So
yesterday, in general terms, I documented how The Ticket has maintained its local sports-talk radio stranglehold throughout 2013. Today - by popular request - let's drill down a lot deeper and see just how wide the day-part gaps are between 1310 AM and competitors ESPN 103.3 and 105.3 The Fan.
First, let's get the rosters of the teams in order. The Ticket? Check.
Same as it's been since 2000, Craig Miller and George Dunham (
The Musers) from 6-10 a.m., followed by Norm Hitzges 10 a.m.-Noon, then Bob Sturm and Dan McDowell (
BaD Radio) Noon-3 p.m. and Mike Rhyner and Corby Davidson (
The Hardline) in drive time 3-7 p.m.
As for the other two stations, putting a name with a time-slot isn't so easy. And already the problems arise.
(continued from page 1)
At ESPN Ben Rogers and Jeff "Skin" Wade (
Ben and Skin) left on February 25, re-arranging the station's lineup into nationally syndicated
Mike and Mike 5 a.m.-9 a.m., out-of-town host Colin Cowherd 9-11 a.m., local newcomers Ian Fitzsimmons and Richard Durrett (
Fitzsimmons and Durrett) from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and veteran Randy Galloway (
Galloway and Company) 3-6 p.m.
At The Fan, where there are more shuffles than the World Series of Poker,
yours truly and Greg Williams (RAGE) were fired on April 15, ultimately replaced May 13 by former Ticket and ESPN and Live 105.3 duo
Ben and Skin from 2-6 p.m. The remainder of The Fan remained stable including 6-10 a.m. morning show Shan Shariff and R.J. Choppy (
New School) - though without sidekick Jasmine Sadry, who was fired in March - and Mark Elfenbein and Jane Slater (
Elf & Slater) 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
How have the changes affected the landscape? Halfway through this year The Ticket is still the big dawg hogging the bowl, with ESPN clearly out-fighting The Fan for fewer and fewer scraps.
(continued from page 2)
In June - in the all-important demographic of Men 25-54 years old - The Ticket dominated with each time slot garnering at least a 7.4 rating and finishing no lower than second among all stations. How dominant is The Ticket? In each of the three metered dayparts, its shows' ratings were easily higher than the two competing stations - combined.
The Hardline, as it's done every month this year, owned afternoon drive with a 9.1, ranking first in the Metroplex among its target demo. ESPN's
Galloway finished 10th with a 3.5, while
Ben and Skin are stumbling out of the gate at The Fan with only a 1.7 rating, slotting them 23rd in the market.
The Ticket's
BaD Radio -
which seriously flirted with The Fan last month - gobbled up its competition in middays with a 7.4. And
The Musers continue to control mornings with a 7.9, smothering ESPN's 4.0 and The Fan's 2.3.
The June snapshot is merely duplicated when extrapolated.
While The Ticket's shows have maintained or increased their numbers since January, ESPN's
Fitzsimmons and Durrett are merely holding steady in the mid-2's while
Galloway fluctuates between 6th and 11th overall. Meanwhile, every show on The Fan has endured significant damage since the dawn of 2013.
New School has fallen from a 4.5 in January to a 2.3 in June,
Elf & Slater from a 3.9 to a 2.5, and where once there was
RAGE at a paltry 2.8 there is now
Ben and Skin under 2.0 the last two months.
In the end, nothing new. The Ticket's dynasty is seemingly as strong as ever via stability and consistency as much as talent. Their challengers prove time and again they have neither the stomach for the fight nor the backbone to remain consistent enough to even be competitive.
(continued from page 3)
A detailed breakdown of The Ticket's bludgeoning of ESPN and The Fan ...
| TIME SLOT | | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN |
|---|
| 6a - 10a | Ticket | 8.3 (1) | 8.7 (1) | 7.7 (1) | 7.5 (2) | 7.0 (4) | 7.9 (2) |
| ESPN | 3.6 (8) | 3.4 (8) | 2.8 (11) | 3.2 (10) | 3.6 (7) | 4.0 (7) |
| Fan | 4.5 (7) | 3.9 (7) | 2.8 (11) | 2.2 (17) | 2.5 (14) | 2.3 (16) |
| | | | | | | |
| 10a - 3p | Ticket | 5.0 (4) | 5.6 (4) | 7.2 (2) | 7.4 (3) | 7.3 (3) | 7.4 (2) |
| ESPN | 2.5 (16) | 1.9 (24) | 1.9 (22) | 2.4 (17) | 2.7 (12) | 2.6 (12) |
| Fan | 3.9 (6) | 2.9 (11) | 2.7 (13) | 2.1 (19) | 2.3 (15) | 2.5 (15) |
| | | | | | | |
| 3p - 7p | Ticket | 7.3 (1) | 8.0 (1) | 8.9 (1) | 9.0 (1) | 8.9 (1) | 9.1 (1) |
| ESPN | 3.8 (7) | 3.4 (11) | 3.0 (11) | 3.6 (7) | 4.0 (6) | 3.5 (10) |
| Fan | 2.8 (14) | 2.7 (14) | 2.6 (18) | 2.3 (21) | 1.9 (22) | 1.7 (23) |
The Fan 3-7 timeslot has been trending down since Jan..but..like every other time slot B&S have worked, they have done nothing to stop the trend...but...like cockroaches they are hard to kill. They're probably working on their next move..
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more.
DeleteNot that I have anything against them but let's hope this is their last shot at a real time slot. I'd much rather an all new local show take their place which would actually have some chance of being good. There would only be upside which is why it's so dumbfounding that the idiots at the fan thought this was a good idea (after it already failed for them once).
DeleteGood info RW. You've got failure jesus and I have my moniker.
ReplyDeleteWe aren't always right, but have a high average.
I wish I was a sales guy for The Ticket. Selling ads would be like selling candy to a baby. Stick those numbers in front of anyone willing to spend a buck would seem to be a simple sale. Too bad they only have an all woman sales staff who are straight from the pages of whatever the trendiest men's magazine is now.
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
Wishing I had a vag and boobs
aka NTDSLARS
So keep selling printing man.
DeleteWhat happen to your Russ Martin scoop? Curious to know how he renewed his contract. As a long time fan of his, even I can't stand his show anymore.
ReplyDeleteRichie back trolling the ticket for page views. It's sad really.
ReplyDeleteHere I am defending RW again....
DeleteDear Anonymous,
Q. Why would Richie publish factual information that people want to read?
A. Because people want to read it, dumbass.
There are plenty of reasons to kick RW. This isnt one of them. Where exactly did he "troll" the Ticket? He reported their high ratings and detailed the players at the other stations. If you want to kick Richie, go visit his White Truck Wednesday post. It deserves your derision.
Yes, dead on Moron Dog. White truck Wednesday is a bad bit that needs to be shot in the head. I enjoy most of Richie's other efforts.
DeleteElf and Slater were beating Ben and Skin in Jan! Like to see the rating from the end of last year. Why would you hire them to take over Rage and the primetime slot. Makes no sense.
ReplyDeleteIn the "Greggo got me fired" article, ratings were not important. It was billing. Now it's ratings.
DeleteAlso, the fan has a high attrition rate because the shows haven't been good. The ticket has had some turnover as well. Once they found something that worked, they stuck with it. It's a little more complex than just consistency isn't it? You can't keep serving shit sandwiches until the masses learn to like it, right?
Richie was correct in saying that billing does relate to a shows overall profitability. However, so do ratings. Ratings actually contribute more to a shows long term probability and the ability to forecast future returns. Getting mad at an author for focusing on the aspect that best fits the narrative he is trying to present, is a waste of time.
DeleteI was a little surprised to see that slater and elf's ratings weren't as bottom basement as I thought they would be, but that's somewhat moot now considering that they are on borrowed time. I think New School will be reevaluated after the annual fall football ratings bump they get.
As far as B&S go, they are Spittle's babies for better or worse at this point. His success is linked to theirs for the foreseeable future. I don't listen, but I think it will be amusing to observe the extreme amount of latitude they will be given. In the end, given their history and current market indicators, I think Spittle will have lots more time to work on designs for his side business. I think we are all excited to see what he'll come up with for the Kalamazoo Circle-Jerks.
I heard Ben & Skin are resorting to stunts like getting their intern to drink his own urine on the air. That was all I needed to know that their ratings were really bad.
ReplyDeleteThe only show I listen to now on The Fan is Gavin & Chris's show. I've never liked "New School", Elf is annoying, B&S...don't get me started. I'd much rather listen to K&C over B&S.
ReplyDeleteRichie
ReplyDeleteWhen are you going to put a link to Greggo's blog and his to yours? Since they are both obviously a coordinated effort (along with the 89 part Hard Lie piece) to maintain a shread of relevance for the two of you.
Ben and Skin had a rare up-close view of the Rangers' first world series run and they absolutely fell in love with all things Rangers (whereas most of us fell in "like" with the Rangers). Consequently, tone-deaf Ben overloads his audience with baseball when they really want football. It's ok to go full-bore Rangers talk when they are in a pennant race or in the playoffs, but tone-deaf Ben wants to go on and on about how great Yu is after a meaningless game in May. It's too bad because they are both glib and funny but they don't think strategically about what they discuss on the show.
ReplyDeleteDo people really want football talk in May? The Rangers are the only team in DFW with a chance to win a championship. The Cowboys suck and will continue to suck. I would much rather hear about a team that is relevant than more "this is Tony Romo's year".
Delete@10:30 they talk more Mavs than Cowboys and are way more passionate, and the Mavs have the least chance of winning again out of any of the franchises.
DeleteBut to answer your question about hearing football, it is the #1 sport in the country, and baseball and basketball fluctuate after that. So yes, if there's something to talk about the #1 sport in the country, I'd like to hear it.
Being funny and glib doesn't make you a stand-up comic. Ben and Skin have been radio anthrax since I first heard them on the Ticket many years ago. I never got it but what I think doesn't matter. As long as the owner of the Mavericks and some foolish radio station program director think they'll draw listeners/viewers, they'll get a job. I hope this complete failure on their part at the Fan is enough to finally put an end to this experiment in foolishness and dumbassery. Hopefully, Jane Slater is next.
DeleteJane Slater....the ax can't come soon enough...horrible.
Delete@TheRealDirtyP1
DeleteI wasn't trying to say they should ignore football. The commenter implied that the Rangers aren't worth talking about and even when they are in the playoffs its boring. The Cowboys continued run of mediocrity is boring. If there is news I want to hear it. What I don't want to hear is what shade of yellow Romo's urine looks like while the Rangers get ignored when they are on a hot streak and a pennant race. There's room for both teams.
Fascinating info. I hope Danny from the Hardline gets paid more like a 3rd host instead of a producer because the Hardline's ratings are bonkers. Can't believe Greggo blew that gravy train. Looks like the Fan has taken a considerable nose dive since Spittle took over. Maybe they'll wise up and hire another program director if this continues. Can't say I'm surprised that New School's ratings have gone down without Jasmine or Ben & Skin can't beat RAGE. Ben & Skin in a profitable time slot like afternoon drive is a joke, G-Bag Nation would do better there.
ReplyDeleteI'm a fan of G-Bag when I have time to actually listen, but I'm not sure it translates as much with an older audience. I've really liked the addition of Chris Arnold, and Jeff is starting to grow on me.
DeleteLike herpes. It's what I do. What?
DeleteI agree that G-Bag Nation may not translate that successfully from nights to afternoon drive, but I think they'd get better ratings than Ben & Skin in that slot. Mid 20s to late 30s/early 40s or somewhere around there I think is the demo G-Bag would cater to, while Ben & Skin has the Jr High crowd who think Derek Holland doing Harry Caray impressions is funny.
DeleteIt's short-sighted to judge Ben and Skin's ratings considering they've been on the job for not even two months. It doesn't mean they shouldn't face criticism, but like all things in the radio business time will tell.
ReplyDelete@ Frank....you CAN fairly judge their ratings simply because they are a "known" commodity in this market. It's not like they just came in on a truck from Jersey. It was equally fair to judge RAGE's ratings after a couple of months. Again, known commodity. Ben & Skin just aren't very good when sampled on a daily basis and the numbers reflect that.
DeleteB&S sucks but they fool some program director each time. They must have some good pictures of some high level people doing some really bad things. They will soon pull a rarity - getting fired from the same station twice.
ReplyDeleteBen and Skin were never fired from 105.3. Or The Ticket, or ESPN.
DeleteWhy did they leave 105.3 the first time? Spittle was gone by then and the new PD knew their show and ratings sucked.
DeleteFired or not...Radio Hosts that are actually wanted by their employers are rarely given the opportunity to leave...especially to go to competitors in the same market.
Delete@8:00 is right. They were never "fired" from 105.3, apparently left amicably. I'm not sure if that means 105.3 paid out any of their contract, eased up on their non compete, or anything like that.
DeleteTheir move to 105.3 was calculated and expected when Spittle was back on board. They didn't renew with KESN and when that happened it was a matter of time. Where else could they go?
I don't want to rag on the guys, apparently some people do like them and follow them enough that they keep their job. They're just not my cup of tea for a variety of reasons. Best of luck to them but I just don't see them having success here.
The Hardline ratings are better because they're getting more of the RaGE listener.
ReplyDeleteHaven't listened to The FAN since April 15. Not even saved on my car radio any more.
ReplyDeleteBut I have peeked in a couple of times. Ben & Skin are just as grating and ass-kissing as they ever were, even when they were regularly polishing CJ Wilson's knob.
My neighbor at the DMN tells me that the local media jokes about them. I'm not surprised.
Their content is shallow, but one of B&S's biggest problems is an elementary one that that idiot Spittle should have realized: Their voices sound too much alike.
Richie,
ReplyDeleteHow many listeners do those ratings numbers equate to?
You've mentioned cumulative numbers. Does that mean total listeners for all the days of the month?
I'm curious to know how many more listeners per day the Ticket has compared to ESPN and The Fan.
I think a lot of people including me abandoned The Fan after the firing of RAGE. The fact that there appears to be a let's not talk about what happened to the other shows policy at CBS radio irks people.... I still like New School and Elf & Slater but the station as a whole seems like they don't have continuity Mike Fisher always seemed like a RAGE guy and now seems to be just working a job instead of having fun. By the way G-Bag is still the best thing The Fan has going but if cbs trys to change they're time slot even the general will be in trouble... If CBS wants to continue to be on the map in the DFW they to do something I'm not sure what that is.
ReplyDelete105.3 hasn't had ratings worth a damn since it was "Young Country" kicking serious ass for a couple of years. There was a point in time when 105.3 "Young Country" was consistently in the Top 10, and a number of times Top 5 in the MONEY demo of 25+.
ReplyDeleteDuring the Live 105 years, Stern's ratings were always a effing tragedy because he was disinterested and 20 minute commercial breaks, and RMS could only pull top 10 in very narrowly defined male demo in afternoon drive once maybe twice a year for a total of maybe four or five books in the entire life of the station.
Since the country days the SUCK knob has been pretty much set on MAX. There were a couple of hopeful moments as "The Fan", when it was Jagger, Newey, Rage, and the guy from back east, plus they had the Rangers, who were on a roll and the Cowboys who were on the field...sometimes.
Today...Unless they grab all of the Ticket staff and let them do their thing, I don't hold much hope...It ain't gonna happen with retreads from the not so glorious days of Live 105.3. Gavin Spittle, and the team of "I wish we were as funny as we think we are" Ben & Skin... That team can not pull it off...