Women tuning in sports radioCourtesy
Toronto Globe & Mail
(October 9, 2009) Beyonce would be proud. Single ladies – and a whack of the married ones, too – are sports-radio fans. Okay, maybe not fans-fans, but they’re listening to sports radio. That’s one of the major revelations of the first BBM Canada radio numbers traced by portable people meters (PPMs).
“It’s quite remarkable,” said David Bray, senior vice president at Hennessy & Bray Communications. “Females in [Toronto’s] FAN 590’s 25-54 demographic are showing up in numbers far greater than we’ve ever seen before. It’s not a huge number, but there are enough of them listening to the content and advertising to be notable.” Why the sudden surge in female numbers for sports-talk formats? As opposed to the traditional diary methods of the past (which were often filled in after the fact by a single listener), PPMs record everyone in the vicinity of a radio or TV signal. So wives and girlfriends within earshot of sports-radio shows are now being lumped into the raw data. “It was a factor of what I call aspirational tuning,” Bray said. “Women filling in the diaries just felt better about recording CBC or light rock instead of a sports station. Now they can’t self-edit themselves with the PPMs.” Sports radio remains a niche service, Bray stresses. “In this book [Aug. 31- Sept. 27 ] Toronto’s Q107 [a classic rock station] is a 15.5 versus the FAN 590 at 5.5 in the 25-54 demographic,” he said. “That shows the other significant finding of the PPMs. Office stations like Q107 – where a radio station is piped through an office or store – are big winners with PPMs. Still, the sports format is healthy and will only get larger as we bring the NHL regular-season’s numbers into the equation.” Hockey Talk Pays The PPM value of Toronto Maple Leafs hockey to AM640 was stark in this book. AM640 shot from a summertime 2.3 to a 5.8 (under the PPMs). Its competitor FAN 590 jumped modestly from 4.4 to 5.5 in the 25-54 category as September rolled out. Looking specifically at the battleground of 4-7 p.m. ET, Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown remains a healthy 9 share versus 4.6 for AM640. “But two years ago, we were at a 1,” said Gord Harris, program director for AM640. “Plus when you look at 18-34 males, we had a 4.6 share versus 3.9 for them. So we’re pretty happy with the inroads we’ve made against a very established show.” In the noon to 1 p.m. slot – where FAN 590 and AM640 have hockey talk – the upstart has a 6.3 in the 25-54 male category while Hockeycentral on The FAN clocks a 4.3 with the PPMs. _______________________
You must be logged in to contribute.
blog comments powered by Disqus |
Accelerate Your Sports Broadcasting Career
Uncover secrets to sports broadcasting success.
Meet Employers
Let sports talk, sports anchor and play-by-lay employers find you.
Secrets Revealed
Start improving your sportscasting in just 15 minutes from now!
Radio Demos, Resumes
You only get once chance to make a first impression. Make yours count.
TV Demos, Resumes
Get yourself noticed. Get the job.
Sports Broadcasting Books
Highly recommended reading for sports broadcasters of all levels.
Sportscastings Jobs
Free radio and TV sportscasting job listings.
Show Prep Links
The best sites for sports talk show prep.
|
| Sportscasting jobs, sportscasting careers, sportscasting schools, broadcasting jobs, broadcasting careers, broadcasting schools, sports, sporting events, sports tickets, sports gambling, online sports gaming, sports news, sports podcasting, television careers, radio careers, television broadcasting, broadcaster training, radio training, sportscaster training, radio broadcasting, television schools, television broadcasting, television training, play-by-play, sports talk radio, sports reporting, football, basketball, baseball, NBA, NFL, MLB, hockey, NHL acting, models, actors, modeling, voice over, voice artists | |