Tony Katz (center-right) with Morning News Team |
After declining to renew Simpson's contract in June, officials for Indianapolis-based Emmis Communications Corp., which owns WIBC, insisted that bringing on Katz added a voice that better aligned with the station’s other programming, according to Anthony Schoettle at the Indy Business Journal.
Listenership of WIBC during the first six months of Katz’s show is up across several demographic segments. In audience size, it's rivaling powerhouse "The Bob & Tom Show," which also airs from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekday mornings on iHM's WFBQ 94.7 FM. Katz's early audience numbers are even surpassing Emmis managers' expectations.
Emmis local market manager Charlie Morgan said he isn’t surprised that Katz was able to capture a larger audience than Simpson, but is surprised “how quickly the audience responded.”
“This is nothing negative about Steve Simpson,” Morgan said. “He did a terrific job and had a top five [for his time slot] show. We just needed a station that was more consistent morning, noon and night, and Tony was a better fit for our audience. In that regard, I’m not surprised at how much the [Katz] show is resonating.”
WIBC 93.1 FM (13.5 Kw) Red=60dBu Coverage Area |
And Katz’s show appears to be picking up steam. During the last three months in the 6-plus demographic, it earned an 8.8 share in October, 9.8 in November and 9.7 in December, according to Nielsen Audio.
Among men 25-to-54, the first six months of Katz’s show had an average share of 7.4, up from Simpson’s last six months, which scored a 5.9 share, according to Nielsen.
Among men 35-to-64, the sweet spot for news-talk, Katz’s first six months scored a 12.0 share, up from Simpson’s last six months which earned an average share of 9.7.
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