The Blowhard
07-17-2002, 08:12 AM
WNEW no longer
one-hit wonder
By DAVID HINCKLEY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
For most stations, finishing 22nd in the spring Arbitron ratings, averaging 1.7% of the audience, would not be good news.
But most stations aren't WNEW (102.7 FM), which in the previous ratings quarter averaged 1.2% of the audience. So it's actually up by 40%, and program director Jeremy Coleman is happy, relatively speaking.
"The best news for us is that instead of having just one successful show, [afternoon hosts] Opie and Anthony, we now have two," says Coleman, "because Ron and Fez have broken out in the evening. Among men 25 to 54, they're No. 1."
Opie and Anthony finished fifth overall in the afternoon, averaging 4.4% of the audience. They were No. 1 for the first time among all listeners aged 18 to 34.
This is particularly impressive because O&A had slumped the past two ratings quarters and they are now nationally syndicated, which can dilute the appeal of a show that used to be exclusively local.
"We gave a lot of thought to that," says Coleman. "We were very aware of a potential negative impact, and we worked a long time with Opie and Anthony to ensure it wouldn't happen. They've handled it very well."
Not everything is perfect at WNEW, of course. Scott Ferrall's morning show is averaging 0.5% of the audience, trailing WMCA, WBBR, WNNY and suburban stations. But Coleman seems inclined to stay with it.
"He's up a few ticks," says Coleman. "We're going to give him a chance."
WNEW is looking for a midday show to replace Don and Mike, and Coleman sees it as an opportunity.
"It's like going shopping," he says. "It's exciting to see what's out there."
He says 'NEW is also looking for new shows on the weekend to supplant a jumble of infomercials and reruns - and in the big picture, he says, extreme talk on WNEW "is here to stay."
That dampens the speculation, or hope, by some radio people and listeners that WNEW's parent, Infinity, would relocate Opie and Anthony to sister station WXRK and give WNEW a new format - country, dance, standards, whatever.
Reminded of that speculation, which he has heard, Coleman just laughs.
"We want to be a No. 1 radio station with this format," he says. "To be honest, I had hoped we'd move there faster. But everyone says this format takes time to build. I'd hoped we'd be an exception. But we're moving in the right direction."
<img src=http://home.ix.netcom.com/~camman/_uimages/Heck.gif>
one-hit wonder
By DAVID HINCKLEY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
For most stations, finishing 22nd in the spring Arbitron ratings, averaging 1.7% of the audience, would not be good news.
But most stations aren't WNEW (102.7 FM), which in the previous ratings quarter averaged 1.2% of the audience. So it's actually up by 40%, and program director Jeremy Coleman is happy, relatively speaking.
"The best news for us is that instead of having just one successful show, [afternoon hosts] Opie and Anthony, we now have two," says Coleman, "because Ron and Fez have broken out in the evening. Among men 25 to 54, they're No. 1."
Opie and Anthony finished fifth overall in the afternoon, averaging 4.4% of the audience. They were No. 1 for the first time among all listeners aged 18 to 34.
This is particularly impressive because O&A had slumped the past two ratings quarters and they are now nationally syndicated, which can dilute the appeal of a show that used to be exclusively local.
"We gave a lot of thought to that," says Coleman. "We were very aware of a potential negative impact, and we worked a long time with Opie and Anthony to ensure it wouldn't happen. They've handled it very well."
Not everything is perfect at WNEW, of course. Scott Ferrall's morning show is averaging 0.5% of the audience, trailing WMCA, WBBR, WNNY and suburban stations. But Coleman seems inclined to stay with it.
"He's up a few ticks," says Coleman. "We're going to give him a chance."
WNEW is looking for a midday show to replace Don and Mike, and Coleman sees it as an opportunity.
"It's like going shopping," he says. "It's exciting to see what's out there."
He says 'NEW is also looking for new shows on the weekend to supplant a jumble of infomercials and reruns - and in the big picture, he says, extreme talk on WNEW "is here to stay."
That dampens the speculation, or hope, by some radio people and listeners that WNEW's parent, Infinity, would relocate Opie and Anthony to sister station WXRK and give WNEW a new format - country, dance, standards, whatever.
Reminded of that speculation, which he has heard, Coleman just laughs.
"We want to be a No. 1 radio station with this format," he says. "To be honest, I had hoped we'd move there faster. But everyone says this format takes time to build. I'd hoped we'd be an exception. But we're moving in the right direction."
<img src=http://home.ix.netcom.com/~camman/_uimages/Heck.gif>