September PPMs

[Earlyriser]

NO, they are non commercial. so they don't count!

[smedge2006]

NO, they are non commercial. so they don't count!

Perhaps you haven't noticed how aggressive many non-coms get in the pursuit of the underwriters. It's very much like commercial radio sales. And you'd better believe they break out the PPM's (if they're good) when convincing an advertiser to go for underwriting in addition to (or instead of) a spot buy.

[Parttimer]

NO, they are non commercial. so they don't count!

The numbers are published, and they have more listeners than most of the commercial stations. So you can have whatever definition you want of what "counts" or doesn't "count", but the numbers are there in black and white.

[FloridaBoy]

NO, they are non commercial. so they don't count!

Thinking like that sounds like the "Old Timey" radio peeps that don't change with the times. Reminds me of people who say things like "iPod aren't really radio competition", or "Pandora won't take my listeners," or, as I heard someone say when I first started in radio, "They may be the number 3 station, but they don't count because they are on FM!" To say non-coms don't count may have had more truth in 1985, but they are more sophisticated with programming today. Look at WPOZ or KSBJ in Houston (Cont. Christian) or KQED in San Francisco (NPR). All are top five stations in thier markets because of smart programming and understanding the market. Also, today's Non-Com are far more aggressive in getting underwritting (Ad) dollars, and, in some cases, going after some of the same clients as commercial station.

Please Earlyriser, would you enlighten the rest of us by telling us, how a a radio station that can take some your listeners, compete against you for ad dollars, and if they have higher ratings for you, the whole world can now see it, would be, in your eyes, irrelevant?

[Gregg]

These ratings are really weird.  Was the old diary method of collecting the ratings entirely off?  WMGF used to be a solid #1 station, vying with WCFB.  In many markets the Soft AC has been strengthened by People Meters, since those stations are likely are what's playing in offices and stores in which a meter wearer walks in.  Now WMGF barely makes the top 10.  Hot ACs are usually helped too but WOMX is tied with WMGF.

Usually Latino and Urban stations get hurt by People Meters but here we see WCFB #1 and WRUM #3.  How many other markets in the U.S. have an Urban AC at #1?  Is there any market in the U.S., other than Puerto Rico, where a Tropical station makes the top 3?  Not even in Miami or New York is a Tropical station in the top 3. 

Oldies/Classic Hits stations also get a boost from PPM and that did happen for WOCL.  But how did WMMO zoom up to #4?  Under the diary system, WMMO's Rock/AC/Soft Classic Hits format, hardly duplicated in any other market, was rarely in the top 10.  Now it's #4?

How did WPYO, a Hip Hop station owned by Cox, open such a big lead over WJHM, a hip hop station owned by CBS?

And what happened to the Talk stations?  WTKS, one of the last FM Hot Talk stations in the country, usually a top 10 station, is now #12?  The two Conservative Talk stations on AM are even further down the list.

With no AM station in the top 10 but a Religious AC station at #5, Orlando really looks more like a Southern market than it ever has.  Contrast it to Northern markets where 3 or 4 AM news and talk stations can be found in the top 10. 

Gregg
nh153@mail.com

[Parttimer]

These ratings are really weird.  Was the old diary method of collecting the ratings entirely off? 

Yes. Filling out diaries was like voting as far as people were concerned. They tried to make sure their favorite station won.

With no AM station in the top 10 but a Religious AC station at #5, Orlando really looks more like a Southern market than it ever has. 

Actually it looks pretty much like South Florida.

[DavidEduardo]

These ratings are really weird.  Was the old diary method of collecting the ratings entirely off? 

No, it was not. But the diary measured cume, time spent listening and memory. And the precision of data entry was subject to a lot of rounding... which increased the TSL  a lot.

The methodology is as accurate as an active participation system could be.

WMGF used to be a solid #1 station, vying with WCFB.  In many markets the Soft AC has been strengthened by People Meters, since those stations are likely are what's playing in offices and stores in which a meter wearer walks in.

Actually, what makes AC and other softer stations do well is the fact that they are appropriate for many workplaces where other formats might be too foreground or loud. Accidental listening by passersby contributes very little TSL and actually causes the average TSL to decrease.

Usually Latino and Urban stations get hurt by People Meters but here we see WCFB #1 and WRUM #3.

Not always. Look at Houston and DC for Urban AC and Urban... many urban stations were just too talky, and when they adjusted for PPM they achieved very good levels. Houston, Phoenix, Las Vegas are among the markets where SPanish langauge stations are among the top couple of stations.

  How many other markets in the U.S. have an Urban AC at #1?  Is there any market in the U.S., other than Puerto Rico, where a Tropical station makes the top 3?  Not even in Miami or New York is a Tropical station in the top 3. 

WRUM is really rhythmic CHR, and Orlando is unique in having about 75% of the Spanish language audience of Puerto Rican origin... NY has perhaps 20% Puerto RIcan listening in the under-55 demos, and Miami is less than half of that. So the Orlando situation is not unusual, and even less so since there is only one decent signal for much of the market. 

How did WPYO, a Hip Hop station owned by Cox, open such a big lead over WJHM, a hip hop station owned by CBS?

Hispanic friendly CHUrbans tend to do better than pure urban stations in markets where there is a larger Hispanic component to the population.

[DavidEduardo]

Yes. Filling out diaries was like voting as far as people were concerned. They tried to make sure their favorite station won.

I've interviewed many, many former diarykeepers as well as persons who fit the profile to be a diarykeeper, and "voting" for a station is really never mentioned.

[FLORIDA RADIO 386]

No, it was not. But the diary measured cume, time spent listening and memory. And the precision of data entry was subject to a lot of rounding... which increased the TSL  a lot.

Excellent points/posts David. RECALL was a big part of it.  Look at how an "eyewitness" is not always the best thing for law enforcement.  A longtime ago one of the things done by some was to run promotions/contesting heavy for a Thursday and Wednesday.  I know of one broadcast company that was convinced most of the diarykeepers filled out the diary at one sitting...using their memory to recall what they listened to for the week.  That same company invested in promotional items for the kitchen area of the house because they believed the diary was filled out mostly at the kitchen table (I am serious) :-)

I've interviewed many, many former diary-keeprs as well as persons who fit the profile to be a diarykeeper, and "voting" for a station is really never mentioned.

I have done reviews before and had consultants record the "comments" parts too...and I have never come across any words/phrases by the diarykeepers that indicated "voting."

[Mike]

get ready for the all new AMP radio 101.9 orlandos hits and hip-hop


just saying it could happen 102 jamz is in 15th place