If you have seen the most recent radio ratings in
Toronto, you may have noticed that Sportsnet 590 The Fan maintained their share of 3.4% from the summer into the fall, despite the on-going NHL lockout. The Rogers owned sports station noticed as well, providing a
press release with some tidbits on how their programs fared:
Each daytime show on Sportsnet 590 The FAN experienced double-digit growth for the R4 period year-over-year:
· Brady and Lang in the Morning (5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET) – increased share of hours tuned to 6.8 share from 6.2 (10% increase)
· The Jeff Blair Show (9 a.m. to Noon ET) – increased share of hours tuned to 6.5 share from 4.2 (55% increase)
· Hockey Central @ Noon (Noon to 1 p.m. ET) – even in the midst of the NHL lockout, increased share of hours tuned to 7.9 share from 5.3 (49% increase)
· Tim & Sid (1 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET) – increased share of hours tuned to 8.2 share from 5.0 (64% increase)
· Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown
(4 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET) – Canada’s most-listened to sports afternoon
drive show in Toronto increased listenership to 11.6 share from 9.6 (21%
increase)
Source: BBM PPM Surveys, Toronto CMA
The increase in share of hours for these programs are impressive, especially in a very competitive radio market. Hockey starved fans are looking for any kind of lockout news and Hockey Central @ Noon seems to have unexpectedly benefited from this labour dispute.