San Francisco's KGO Takes Huge Tumble With New Ratings System

CRUSHED

New, More Accurate Ratings Damage Longtime SF Leader







Perhaps they should have spent more money on promotion and less on fancy parties at the Four Seasons Hotel.

As if they needed another headache, beleaguered news-talk radio operator Citadel Communications (NYSE:CDL) has seen ratings tumble at one of its largest stations, all because of new technology that tracks figures electronically.

Designed to eliminate inaccuracies in data collection under the old diary system, Arbitron's Portable People Meter records listening precisely.

Already, self-appointed civil rights activists in New York City are crying foul about PPM use in the Big Apple, since preliminary data there has badly hurt hip-hop stations, to the benefit of talk radio and other music formats.


But in the San Francisco Bay Area, the opposite has occurred: longtime news-talk leader KGO has seen its legendary ratings dominance crushed into tiny bits.

Late last week, the first PPM report representing July 2008 was released to clients and obtained by your Radio Equalizer.

Featuring a mix of milquetoast and fiery liberal talk shows, plus traditional newswheel programming in morning and afternoon drive, KGO has long been considered the Bay Area's top radio station.

While the station did retain its number one position in the overall 12 and older demographic, it was killed in the all-important Adults 25-54 segment. Because advertising rates are set based on a station's performance in that category, strong ratings there are a must.

But KGO's new figures show it ranks just eighteenth overall, with a particularly disappointing eighteenth showing during the crucial morning drive period, followed by seventeenth from 10am to 3pm, an abysmal twenty-third in afternoon drive and twentieth between 7pm and midnight.

By contrast, all-news competitor KCBS was number one in morning drive.

Rock-bottom numbers like that should have advertisers thinking twice about paying a premium to advertise on KGO.


Also badly neglected under Citadel's overtly leftist executive management, sister conservative talker KSFO fared poorly, with a thirty-first ranking overall in the 25-54 demo.

After firing talker Melanie Morgan in what was claimed to be a cost-cutting move, KSFO's morning show generated a mere twenty-second showing.

In addition, conservative competitor KNEW had a thirty-fourth ranking, while Air America's KKGN came in thirty-seventh.


Though all of the Bay Area's news talk stations were hit hard by the PPM system, KGO has more at stake. Between a large newsroom, highly paid local hosts and a long legacy of being number one, these results have got to hurt.

Ultimately, the buck stops with Citadel's senior management, who seem absolutely unsure what to do with the mega-ABC stations they've recently acquired from Disney. Recently, they've seemed more concerned with utilizing solar power to run the station's generators than with marketing, promotion and programming.

How many more hits can this company take before the house of cards finally collapses?


FOR New England regional talk radio updates, see our other site.


Amazon orders originating with clicks here benefit The Radio Equalizer's ongoing operations.

Your Honor System contributions keep this site humming along. Thanks!

Technorati tags: talk radio kgo ksfo san francisco arbitron citadel nyse:cdl ppm knew kkgn