Were
things better in 1999 than they are now? In many ways, things seemed better
then, but a lot of that may be due to selective memory.
For
public radio, particularly NPR News/Talk stations, 2019 is far better than
1999. Today we are comparing Arbitron data
from Spring 1999 with Nielsen data from February 2019.
Before
presenting the numbers, we need to add an important caveat: The two surveys are
based on different methodologies. In
1999 Arbitron used Diaries to obtain the raw data. By February 2019, Nielsen
had acquired Arbitron (that happened in 2014) and the raw data comes from the
use of PPM methodology.
We
will review five markets for our comparison today – New York, Los Angeles,
Houston-Galveston, Seattle-Tacoma and Minneapolis-St. Paul. If you like these time-capsule comparisons
please let us know and we will do more.
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It
is hard to believe that WNYC-FM had a dual format (NPR & Classical) in
1999.
Back then, WQXR was a commercial Classical music station.
It
is interesting to look at the two contemporary stations: WFUV has fully focused on AAA
and they have done well. WBGO has gone in the opposite
direction.
WBAI’s
63% drop in weekly listeners is indicative of larger problems within Pacifica.
Did
things get better when APM took over KPCC?
Yes they did and the numbers prove it.
Classical
KUSC has also gained many listeners in the past 20 years.
KCSN’s
jump of 88% is a tribute to soon-retiring GM Sky Daniels. Great job Sky!
Like WBAI in New York, KPFK in LA is a mere
shadow of what it was in 1999.
KUHF’s
rise in Houston is was primarily caused by dropping the Classical portion of
it’s dual format. Good move!
KPFT’s
slide since 1999 is more evidence of the toxic system of governance at
Pacifica. “Democracy for all” may look good on paper but it is no way to run a
radio station.
KUOW’s
growth in listeners shows again that dual formats seldom work.
On the other hand, KNKX, (then KPLU) shows that dual formats can
work if they are done right.
We
were a bit surprised to see that KEXP is doing so much better than it’s
predecessor KCMU. In Spring 1999 Seattle grunge scene still had its glow.
It looks like St. Olaf's WCAL made the right move when they sold 89.3 FM to APM .
It looks like St. Olaf's WCAL made the right move when they sold 89.3 FM to APM .
This is an interesting comparison, but as you noted, the big variable is the change from diary data to PPM over the past 20 years. In Detroit, virtually every station saw a big jump in cume when Arbitron moved to using PPMs. I'd be interested in seeing a similar comparison using AQH data.
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