Post by musicradio77 on Oct 19, 2005 21:15:44 GMT -5
By JOHN MAINELLI
FLOPJACK.
New Yorkers have officially — and loudly — rejected "Jack," the controversial format that replaced Cousin Brucie and beloved oldies on WCBS-FM (101.1).
The multi-format, big-playlist, no-DJ format formally debuted in lowly 22nd place in Arbitron's summer ratings — replacing a rebounding WNEW-FM (102.7) as the lowest-rated FM station.
Just last winter, CBS-FM was in ninth place and that wasn't good enough for station-owner Infinity Broadcasting
"We're certainly not happy with what has happened [but] we're hoping we've hit that down note and are on the way up," Senior VP Les Hollander told The Post, adding that there was audience growth near the end of the July-September ratings period.
"It takes a little while to break through, as it has with WNEW," Hollander said.
Jack launched last June to a blaze of media coverage — and complaints from Mayor Bloomberg and Sen. Chuck Schumer — because of the abrupt demise of the 33-year-old oldies mainstay.
Although variations of Jack have done well around the country, "Cousin Brucie" Morrow says New Yorkers are "different" and can be "very unforgiving.
"I don't think they've seen the bottom yet," Morrow warned. "It may go much lower."
Meanwhile, oldies refugees appeared to flee to classic-soul Kiss FM (98.7) — now ranked second to top-dog Lite FM (106.7) — and classic-rock Q-104 (104.3 FM), now a Top 10 station.
Satellite-bound Howard Stern is still No. 1 in morning drive, but he's now tied with all-news WINS (1010 AM) and down 15 percent from a year ago.
Politics-obsessed WABC (770 AM) and WLIB (1190 AM) — conservative and liberal, respectively — are still showing signs of partisan fatigue. They're up from spring but down from a year ago.
WLIB's midday duo of Jerry Springer and Al Franken were especially hard hit, plunging 35 percent from year-ago ratings.
FLOPJACK.
New Yorkers have officially — and loudly — rejected "Jack," the controversial format that replaced Cousin Brucie and beloved oldies on WCBS-FM (101.1).
The multi-format, big-playlist, no-DJ format formally debuted in lowly 22nd place in Arbitron's summer ratings — replacing a rebounding WNEW-FM (102.7) as the lowest-rated FM station.
Just last winter, CBS-FM was in ninth place and that wasn't good enough for station-owner Infinity Broadcasting
"We're certainly not happy with what has happened [but] we're hoping we've hit that down note and are on the way up," Senior VP Les Hollander told The Post, adding that there was audience growth near the end of the July-September ratings period.
"It takes a little while to break through, as it has with WNEW," Hollander said.
Jack launched last June to a blaze of media coverage — and complaints from Mayor Bloomberg and Sen. Chuck Schumer — because of the abrupt demise of the 33-year-old oldies mainstay.
Although variations of Jack have done well around the country, "Cousin Brucie" Morrow says New Yorkers are "different" and can be "very unforgiving.
"I don't think they've seen the bottom yet," Morrow warned. "It may go much lower."
Meanwhile, oldies refugees appeared to flee to classic-soul Kiss FM (98.7) — now ranked second to top-dog Lite FM (106.7) — and classic-rock Q-104 (104.3 FM), now a Top 10 station.
Satellite-bound Howard Stern is still No. 1 in morning drive, but he's now tied with all-news WINS (1010 AM) and down 15 percent from a year ago.
Politics-obsessed WABC (770 AM) and WLIB (1190 AM) — conservative and liberal, respectively — are still showing signs of partisan fatigue. They're up from spring but down from a year ago.
WLIB's midday duo of Jerry Springer and Al Franken were especially hard hit, plunging 35 percent from year-ago ratings.