Thursday, December 27, 2012

Dec. 2012 SF Radio Arbitrons; KNBR falls from 8.1 to 4.2, (No Giants); The Game goes Poof at 0.7; Ditto 'NewsTalk 910; KQED Surges to #1 and KCBS holds Serve; KGO? How's the All-News format? Thursday Opener

THE WINNERS...

KQED rolls to a healthy 6.0, (up from Nov. 5.7); KCBS holds steady as #2 with a 5.4...KOIT, which began playing 24/7 Christmas music had a very good December with a solid 5.4


THE LOSERS...

KNBR, which boasted a remarkable 8.1 PPM in November rolled all the way down to a disheartening 4.2, (Is there anymore proof that without the Giants, and to a lesser degree, the 49ers, KNBR is poof?)

FM counter-station, KGMZ, (95.7 The Game), flatlined at 0.7 for the second consecutive month proving once again that a lousy signal and amateurish program directing by a PD who hasn't read the room makes for terrible ratings.

*Boom, goes the dynamite: KSFO fell from a decent 2.2 in November, (thanks election), back to a meager 2.0.

Meanwhile, sister KGO fell back again to a dismal 2.7. (How's the all-news format going boys and girls?)


DISAPPOINTMENT CENTRAL: KKSF-AM, (Newstalk 910) had a terrible December book. It fell from a respectable Nov, (2.0) to an embarrassing 1.6. Guys, maybe it's time to rethink the personnel line-up from 4-7 PM? Among more pressing issues.

HERE'S THE FULL NUMBERS.

*As we always note, PPM ratings are beauty contest numbers. Advertisers don't buy based on these numbers; nevertheless, they reflect trends as to what the Bay Area radio audience is listening to.

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45 comments:

  1. Speaking of KNBR, who was the Yakity Yak chattering between 9:30pm and 10pm on Wednesday night by himself. No callers in that period. The radio station has become a complete bore. I was able to get to sleep after 10pm

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    1. It's Matt Kolsky aka "Tolsky", the guy who normally does the updates on KNBR 680 in the afternoons. I'm sorry but he's not really that good. Yes, he's just starting out, but sometimes he sounds disinterested, and he comes across as awkward. I mean yeah, sometimes he can be funny, but I think he should just stick doing updates.

      They really should add Ted Ramey to the fill-in host rotation. He's not really that bad, he's more passionate about Bay Area sports than a guy like Kolsky, and he has good sports knowledge. Yes, he has that high school sports show, but they should have him fill-in everyone once in a while.

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  2. 95.7 The Game's PD has really insulted the intelligence of Bay Area sports fans by bringing in other talent from all over. Was I supposed to believe that Tierney was a credible source to talk Bay Area sports with us? People around here respect home-grown talent.

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  3. Could Talk 910's drop be attributed to the time change? Don't they lower power at sunset?

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  4. Henry Wolford made a strong case to be a full time host on theGAME. Townsend,Steinmetz would be light years better with him. Yet,Henry is working the second tier. He's the Jeremy Lin,2011-12 of Jason Barret is to Larry Riley .
    Barret..and the regional director (an ex KNBR crony says Rich Lieberman) don't get it. Enough of the past Larry Krueger types..get somebody new and urban,barrio,Asian town. Sports really is the hamster wheel of caucasian hosts. Jeezuz, Ann Killion could do better then any THGAME host who isn't Papa.
    S

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  5. I was hopeful that KKSF would pick up some of the slack left when KGO made the switch and I have tried to support the station when I can. I don't have a problem with any of the KGO hosts they have brought on. My issue is number 1, signal strength as I cannot get either the AM or PM drive times in my commute. I was able to listen to Gil in the summer but not now. And number 2, I would listen on the weekends when I am working in my shop but they have nothing on at all. I think it is all paid adverising. In the old KGO days it was possible to leave the radio on KGO as even the less popular shows were good enough to hold you, and you can't do that with KKSF. I don't know how they can garner the loyality that KGO had with listeners and I am still rooting for them.

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    1. I enjoy listening to both Len and Gil because they are local and not syndicated. However, I would prefer if Gil would use at least one of his hours like the old format --introducing one topic and taking listener calls.

      One syndicated show in the line-up might not be a problem, but Rush, Tom Sullivan, and Alan Colmes, then a marathon session of Coast to Coast is too much syndication, not enough local.

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    2. well...they fired a guy who knew what he was doing, so don't expect much change.

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  6. i hate to say it but.. gill gross is really boring....i really feel bad saying that...i like him...I listen to alan colmes and george noori exclusively....colmes is really funny and noori is so far out..it's great radio...

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    1. I agree with previous posters. I've tried to support Gil's show as much as humanly possible but between his drawn out boring monologues, lack of callers, schizophrenic topic changes and RHODAAAAAA on Fridays his show is not worth my time. Add to that the exchanges with the douchey news guy Sebastian Kunz and it is no wonder the ratings are in the toilet. I do enjoy Lloyd Lindsey Young and Len Tillem when he is on but Len seems to have adopted the Ronnnnnnnnn Owens schedule, he is off for every holiday whether it is Jewish or not....kudos to Michael Savage and Mike Noory who have been on live this whole week.

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    2. Savage was not live this "whole week." He was out on the 24/25th. And from what seemed like a sensible show on guns after the Newtown story has turned 180, right back into his standard screaming about American's right to own a bazooka.

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    3. Savage is a first amendment victim when it suits him (banned from entering Britain) but in the next sentence he wants to ban movies and video games. He may be a doctor but his intelligence comes into question more and more....

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    4. Savage vacillates between good shows and complete idiocy. I feel his age is catching up with him pretty quickly. The other night he was reading a chapter from a new fictional tale he wrote that is not yet published. Figures he'd be on the downside of things if Cumulus is now his employer.

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  7. Both sports radio stations are a total joke. Rich said it best, you know it's bad when the network programming is better than the local shows. Sad but true!

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    1. Ah, traditionally, network program IS better than local, hence why they work for the "network"...much bigger audience.

      Dan Patrick is much better than most all the local hosts, and that is why his program is syndicated, and nationwide, instead of in just one market.

      So, if you are basing your argument on the premise that local shows are usually better then network shows, that would more than likely be a false premise.

      But, it is not to say that your opinion about the local shows being poor is incorrect. I tend to feel the way you do.

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    2. this statement is flat out false.

      "traditionally" network programming is not better when it comes to sports, but network programming is cheaper for affiliates. LOCAL Sports programming should dominate the network in any major city because they're talking about the home team. just check the ratings in ny, philly, chicago, miami, dallas and even large college towns for proof of this.

      KNBR should be KILLING network (they may be), and 95.7 has the ability to.

      everyone talks about the same crap in politics so that's a different can of worms, but sports should always win locally.

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    3. That statement is not false at all. Dan Patrick as the example above is better and has better content than any of the local folks, hands down; that doesn't mean the locals all suck, but they are not as good.

      You are confusing talent with content and with what a host discusses. Also conflating the cost issues....that is not what was mentioned.

      Your preference is for local, and again I agree I think that is better from the standpoint of talking about and dealing with issues that effect us here locally. BUT, that does not mean nor correlate that local talent/programming is always/more often better. You may prefer it, and again I understand, but that is a preference, not a support of your premise...but hosts and programming on that level or more often better, as they are national stage, not a local one, and are given money, support, and infrastructure beyond what locals are provided...i.e....bigger investment; likely because of what the talent delivers in ratings and revenue in return...exceptions to the rule of course, but that is why they are exceptions, and NOT the rule

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    4. The Dan Patrick show is garbage.

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  8. KKSF signal is gone for me when it gets dark. So now I listen less than when daylight hours were longer

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  9. "KNBR, which boasted a remarkable 8.1 PPM in November rolled all the way down to a disheartening 4.2, (Is there anymore proof that without the Giants, and to a lesser degree, the 49ers, KNBR is poof?)"

    Yeah, but KNBR DOES HAVE the Giants and 49ers.

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  10. those are limited numbers, Rich. Ronn's show has a horrendous lead in, and then gets better throughout, then station goes down again. Should tell them something you'd think.

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  11. I don't know the breakdown of the lower ratings of Newstalk 910, but since the daylight has dwindled, my reception starts to fade soon after 4:00 p.m. and by 5:00 or so it's all static. I would love to listen to the old KGO crew and also Alan C at 7:00, but I have to wait until there is more daylight.

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  12. Wait a minute here, when I checked the ratings for Newstalk 910, the numbers for 3 out of the 4 months were the same with only November being a bit higher. I don't know about "Disappointment Central" is a fair statement in that they are holding steady except for a rise in November ratings which might have something to do with the election. I'm a fan of 910 and wish it had better reception and no Rush Limbaugh.

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    1. Have you heard of IHeart radio? Use that on your phone and problem solved. I live in Pebble Beach and my Prius gets 910am loud and clear. Come on!

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    2. Hey 11:04, how does radio over the phone impact your data plan?

      Speaking of "come on!", thats what I say when impeded by a Prius!

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    3. There is wifi everywhere, stop making excuses. I can just picture you with a coat hanger on your car as an antenna. I knew someone would attack the Prius...

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    4. "I can just picture you (in the rear view mirror, flashing your headlights, trying to coax me to approach the speed limit) with a coat hanger on your car as an antenna".

      There, I fixed your statement for you. Most refer to their car as "my car" and leave it at that...D-Bag.

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    5. I had to be specific about the Prius because my three other automobiles do not get 910am very well in Pebble Beach.You're much closer to SF so stop belly aching about reception.

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  13. The San Francisco Radio Market is the worst I have ever heard!! San Francisco makes Delmarva (Delaware Maryland and Virginia Eastern Shore) radio sound like New York or Los Angeles. Nothing on the dial worth listening to except for Gil and Ronn. Everything else is pretty much crap

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  14. Hooray for KOIT's ratings. I found KOIT to have a good mix of old and new Christmas music this year--Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, the Carpenters, Vince Guaraldi, and newer stuff from Josh Groban, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Carrie Underwood. KBAY was good also, but KOIT was better.

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  15. Its no surprise that KSFO and KKSF are in the dumps! I stopped listening to both. Listening to Gil Gross is like eavesdropping on a conversation in his kitchen. Boooring! Why would they give his wife Rhoda on the job training if its obvious she belongs in the kitchen too?

    As for KSFO. That Brain Sussman has tried to sew together a composite of Mark Levin and lee Rodgers. His is counterfeit and a terrible imitation .Instead of finding his niche as to his radio persona he is a bovine! (no offense to that species).

    The topper for me was Katie Green , what an unfeminine loud mouth shnook! This week I tuned in briefly and found she is now co anchoring with the substitutes! How stupid is this? Stupid enough that I now try to get stations outside of the Bay Area.

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    1. That's why I bought an internet radio (Grace Mondo). Katie Green is so bad I had to stop listening to KSFO in the morning. Not to mention that the show turned into a morning zoo with all the whooping and hollering going on.

      It's great being able to get a variety of morning shows from across the country and now I never listen to KSFO -- and I'm not stuck with those A&G dopes on a couple other local stations as the only alternative.

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  16. you ever heard Gil gross is real estate show on KSFO ," it's trauma radio"." junk" radio.

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  17. I think Rhoda is a jazz singer of some reknown, and probably sings in the kitchen too, though not bound to it. yes?

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  18. On Comcast right now? Lynch and PECON are doing the KNBR hosts rattle off esoteric sports facts one after another. Like taking a cue from Raddy,they mistake sports trivia-minutiae, as understanding sports.
    Same old shit KNBR hosts pass as sports talk.

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  19. Re: KKSF
    I do not listen to Rush or who ever follows him. Gil is ok, except on Fridays when is on with his spouse. I just cant stand it.

    Gil's program would greatly improve with a true call in program and less lecturing.

    I love Alan Colmes whose program is very entertaining and informative. Perhaps because he doesnt have that many guests and not for the whole hour. His callers are right wing nuts which is just great.

    Gil could take some clues from that program.

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    1. KKSF's has two big problems: 1). Not enough local programming 2). Weak signal. Combine those two and you have a deadly combination. Clear Channel is not putting very much into this operation because they don't expect much out of it. This is a typical and perhaps shrewd approach. Maybe corporate rationalizes "It's got a lousy signal, what's it going to do anyway?" approach and this is one reason why KKSF languishes. In the markets where CC has blowtorch signals (WLW Cinncinati, KFI LA, KOGO SD, KFBK Sac) they spend money on local programming knowing that the station has the ability to deliver an audience for the format with its tremendous reach. In the markets where CC has poor signal AM's (SF, Stockton-Modesto, Salinas) they barely have any local presence and the stations putter along rising and falling with the luck of the draw and where the diaries land (Stockton & Salinas) or whether or not a PPM user can hear the station (SF).

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  20. Tolbert joins the radio broadcast of Warriors.
    Now Rich will resurrect the Fitz history with Dubs and the sheeple will follow with "he's a backstabber!","Fitz is a brown nose kiss ass!", "This is first move, Fitz will be gone next season!" ad nauseum.

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  21. Good, I wish with all my heart that Fitz would get fired. He doesn't deserve that gig because he is a backstabber and a putz to boot! I don't know a single person who works in the media that has anything good to say about 'Fatty' Fitz.

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  22. The 'Game' is a joke. They hire loud mouth know it alls from out of town, and then put on yokels such Roxy Bernstein or some of the Comcast TV hosts. What a joke. Does anyone even listen to any of their shows? No one even knows where they are on the dial, as you can't hear them in parts of the bay area. About the only good thing they've got on there is when Townsend and Bucher come on, although Bucher is not credible talking about anything other than NBA basketball. As bad as KNBR is with idiots like 'p-con' and annoying frat boys such as Murph and Mack, they are in no danger of having their ratings cut into by 'the game,' because it's a loser radio station.

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  23. Why do people assume that the ratings at Newstalk 910 (which have basically held for the past 4 months with a rise in last month's numbers) have only to do with the 4 to 7 p.m. time slot? Does anyone know what times were up and what times were down? I won't listen to Limbaugh and am sick of Sullivan. Maybe it's those listeners who have dropped. I happen to enjoy Gil Gross except when Rhoda is on because she doesn't have a voice for radio and does not add to the interest of the show. Also, do love Alan Colmes. Anyway, how do they figure the ratings as far as what shows bring them up or down? Of course the reception is a problem for some of us this time of year. I say good job for Newstalk 910!

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  24. I'm sure Gil is a great guy so it pains me to say this. I just don't find him to be very smart or articulate. Especially when he addresses complex topics like the economy and real estate. He doesn't know the first thing about how a business works so he just minimizes inconvenient facts like why Califronia businesses won't hire more workers or why they flee the state.
    Listening to him is the opposite of thought provoking or engaging.
    Sorry Gil.

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  25. No accounting for taste; I like the Game with the exception of Townsend and his sidekick. The Rise Guys are really talented and Lund and Poppa are funny. Would like to hear more Henry W. and Ricky T. Hope the station survives.

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  26. KGO.....How's that all news format working out!!! lol

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  27. Is KJZY number one yet??? lol

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