NEW YORK'S JACK: DREADFUL ARBS, OPTIMISTIC FORECAST Chuck Taylor – Billboard Despite a radical drop in ratings since oldies WCBS-FM New York flipped to Jack in June, Infinity senior VP Les Hollander says the company remains optimistic.
According to a New York Daily News story, the latest monthly Arbitrend shows that the new WCBS-FM fetched a 1.7 share—the lowest of any FM in the market. From January to March 2005, when it was still playing oldies, the station had a 3.4 share. That marks an even 50% drop in listeners.
But Hollander claims that in August, 946,800 people tuned into the station at some point, which is up 30% from the 754,500 in July.
"We're seeing growth," he told the Daily News. "That's what you look for in any new format. With one like Jack that appeals to a 35- to 54-year-old audience, growth is slower." Few oldies listeners stuck around after the switch, he adds, so Jack had to build from the beginning.
Hollander added, that "when we get the music to where we want it, people will listen longer. That's when you'll really see growth."
Meanwhile, New Yorker and radio personality Little Steven Van Zandt said flipping WCBS-FM from oldies to Jack was "like replacing the Statue of Liberty with a blow-up doll,” the News reports. |