Rinse and Repeat: The Ticket's Monthly Coronation
So many different ways to look at radio ratings. But from any view - as usual - The Ticket remains the Metroplex's sports talk dynasty.
Since it gets a little lot repetitive to keep probing the same statistics from the same angle, let's take a different view than we have the last three months.
Let's look at the big picture.
In overall listeners (ages 6+) for the entire week (Monday-Sunday 6 a.m.-Midnight), 106.1 Kiss FM and 99.5 The Wolf are Dallas' two most popular stations with a rating of 5.6. According to PPM ratings for April 2009, The Ticket earned a 3.1 (tied for 13th), followed by ESPN's 1.6 (26th) and The Fan's 1.0 (33rd).
As for the coveted demographic of Men 25-54 ...
A four-month snapshot:
STATION JAN. FEB. MAR. APRIL
Ticket 4.7 5.2 5.1 5.2
ESPN 3.6 3.0 2.8 3.4
Fan 1.4 1.3 1.7 1.9
Interesting that ESPN (235,200) actually has a larger "cume" than The Ticket (196,400) and The Fan (121,900), meaning more unique customers though its front door every week. But as for guys tuning in for more than five minutes during any quarter-hour during the week, The Ticket has 9,400 listeners to ESPN's 6,100 and The Fan's 3,400.
42 comment(s) / Post a Comment
@DirtyP1: I know. I'd like to only post these when there's a significant alteration in the standings. But the demand calls for the supply.
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 11:29AMThe only thing that bores me about these ratings is how you're the one reporting them and they don't show up anywhere else, it seems. (Or I'm not looking in the right places)
I mean, TV Ratings, best selling books, and dvd rentals all have charts everywhere. Box office sales each week are almost a major sport in this country. But radio ratings no one except you will actually discuss in public. So thanks, glad you're doing it :)
And hey, The Fan is showing growth. I like seeing that.
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 12:01PMPOW!
POWPOW!
POW!
POWPOW!
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 12:55PMMaybe next month is when the demise starts....
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 1:02PMAs for ESPN's higher # of unique visitors, I wonder how much of that is people tuning in while the Ticket is on commercial break.
While the Ticket seems steady at the top it looks like the Fan is taking away from ESPN.
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 1:32PMNo man, the demise started 16 years ago. Then restarted 15 years ago. Then restarted again 14 years ago and so on.
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 1:43PMThanks Richie! Im probably the idiot dragging ya down with ratings questions but just discovered these blogs. I find it interesting that a year & 1/2 later, there still so much controversy concerning hardline. I found an old cassette recording of Hardline the otherday. Had old classic callers, had Gordo joking about Bob's "arabic front teeth". Frickin halarious!! True greatness.{naturally all pre-Corby} Hey...Im working on getting that life....
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 1:52PMMaybe you should only do like a quarterly report, Richie.
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 2:20PMI always thought that there was only room for 1 all sports stations in DFW. Now I am thinking I was right.
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 2:27PMThanks for posting this, Richie. Here's even more detail.
April 2009 Men 25-54
Ticket #1 (6.0) M-Fr 6am-12mid, ESPN #8 3.8, FAN #21t 2.2
Musers #1 (9.1) M-Fr 6am-10am, ESPN #3 4.9, FAN 19t 2.4
Norm #2 (5.7) M-Fr 10am-12n, ESPN #16t 2.7, FAN #19t 2.4
Bad Radio #2 (5.3) M-Fr 12n-3pm, ESPN #12 2.8, FAN #17t 2.2
Hardline #1 (5.6) M-Fr 3-7pm, ESPN #5 4.2, FAN #25t 2.0
I don't really think "the big picture" is persons 6 plus. No usable perspective there. (Ever zoom out so far on Google maps that you can't find Texas, much less the corner store you're looking for?) The big picture for sports radio will always be men 25-54.
The Ticket has an uphill battle. ESPN has a huge brand name and the The Fan is doing everything they can to dethrone both ESPN and The Ticket. But having three sports radio stations is wonderful for the DFW radio consumer, who benefits from having choices.
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 2:33PMI just can't understand how the Hardline continues to pull that kind of share. The Musers, Norm, and BAD Radio are all good shows that I find entertaining. However, at 3:00 PM, I am gone to The Fan. I enjoy Ben and Skin who actually appear to spend some time watching the teams they are covering. It isn't evident that anyone on the Hardline spends much time doing anything but reading blogs and newspaper accounts the next day.
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 2:48PMI guess you can go back to the book style ratings next year since Cumulus and Clear Channel will be using the Nielson Co. for their ratings. That's assuming those media companies don't go bankrupt.
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 2:48PM
If what Gordon posts is true, the HL is losing share to the other two stations:
Hardline
Jan Feb Mar Apr
Ticket 6.3 6.6 6.2 5.6
ESPN 4.6 3.6 3.4 4.2
The Fan 1.3 1.4 1.6 2.0
Doesn't Barry Horn have a blog for this kind of shit?
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 3:35PM@Rooster
The Hardline is #1 in our demo and beating both of our sports competitors and that is what we sell on.
@Pedro Cerrano
Hardline pulls that share because they are damn entertaining. Ben and Skin are really nice guys, but as long as they are up against the Ticket, I'm rooting Ticket.
Now let's stop talking ratings and talk boobs, which gets ratings.
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 3:36PM@ Rooster
I could believe that, I listen to the ticket while at the office but if a Rangers day game is being broadcast I'm on the Fan.
And when the Rangers aren't on during the day, I will usually punch out from the Ticket and pop in music shortly after the WTDS mix of BaDD and Hardline.
I don't dislike the Hardline by any means, but by that point in the day you have heard all the sports news you can handle and to be perfectly honest, Corby's voice has always kind of irked me. Can handle him in small doeses and when he brings the funny via bits and such, but 4 full hours?? I'm generally out on that.
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 3:41PMGK trolling for site hits via the Sportatorium??
As Dylan would say: "Times, they are a changin'!"
Seriously though, thanks for the #'s Richie and Gordo the great.
It is a bit of a beating seeing these types of posts being put up here w/ such frequency but as others have pointed out, the ratings info. isn't as readily available as many would like and hey, radio talk (in particular talk of kTicket) is comment gold Jerry!
Keep up the good work gentlemen
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 3:53PMMaybe we'll live to see the day BaDD Radio goes up against Mike and Corby. Right now it's like having 2 great boxing champions in different weight classes. They beat the hell out of everyone in their own weight class you hoped they were in the same class to see whose the best.
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 3:56PM@Gordon - In my business, that is what's known as a "downward trend", and "losing share".
That means if it continues, what you are "selling on" today will be what your competitors are "selling on" tomorrow; meaning you have an advance notice they will be stealing your revenues, and you may/may not choose to act on it.
@Anonymous - I'm a fan of the Hardline; just pointing the trend out. While I don't think they're the greatness they once were, they're still leaps and bounds above anyone else in their time slot.
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 3:59PM@Gordo - I suppose some find them entertaining, just not me.
Ben and Skin are good guys (I suppose, since I don't know them) and they are entertaining. People should give them a listen.
The Musers has always been my favorite but I didn't realize how far ahead of the competition they were until you posted those numbers. Pretty amazing. You must really be making the big bucks now! :-)
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 4:00PM@ the 2nd Anonymous
Damn good analogy there friend!
BaDD facing off against the HL in the same time slot would be like an Anderson Silva v. GSP bout (which MAY actually happen if GSP beats Thiago in July)
Dammit Richie, when will there be some more MMA-related blog-entries on the site!!!
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 4:12PM@Rooster says:
RE: In my business, that is what's known as a "downward trend", and "losing share"
If you understand the realities of radio ratings you wouldnt call it that. Ratings are quite nebulus.
Those terms can only be applied to revenue numbers in radio.
The musers are amazingly strong. Their greatest threat is Cumulus, the company that bought the TICKET a few years back, and not any competing broacast in DFW.
Corby has never really gotten on my nerves. He's always cool in person and I enjoy his "average guy, doesn't think he knows everything about sports" perspective. As a matter of fact, Mike is the one starting to get on my nerves. I agree that the guy sounds like he couldn't care less about being on the radio unless he's talking Rangers. But the only way I'd turn off the HL is if BaD Radio went up against them. I'll never turn off the Musers for any show, but BaD is more important to me than the HL. Maybe it's just that I've listened to the Ticket for so long, but every other show I give a chance fails to impress me. It's all nonsense-talk (Irving), too much "listener perspective" (K-Scott and co-host whatever his name is), or too many rapid fire inside jokes and pop-culture references (Ben & Skin).
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 5:11PMThe Hardline is not bad now. We get less of the stupid mehoff sessions that Greg and Mike used to get stuck in talking about boring stuff. Especially baseball. They still talk a lot of baseball, but it is much more tolerable now, as even though greggo would talk about it, he was an imbecile in regards to knowing anything.
I like the WTDS, I like E-News, Whats on Mike's Mind. The rest of the show is hit and miss.
Of course now I got a DVR-like program for my computer so I can record all the ticket shows I listen to, listen to them whenever I want and fast forward through all the commercials.
I used to have a kid who I paid $5 a month to cut out all the ads in my newspaper before I read it.
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 6:52PMR.J. Choppy and Wally Lynn are the most underrated show on radio. They just are not on enough. Why won't ESPN put them on more? They are way better than Irvin and Kiley.
Posted On: Thursday, May. 21 2009 @ 8:51PMThanks for the updates.
Who in the hell listens to Cowherd? That is one downer steer that needs to be put out of its misery.
Irvin= fail. Unlistenable.
KScott and Gregwhatshisname. Get rid of spike to me head Greg and I might listen. I gave them a shot. No thanks.
Newy and Salisbury Steak? Tolerable. If it is a commercial I might stay past the break. Maybe.
Ben and Skin+ Coleslaw. Aww, I want to like them, but it ain't happening.
The Argument? have they distanced from that name? why? It sucks less than Dan Patrick.
I almost pissed my pants when Choppy and Wally were doing their fake Irvin/Kiley. Their chemistry is light years ahead of Choppy and Greggos. Its a much better show, if its ever on, which it isn't
Posted On: Friday, May. 22 2009 @ 12:22AMChoppy is like Cooperstein without the knowledge....All the East coast attitude with nothing to back it up.
Posted On: Friday, May. 22 2009 @ 9:34AMPosting sports related ratings once a month is not too much. Just look at the number of comments on the article vs your average.
Posted On: Friday, May. 22 2009 @ 9:55AMGreg Hill is the worst radio personality on DFW airwaves. I swear to God -- and I wouldn't say this about anybody else on any station in the metroplex -- I could do better than him.
Mushmouth Irvin is unlistenable. I wanted to like Ben & Skin, but they fill their show with WAY too many calls. I don't care what Joe in Plano has to say.
The only calls of any entertaining value are the ones placed on Friday mornings on the Ticket, voting for E-Brake of the Week.
Posted On: Friday, May. 22 2009 @ 1:23PM"Corby has never really gotten on my nerves. He's always cool in person and I enjoy his "average guy, doesn't think he knows everything about sports" perspective."
You're kidding, huh? Corby is increasingly unlistenable because he DOES act like he knows everything. If The FAN hired away BaD Radio, they would overtake the HL in two months.
Wally Lynn? He comes across as a smug SOB. If ESPN wants to stage a 570 reunion and go down the tubes like KLIF did, their GM is on the right path.
Damn, (according to the PDF on Gordo's blog) Ben and Skin's rating suck.
Not that we didn't already know that...
Posted On: Friday, May. 22 2009 @ 5:23PM@ dooley. Good call. I probably come across as smug at times. Bad Radio is great radio. They are very creative in what they do. I am a huge fan of what the Ticket has done. They are great for a dying industry. I wish them continued success.
Posted On: Friday, May. 22 2009 @ 10:10PM"oh no ben & skin is not doing well...
ratings look ugly like sam cassell...
oh no, newy scruggs is not doing well...
from noon to 3, i stay BADD as hell..."
trice up, bitches!!!
Posted On: Saturday, May. 23 2009 @ 9:15AMCongratulations, Fan! That 1.4 rating will continue to help pay Russ Martin's $75,000 a month salary for the next 23 months.
Posted On: Saturday, May. 23 2009 @ 7:15PMOK, I have tried the Fan on multiple occasions and I think I found out the reason that I don't like it...not every opinion is good. I think everybody will agree that there are a fair share of dumbasses amongst us. I'm sure that some people are reading this and debating whether I should have used "among" or "amongst" in the last sentence...and for you, sir, you're an asshole...but I digress.
Every host that takes a call gives a verbal handjob to every caller for their brillant take...whether it is borderline retarded or not. Don't give me this shit that it is a station made for the fans. Give me a station made for INTELLIGENT fans, because telling me that Jerry needs to hire a football guy isn't breaking new ground. I would rather hear The Ticket's dick and fart jokes and 2 calls per show (and Danny hanging up both of the idiots) than hearing Newy or Ben saying that it was a "great call" for Joe in Fort Worth diatribing on how the Mavericks shoot too many jump shots.
Let me know when they will start being a little discriminating on their phone screening and I'll try it again...
Posted On: Saturday, May. 23 2009 @ 10:10PMI'll take BaDD Radio over any other sports show in DFW, PERIOD.
The only thing I will attempt to listen to on regular radio (SiriusXMfan) is sports talk. And once Corby became full time, I became full time done with The Hardline. Not my cup of tea. If he's yours, good for you. Enjoy.
BaDD Radio and Ben & Skin FTW.
Posted On: Sunday, May. 24 2009 @ 10:34PMWhen is someone gonna come up with better code than FTW or epic fail? Aren't we tired of those already? Say something intelligent man!
Posted On: Monday, May. 25 2009 @ 8:44AM
