Let’s be 100% transparent here:

We don’t do RADIO WARS ratings anymore. We stopped digging for this about two years ago.

Why?

A couple of reasons:

  1. Nielsen is somewhat bullshit. It gives us a very small sample size based on outdated technology and doesn’t tell anything close to a full story.
  2. As more and more people listen to the radio via stream, that number is becoming more important, and it’s a number that was not always readily available. We’d have streaming data for one station but not the other. WIP previously did not even participate in the Nielsen streaming program, but that has now changed (and their numbers are very good in this department).
  3. Some programs are simulcasted on TV, like Mike Missanelli’s show, and so you have to get that data and add it to the Nielsen+stream number to get a solid idea of who is actually tuning in across three different platforms. Other shows are now appearing on Youtube as well, so there’s more data that needs to be pulled and parsed.

That’s the explanation. There’s too much data and too many asterisks to be applied. But the reality of the situation is that radio sales departments in this region still set advertising rates that are based on Nielsen ratings, so there’s a level of importance in the data even though it’s sometimes wonky and incomplete.

That said, Barrett Sports Media does share ratings, and they posted a story today titled “SPORTS RADIO WIP DELIVERS DOMINANT PERFORMANCE IN 2021 WINTER RATINGS BOOK.”

Some nuggets from author Jason Barrett, and I’ll try to fill in details based on what I’ve heard from sources at both 97.5 and 94 WIP:

“In the 2021 Winter Book, Philadelphia’s sports radio ratings king (WIP) remained on top for the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid) among Men 25-54, producing an 11.7 share (2.1 on the stream), which was enough to secure a 2nd place ranking. 97.5 The Fanatic closed out the quarter for the full week with a respectable 6.6, 3rd place finish. The separation between the two brands was greater among Adults 25-54 and Persons 6+. WIP was 3rd with P25-54 and 4th with 6+. The Fanatic was 9th with P25-54 and 15th with 6+.”

None of this is surprising. This has pretty much been the case for some time now.

“Turning our attention to the shows, WIP’s Angelo Cataldi and the WIP Morning Show did what they usually do, lead the entire market. Cataldi’s program delivered a massive 13.3 share (2.9 on the stream), which placed him 2nd with Men 25-54. The show was also 2nd with Adults 25-54 and 3rd with Persons 6+. On the other hand, the first book for 97.5 The Fanatic’s John Kincade was solid. John generated a 6.9, strong enough for 3rd place.”

That’s a very good number for Kincade. Excellent. In the last book, which dates back a few months now, Marc Farzetta pulled a 5.7, for context (though in the interest of fairness here, every show was down at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic). Farzy’s show did place 3rd a couple of times and had some strong individual books, though I believe that share number fluctuated from quarter to quarter.

I also spoke to a source who said that 97.5 did well in the 18-34 male demo in the mornings, which isn’t the key demo that sellers focus on, but bodes well for the future since that group will eventually age into the uber-important M25-54 sector. If Kincade can carve out some real estate among a younger base, it will help him settle in as we move closer towards an eventual Angelo Cataldi retirement.

RE: Angelo, he’s been second place in the market for what seems like eons. He is totally unflappable and continues to deliver at WIP. He loses only to Preston and Steve, who put up monolithic, Howard Stern-like numbers at 93.3 WMMR. We’re talking numbers up in the 20s.

In middays, WIP’s team of Joe DeCamara and John Ritchie also produced double digit shares. The duo recorded a 10.0 (1.7 on the stream) with Men 25-54, strong enough to lock up 2nd place. The Fanatic’s Anthony Gargano produced the same share as Kincade, a 6.7 with Men 25-54, which put him in 5th.

Good jump there for Joe and Jon, who were 4th in the last book. The Cuz was 7th. Both of those shows got a boost in this latest book. Very interesting to see Kincade level with Gargano in M25-54.

Shifting to afternoons, the team of Jon Marks and Ike Reese gained bragging rights for the quarter by becoming one of two sports radio shows in the market to deliver a 1st place finish. Marks & Reese’s 12.7 share (2.3 on the stream) with Men 25-54 elevated them to the top spot and in front of The Fanatic’s Mike Missanelli, who was strong as well, once again popping the best number on 97.5 with an 8.6, good enough for 3rd place.

That’s a huge number for Marks and Reese. Waaaay up there. I did some sniffing and it appears to be the biggest number they have ever pulled. And that gap between them and Mike is wider than it was in prior books. Mike remains the top-rated show at the Fanatic, and 8.6 is certainly nothing to scoff at, but Mike has now lost more books to Jon and Ike than he has won. I believe the count is now 7 wins for Marks and Reese and four for Mike and company. Jon and Ike have ripped off a string of victories against Mike over the past year or so (and again, I need the TV and streaming data to tell the full story). Still, the Fanatic is in a good spot here and can do just fine selling based off those numbers for Mike, Ant, and John. This is more about WIP being a juggernaut and less about 97.5 being in any kind of struggle.

One more thing, which I only mentioned briefly at the top –

You see the streaming data shared by Barrett. Those are great numbers for WIP. Entercom previously did not pay to have their stations take part in the Nielsen streaming program, since they could track impressions on their own, but those numbers shared above show that WIP has a strong base of online listenership, which likely defeats the narrative that the Fanatic was finding exclusive streaming ground to stand on. The thought was that older Philly sports fans were listening to WIP via terrestrial radio while 97.5 had more younger folks tuning in via new media methods, but that thought looks to be questionable now. It requires more research.

UPDATE/EDIT –

I talked to a couple of other folks on background after the story and would like to add the following:

  1. We believe the main reason Audacy invested in the stream for this book is because a TON of people were working from home and not listening via traditional AM or PM drive. What that allows them to do is gain a more specific demographic understanding from Nielsen’s more involved data culling.
  2. Obviously with more people listening to the radio at home via stream, those numbers would be up. You’ll see a shift as people begin to commute again.
  3. Beasley no longer participates in the Nielsen stream program for some reason. This was always a strong point for 97.5, so I’m not sure why they pulled out. Maybe $$$ shortage during the pandemic.
  4. One thing worth pointing out with the Fanatic is that in Kincade, Gargano, and Missanelli, they have veteran guys who understand the sales side of things and have good existing relationships. For example, Gargano’s ratings may not be fantastic, but he is very good with advertisers and can sell the shit out of their products, like The Bagster. They don’t have to beat WIP to make money.
  5. RE: Marc Farzetta, he had some strong 3rd/4th place finishes in the past, so we’ll need to cobble together a few more books to see how Kincade stacks up. This isn’t much of a sample size.