WBLS 107.5 FM , which has ridden high since it merged with
the late WRKS (Kiss-FM) last year, scored another win in the just-released May
Arbitron ratings.
According to David Hinckley at NYDaily News, WBLS edged
ahead of WCBS-101.1 FM and perennial leader WLTW 106.7 FM among listeners age
35 to 64.
It’s a group that sparks ambivalent feelings in radio, as it
does it in other media — especially television, according to Hickley.
On the one hand, radio loves their loyalty. On the other
hand, it’s hard to sell them to advertisers who, radio executives say, want
younger listeners.
Younger listeners, by conventional Madison Avenue thinking,
are more susceptible to ads because they have not yet formed their brand
preferences. The 50-year-old is thought to have already decided what soda to
drink, what stores to shop in, what car to drive.
During the recent annual Talkers Magazine seminar in New York , several
panelists called this thinking wrong, saying the 50-year-old is open to pitches
and has a lot more money to spend.
The 50-year-old also still listens to radio, while many
22-year-olds prefer the phone.
WBLS averaged 8.3% of the 35-64 audience in May, compared to
8.2% for WCBS-FM and 7.9% for WLTW. WAXQ 104.3 FM was fourth with 6.1% and WHTZ 100.3 FM was fifth with 5% — reflecting how long Z-100 has been an institution
in town.
WLTW was slightly ahead of WHTZ among 25-to-54-year-olds and
WHTZ had a very comfortable lead among 18-to-34s.
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