AMERICAN RADIO Small Market Ratings Report Fall 1997 --m"IlI I I. DUNCAN'S AMERICAN RADIO AMERICAN RADIO SMALL MARKET RATINGS REPORT FALL 1997 Arbitron Rating Period: 18 September -10 December 1997 Compiled and Edited by: James H. Duncan, Jr. & Thom Moon DUNCAN'S AMERICAN RADIO, L.L.C. P.O. Box 8446 Cincinnati, OH 45208-0446 513.731-1800 (Office) 513.731-1835 (Fax) 317.844-0988 (Jim Duncan s line) March, 1998 Volume XXII Number 5 ISSN 0738-8675 INTRODUCTION We are pleased to present the first Fall edition of the AMERICAN RADIO SMALL MARKET RATINGS REPORT. This book complements AMERICAN RADIO by providing expanded coverage of nearly 100 smaller U.S. radio markets. Arbitron's Condensed reports differ greatly from their Standard market reports. Much of the data available in the standard report is not available in the condensed. However, we provide as much data as the condensed report offers. The data for each station is read from left to right across the page. The methodology is the same as in any AMERICAN RADIO We strongly urge you (especially new subscribers/clients) to read carefully the definition pages that immediately precede the individual market reports. They will help you understand all the information given in the Individual Market Reports. However, if you have any questions, please feel free to call me or Thom Moon. We figure that our time and our call back to you are part of the subscription price. Also, we always enjoy talking about AMERICAN RADIO. Thom Moon or I can be reached at the following address: Duncan's American Radio, L.L.C. P.O. Box 8446 Cincinnati, OH 45208-0446 513.731-1800 (Duncan's American Radio general offices) 317.844-0988 (Jim Duncan's line) E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] ALL ARBITRON AUDIENCE ESTIMATES ARE COPYRIGHTED ©1998 BY THE ARBITRON COMPANY AND MAY NOT BE QUOTED OR REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE PRIOR PERMISSION OF ARBITRON. Subscribers may quote AMERICAN RADIO for sales and advertising purposes. However, you must be an Arbitron subscriber if any of their data is involved. Secondly, we must be notified. We always give permission, but we like to make certain our work is properly quoted. The phrase "American Radio by Duncan's American Radio" must always be cited. This book may not be reproduced in whole or part by mimeograph or any other means without permission Printed in the United States of America Copyright ©1998 by Duncan's American Radio, L.L.C. Every effort has been made to make this book accurate as possible. However, we are responsible for errors only to the extent subscribers will be notified if such action is justified. If your copy is defective in any way, call the Cincinnati office and we will promptly mail you another copy. Release of the Arbitron market reports began on 9 January and was completed 6 February. Compilation of this edition was completed 3 March 1998. Any corrections made by Arbitron to earlier published reports are included if they were received before 3 March 1998. Audience data in all AMERICAN RADIO reports is extracted by our proprietary computer software from Arbitron's "r -sale" data tapes. Due to Arbitron's method of rounding its audience estimates, there may be minor (and usually insignificant) differences between what is found in a given Arbitron market report and what is found in this volume. Our software, however, follows Arbitron's published rounding procedures to the letter. The software was developed by our Software Thaumaturge (one who causes apparent miracles to occur), Dave Allen. Thank you for your continued support of our efforts. DUNCAN'S AMERICAN RADIO James H. Duncan, Jr. J.T. Anderton Thom Moon Jim Nolan Margot Ayers TABLE OF CONTENTS Section 1: Leading Stations in Arbitron Condensed Markets Section 2: Definitions, Clarifications and Explanations Section 3: Individual Market Reports - for the following in alphabetical order: Abliene, TX Frederick, MD Odessa -Midland, TX Albany, GA Grand Forks, ND -MN Owensboro, KY Alexandria, LA Grand Junction, CO Palm Springs, CA Amarillo, TX Great Falls, MT Panama City, FL Augusta -Waterville, ME Hagerstown-Chambersburg- Parkersburg -Marietta, WV -OH Bangor, ME Waynesboro, MD -PA Poughkeepsie, NY Battle Creek, MI Harrisonburg, VA Rapid City, SD Beaumont -Port Arthur, TX Ithaca, NY Reading, PA Beckley, WV Jackson, TN Redding, CA Billings, MT Joplin, MO St. Cloud, MN Biloxi -Gulfport-Pascagoula, MS Killeen-Temple, TX San Angelo, TX Bismarck, ND La Crosse, WI San Luis Obispo, CA Blacksburg-Christiansburg, VA Lake Charles, LA Santa Barbara, CA Bryan -College Station, TX Laredo, TX Santa Fe, NM Burlington, VT Laurel -Hattiesburg, MS Santa Maria -Lompoc, CA Cape Cod, MA Lawton, OK Sioux City, IA Casper, WY Lewiston-Auburn, ME Springfield, IL Champaign, IL Lima, OH Stamford -Norwalk, CT Charlottesville, VA Marion -Carbondale (Southern IL) State College, PA Cheyenne, WY Medford -Ashland, OR Texarkana, TX -AR Chico, CA Merced, CA Trenton, NJ Columbia, MO Meridian, MS Tri -Cities, WA (Richland - Cookeville, TN Monroe, LA Kennewick-Pasco) Danbury, CT Morgantown -Clarksburg- Tupelo, MS Danville, IL Fairmont, WV Tuscaloosa, AL Dothan, AL Morristown, NJ Tyler -Longview, TX Dubuque, IA Myrtle Beach, SC Waco, TX Eau Claire, WI New Bedford -Fall River, MA Waterbury, CT Elmira -Corning, NY New London, CT Watertown, NY Fayetteville (NW Arkansas) Newburgh -Middletown (Mid - Wausau -Stevens Point, WI Hudson Valley) Florence, SC Wichita Falls, TX Ft. Collins -Greeley, CO Northwest Michigan (Traverse Williamsport, PA Ft. Smith, AR City -Petoskey -Charlevoix) Winchester, VA Ft. Walton Beach Yakima, WA LEADING STATIONS IN ARBITRON CONDENSED MARKETS STATION MARKET SHARE FORMAT GROUP OWNER 1 WFRY-F Watertown, NY 31.2 Country Forever 2 WJIZ-F Albany, GA 28.6 Black Peterson 3 WBKR-F Owensboro, KY 28.5 Country Brill 4 KYKZ-F Lake Charles, LA 26.8 Country Sunburst 5 WGSQ-F Cookeville, TN 26.6 Country Clear Channel 6 WJLS-F Beckley, WV 26.5 Country 7 WILQ-F Williamsport, PA 25.8 Country SabreCom 8 KCTR-F Billings, MT 22.9 Country Citadel 9 WOKK-F Meridian, MS 22.1 Country New South 10 KNEX-F Laredo, TX 21.3 Hispanic WKKW-F Morgantown-Clarksburg 21.3 Country 12 WKSB-F Williamsport, PA 20.8 AC Dame 13 KKYR-F Texarkana, TX -AR 20.6 Country Capstar 14 KLAW-F Lawton, OK 20.5 Country Capstar 15 KEAN-F Abilene, TX 20.4 Country Sunburst, pend. 16 WUSQ-F Winchester, VA 20.3 Country Capstar 17 WAXX-F Eau Claire, WI 20.2 Country Nelson 18 WBBN-F Laurel-Hattiesburg, MS 20.0 Country 19 WZWW-F State College, PA 19.8 AC Talleyrand 20 KOLZ-F Cheyenne, WY 19.7 Country Jacor 21 WYXL-F Ithaca, NY 19.6 AC 22 WIXY-F Champaign, IL 18.5 Country Saga 23 WFKX-F Jackson, TN 18.4 Black KIXY-F San Angelo, TX 18.4 CHR 25 WQCB-F Bangor, ME 18.3 Country Cumulus, pend. 26 KMON-F Great Falls, MT 18.2 Country 27 KEKB-F Grand Junction, CO 18.1 Country Cumulus, pend. 28 WIZM-F La Crosse, WI 17.9 CHR Midwest Family 29 KQLT-F Casper, WY 17.8 Country WDDD-F Marion -Carbondale (So. IL) 17.8 Country Cumulus, pend. Source: Respective market Arbitrons, 12+ metro average persons shares, Mon-Sun, 6 AM -Midnight INDIVIDUAL MARKET REPORTS Definitions, Clarifications and Explanations Even long-term subscribers should review these pages carefully. We have made numerous changes and additions to the American Radio Small Market Edition. Your understanding of the Individual Market Reports will be far greater if you are familiar with the systems and methodologies used. The best way to explain an Individual Market Report is to go through it section by section. We'll use Abilene, TX from Fall 1997 as an example, starting at the top left of the report: Arbitron Rank: 224 Pop (12+): 123,40 Market TSL in Hours: 21.00 Average Persons Ratings: 15.5 The Arbitron rank is based on the 12+ population of the Arbitron metro survey area. The rank number (224 in this case) is Abilene's ranking among the 269 Arbitron radio markets. Market TSL (Time Spent Listening) is the time the average radio listener spent with any and all radio over the entire week. In this case, the average listener spent 21.00 hours listening to radio over the broadcast week (Mon -Sun, 6 AM -Midnight). The Average Persons Rating indicates the percentage of the metro 12+ population which is using any and all radio in an average quarter-hour anytime during the broadcast week. The Average Persons Rating is roughly comparable to television's Persons Viewing Television (PVT) figure. Now we'll move to the top center column of information. Stations: 14 / 13 Diaries 415/ 297:1/46.4% Sample Target: 370 There were 14 stations listed in the Abilene Arbitron market report. Of those 14, 13 were home to the Arbitron metro survey area - listed "above the line." Thus, one station listed is licensed to cities outside the metro, but it still accumulated enough listening within the Abilene metro to rate inclusion in the market report. Please be aware, however, that some stations appear above the line by virtue of its chosen home city of identification rather than by its FCC authorized city of license. The information contained in "Diaries" is a bit complex but is all quite important. It gives you a thumbnail sketch of Arbitron's success in sending out and retrieving diaries in the market. 415 - the number of usable (in -tab) diaries return from respondents in the metro survey area (In general, the higher the number, the better.) 297:1 - an approximate "persons per diary" value: in the metro, the average diary represents 297 persons 12+ (generally, the lower the number, the better) 46.4% - this is "return rate": total usable (in -tab) diaries expressed as a percentage of the total individuals who were sent a diary (again, higher is better).