Radio wars: Watters chips away at McCown's big lead

As dodgy as television ratings can be, radio ratings are even more suspect.

At least TV audiences are measured with electronic gadgets attached to television sets and have some credibility assuming you buy into the belief that a few thousand meters can tell you what millions are watching. But in radio, audiences are measured by selected listeners keeping personal diaries, the equivalent of writing this blog in the ground with a stick.

But, the BBM ratings are what makes the radio world go around, so even if they're wildly inacurrate, they still carry some weight. Just ask the guys who've lost their jobs after bad ratings books.

Nobody's losing any jobs in the Toronto sports radio market, but the winter ratings released yesterday indicate that 640 Toronto's Bill Watters is taking a serious run at prime-time king Bob McCown over on the FAN 590.

Watters scored a 3.5 share of adult males, which is less than half the 7.3 recorded by McCown's Prime Time Sports. But the gap is narrowing. Watters' audience has grown 9 per cent since last winter, while McCown's audience share dropped 18 per cent.

"We've gone from 20 per cent of their audience share to half in a very short time," said 640 program director Gord Harris.

While McCown's audience took a hit, The FAN's noon hockey show saw its audience share jump 60 per cent to 6.1. It apparently did so at the expense of 640's Leafs Lunch, which plummeted 31 per cent to 3.3.

"We're wider than Leafs Lunch," said FAN general manager Nelson Millman. "You can only complain about the Leafs not making the playoffs or talk about who Brian Burke is going to trade for so long."

Here's what the rest of ratings showed:

FAN 590

Morning show: 5.8 (Down from 6.0, a negligible drop)

Bullpen: 4.4 (Off 21 per cent, which may or may not say anything)

Director's Chair: 5.4 (Up 4 per cent, but not really comparable to the `08 lineup)

Game Plan: 4.3 (Down 17 per cent from Chuck Swirsky's audience as Armstrong and MacLean break in their show)

Evenings: 2.9 (A 39 per cent decrease, no doubt thanks to lame Raptors team)

Overall: 4.7 (An 8 per cent decrease, but still maintaining 6th place among adult males)

640 TORONTO

Evenings: 2.3 (Down 4 per cent as the Leafs continue to struggle)

FAN BIDS ADIEU TO ESPN

As of this week, the late-night and weekend programming at the FAN is coming from Fox and not from ESPN.

After more than a decade of airing ESPN radio offerings, the FAN decided that asking price was just too high.

"They were looking for a 150 per cent increase in rights fees and we didn't believe that in these economic times that was a prudent decision," said Millman. "We're monitoring closely to see if what they do fits our mandate."

So far, Millman said, audience reaction has been mixed.

Comments

[Doug]

McCown's style, act, is just getting stale and tired...plus the bigger the name of the person he is talking with the more he kisses butt.....Water's doesn't care just tells it like he sees it....refreshing....

[JP]

Prime Time is vastly, vastly superior to the Bill Watters Show in my opinion. 640 is so hockey and Leaf focused, it's incredibly boring.

There's a lot about the Fan I don't love, but at least they'll talk about interesting sports issues. Not just how the Leaf game was last night...ugh.

[Jeremy]

Lost in all this is that McCown is actually bored by what he does do now, and Watters seems to have new life. McCown has been at the top of the mountain so long, he doesn't seem to think he needs to actually watch any sports, do any prep work, or have interesting topics to discuss.

It's a great pairing with him and Greg Brady, who clearly has chemistry with Watters, and they seem to guests as good as PTS if not better somedays. No question, Watters can feel thankful to Brady for coming to Toronto. He bashes the Leafs a lot less and it just sounds like two knowledgable guys who love what they're doing.

There's a lot about 590 that needs change, including the lame, bored, and tired morning show. The first thing instead of praising Hockeycentral and ripping on Leafs Lunch that Nelson Millman should do is replace the lame comedy bits in the morning. Enough! Not funny if they ever were. The numbers would suggest that their whole 6-noon crew could use a touch of paint.

Raiding 640's kitchen for Dreger or Brady wouldn't hurt if they have money to spend.

[Spence]

More Roger Lajoie!

Nobody gets stirred into a lather in the wee hours of the morning when few are listening quite like 'The Rog'.

I agree with Jeremy's comments to a point. Love the Bobcat, but he does sound bored by it all ... he's sort of a Don Cherry in his own way; thinks he knows it all, has seen it all, etc., and nothing's swaying him.

I'm still tuned to Prime Time Sports in the late afternoon but I'm finding I'm tuning out a fair bit now, unlike before. And that isn't merely because the Leafs suck.

[Boca Junior]

I used to faithfully watch/listen to McCown. But the show is stale and the McCown/Kelly combination has become sanctimonious and self-absorbed. I find I only tune in now if Stephen Brunt is on. Plus McCown talks way too much and the guests hardly get a word in.

[Gvn8tr]

I am disappointed by the overnight switch to FoxsportsRadio...isn't Torontojobshop.ca paying enough in advertising revenues to keep our friends from EspnRadio on the fan? Maybe I need to give Fox a shot, but last night - my first time hearing Fox - they began with clips ("Fox Soup??") of an announcer throwing his headphones across the studio b/c they don't work right...lame.

For now, I'm switching over to Buffalo's 550 overnight. Too bad.

[Mark]

Doug Mclean is very knowledgeable and connected to hockey people but he always talks over top of everyone and always tries to get the last word in. Nelson and the Deacon should be talking to him about this.

[Ryan Arsenault]

As a rule I generally flick the dial to the show that is the most entertaining on that given day. I have to say though that I'm not keen on Greg Brady from the Bill Watters Show at all. I liked listening to the BWS when Jeff Marek was on it. But alas he left for greener pastures. I can't stomach listening to Brady when Watters isn't there.

I find McCown a bit soft these days. As evidence I present the Tom Brady interview he conducted earlier this year. Softball practice for Touchdown Tommy indeed. Best yet it was all about shilling for a sports creme. Bobcat would skewer other media outlets and personalities for the same type of thing.

[BJJ]

The morning show on the Fan needs to be changed!
Enough with Don Landry.
I find myself listening more to Bill Watters than Bob McCowan.

[DWH]

The BullPen is down ?? I don't see why ... as soon as I here Mike Toth's voice I turn the channel. He should be trying his humour(?) on Rumack over night.

[Dave McCormick]

Bob McCowan is still the best in Toronto Sports Radio...I don't watch/listen to anyone else having both XM Canada and Sirius Canada for the best in sports and you get two versions of ESPN and the full Fox Sports Radio network among many others.

[Mike]

Does Bill Waters talk about anything other than hockey? That's all I've heard the few times I listened and it's the only thing on his podcast on itunes.
Sports fans want more than overkill in one sport. That's why he's losing so badly to McCown.