Fargo Radio: Listeners Go For More Talk, Less Music

Fargo-Moorhead radio listeners are tuning into more talk and less rock, according to last fall’s ratings period, just-released results show.

Of the 15 commercial radio stations in the topline report of Nielsen’s fall ratings book, from Sept. 11 to Dec. 3, only four stations saw a ratings boost and two of the four were talk stations.

KFGO 790 AM maintained its longtime lead among all radio stations with a dominant 13.6 shares. After slipping from 15.5 in spring 2013, it was an increase of 2.2 shares from spring 2014m according to Inforum.com.

“Talk radio has always been there, you’ve just got to make it interesting,” said Joel Heitkamp, program director for KFGO and the sports station, KVOX 740 AM /The Fan, both owned by Midwest Communication. “Why I think we’re winning that thing is because we’re the table that everybody is eavesdropping on, or wants to hear.”

Heitkamp’s show, News & Views, topped the mid-morning period from 9 to 11 a.m. with a 17 share.

Heitkamp said listeners don’t want to hear celebrity gossip; they tune in to hear about what’s happening locally.

“It starts with our news team and it ends with our news team,” he said. “Not everyone is watching their smart phone 24/7.”