When the latest report from the Arbitron radio ratings service came out at the end of last month many longtime rock radio listeners in Omaha no doubt did a double take.
Heritage rock and roll gorilla Z-92 (KEZO-FM), launched in 1978, had been overtaken by 2-year-old rock station the Brew (96.1 KQBW-FM) in the broadest demographic of listeners available, during the Fall 2007 rating period.
Listeners 12 and older, Monday through Sunday 6 a.m. to midnight, chose the Brew – a 4.2 share to a 3.9 share – over Z-92.
Sure, advertisers seek specific demos, such as the coveted adults 25- to 54-year-old group, but the 12-plus result is significant nonetheless.
While the Brew led Omaha’s rock stations, the Brew was No. 8 with listeners 12 and older overall. The top three stations were, in order: News-talk KFAB (1110 AM), country station the Kat (KXKT 103.7 FM) and oldies KGOR (99.9 FM).
Two of the Omaha market’s other rock stations were lagging as well. New station the Big O (KOOO 101.9 FM), a light rock station that went on the air two months ago, came in at No. 10 (behind No. 9 Z-92). Meanwhile, longtime classic rock station CD-105.9 (KKCD-FM) was No. 12.
So where has the rock gone on commercial stations in Omaha? Are their too many rock stations sharing the same play list, with the same usual suspects – the Eagles, the Police, Bon Jovi, Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton, Journey, Bryan Adams, John Mellencamp, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, etc.?
“Yawn,” seems to be the response from local listeners.
The River (89.7 FM), a non-commercial station based out of Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, plays a lot of modern rock and has respectable ratings. However, scoring good ratings and selling advertising based upon those ratings is not the main goal for non-commercial stations like it is for commercial stations.
The biggest story in this latest report for Omaha’s commercial rock stations is that the once-mighty Z-92 appears to be slipping. Z-92 has beaten all of the other rock stations consistently in recent years, including the past five ratings periods. But from Fall 2006 to Fall 2007, Z-92 went from having a 7.1 share of the 12-plus market to a 3.9 share.
It could be a fluke, and likely is. I expect Z-92 to bounce back in the next ratings period. Maybe not to the station’s glory days, but certainly better than a 3.9 share.
"Over the years, there has been plenty of rock competition for Z-92. That's nothing new," said Steve Wexler, executive vice president of television and radio operations for the Journal Broadcast Group, which owns Z-92. "They seem to show up every couple years then disappear. There's not much to 'tweak' on Z-92. We know that our audience expects us to play everything that rocks...they expect to start their day with Todd and Tyler in the morning...and they expect fun, larger-than-life contests and promotions, like the 'Todd and Tyler Party Plane to Vegas,' which starts next month. That hasn't changed and won't change. As for the Fall ratings, we've learned over the years not to pay much attention to the occasional 'down' ratings book. I can tell you that we're extremely happy with Z-92's performance and it's continued dominance."
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