North has become so irrelevant in sports radio, he's not mentioned once in an extensive article in today's Daily Herald by Ted Cox



Best of times leads to worst of times at all-sports stations

By Ted Cox
TV/Radio critic
Posted Friday, April 28, 2006


It was a winter of discontent for all-sports radio stations.

Both WMVP 1000-AM and WSCR 670-AM saw their audiences fall off in the three-month winter ratings book released this week by Arbitron.

WMVP went from a 2.1 percent share of the overall audience 12 and older in the fall to a 1.3 share, while the Score dropped from a 1.8 to 1.2.

The fall ratings were record highs at both stations, driven by talk of the White Sox and the resurgent Bears and by the actual games of the world-champion Sox on WMVP, as well as the syndicated baseball playoffs on the ESPN Radio flagship.

The winter ratings, by contrast, were the lowest since spring ’04 at WMVP and since spring ’02 at the Score. That’s a particularly painful memory for the Score because the spring ’02 ratings book was the first time WMVP beat it in the ratings.

I’ve written before that the months of January, February and March are usually tough on the all-sports stations, what with the Blackhawks in a decades-long funk and Michael Jordan long gone from the Bulls. Yet both stations managed to combat that in recent years — until now.

Year to year, WMVP was down from a 1.7 in last winter, when the Score posted its last win with a 1.8 share.

“There was nothing going on,” said Score program director Mitch Rosen. “For this format, it was a very slow three months.”

Rosen pointed to the Fighting Illini as a hot topic a year ago, as well as the resurgent Bulls. This year, the Illini didn’t create the same sensation, and the Bulls were dead for much of the winter before charging into the playoffs at the end.

The news was little better in both stations’ target demographic among men aged 25 to 54, although it gave WMVP clear bragging rights. The Score went from a 4.6 share of that demo in the fall to 2.5 in the winter, while WMVP slipped “only” from 4.5 to 3.2.

“It is a bad book for sports radio,” admitted Jeff Schwartz, Rosen’s counterpart at WMVP. But “I am by far and away the tallest midget.”

In the 25-49 men demo in “radio prime time,” weekdays from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., WMVP pulled a 4.2 share to the Score’s 2.8.

“I lost miniature, they lost halves,” Schwartz added.

WMVP won middays by declining from a 3.5 in the fall to 3.0 in men 25-54, giving Marc Silverman and Carmen DeFalco something to crow about, comparatively, as the Score plummeted from 5.3 to 2.5.

WMVP also got good results from syndicated ESPN Radio hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic in the morning, as they finished third among men 25-49, behind only Spanish-language WOJO 105.1-FM and Jonathon Brandmeier on WLUP 97.9-FM.

Yet even Dan McNeil’s afternoon show suffered, surrendering first place in the 25-54 demo as it dropped from a 6.3 in the fall to a seventh-place 4.2 in the winter. In their second book in afternoon drive, the Score’s Dan Bernstein and Terry Boers posted a 2.8. Overall, McNeil, John Jurkovic and Harry Teinowitz had a 1.7 share to 1.3 for Boers and Bernsy.

So, the question becomes, was this a yellow-flag slowdown during a dry period, or is there reason to push the panic button at either station? I’d stick with the former. McNeil’s show still sounds lively, as does Boers & Bernsy now that they’re joined by Steve Stone in the studio on Mondays.

Silvy and Carmen probably earned a little extra play on their “short leash.” At the Score in middays, Mike Murphy is now in his element in baseball season, while Mike Mulligan sounded good this week preparing for the Bears’ draft alongside Doug Buffone and talking Bulls with Brian Hanley.

I’d expect them to stay the course for the moment, but radio is a brutal business, and CBS Radio has been particularly itchy about making moves, even if Rosen has kept things stable at the Score since becoming program director.

The all-sports format, like all-news, relies on outside events, rather than consistent programming, to drive ratings. So there’s nothing wrong with all-sports radio that, say, a city World Series wouldn’t cure.

In the air

Remotely interesting: NBC Sports again doubles up with NHL Stanley Cup playoff coverage with games at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday on WMAQ Channel 5. … OLN, which is padding its sports programming, including the NHL, will be changing its name to Versus in September.

“Costas Now” with host Bob Costas returns with a close examination of Barry Bonds’ pursuit of Babe Ruth — and, of course, steroids — at 9 p.m. Tuesday on HBO. … Spike runs “Up for Grabs,” the documentary about the battle for Bonds’ 73rd home-run ball in 2002, at 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Get-will wishes to Jim Corno of Comcast SportsNet Chicago in his recovery from prostate cancer.

End of the dial: Speaking of a city series, Milt Rosenberg of “Extension 720” chats with Bernard Weisberger, author of the new 1906 World Series book “When Chicago Ruled Baseball,” after Monday night’s Cubs game on WGN 720-AM.

John Russell Ghrist talks with Naperville baseball researcher Ray Nemec as part of “Midwest Ballroom” at 5 p.m. Saturday on WDCB 90.9-FM.

— Ted Cox

We have found another "celebrity" poster on this site. Spaceball is TM!

I don't care what time of year it is, if you're a sports-talk station in Chicago, a city known for being very provincial about sports, where we have the defending World Series champions, another baseball team that always generates a lot of talk about Dusty, the Prior/Wood situation, etc., and football fans who seem willing to talk Bears 24/7, and your paying your morning man $1.7M to put on his show, and HE CAN'T EVEN BEAT HIS ONLY REAL SPORTS COMPETITION--AN ESPN SYNDICATED SHOW PIPED IN FROM BRISTOL, CONN.--you got a problem.

Also, you now seem to be getting beat middays by two young guys who were barely on the radar last quarter and were mysteriously temporarily banned from the airwaves, possibly for their poor performance. You got another problem.

Your afternoon competition basically took the winter quarter off and, when they were there, professed little love for NCAA basketball, the hottest event of March. They slipped badly, yet STILL BEAT THE TEAM YOU CONSIDER YOUR STRONGEST DUO. (The team, by the way, that was moved to afternoons to try and repair the damage done by the previous afternoon fiasco.) You got still another problem.

Furthermore, you're embarrassing yourselves by landing the broadcasts of the above-mentioned World Champions' games and you're subjecting the listeners--including possibly many new ones--to a rookie announcer who has no business being in a major league booth. What the hell were you thinking?

Man, these ratings were absolutely brutal when you see the breakdowns. WSCR, you got BIG PROBLEMS and the biggest one is sitting there in the studio from 6-10 talking about Frank Sinatra and Cheetah the Chimp while sports fans apparently tune to ESPN and non-sports fans don't even know who he is and don't give a shit!

Preach on Pappy's Crappy. Hey does anyone know how bad North's numbers actually were? Haven't seen them yet.

wow - Pappy's Crappy swings the big stick & hits a good one / its time for these clowns rosen & agasi to be shown the door / garcia can stay.

From Cox: "WMVP also got good results from syndicated ESPN Radio hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic in the morning, as they finished third among men 25-49, behind only Spanish-language WOJO 105.1-FM and Jonathon Brandmeier on WLUP 97.9-FM."

North was obviously behind ESPN in that coveted male demographic; that tells me all I need to know.

And, yeah, sure, I know, if he'd have had billboards, things would've been different.

North doesn't like music after 1980, mentined the other day a strong dislike for SouthPark, and doesn't believe anyone watches it....

Now, if he wants to relate to a younger audience, he may have to adapt to current music/television.....or maybe talk sports!

Oh how the so-called mighty have fallen. Silvy & Carm rate a mention but not Mr "undeniably Chicago". The only thing worse than bad press is no press. Pappy can't even compete with a Spanish language station. Ouch! Keep up the great work Rock.

_________________
I don't mean to sound bitter, cold, or cruel, but I am, so that's how it comes out. - Bill Hicks

Let's do it for Johnny!

I love the smell of North-bashing in the morning.

(Afternoon and evening, too, for that matter.)

You mean the Big Giant Haircut Press didn't move them up the ladder?!
As Jessie would say, "it's like you throw a rock across a pond and you don't even get a ripple."

They can spin this all they want - these are simply horrific numbers. When ratings are close - a tenth or two apart - that is a virtual draw. However, the distances in the key demo numbers are staggering - and given the disaster at CBS stations in this market, heads are sure to roll.

Didn't someone mention that Murphy was a friend of Agase or someone like that? Possible that it was Agasse's gift to give him a 2 year deal - before he himself gets the axe?

Not just North - but all of them - need to take a hard look in the mirror and see these results for what they are - a clear message from the target consumer that they simple don't like the product. and management must realize that the longer they stay with the same personel and losing formulas, the worse it will get.

Hey Pappy some how Mike and MIke finished 3rd without a billboard. How the hell is that done. What a pathetic showing for Pappy.

Actually, I know that there is at least 1 billboard on eastbound 290 between the Elgin-O'Hare and 355 exits, so there's gotta be more somewhere.

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It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a goddamn shame.

http://www.TheCommittedIndian.com/

There's another M&M billboard on the Ryan or I57, can't remember which, but I know I see it on the way home from the Cell.

It's not the billboards, it's the content that had M&M ahead of North.

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Nothing clever or witty to put here.....

On 90 East just before the Des Plaines Oasis.

Bleachers (Golic Head) Box Seats (Greeny Head)

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Homer: "Asleep at the switch"? I wasn't asleep, I was drunk!
Bart: I believe you, Dad.

Bottom line:

North has been mailing it in for years and now that he doesnt have buddies running the station, the bosses are actually expecting somethign from him and he isnt capable.

I hope he saved some money, because like I said in a previous post, he will NEVER see a contract like his last one again.

I heard IDOT has banned any North billboards within a certain number of feet of any roadway. The sight of the Pasty One, Trannie, and Phat Phred might cause too many accidents.

What the hell is wrong with north? The show he is doing now is no where near the old monsters show. How fall do the ratings have to fall before he admits the attempt to do a general talk show has been a tremendous failure. The guy made his name as a sports talk show host. The interaction with callers was a hallmark of the monsters show. Get back to basics.

When's this burrito gonna realize that he's NOT Howard Stern.