Thursday, May 03, 2007

Thursday Check-In

We're still more in a "Days Of The Week" mood...

DAVE AND JIMMY EXPANSION: On the heels of being added for mornings at Clear Channel top 40 WAKZ/95.9 "Kiss FM" in the Youngstown market, top 40 WNCI/97.9 Columbus' morning drive team, "Dave and Jimmy", continue their syndication expansion in Ohio.

This time, it's Clear Channel Dayton top 40 WDKF/94.5 "Channel 94-5" picking up the show, with Dave Kaelin and Jimmy Jam apparently replacing a show called the "Morning Mess".

(And no, we have no idea if that show had any connection with WHKF/Harrisburg PA's "Morning Mess" - the latter show having moved to KDND in Sacramento - which is now programmed by former WAKS/96.5 "Kiss FM" programmer Dan Mason.)

The AllAccess item on the move quotes WNCI PD Michael McCoy, saying "there's more to come!".

We had been hearing rumors that the Columbus-based show would land "one or two" new affiliates in the coming days. We wonder: Who's number two, if there is a second new "Dave and Jimmy" station? We'll be watching...

RATINGS: Regular readers know that we generally don't go into details when the ratings numbers come out.

There are many reasons for that, not the least of which is that we do not have full access to the ratings, and are not experts at reading all the nuances of the numbers.

The other reason is that only 12-plus audience ratings are released to the public - the so-called "Beauty Pageant". This site has no license to run even those ratings.

But...what do they mean?

Hardly anything, in these days of sliced and diced demographically-perfect numbers.

With that in mind, we simply note that the Winter '05 Cleveland ratings are out, and from what we've read elsewhere, we believe we can rank the top 10 stations in that report - again, 12-plus only.

1. WTAM/1100
2. WMJI/105.7
3. WZAK/93.1
4. WDOK/102.1
5. WGAR/99.5
6. WNWV/107.3
7. WENZ/107.9
8. WAKS/96.5
9. WNCX/98.5
10. (tie) WQAL/104.1, WMVX/106.5

The fully-released 12-plus numbers are available from the usual trade websites.

You're more than welcome to comment, but please, do not post actual numbers as a comment to this item. They'll be quickly deleted - unless you're willing to pay for a lawyer when we get an order to take down the numbers from the ratings companies. (And if we hear from them about the general rankings posted above, we'll have to pull this part of the post.)

You can, though, make general comments about a station's rise, decline, steadiness, changes impacting the numbers, etc...with the reminder that the rankings above are 12-plus.

General comments, please...no specifics either within the 12-plus numbers or other ratings unpublished...

AND A NOTE: In the OMW "We're Just Sayin'" Department...

Not many details yet, but what if your parent company put out an advertisement looking for an operations manager, in one particular format, with a description of the station in need of a new programming boss exactly matching one station?

In fact, what if that description ONLY matched one station, among the company's holdings?

Hmm...

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

I found the job posting you are referring to....wow....

Anonymous said...

Yes, they're 12+ and blah blah, but still: A one-time 800-lb. gorilla — I mean buzzard — fails to crack the top 10? The Wave ahead of Kiss?

Some lessons here?

Anonymous said...

They could also post for a PD for the heritage "Hot AC" franchise in the same building. What a disaster that station has become. How about Justin Timberlake "Rock Your Body" into AC/DC "Shook Me All Night Long" into Kelly Clarkson "Since you Been Gone". Casey, you're headed for a wreck!

Anonymous said...

Where's it posted?

Anonymous said...

I know it's just the 12+, but I still find it amusing to find any AM station at or near the top.

It wasn't that long ago that I was constantly told that AM radio was dead (mono, full of static, too much advertising).

I guess the truth is that the technology is not important to the average listener.

Anonymous said...

How about both Hot ACs in free fall? How about the combined rock ratings of WMMS WNCX and WXRK not even matching numbers WMMS used to get on their own? How about the worst oldies station in America pulling those kind of numbers up against WDOK and that station goes down, too? Cleveland radio is in the twilight zone.

Anonymous said...

Ok Ok where is the like for the posting!!!

Anonymous said...

oops link....sorry

Anonymous said...

the wave is a listen at work station. top 40 isnt built that way. besides, these are the beauty numbers, kiss was right behind wenz in the 18-34 demo which both stations target.

Anonymous said...

ok ok MMS men 25-54 8th going down fast
Persons 18-34 7th same direction
Persons 12+ 10th droping like a rock..

so much for Bo

Bo don't know radio...

Anonymous said...

Good point. So all the more surprising that WAKS beat the two Hot ACs! tsk tsk Q and MIX.

Anonymous said...

Except for Lanigan WMJI sounds like crap.

Anonymous said...

Now hold off on the "tsk tsk." This is actually good for WQAL. They haven't been in the overall Top 10 since 2005 before Fig left.

They are on an upswing since Dave Popovich took over programming. As for KISS beating Q and Mix, that has always happened considering there is a bigger audience for Top 40.

Anonymous said...

WMMS not even in the top ten? When is someone going to amputate the rotten branch of the oak tree? Get Jeff & Flash back for 60 seconds, long enough to blow it up. How many hours are they live? 9?? 9??? 9??????????

Maxwell. Low grade O&A.

Rock radio in Cleveland has reached an all time low. WNCX is as bad as WMMS, if not worse. Stern was the only bright spot in over a decade. Bill Louis abuses word economy so badly it should be criminal. His run-on crazy babbles are agonizing. He was over 15 years ago.

Can anyone argue that WNCX has the worst morning show in Cleveland? Makes you wish for the good ol days of David Lee Roth!!! A jock VTing music would be better - Dead air would be better.

Paula Balish was ready to be put out to pasture 10 years ago. Someone give her an energy drink or something.

I could continue - but why bother? Rock radio in Cleveland has never been so bad.

Anonymous said...

I have to agree on the statement about rock radio being in the shitter in this town.

I do like 92-3 K-Rock though. Not a bad station.
They just got done with a "Rock of the 90's weekend". They play a good mix of tunes.
I wish you could listen to new rock music in PM Drive though.

Can we say FM News Talk 100.7?

Anonymous said...

Remember, these are 12+ numbers.

Just because MMS didn't reach the top 10 in 12+ doesn't mean their failing.

As long as they do well in their specific demos, then they are okay because this allows the sales staff to prove to their clients that they are reaching their specific target audience.

Then again, how accurate are ratings?

Anonymous said...

What other markets have an AM in the top spot (let alone anywhere in the 12+ rankings)?

WMJI could have been #1 if they would only dump disco! Stop playing anything newer than songs from 1973. Play songs that didn't chart as high but still got airplay in the 60's.

Cater to the Baby Boomers!

Anonymous said...

"Play songs that didn't chart as high but still got airplay in the 60's.

Cater to the Baby Boomers!"

Yeah, that'd be great! Disco sucked then and still sucks today.

Anonymous said...

so can someone copy and paste this job listing??? can't find it anywhere. sheesh.

Anonymous said...

I'd rather get my package out to them first ;) .....ok, here it is, from allaccess.com:

NEWS/TALK OPERATIONS MANAGER
Exciting opportunity to lead, guide and direct a heritage radio station! We have a local newsroom, local talk talent, and all the major sports franchises in a medium size market. Contemporary thinking a must. Strong leadership and coaching skills mandatory. Send your programming philosophy, audio, and resume to Harve Alan, VP Programming, Next Media Group. Email only please: nextmediaprogramming@yahoo.com
EOE

Anonymous said...

Hmm...just had a thought....why is it a yahoo address? Could this be a fake-out?

Anonymous said...

As a male in WMMS's target demo, I've got to say that musically I think the station sounds great. Nice mix of classic rock and newer rock, lots of stuff you don't hear on the radio anymore. It's a shame that doesn't add up to better ratings, because to me it sounds far from stale.

Though I do like Maxwell, I'll admit he has more than his fair share of sub-par days. Maria sounds awful in mid-days....very uncomfortable on the air. Bob and Tom are a snooze.

I saw that in 12+ WKNR actually moved ahead of WMMS. Ouch. I don't know what the target demo numbers were....but still....ouch. Though as far as that goes, I think Riz and Munch both sound great!

O&A are a bad imitation of O&A nowadays. I think K-Rock sounds pretty decent lately. Don't like the fact that they have talk on half the day and I can't stand Rover. I still don't think they sound as good musically as some of the alternative stations out west. Then again, this is Cleveland, not San Diego.

Anonymous said...

As a Sirius satellite radio listener, the only good over-the-air rock station in our area is 88.9 WSTB - not much talk or commercials.

Anonymous said...

WMJI can go to 1979, it did when I was there. It's the selection of music played.

"Pop" oldies and select classic rock, just like Sanders and Gorman had programmed.

Springsteen doesn't belong. Nor does Mellencamp.

You cannot "young up" an oldies station. Those that have tried have failed.

The only reason WMJI has been so musically adventurous over the years is due to Lanigan. His ratings have always allowed WMJI to play a wider variety than the normal oldies station across America. Take JL out of the equation... could WMJI stand alone with it's music? I doubt it.