Heath McCoy
CalgaryHerald.com
Tuesday, July 17, 2007


With three new rock radio stations on Calgary's airwaves, the city's rock audience -- long championed by CJAY 92 -- is being severely divided, according to spring radio ratings released Monday.

As a result, Country 105 is shaping up to be the real winner in Calgary commercial radio. With the competing stations battling hard, the country mainstay has plowed ahead, again emerging as Calgary's No. 1 station.

The BBM radio ratings -- the standard used to measure radio listeners in Canada -- reveals that, among radio listeners aged 12 and older, Country 105 was the top station from April 16 to June 10, with an 11.4 per cent share of the market. JACK 96.9, which blends pop hits from the '80s and '90s with modern hits, was second with a 10.7 share while VIBE 98.5, with its modern hits, hooked 8.5 per cent of the audience. CJAY 92.9, which dominated Calgary radio for years, finished fourth with a 7.9 share.

As for the three new stations, alternative rocker X92.9 came out on top with 4.1 per cent, securing them the No. 9 position in the ratings.

They were followed by Energy 101.5 which has been playing modern pop and rock, with a 3.7 per cent share. Fuel 90.3, with a format playing a hybrid of the classic rock and alternative formats, ranked 12th, with 1.7 per cent.

But according to Christian Hall, program director for X92.9, it's too early in the race for anybody to be breaking out the champagne.

"You really don't where you stand right now," he said. "As good or as bad as these numbers are for the new kids on the block, the dust won't officially settle for about another six months, when the fall (ratings) come out, just before Christmas. Energy and Fuel were only in the market for two or three weeks before the ratings began, so it's tough to take these numbers (too seriously)." But Hall does have one sure cause for celebration and that's the fact that his station, and the other newbies, have taken a bite out of their biggest competitor, CJAY.

"I think it was about three years ago that (CJAY) got their first big wallop, when JACK came into the market," says Hall. "Then Q107 (ranked seventh) came along and took another portion of their audience. And now of course we've come along and they're obviously our direct competition. You've got to think that at least eight out of 10 of our listeners are probably coming directly from CJAY. So that's the station we're doing the most damage to." Fuel's program director Murray Brookshaw agrees that CJAY is taking a beating because of the new rock stations.

"When you're No. 1, and they were No. 1 for a long time, you've got the most to lose," he says.

At press time nobody from CJAY 92 had returned calls for comment.

As for the hierarchy in the ratings among the new rock stations, with X92.9 coming out on top and Fuel finishing below it and Energy 101.5, Fuel's general manager Stephen Peck says he's not concerned. He notes that X92.9 got a head start, launching at the end of 2006, while the other two stations didn't hit the air until March.

And Fuel, he says, offers a product that Calgarians aren't used to.

"We've mixed things up a bit so it will take people a bit longer to embrace it," Peck says. "But once they do, they'll be dedicated to it. We're not a flash-in-the -pan type station." hmccoy@theherald.canwest.com

http://www.canada.com/calgaryh.....26-8451-6bf8bdd43208

Man, I was hoping there would be more to this thread, then the damn thing almost disapeared. Anyways, last week I stumbled across this in Forbes column in the Sun....

We're right in the hot dog days of summer
UPDATED: 2007-07-19 02:14:23 MST


By GERRY FORBES

  
Despite what the grey, old broadsheet down the street published the other day, the Forbes and Friends Morning Show on CJAY 92 is alive and well.

In fact, we came in at No. 1 (again) in the spring ratings in the all important 12 to 54 demographic.

Thanks to everyone who tunes in and Heath, if you need some help with your next radio story, give me a call.

===========================

Does anyone have access to those numbers? Just curious if thats true....12-54 wasn't on any of the data I saw.....but it looks like someones feelings were hurt.

Forbes gets a newspaper article to advertise his radio show?  how do I get that gig?

Market Share - Adults 12-54 S2

M-F, 6a to 10a

Jack - 15.2
CJAY - 11.5
Country 105 - 10.4
Vibe - 10.0

Jack has the highest market share. CJAY has the highest cume (by 700), Jack has the largest hours tuned and average quarter hour average. Simply put, Gerry has more overall listeners but Jack's listeners stick around longer.

That's what we call "spin", if you crunch the numbers close enough - Fuel could claim to be number 1 in the mornings in the all important "Adults 27-28 red-headed dwarf stepchild" demographic.

The rest of the column is the usual page 6 type fodder. Try googling the info or the entire article in it and see how many different fact and prep site hits you get. No different than the show itself I guess.

Quoted from traveller (Guest)

Market Share - Adults 12-54 S2

M-F, 6a to 10a

Jack - 15.2
CJAY - 11.5
Country 105 - 10.4
Vibe - 10.0

Jack has the highest market share. CJAY has the highest cume (by 700), Jack has the largest hours tuned and average quarter hour average. Simply put, Gerry has more overall listeners but Jack's listeners stick around longer.

That's what we call "spin", if you crunch the numbers close enough - Fuel could claim to be number 1 in the mornings in the all important "Adults 27-28 red-headed dwarf stepchild" demographic.

Quoted from traveller (Guest)

Market Share - Adults 12-54 S2

M-F, 6a to 10a

Jack - 15.2
CJAY - 11.5
Country 105 - 10.4
Vibe - 10.0

Jack has the highest market share. CJAY has the highest cume (by 700), Jack has the largest hours tuned and average quarter hour average. Simply put, Gerry has more overall listeners but Jack's listeners stick around longer.

That's what we call "spin", if you crunch the numbers close enough - Fuel could claim to be number 1 in the mornings in the all important "Adults 27-28 red-headed dwarf stepchild" demographic.

Thanks for the info Traveller. I had a hunch thats the way it was.

I've worked in Radio for 8 years.  I know how every station under the sun and every show can skew #'s anyway they want to show that they are "#1."  Knowing that, the simple fact of the matter is Forbes was obviously upset enough it motivated him to comment on this, and my guess is, because the truth hurts.  CJAY has become absolutely tired, and became waaaaaaayyyy too complacent in the market.  He knows as well as everyone else they're hurting.  I'm glad these new stations are making them at least attempt to do some work on their station again.  They spent so much time believing their own hype it hurt them.  I would bet it isnt long before they're no longer the powerhouse they once were.

just seems silly to "waste" the article with this trivial BS of telling us why he is number one when the dude could have used the article to show us he is number one.  ya dig?

Quoted from AxlBuzz

I've worked in Radio for 8 years.  I know how every station under the sun and every show can skew #'s anyway they want to show that they are "#1."  Knowing that, the simple fact of the matter is Forbes was obviously upset enough it motivated him to comment on this, and my guess is, because the truth hurts.  CJAY has become absolutely tired, and became waaaaaaayyyy too complacent in the market.  He knows as well as everyone else they're hurting.  I'm glad these new stations are making them at least attempt to do some work on their station again.  They spent so much time believing their own hype it hurt them.  I would bet it isnt long before they're no longer the powerhouse they once were.

That's why the owner of Standard is selling....