Just read Caesar's column on ESPN's demo breakout, M25-54. He hit it on the head - their gain did come from non sports stations. So he tabbed the market total for sports at 8 percent. That means 92 percent of M25-54 prefer something non sports.Yup. Watch what happens when PPM ratings take root here. Good call, journalismguy.
Kijowski can still break wind publicly about how they're on the right track blah blah blah. But when you consistently image "America's best sports city" (a 9 year old tired and ancient claim) and your station gets less than 5 percent of your target demo, you just indicted yourself as being ho-hum.
Dan still doesnt' get it though, then again, the newspaper industry is ten years and more behind the times. He continues to think that share is the most important analysis. Nope. In the 21st century, it's not about share, it's about TSL. When you're competiting against the Internet, it's not about how you do against the competition, it's how you do occupying someone's time of day.
Dan Caesar's column:
101.1 FM takes the lead in St. Louis sports radio
by Dan Caesar
The new station is the new leader in the local sports-talk radio listenership fight.You're the winner if you're in their noggin longer.
WXOS (101.1 FM) began broadcasting in the format Jan. 1 and has overtaken its two competitors, previous leader KSLG (1380 AM) and the longest-running of the entrants in the genre, KFNS (590), on the prime battleground — men ages 25-54. And 101.1's market share is nearly equal the foes' combined number.
In the Arbitron survey for the spring period, April-June, WXOS attracted 3.5 percent of those in that bracket who were listening from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays — the period they compete most head-to-head. KSLG, which had won the last three ratings "books,'' and KFNS were neck-and-neck but far behind. KFNS was at 1.9, KSLG at 1.8.
In the big picture, the overall sports audience grew substantially as WXOS took listeners from other formats rather than raiding KFNS and KSLG. The established stations had only slightly better market share last spring (2.0 each) than now. So sports radio went from 4 percent of the market then to 7.2 this time — an 80 percent gain.
"It's just a different beast on FM, because there's so much more audience available there to get,'' WXOS general manager John Kijowski said.
Before converting to sports, WXOS had broadcast Christmas songs for several months after switching from female-oriented music. While the move to sports was in the planning stages, Kijowski said he eventually wanted to be in the top five of outlets in all formats among men ages 25-54.
"The way I look at it, on Jan. 1 you started at nothing, at a zero rating, 33rd (last place among all St. Louis stations) then to 19th in the first book to 11th now'' he said. "It's an affirmation we're on the right track.''
KSLG general manager John Helmkamp said he's not surprised WXOS has taken the lead.
"I think we all expected that, especially early on,'' he said. "There will be a lot of people sampling, as happens with any new station in a format. The real test is whether they hold them."
In the last year KSLG has lost four men in key roles — Bernie Miklasz, Randy Karraker, Martin Kilcoyne and Jay Randolph Jr. And the contract with the morning show, KFNS' only program that led in its time block this spring, is up soon. It would seem vital that the station retain that if it wants to remain competitive.
"We're close'' to finalizing a new deal,'' Helmkamp said. "We're probably a week to two weeks away. We're both very close and I'm pretty confident we're going to get it done.''
Meanwhile, KFNS general manager Dave Greene said he's not a big watcher of the ratings.
"The numbers, good or bad, don't mean much to me,'' he said, adding "... we are much more than a radio station with print, interactive and promotions combined. We are the only station in St. Louis to offer that mix and the market is responding.''
WXOS now is the Rams flagship radio station, and Kijowski said the controversial decision announced in May to remove Jim Hanifan from the booth hasn't been rescinded. Hanifan, whose passionate analysis — including pointed criticism of the Rams that set the broadcasts apart — will be on pre- and postgame shows as well as a weeknight Rams show.
"The fans are going to hear more of him,'' Kijowski said. "They couldn't interact with him before, now he's on three shows where people can talk to him. I still feel good about it.''
And this space still feels bad about it — WXOS has created a reason to not listen to game broadcasts instead of keeping him and adding "interactive" duties.
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