it in light of his decision to expand his basketball horizons.
Perhaps most interesting will be McGrady’s perspective on top-tier NBA draft prospects, who are now required to be one year removed from high school before making the leap to the league. McGrady’s insight on lottery picks and elite talent alone would make him a tremendous asset.
Credit to the Bleacher Report who originally published this article
We’ve reached that time of year where most sports radio stations across the country prepare for a ratings decline following a strong fall and impressive January. As we’ve learned throughout the years, the NFL is king, and although many stations will recover in April when baseball returns, the NFL Draft unfolds, and the NBA and NHL Playoffs begin, the winter months can be very unforgiving, especially February.
So what do you do?
Well there are plenty of suggestions to consider, and I thought it’d be helpful to remind you of a few critical things as you prepare to deal with a month where the audience mentally disconnects from your show and radio station.
First, it’s important to sell your radio station’s success quarterly and annually. Make sure your advertisers don’t have false expectations entering each month. By letting them know in advance that February is likely to dip, whereas the Fall months are likely to rise, you’re setting realistic and measurable expectations which the client will thank you for. We can pretend that these aren’t realities, and maybe with some luck you’ll avoid a drop in February, but by being honest and realistic, advertisers are more likely to stick with you during the tougher months.
Secondly, meet with your shows and staff and explain to them how the radio station has performed in previous year’s during the first quarter. It’s common for sports stations to have a strong January, a slower February, and make up a little ground in March before seeing a bigger increase in April.
One thing I encourage you to do, be honest with your staff and remind them that no less effort is acceptable, and the goal remains to stay flat or gain ground from January, but it’s also possible that despite cranking out compelling content, and busting their asses, that the ratings could suffer. This has more to do with sports radio fatigue and a lack of football and baseball than anything else. Stress the importance of driving the audience back to one another’s programs, because one additional tune-in could be the difference between a dip and staying afloat.
Since the listening levels are likely to decline in February, this is a good time to encourage your key people to use some vacation time. It allows them to breakaway from the radio station during a time where they may have to dig deeper than usual to find good local content, and it assures you that they’re less likely to hurt the radio station’s momentum later in the year. In many cases, your key people have grinded out the past 6 months covering the NFL, so they’re likely in need of a mental break. This is the perfect time to take one.
The next item I want you to think about, is how you can take advantage of a reduced period of listening. We often toss around the term “think outside the box” in this business, and in February, this is where the great programmers, talent, and brands get ultra-creative and find ways to capture some excitement, even if it’s for an extra day or two.
This becomes fun for the hosts on the air, and for one day out of the year, it gives the audience a different sound of the brand. Some hosts will enjoy the change of pace, others may not depending on which roles they get thrust into, but in either case, the listeners feel empowered and the staff shows they’re willing to play along for the betterment of the audience. In some instances, a chord could be struck between some talent on the air that may come into play one day down the line. That one day of additional listening could also help the station avoid a setback for the month.
If you’ve listened to “Mike and Mike” throughout the years, you’ve likely heard them previously use the week after the Super Bowl to present their awards for the NFL season. That’s a great move because it takes the one subject that has driven audience tune-ins for the past 6 months, and keeps it relevant for an extra 5 days. By encouraging the audience to vote, playing audio clips centered around the key categories, and booking guests who are tied to each individual award, it makes the show interesting, and that’s a smart way to connect during a slow period.
In my personal experiences, this was the month where I’d kick off a major promotion in San Francisco titled “Lucky Break”. The idea behind it was to go town to town auditioning people for a chance to make the cast of 16 for a weekly show where undiscovered talent get a chance to perform in front of judges, audiences, and against top talent and celebrities, with the ultimate prize being a one-year contract to host shows on the radio station.
I decided after three years of doing it that the promotion had run its course at 95.7 The Game, but there’s no question that the buzz for it was excellent, and the audience got behind it. While we dealt with lower ratings in February, our digital performance shot up tremendously. This was another way to take those advertisers who may be looking at spending less on the air, and re-direct their dollars into another area.
We’d launch the off-air auditions right after the Super Bowl and promote them on-air, and after doing 4-5 and gathering our field of 16, we’d hit the air each Wednesday night in March and present different challenges each week to see who had the skills to excel in sports radio. When baseball returned during the first week of April, we’d crown our winner, and they’d start hosting on the weekend and at night as needed.
If you think that damages your brand’s image or puts someone on the air who isn’t ready for it, I’ll leave you with this – I heard that same stuff from many in San Francisco when we rolled out the idea. By the end of it, most of the talent would tell you that they weren’t sure themselves that they could have won the contest. If done right, it presents the cast in a positive light, shows how difficult doing great sports radio can be which inspires others to want to learn more about it, it creates buzz in your city which leads to additional marketing, keeps your advertiser’s dollars tied to a big promotion, and generates some life on your airwaves during a dead listening period.
And if you’re still not convinced, four members from that promotion are still employed by The Game in SF today, and Joe Beningo of WFAN, and Chris Dimino of 680 The Fan were once callers to sports talk shows, and they’ve since gone on to have lengthy careers and build strong brands in the New York and Atlanta areas. All they needed was someone willing to give them a shot – they took care of the rest.
One other idea to consider, is to think about what is happening locally or nationally that has people talking. Is there a way for your brand and personalities to tap into it? Let’s use a national angle for this example.
Whether you’re a Republican or Democrat, you’re familiar with who’s running for President. The debates are dominating local media coverage, and with the election taking place in November, you can be sure that the interest in who will lead the country is only going to intensify.
Whether it’s taking 2 of your key personalities, the entire station’s lineup, local celebrities, callers, or people from the local sports world, creating a debate night over sports issues that are relevant to your audience, is not hard to pull off. With the right amount of pre-promotion, the right venue, the right format, and the right inclusion in your weekday programming, you can create a compelling program that leads to additional buzz before, during, and after the event. It also gives your sales team an extra sellable event, and can help you boost your digital and social media activity.
The key of course is selecting the right people and content, but that’s what good programmers and talent are supposed to do.
If debates aren’t your cup of tea, and you’ve got the rights to a baseball team in your city, or if covering the club is a critical piece of your station’s local programming strategy, maybe this is the time of the year when you send a show or two to spring training to do LIVE shows, feature players on the air, and begin the build for what’s coming your way in April. The teams will appreciate it, and the work you do during the lighter times of the season, can provide benefits to you later in the year when things get more hectic. It’s also another opportunity for clients to be attached to an attractive promotion during a time when they may consider removing their money for a month.
If you aren’t a big baseball station but have strong audience interest in the NFL, especially if your team is going to be picking in the Top 5 of the upcoming NFL Draft, maybe you send a talent or two to the NFL Scouting Combine to do LIVE shows and talk to GM’s, Agents, Head Coaches, and Prospects to ramp up the interest heading into April’s Draft. The NFL interests people year round and the Draft is the highest rated non-sporting event. You can’t go wrong by spending extra time covering it. Again, sponsorships can be customized for your local advertisers.
Lastly, if you have an NBA team in your city and they’re playing lights out (Golden State/Cleveland) or they have a compelling story (LA Lakers-Kobe retiring, Houston Rockets-Dwight Howard Trade Possibility, New York Knicks-Phil Jackson’s Future-Carmelo Possibly Being Traded), this may be the time when you start adding additional programming to increase tune-ins. Maybe you hire a contributor with a strong NBA name to start appearing weekly on your shows. If that’s not enough, maybe you put together two local analysts/former players for a special weekly basketball hour on one of your top shows, or you start producing a weekly, bi-weekly, or even nightly NBA program leading up to the Trade Deadline.
I recognize that some cities may have tougher months than February, especially if they’re markets that function without a baseball team and rely on college sports. In those cases, use this blueprint to help you during your most challenging times. That said, this column should apply to most markets which see their success tied to NFL/MLB/NBA interest.
Whichever you path you choose, the goal is to increase audience interest one day at a time. It’s going to take creativity and additional excitement to bring your listeners back to the dial during the next 6 weeks. If P1 listeners love your brand but need a mental time out in February, and their lack of listening leads to lower ratings and revenue, are you just going to stand by and accept that?
Of course not!
So the real question becomes, what are you going to do to gain their attention and make them want to spend an extra segment or two with your radio station? It’s not an easy task, but those who find a way to get it done, don’t experience the same setbacks that others do – and that’s what separates a good brand from a great brand, especially during the dead zone of February.
