PPM IS SHOWING THAT THE RADIO GASBAGS ARE IN DECLINE

Radio-Info.com has a note about gasbag ratings in the big markets:

Only 3 Talk stations are top 10 in the nation's biggest markets. KFI LA is #3, WGN Chicago is #7 and WSB Atlanta is #8. No other Talk station makes the top 10 in a big market.

1. NYC....WABC #15, WOR #19
2. LA....KFI #3, KABC #31
3. Chicago....WGN #7, WLS #11 tie
4. San Francisco....KSFO #20, KKSF #21 tie
5. Dallas....WBAP-AM-FM #17 tie, KLIF #35
6. Houston.....KTRH #15
7. Washington....WMAL-AM-FM #18
8. Philadelphia....WPHT #17
9. Atlanta....WSB/WSBB(FM) #8
10. Boston....WTLK(FM) #15, WRKO #18, WXKS #22

It seems the Talk format is having some problems these days, and it's not just the move away from AM. Putting the Talk format on FM stations in Dallas, Washington and Boston hasn't meant much success.

You might say that stations that use local hosts instead of simply running syndicated shows most of the day might bring more success. WGN is all local 24/7. KFI only runs Limbaugh and Coast to Coast. It's local the rest of the day. And while WSB runs some syndicated programs, Neil Boortz and Clark Howard do their syndicated shows from WSB, so most listeners don't realize it's a national show.

On the other hand, WPHT recently got rid of many of its syndicated shows but that hasn't meant much of a turnaround for this CBS Talk station.



Gregg
nh153@mail.com