In the previous
article, I speculated – actually, I just flat said – that Richie Whitt’s
information on The Fan overtaking The Ticket, at least as I was interpreting his report, was wrong. At least, I didn’t
believe it. Most of the reaction I got
back on this agreed with me. Among other
things, Confessors wondered why The Fan would move Ben & Skin to afternoons
and G-Bag to drive if things were going as great for The Fan as Mr. Whitt’s
number’s purported to demonstrate. They
also wondered why The Fan itself didn’t seem to be
trumpeting these results.
Since my article
appeared, I’ve heard from industry people who have provided me with information
that appears to answer these questions.
Now, I don’t know where Mr. Whitt got his information. And I am not claiming that he
inaccurately reported the information he received. As you’ll see, I think there likely an
explanation for why our numbers diverge.
And, as a non-radio guy myself, I don’t have any way of demonstrating
that the information you’ll see in a moment is accurate. As I’ve said in the past, I get tidbits now
and then from sources that I personally cannot vouch for. I suspect that what Mr. Whitt is reporting are
apples, and the numbers I have are oranges.
All I can say is: This sounds more like it:
There are a couple
of different strains to the information I have received.
First, let’s look at the reported
numbers themselves. Reprising Mr.
Whitt’s report as to the overall “ratings”:
Among the
coveted demographic (Men 25-54) in the money slot (Monday-Friday 6 a.m.-7
p.m.), since May. The Ticket has
tumbled from a 7.6 rating to a 3.2. The Fan, meanwhile, has surged from a 3.1
to a 5.5. Current score: Fan 5.5, Ticket 3.2. In its 25-year history, I can’t
imagine The Ticket every getting lambasted by 2.3 points in a month. Ever.
Initially – and this
may be the explanation the difference in our numbers – this passage is unclear as to what period is being reported. At first he
says, “since May,” suggesting that his numbers apply over a several-month
period and represents a trend, but his concluding phrase suggests that The Ticket got “lambasted” in
some “month.” I’m going to proceed on
the assumption that he’s looking at numbers “since May,” and not in a
particular month, since he seems to be suggesting a trend. I don't want to be unfair in characterizing his piece, but that's how it's being interpreted, whatever his intention. But if he’s only
talking about a single month -- well, that’s a different story than suggesting
some seismic shift in listener preferences, which is the tone of his piece.
So that we’re clear, the information I received relates to the entire
time period “since May.”
Next, my sources
say that what is important in the battle for advertising dollars is
“share.” “Share” includes the stream for
the stations in question, as well as all radio signals (i.e., AM and FM for The
Ticket). And when you look at share “since
May” – that is, June through October – for The Ticket and The Fan for that
period of time, the numbers are:
The Ticket: 5.3
The Fan: 5.0
Admittedly close,
makes it look like The Fan may be catching up.
But The Ticket is still on top – far from the industry-upsetting arse-kicking Mr. Whitt appears to be suggesting.
Mr. Whitt reports a
similar whupping among individual shows.
I do not have any information about individual programs (or individual
months), but his report is inconsistent with those June-through-October
numbers, if share during that period is what we are measuring.
Again: with numbers that close, it is possible,
perhaps even likely, that as the Niffle season gets underway, The Fan may have
bested The Ticket in September or October as some Confessors speculated in the
last string. And maybe that's what Mr. Whitt is actually reporting. (Somewhat supporting this
speculation is that if we go backwards with those share numbers -- back through
May, further distant from football season – my sources advise that the delta favoring
The Ticket is even greater.) It
wouldn’t shock anyone, and probably not even the CTO (Cumulo-Ticket Overlords),
if there were a ratings reversal in a Cowboys month. But overall, and over recent months, even conceding that
particular natural advantage for The Fan during some months, The Ticket
continues to outperform The Fan.
Second, and this is probably more
important in the long run, sources confirm my speculation that there is
currently controversy in the DFW market over Nielsen’s radio ratings procedures
(not solely related to The Ticket’s ratings versus its competitors). Nielsen has reportedly acknowledged industry
complaints and is changing its procedures but they are not expected to be
reflected in any instantaneous changes in rankings.
This may be another
reason that Entercom is keeping its counsel on ratings – the numbers Mr. Whitt
is reporting, and the narrow gap in share that I’m reporting, may be an
artifact of dubious sampling that will be corrected as quickly as they appeared. And Entercom knows it.
* *
*
I’m not a full-time
media or sports writer and I do not propose to get into a spat with Mr. Whitt
over the differences between his numbers and mine (not “mine,” but somebody’s). As noted, I can’t vouch for the accuracy of
my own information, so I have no basis to question his. I have suggested that the ambiguity in his
article over whether he’s talking about an individual month or overall ratings
“since May” may have something to do with it, and that we both may be correct,
depending on what our respective numbers are purporting to reflect. The tone of his article suggests some kind of
longer-term change has taken place in the sports-talk scene in DFW, and that seems not to be the case. The longer-term share numbers may (or may
not, depending on how faulty the sampling is) signal a tightening race, and
that makes more sense than the topsy-turvy 180-degree migration of 18-54 yo guys his
article seems to portray.
In fact, I’ve enjoyed
Richie Whitt’s journalism for a long time and I thought his Fan show with Greg
“The Hammer” Williams – we recall “The RAGE,” do we not? -- was an interesting
and frequently entertaining, if doomed, initiative.
Some long-time Confessors will also recall his tryout as a plus-one with
Mike R and Corby on The Hardline for a day or so back when the station was
thinking of replacing HeeHoo instead of promoting Corby. So I don’t want this to look like Richie-bashing. I’m just reporting what I hear in reaction
from people who know more about it – or claim to – than I do.
* *
*
One more thing,
speaking of Ben & Skin: The word in
the industry is that the switch to afternoons was not a decision of Dallas
management, but an edict from Entercom suits somewhat remote from local
programming.
Their departure
shortly thereafter was voluntary on their part; they were not fired.
* *
*
But what I really
want to know is: What the heck is a “stick-burner”?
ThePlainsman1310@gmail.com
@Plainsman1310
