Looks like Entercom made the right decision to acquire CBS Radio.

94 WIP topped the ENTIRE Philadelphia market in November on the strength of the Eagles’ 9-1 start.

WIP finished with an 8 share, which I’m told is the highest in the station’s history. The previous record share was set just one month earlier, when the Eagles were also cruising through September and October.

Here are some of the highlights of the ratings period running from mid-October to mid-November, based on the coveted “men 25-54” demographic:

Mornings

Angelo Cataldi, who just signed a new contract, nearly doubled Anthony Gargano and Bob Cooney.

WIP’s morning show was #2 in the market overall, trailing only Preston and Steve on WMMR.

Middays

Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie also enjoyed a solid win over Harry Mayes and Jason Myrtetus in the 10am to 2pm time slot. The gap was wider towards the beginning of the show, with WIP enjoying a stronger lead-in coming out of Cataldi’s program. However, the margins narrowed in the 1pm hour, with 97.5 picking up steam heading into Mike Missanelli territory. WIP’s numbers dropped off heading towards 2 p.m.

Joe and Jon were also #2 overall in the market’s M25-54 demo, behind 102.9 WMGK’s classic rock programming.

Afternoons

Mikey Miss was again victorious in the afternoon, though the margin was less than one share point. The combination of Ike Reese and Chris Carlin performed better than expected from 2 to 6, so we’ll see if that momentum continues after Carlin’s departure.

Jeff Blumenthal over at the Philadelphia Business Journal has more on the afternoon time slot:

The afternoon show still trails rival sports station 97.5 The Fanatic (WPEN-FM) stalwart Mike Missanelli. The Fanatic saw its PPM performance increase from 1.7 in August to 2.7 in November.

The ratings period does not reflect the change from afternoon drive co-host Chris Carlin, who last month returned to Entercom sister station WFAN in New York after less than a year at WIP. Jon Marks now teams with incumbent Ike Reese.

Nothing surprising there. Mikey Miss still runs afternoons, though WIP is making significant gains there.

It was a clean sweep on the weekends, though, with WIP placing first in all key male demographics. They obviously crushed anything else on the radio during Eagles’ broadcasts, and also benefited from a ratings period that included a Thursday night game (Carolina) and Monday night game (Washington) in consecutive weeks.

And that’s the key here– the Eagles’ radio rights and the strength of the Merrill Reese and Mike Quick partnership. It gives WIP the lopsided advantage over 97.5, which finished 15th overall with that 2.7 total share. WPEN is also in a transitional phase with the departure of longtime program director Matt Nahigian, who was replaced by former NJ 101.5 executive Eric Johnson.

But there are positives for the Fanatic, which has a younger trending audience. 97.5 performed well in the 25-44 age range and reportedly posted higher digital streaming numbers. WIP had significant success with men 50 years or older, finishing #1 in the M35-64 demographic in all three day parts, plus weekends. The station also finished #1 in the blanket M18+ demo.

That seems to be the trend, as has been from day one. The Fanatic has a good connection with a younger crowd, but WIP wins soundly on the strength of the Eagles and a slightly older demographic. WIP’s average TSL (time spent listening) number is about 15 minutes above the 97.5 average, which is another considerable metric.

This is, of course, all framed within an archaic ratings setup that still uses portable people meters, which is like wearing a pager that needs to be docked at night. I don’t know how many PPMs there are in Philly, but when I worked in television we had about 900 metered households in a market area of 2.8 million TV homes. That should tell you all you need to know about sample sizes.

The overall list shows steady gains for both stations on the strength of the Eagles’ success, though WIP increased from a 5.3 to 8.0 in four months, while 97.5 went from a 1.7 to 2.7.

Per Radio Online: