Tag: "Red Sox"
July 2016 PPM Analysis: MLB Flagships
By Mike Kinosian
Managing Editor
Talkers
LOS ANGELES — With the non-waiver trade deadline having passed the first of this month, we turn attention to July 2016 ratings data.
Information shown here is for 29 of the 30 Major League Baseball teams primary, 162-game English-language (C subscriber) flagships; no ratings information is shown for CJCL, the key station of the American League East’s Toronto Blue Jays.
All stats cited in these scoreboards are for the total week (Monday-Sunday, 6:00 am – 12:00 midnight, 6+, July 2016).
Ratings information is limited to New York City for the flagships of the Mets (WOR) and Yankees (WFAN).
Only Los Angeles ratings stats are used for the Angels’ key station (KLAA).
Flagships for the two Bay Area teams – Giants (KNBR) and A’s (KGMZ) – have San Francisco ratings info only.
May 2016 PPM Analysis: MLB Flagships
By Mike Kinosian
Managing Editor
TALKERS
LOS ANGELES — The following May 2016 ratings scoreboards are for 29 of the 30 Major League Baseball teams primary, 162-game English-language (Nielsen Audio subscriber) flagships; no ratings information is shown for the key station of the American League East’s Toronto Blue Jays (CJCL).
Not limited to specific day-parts, all stats cited here are Monday-Sunday, 6:00 am – 12:00 midnight (6+).
Key outlets of the Mets and Yankees appear in three PPM-rated markets (New York, Long Island, and Middlesex).
The flagship of the Los Angeles Angels (officially the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) is listed in Los Angeles and Riverside.
Meanwhile, the lead stations of both the San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s appear in San Francisco and San Jose ratings reports.
In these instances, ratings information is limited to New York City for the flagships of the Mets (WOR) and Yankees (WFAN). Only Los Angeles ratings stats are used for the Angels’ key station (KLAA), while flagships for the two Bay Area teams – Giants (KNBR) and A’s (KGMZ) – have San Francisco ratings info only.
April 2016 PPM Analysis: MLB Flagships
By Mike Kinosian
Managing Editor
TALKERS
LOS ANGELES — Listed below are April 2016 6+-ratings results for Major League Baseball flagship stations.
The following MLB scoreboards are for English-language flagships that are Nielsen Audio subscribers appearing in print.
In addition to their main flagship, some MLB teams have a secondary outlet and/or an emergency alternative. Rather than showing multiple stations, however, we have chosen each team’s primary, 162-game flagship.
Key outlets of the two New York franchises (Mets and Yankees) appear in three PPM-rated markets (New York, Long Island, and Middlesex); the Angels’ flagship is listed in Los Angeles and Riverside; and key stations of the San Francisco and Oakland franchises (Giants and A’s) appear in San Francisco and San Jose.
In these instances, ratings information is limited to New York City for the Mets (WOR) and Yankees (WFAN) flagships; only Los Angeles ratings stats are used for the Angels’ key station (KLAA) ; and flagships for the two Bay Area teams – Giants (KNBR) and A’s (KGMZ) – have San Francisco ratings info only.
No ratings information is shown for the flagship for the American League East’s Toronto Blue Jays (CJCL).
Ratings data cited here is Monday-Sunday, 6:00 am – 12:00 midnight (6+, April 2016) and is not limited to a specific day-part.
March 2016 PPM Analysis:
MLB Flagships
By Mike Kinosian
Managing Editor
TALKERS
LOS ANGELES — With April drawing to a close, it is time for us to again list the performance of MLB’s radio flagships.
Factor in pre-game and post-game shows, as well as a variety of sales-driven programming features, and it becomes crystal-clear how a MLB flagship can wind up devoting a sizeable chunk of its programming day and year to its hometown franchise.
The following scoreboards are for English-language flagships that are Nielsen Audio subscribers appearing in print.
In addition to their main flagship, some MLB teams have a secondary outlet and/or an emergency alternative. Rather than showing multiple stations, however, we have chosen each team’s primary, 162-game flagship.
Key outlets of the two New York franchises (Mets and Yankees) appear in three PPM-rated markets (New York, Long Island, and Middlesex); the Angels’ flagship is listed in Los Angeles and Riverside; and key stations of the San Francisco and Oakland franchises (Giants and A’s) appear in San Francisco and San Jose.
In these instances, ratings information is limited to New York City for the Mets (WOR) and Yankees (WFAN) flagships; only Los Angeles ratings stats are used for the Angels’ key station (KLAA) ; and flagships for the two Bay Area teams – Giants (KNBR) and A’s (KGMZ) – have San Francisco ratings info only.
No ratings information is shown for the flagship for the American League East’s Toronto Blue Jays (CJCL).
Ratings data cited here is Monday-Sunday, 6:00 am – 12:00 midnight and is not limited to a specific day-part.
With the fine print concluded, it is time to throw out the first pitch and play ball for this exclusive TALKERS overview of MLB flagships encompassing the March 2016 ratings period, which covered February 25 – March 23, when teams were in spring training mode. The 2016 MLB season began on (Sunday) April 3.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
WEEI, Boston Hopes to Re-Do Expensive Red Sox Deal. From a story in the Boston Herald by Gayle Fee comes news that Entercom Boston market manager Phil Zachary is hopeful sports talker WEEI-FM and the MLB’s Boston Red Sox can begin operating with a re-negotiated deal that takes some of the financial burden off the station. Fee reports that the station pays the Red Sox approximately $17 million per season and that steep figure has been tough on the station’s bottom line. The deal is almost 10 years old, having been inked in 2006 before the Great Recession began, before the Red Sox’ play on the field took a nosedive, and prior to WBZ-FM’s arrival on the scene as a sports talk competitor. The speculation is the station notified the team it would not pick up its option for the 2017 and 2018 seasons because of the cost and re-negotiations began. Zachary tells the paper they hope to have a new deal before Christmas. Read the whole piece here.
Round One of November PPM Data Released. The first of four rounds of November 2015 PPM data from Nielsen Audio has been released for 12 markets including: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Nassau-Suffolk (Long Island), Riverside, San Jose, and Middlesex-Somerset-Union (New Jersey). The survey period was October 8 – November 4. TALKERS magazine’s sister publication RadioInfo has all of the numbers from subscribing stations here. In addition, managing editor Mike Kinosian presents his “Twelve Takeaways” from this batch of ratings on the main page at RadioInfo.com here.
Odds & Sods. Radio legend Howard Stern tells the New York Daily News he hopes to remain on the radio but
that’s about all he’s saying as the end of his second contract with SiriusXM comes to an end after December. Stern was quizzed on the status of his contract negotiations with SiriusXM by the Daily News at the 2015 Get Your Escape On event in NYC and said nothing can be known until the contract is signed. “I can just say I’m interested in continuing on the radio. Where I end up, I don’t know yet.” The 61-year-old broadcaster reportedly makes about $80 million a year from his satellite radio gig…..Matthew Sambolin is back in the fold at Salem Media Group’s New York duo to serve as operations manager, promotions director and social media manager for news/talk WNYM “AM 970 The Answer” and Christian talk 
WMCA “AM 570 The Mission.” Sambolin takes over for Mark DeBoer who stays with the stations as traffic manager…..Westwood One-syndicated talk host Michael Savage, reacting to an RT story in which Gambino crime family figure Giovanni Gambino, Jr. said the mafia would do its part to protect New Yorkers from IS terror attacks, hosted Gambino on his program on Monday (11/23). The pair also
discussed Gambino’s work trying to get a screenplay he’s written turned into a movie in Hollywood…..“Free Talk Live,” featuring Ian Freeman and Mark Edge, is airing live this Thanksgiving. Freeman says they continue their tradition of live content. “Your listeners 
deserve live content no matter what day it is.”…..George Noory, host of Premiere Networks’ “Coast to Coast AM” says he’ll also be hosting live shows on the holidays this year. “Many people don’t have friends and family to spend the holidays with, so radio is a very special connection for them. Years ago, I made the decision to host live programming during this time of year, and I’ve keep that promise all my career so no one has to be alone.”
Paris Aftermath/ISIS Terror Campaign, Syrian Refugees/U.S. Immigration Policy, 2016 Presidential Race, Thanksgiving Holiday/Black Friday, and NFL Action Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (11/23). The aftermath of the Paris terror attacks and efforts to head off further attacks from ISIS; the policies surrounding relocation of Syrian refugees and the larger question of changes in U.S. immigration policy; the activities of the candidates for president in 2016; the coming Thanksgiving holiday, Black Friday and the beginning of the holiday shopping season; and the weekend’s NFL action were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.
October 2015 PPM Analysis:
MLB Flagships
By Mike Kinosian
Managing Editor
TALKERS
LOS ANGELES — In case you missed it from Sunday night (spoiler alert!): The Kansas City Royals bested the New York Mets in five games to capture the 2015 World Series.
You deserve a raucous home plate reception worthy of a series-ending walk-off homer if – in April – you correctly predicted that the “Elite Eight” competing for this year’s Fall Classic would be the Astros, Blue Jays, Rangers, Cardinals, Cubs, Dodgers, and the aforementioned Mets and Royals.
That walk-off HR is a grand slam, by the way, if you also prognosticated bonus information of the Yankees and Pirates making it to post-season as wildcard entries, only to be eliminated in “play-in” games (by the Astros and Cubs, respectively).
So, notwithstanding we know who won it all, the scenario is set for this exclusive TALKERS October overview of MLB flagships.
The October 2015 rating period covered September 13 – October 7.
Ratings data cited here is Monday-Sunday, 6:00 am – 12:00 midnight and is not limited to a specific day-part.
Listed is each team’s primary, 162-game English-language flagship; however, that station must be a Nielsen Audio subscriber.
Key outlets of the two New York City franchises (Mets and Yankees) are found in three PPM-rated markets (New York, Long Island, and Middlesex).
Los Angeles Angels’ flagship KLAA is listed in Los Angeles and Riverside.
Key stations of the San Francisco Giants (KNBR) and Oakland A’s (KGMZ) appear in the San Francisco and San Jose reports.
In these instances, radio homes for the Mets (WOR) and Yankees (WFAN) have New York City ratings info only; Los Angeles ratings stats are used for the Angels’ key station (KLAA); and data for flagships of the two Bay Area teams comes strictly from the San Francisco report.
Thus, in all cases (not just the ones noted above), each team is shown with one flagship in just one PPM-market.
PPM information for the flagship of the Toronto Blue Jays (sports CJCL) was unavailable for this overview.
September 2015 PPM Analysis:
MLB Flagships
By Mike Kinosian,
Managing Editor
TALKERS
LOS ANGELES — You deserve a raucous home plate reception worthy of a series-ending walk-off homer if – in April – you correctly predicted that the elite eight competing for this year’s Fall Classic would be the Astros, Blue Jays, Rangers, Royals, Cardinals, Cubs, Dodgers, and Mets.
That walk-off HR is a grand slam, by the way, if you also prognosticated bonus information of the Yankees and Pirates making it to post-season as wildcard entries, only to be eliminated in “play-in” games (by the Astros and Cubs, respectively).
The scenario is set and this exclusive TALKERS overview of MLB flagships encompasses the September 2015 ratings period, which covered August 13 – September 9.
Ratings data cited here is Monday-Sunday, 6:00 am – 12:00 midnight and is not limited to a specific day-part.
Listed is each team’s primary, 162-game English-language flagship; however, that station must be a Nielsen Audio subscriber that appears in print.
Key outlets of the two New York City franchises (Mets and Yankees) are found in three PPM-rated markets (New York, Long Island, and Middlesex).
Los Angeles Angels’ flagship KLAA is listed in Los Angeles and Riverside.
Key stations of the San Francisco Giants (KNBR) and Oakland A’s (KGMZ) appear in the San Francisco and San Jose ratings reports.
In these instances, flagships for the Mets (WOR) and Yankees (WFAN) have New York City ratings info only; Los Angeles ratings stats are used for the Angels’ key station (KLAA); and data for flagships of the two Bay Area teams comes strictly from the San Francisco report.
Thus, in all cases (not just the ones noted above), each team is shown with one flagship in just one PPM-market.
PPM information for Toronto Blue Jays flagship (sports) CJCL was unavailable for this overview.
July 2015 PPM Analysis: MLB Flagships
By Mike Kinosian
Managing Editor
TALKERS
LOS ANGELES — The second installment of our overview of MLB flagships encompasses the July 2015 sweep. It is important to note that the survey dates for that ratings period were June 18 – July 15.
Rather than showing multiple stations, we are listing each team’s primary, 162-game English-language flagship; that station, though, must be a Nielsen Audio subscriber that appears in print.
Key outlets of the two New York City franchises (Mets and Yankees) are found in three PPM-rated markets (New York, Long Island, and Middlesex); Angels’ flagship KLAA is listed in Los Angeles and Riverside; and key stations of the San Francisco and Oakland franchises (Giants and A’s) appear in the San Francisco and San Jose ratings reports.
In these instances, flagships for the Mets and Yankees have New York City ratings info only; only Los Angeles ratings stats are used for the Angels’ key station; and flagships for the two Bay Area teams have San Francisco ratings info only.
Thus, each team is shown with one flagship in just one PPM-market.
There always seems to be one exception to the fine print. In this case, it applies to CJCL – the key station for the American League East’s Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto is MLB’s only non-PPM market; consequently, no CJCL ratings information of any type is shown anywhere in this analysis.
The final day of the July ratings sweep was July 15: Let’s see how the flagships performed roughly two weeks before MLB’s July 31 trading deadline.
June 2015 PPM Analysis: MLB Flagships
By Mike Kinosian
Managing Editor
TALKERS
LOS ANGELES — Now that the 2015 All Star Game is in the books, the “unofficial” start of the second-half of the baseball season is underway and we interpret that as our subtle cue to begin listing the performance of MLB’s radio flagships.
Among changes instituted in the 2015 baseball season are ways to speed up games, which typically take three hours during a season that extends from April through September.
Factor in pre-game and post-game shows, as well as a variety of sales-driven programming features, and it becomes crystal-clear how a MLB flagship can wind up devoting a sizeable chunk of its programming day and year to its hometown franchise.
Just as MLB implemented tweaks, several modifications are in effect since our previous series of baseball flagship scoreboards.
Here then are the disclaimers to the unique set of challenges of doing a MLB flagship overview.
For openers, the following scoreboards are for English-language flagships only.
In addition to their main flagship, some MLB teams have a secondary outlet and/or an emergency alternative. Rather than showing multiple stations, we are going with each team’s primary, 162-game flagship.
Key outlets of the two New York franchises (Mets and Yankees) appear in three PPM-rated markets (New York, Long Island, and Middlesex); the Angels’ flagship is listed in Los Angeles and Riverside; and key stations of the San Francisco and Oakland franchises (Giants and A’s) appear in San Francisco and San Jose.
In these instances, flagships for the Mets and Yankees have New York City ratings info only; Riverside ratings stats (only) are used for the Angels’ key station; and flagships for the two Bay Area teams have San Francisco ratings info only.
Thus, each team is shown with one flagship in one (only) PPM market.
The flagship for the American League East’s Blue Jays (CJCL) is, of course, located in Toronto, the only non-PPM market; no ratings information is shown here for CJCL.
With the fine print concluded, it is time to throw out the first pitch and play ball.
V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N (or is it?)
Thoughts and observations about some of the best in the West: Ron Owens, K-EARTH 101, and listening to a transmitted signal on hallowed ground
By Holland Cooke
Radio Consultant
BLOCK ISLAND, RI — Vacation and I tend to elude each other. Although I live in a summertime destination, I bug-out JUST as seasonal funsters invade. The natural travel cycle for radio consultants is after-the-Spring-book and as-we’re-planning-for the Fall survey and budget-planning for the new year. OK, OK, it’s also convenient that my perennial seven week non-stop station visit trek occurs during baseball season. I see the Red Sox everywhere BUT Fenway Park.
And like anyone self-employed, in any industry, I feel like I never stop working! But I did last week…or at least I intended to. As I’m sure you do when you hear radio elsewhere-in-your-travels, I couldn’t help listening critically…yet I still experienced radio more like a consumer than a vendor to my client stations.
Three radio notes from my trip, and not just so I can write-it-off, honest…
Radio’s Biggest Star: Baseball
By Holland Cooke
News/Talk/Sports Radio Consultant
St. LOUIS — Do the math. For six months when habitual listening dips as listeners vacation and otherwise alter their lives, baseball brings:
• Long-TSL tune-in (“vertical maintenance” in Arbitron-speak), to…
• 162 three+ hour shows (“horizontal maintenance”), by…
Thursday, May 10, 2012
FM Talk Winning in PM Drive with Alan Cox Show on Cleveland’s Legendary Rocker WMMS-FM. The Alan Cox show is quietly defying the conventional wisdom about what talk targeting younger demos on FM is all about. Ensconced in afternoon drive on Clear Channel’s legendary rock outlet WMMS-FM, Cleveland, Cox’s success is not a widely told tale in the radio industry, in part because it doesn’t appear to be a piece of a corporately directed programming puzzle with companywide ambitions. Cox credits local management for daring to be innovative with spoken-word programming outside the realms of news/talk and sports talk. “’MMS, everybody knows, is a legendary station and management had the foresight to realize music on FM is kind of going away and to see if it can work with two talk products and it has worked amazingly well. The foresight that brought them to try this hybrid station also makes them realize that you have to honor the heritage the station has but everything has to move forward.” Read this entire story here.
Gil Gross Replaces Gene Burns in PM Drive at KKSF, San Francisco. Talk radio legend Gene Burns is not going away from Clear Channel Media and Entertainment San Francisco as he continues to rehab from a stroke he suffered last December but cluster director of operations Don Parker gives the PM drive slot to Gil Gross, who’s been one of those filling in for Burns since January. Parker states, “I’m thrilled to have Gil Gross aboard full time for the Bay Area’s only live and local afternoon drive talk show. With his extensive background in network news, everyone in news/talk radio knows the name Gil Gross. I couldn’t be happier to have KKSF be his new home. NewsTalk 910 has been very fortunate to have the highest caliber of talent filling in for Gene Burns since January. I’d like to thank John Rothman, Ed Baxter and Rosie Allen for their contributions and for continuing to play a role on NewsTalk 910 moving forward.” Burns will continue to blog at newstalk910.com and his Saturday “Dining Around” program will remain on the program schedule with Joel Riddell hosting . Additionally, John Rothman is named the station’s political analyst. He’ll contribute to the station’s talk shows and newscasts as well as serve as host for KKSF’s 2012 election coverage. Baxter and Allen will remain with the station for fill-in and blogging duties. On his new position, Gross states, “I am thrilled to keep the live, local talk flame alive in the Bay area. From the Occupy movement to Oscar Grant or the struggles of our economy, it’s important for the Bay area to have a platform to discuss today’s most pressing topics. I look forward to having my friend and colleague, Gene Burns, back in the line-up. I also look forward to building the future at NewsTalk 910, a unique station that will not be one point of view all day long.”
Tony Kornheiser Negotiating for Long-Term Deal to Remain on WTEM, Washington. Washington, DC-based sports media personality Tony Kornheiser tells his audience he hopes to be assured his radio talk show will be heard on Red Zebra’s WTEM – ESPN 980 for “another two years, at least.” The Washington Post reports director of programming Chuck Sapienza hinted the two sides are negotiating, quoting him saying, “Our goal has always been to have Tony with ESPN 980 long term, and we hope to have an official announcement soon.” Kornheiser will take much of the summer off from his radio show telling his audience he will do a few weeks of ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption” but will not do radio in July or August.
Terry Gross Celebrates 25 Years of National Syndication for “Fresh Air.” Tomorrow “Fresh Air” host Terry Gross will celebrate her 25th anniversary in national syndication via NPR. Gross began the program on WHYY-FM, Philadelphia – where the show is still based – in 1975. Gross tells the Philadelphia Daily News’ Dan Gross (no relation), “I fell in love with radio the moment I started doing it. I still find it a privilege to be able to talk to and engage in a pretty personal level with people whose work I respect.” Surprisingly for some, Gross tells the paper she counts Howard Stern among those whom she’d like to interview but has not. She says she’s a fan of his radio show.
Carmichael Dave Out at KHTK, Sacramento. The producer and sidekick to morning host and PD Don Geronimo and host of his own midday show exits the CBS Radio sports outlet. His tweets about his exit are vague but it appears Carmichael Dave is the victim of a budget-related maneuver. He tweets, “As of today I am no longer a part of CBS Radio…I’m getting a lot of response that this was contract related. I asked for nothing. I can’t go into details. Just know that I love the station and the people.” The station is airing DirecTV/Premiere’s Dan Patrick show in middays.
Analysis: The Legal Basis for the Bob Lonsberry Decision. TALKERS legal editor Steven J.J. Weisman reviews the recent ruling by the Appellate Division, Fourth Department of New York in the defamation case filed against WHAM, Rochester talk show host Bob Lonsberry. Weisman writes that for talk hosts who make a living expressing their opinions, it’s important to note that “not all opinion is protected, but when it is made about a matter of public concern, the speaker is protected by the First Amendment.” Read Steven J.J. Weisman’s piece here.
Odds ‘n’ Sods. CBS Radio names Brian Thomas vice president of programming for its Tampa cluster that includes sports talk WQYK – 1010AM Sports…..Syndicated Solutions, Inc. begins distribution of Chuck Woolery’s “Save Us Chuck” political commentary feature on June 4. The game show legend states, “I started in radio and just love it! During all my years on television, I’ve come to realize that radio is truly the only medium where I can connect one-on-one with the audience and help to create real change.”…..CBS Radio’s KNX, Los Angeles visits the foothill cities of the San Gabriel Valley as part of its “KNX on Your Corner” remote broadcast series. The broadcast will emanate from the Monrovia Coffee Company in the heart of Old Town Monrovia on June 1…..WTKK-FM, Boston midday talk host Doug Meehan’s listeners are launching a campaign to get the host an on-air audition with Kelly Ripa on ABC TV’s “Live! With Kelly.” Meehan has recorded his pitch to be on the show and posted it on WTKK’s website. He’s encouraging listeners to visit the “Live! With Kelly” website touting Meehan for a shot at a guest host appearance…..Former WBT-AM/FM, Charlotte regular fill-in host Wayne Powers wins his primary contest for a seat on the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners.
First Caller Puts Curse on New Talk Show Host. What a way to start a new gig! Gregg Henson, the station’s program director who replaced afternoon drive host Pat Miller on WOWO, Fort Wayne, was greeted with a first call that sounded like something out of a Steven King novel. Not only did the listener with a heavy accent voice his disapproval of Henson and insult him by saying he is “a snake” who “doesn’t bring anything to the table” — he went on to actually put a curse on him! Check THIS out. Listen to the audio here.
2012 Presidential Race, Obama Gay Marriage Issue, Feds to Sue Arizona Sheriff Arpaio, and Putin Snubs Obama Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (5/9). The 2012 presidential campaign, President Obama’s change of heart on the gay marriage issue, the federal lawsuit being filed against Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s backing out of meeting with President Obama and the G-8 were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS.
Media Veteran and Fenway Park Announcer Carl Beane Dies in Auto Crash. Fenway Park’s voice of the Boston Red Sox, Carl Beane, died Wednesday at age 59 after suffering a heart attack and crashing his car while driving. Beane won the Fenway Park gig after the 2002 season. He was a radio sports announcer, talk host, news reporter and more during his long career. In addition to stringing for AP, ESPN and SiriusXM, Beane had worked at WBZ, Boston and spent many years in the 1990s working at then talk/music hybrid WESO, Southbridge.
