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March Ratings Yet to Come

Discussion pertaining to Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Battle Creek, Big Rapids, and Michiana
Greg Buben
Posts: 131
Joined: Fri Jul 31, 2020 11:52 am

March Ratings Yet to Come

Post by Greg Buben » Tue Apr 25, 2023 12:08 pm

It's April 25 already so and no March overall ratings yet. I'm looking forward to what March looks like. Will WCSG remain
number one? Will B-93 regain the number one position? Will there be any unexpected station besides WCSG and B-93
in the top two? My guess is that both WCSG and B-93 will be in the top two but I 'm not sure if WGRD will remain number
three. My guess is that WGRD will stay somewhere in the top five. Again we should find out soon.



jaywmi
Posts: 38
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2022 8:37 am

Re: March Ratings Yet to Come

Post by jaywmi » Tue Apr 25, 2023 1:58 pm

According to the Arbitron Ratings Release schedule, they will be released as follows:

Market Service Survey Date Time
Grand Rapids Arbitrends Mar 2023 (Jan-Mar) 4/28/2023 12:00
Grand Rapids eBook Mar 2023 (Jan-Mar) 4/28/2023 12:00
Grand Rapids Respondent Level Data * Mar 2023 (Jan-Mar) 4/28/2023 12:00
Grand Rapids Summary Data Mar 2023 (Jan-Mar) 4/28/2023 12:00

I don't expect any H*** changes. This market has a stranglehold on the status quo.



Greg Buben
Posts: 131
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Re: March Ratings Yet to Come

Post by Greg Buben » Sat Apr 29, 2023 11:47 am

Jay was right they did come out on April 28. I was right that the top two would be WCSG and B-93. Both had an
increase in listenership. WGRD still remained third although their number went down slightly. If anyone cares to link up
to it they will see what I'm saying. The biggest highlight is that WLAV jumped up to number four with a 5.4% share. I
still think that someone should compete against WLAV and present a better classic rock station in Grand Rapids.



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Reese K Rickards
Posts: 111
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Re: March Ratings Yet to Come

Post by Reese K Rickards » Sat Apr 29, 2023 2:39 pm

Station Format Owner Oct 22 Nov 22 Dec 22 Jan 23 Feb 23 Mar 23
WCSG-FM
Christian Cont. Cornerstone U 7.9 7.2 6.3 8.0 8.3 9.5
WBCT-FM
Country iHeartMedia 7.3 8.3 7.5 8.5 8.1 8.4
WGRD-FM
Active Rock Townsquare 5.8 5.6 5.8 6.1 6.1 5.7
WLAV-FM
Classic Rock Cumulus 4.6 4.7 4.5 4.1 4.0 5.4
WOOD-AM
Talk iHeartMedia 6.7 6.5 5.6 4.9 4.9 4.7
WSRW-FM
AC iHeartMedia 3.1 2.6 4.2 3.8 4.3 3.9
WKLQ-FM
AAA Cumulus 2.4 2.6 2.8 2.8 2.9 3.6
WJQK-FM
Christian Cont. Lanser 3.1 3.7 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.4
WSNX-FM
Top 40/M iHeartMedia 6.2 6.5 7.0 6.1 4.8 3.4
WBFX-FM
Classic Hits iHeartMedia 2.4 2.5 3.0 2.8 3.5 3.1
WHTS-FM
Top 40/M Cumulus 2.7 2.8 2.3 2.4 2.9 2.9
WLHT-FM
Hot AC Townsquare 3.3 4.0 3.6 3.3 2.7 2.9
WFGR-FM
Classic Hits Townsquare 2.2 2.6 2.5 2.7 2.1 2.6
WTNR-FM
Country Cumulus 1.5 2.0 1.9 2.4 2.2 2.3
WMAX-FM
Sports iHeartMedia 1.2 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.9
WNWZ-AM
Urban AC Townsquare 2.2 2.6 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.6
WTRV-FM
AC Townsquare 1.6 1.4 2.5 2.5 2.5 1.2
WGVU-FM
N/T Grand Valley St U 0.6 0.9 1.6 1.3 1.1 0.6
WTKG-AM
N/T iHeartMedia 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.5
WJRW-AM
Sports Cumulus 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3
WPNW-AM
Christian Cont. Lanser 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3


If I Heart GR really wanted to save money, it would sublet two of it's three floors at 77 Monroe Center.

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MWmetalhead
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Re: March Ratings Yet to Come

Post by MWmetalhead » Sat Apr 29, 2023 6:54 pm

Holy crap - WSNX's numbers fell off a cliff!!!

Great book for 94.5 The Q compared to the usual. We shall see if that momentum has any legs to it.

It's also nice to see LAV rebound nicely. That brand is too venerable to not be in 5+ share territory regularly.

Speaking of cliffs, look at WTRV. Yikes. That's embarrassing.



Greg Buben
Posts: 131
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Re: March Ratings Yet to Come

Post by Greg Buben » Tue May 02, 2023 12:18 pm

I would like to comment further on the number four station WLAV that improved to a 5.4% share. I still say that they
need classic rock competition badly. I think that Town Square should flip WLHT (which isn't light at all ) to classic rock
and then you would have a 50,000 watt competitor to WLAV. While they're at it I think that Town Square could flip
"The River" to WNWZ considering "The River" got only a 1.5% share. If I-Heart were to flip one of their FM stations to
classic rock my guess is they would do like they did when they were Clear Channel and have programs and voice
tracks from places other than G.R. Having said that I still think that WLAV needs to be challenged with classic rock
competition no matter how good or bad it could possibly be. The only announcer that I find is good on the air as
well as in person is the afternoon drive host and music director Rob Brandt. I still say that their morning show like
most in commercial radio is full of nonsense, that Jackie Green in the middays should just do her Top 40 morning
show on "Hot FM", and that the Steve Gorman show on weeknights isn't "live and local" like WLAV claims to be. Again,
I think WLAV needs to be challenged with some classic rock competition and preferably something that truly is a
"live and local" classic rock station without shows not locally produced.



Graham Wellington
Posts: 632
Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2018 4:48 pm

Re: March Ratings Yet to Come

Post by Graham Wellington » Tue May 02, 2023 1:22 pm

Greg Buben wrote:
Tue May 02, 2023 12:18 pm
I would like to comment further on the number four station WLAV that improved to a 5.4% share. I still say that they
need classic rock competition badly. I think that Town Square should flip WLHT (which isn't light at all ) to classic rock
and then you would have a 50,000 watt competitor to WLAV. While they're at it I think that Town Square could flip
"The River" to WNWZ considering "The River" got only a 1.5% share. If I-Heart were to flip one of their FM stations to
classic rock my guess is they would do like they did when they were Clear Channel and have programs and voice
tracks from places other than G.R. Having said that I still think that WLAV needs to be challenged with classic rock
competition no matter how good or bad it could possibly be. The only announcer that I find is good on the air as
well as in person is the afternoon drive host and music director Rob Brandt. I still say that their morning show like
most in commercial radio is full of nonsense, that Jackie Green in the middays should just do her Top 40 morning
show on "Hot FM", and that the Steve Gorman show on weeknights isn't "live and local" like WLAV claims to be. Again,
I think WLAV needs to be challenged with some classic rock competition and preferably something that truly is a
"live and local" classic rock station without shows not locally produced.
Bingo! This market is dying for a 1.8 share voicetracked butt rock station to take on WLAV. Overnight that 5.4 for WLAV would turn into a 5.2 and a full on radio war would rage!



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HD74
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Location: SOMEWHERE BEHIND THE RACKS

Re: March Ratings Yet to Come

Post by HD74 » Tue May 02, 2023 3:01 pm

Considering what Townsquare has done to the once-mighty MMQ, I doubt they are the folks to take on anybody with a classic rock format.


You're never too old to learn something stupid.

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tc
Posts: 113
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 3:57 pm

Re: March Ratings Yet to Come

Post by tc » Tue May 02, 2023 4:03 pm

Greg Buben wrote:
Tue May 02, 2023 12:18 pm
If I-Heart were to flip one of their FM stations to classic rock my guess is they would do like they did when they were Clear Channel and have programs and voice tracks from places other than G.R.
You think that ended when they changed their name?



jaywmi
Posts: 38
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2022 8:37 am

Re: March Ratings Yet to Come

Post by jaywmi » Tue May 02, 2023 4:55 pm

It's not going to work like this. There just isn't really high demand for Classic Rock. The target audience is moving out of the high side of the demo. The same 250 tired tracks, but on two signals instead of just one? Nah. And, iHeartMedia's version of the generic, sanitary format (via "Premium Choice") has already been tried in several iterations in the market on WBFX (and can still be heard with a good receiver on 101.7 in Muskegon).

The River just needs to be tweaked or rebranded. A "breeze" style station with the right formatics, perhaps. Maybe some themed weekends or drivetimes like Yacht Rock.

There's always going to be peaks and valleys in the ratings depending on what diverse part of the metro they surveyed. Maybe a lot of the books landed up on Monroe Ave or the Creston neighborhood, and that's what gave the Q a decent boost.
Greg Buben wrote:
Tue May 02, 2023 12:18 pm
I would like to comment further on the number four station WLAV that improved to a 5.4% share. I still say that they
need classic rock competition badly. I think that Town Square should flip WLHT (which isn't light at all ) to classic rock
and then you would have a 50,000 watt competitor to WLAV. While they're at it I think that Town Square could flip
"The River" to WNWZ considering "The River" got only a 1.5% share. If I-Heart were to flip one of their FM stations to
classic rock my guess is they would do like they did when they were Clear Channel and have programs and voice
tracks from places other than G.R. Having said that I still think that WLAV needs to be challenged with classic rock
competition no matter how good or bad it could possibly be. The only announcer that I find is good on the air as
well as in person is the afternoon drive host and music director Rob Brandt. I still say that their morning show like
most in commercial radio is full of nonsense, that Jackie Green in the middays should just do her Top 40 morning
show on "Hot FM", and that the Steve Gorman show on weeknights isn't "live and local" like WLAV claims to be. Again,
I think WLAV needs to be challenged with some classic rock competition and preferably something that truly is a
"live and local" classic rock station without shows not locally produced.



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teetoppz28
Posts: 796
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Re: March Ratings Yet to Come

Post by teetoppz28 » Wed May 03, 2023 9:01 am

As long as the River still plays Christmas music! My wife would go on a rampage if she couldn't listen to the River all holiday season! (Though I have introduced her to other streaming channels, in which she now loves WHNN in Saginaw lol)


Dropping knowledge on forum MAGAts.
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ChrisWL1980
Posts: 813
Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2019 2:36 am

Re: March Ratings Yet to Come

Post by ChrisWL1980 » Fri May 05, 2023 8:38 pm

The River just runs Townsquare's corporate soft AC playlist, which isn't exactly bringing home the bacon elsewhere. 96.1 The Breeze in Buffalo recently dumped it to tweak back to mainstream AC and Albany's Breeze does even worse than GR's. (During the Christmas season, The River runs the same playlist as 99.1 WFMK and Cars 108 for those looking to compare. WFMK and Cars 108 also have the same playlist except when running other programming such as Delilah or AT40 on Cars.)



Freqman
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Location: Watervliet

Re: March Ratings Yet to Come

Post by Freqman » Sat May 27, 2023 12:16 am

At some point you have to flip 100.5 to country, right?



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