Radio Demographics: Why No. 2 Is No. 1 : Ratings: KIIS-FM may have finished runner-up to KOST-FM in the Arbitron rankings, but ended up first with the prized 18- to 34-year-old target audience.
No. 2 is actually No. 1, and No. 1 is really No. 3. Move No. 3 to No. 4, take No. 4 off the Top 12, and bring up No. 5 to the No. 2 spot.
Confused?
Those are part of the maneuvers radio executives and advertisers go through every three months to determine the real meaning behind the Arbitron ratings. When it comes down to programming and advertising revenue, it’s the demographics that really count, and who is listening to a particular station becomes as significant as how many are listening.
That’s why executives at Top 40 station KIIS-FM (102.7) were celebrating when the latest Arbitrons were released last month. Even though KIIS ranked No. 2 behind “soft hits” KOST-FM (103.5) in terms of total audience, it was No. 1 with people between the ages of 18 and 34, one of the most sought-after demographic groups for radio stations.
KOST-FM was No. 3 with that age group, behind KIIS and rock station KLOS-FM (95.5). KLOS ranked No. 5 in the main Arbitron ratings.
Coming in at No. 4 with 18- to 34-year-olds was “dance music” station KPWR-FM (105.9), which was ranked No. 2 among listeners 12 years old and older. KPWR had been No. 1 with the 18-34 group last quarter.
“The drop that we experienced is reflective of how much No. 1 can go back and forth,” said Duncan Payton, KPWR’s promotion director. “I think it’s because there’s so much competition for that age group.”
Lynn Anderson, president and general manager of KIIS, said that KIIS has been No. 1 with the 18-34 group for most of the last seven years.
“It’s a demographic that is almost impossible to reach except for radio,” she said. “Television has a very difficult time reaching this audience. It’s an active audience, so they’re mobile.”
It’s this mobility that makes them so attractive to advertisers, Anderson added. “Since they’re moving more, they have to buy more,” she said. “Whether they’re in school or out of school, their buying needs are great.”
Carey Curelop, program director for KLOS-FM, said, “Years ago, all the stations wanted teens to listen to them, and all you heard were commercials about bubble gum and cereal. Now those teens have grown up, and no one wants a teen audience anymore. They want baby boomers, who need everything--furniture, washing machines, cars.”
The 18-34 audience is on the low end of the 25-54 age group that advertisers feel is the most important. Many radio stations feel it’s easier to target the lower age groups because the 25-54 audience is too broad.
Advertising dollars for the 18-34 audience could account for about 20% of a station’s revenue, Anderson said. But more importantly, if a station is successful in attracting those people, chances are good that it also will attract listeners on either side of that age spectrum. The combined audience could increase that revenue to 60%, she said.
“18-34 is really the core demographic for everything else,” Anderson said.
Because several stations are competing for the key 18-34 audience, the individual ratings for the stations have declined, some station officials said. That has enabled “soft-hits” KOST-FM to top the overall local Arbitron ratings for the last two quarters, they said.
“We’ve taken each other down,” said Jeff Wyatt, vice president of programming for KPWR. “Because of that, KOST-FM has popped to the top of the Arbitrons. They play yesterday’s hits, but the station has profited because everyone else is engaged in the battle of the contemporary hits.”
Howard Neal, general manager of KOST-FM, said that his station mainly targets listeners of 25 years old or older.
Other stations use various strategies to get at the key demographic.
“We find it’s really important to find out what’s happening in the streets and in the clubs,” Wyatt said. “Our personalities are very concerned about their lifestyle. We particularly are interested in what female tastes are, and we target our approach to what 18-34 females find interesting. That can range from the abortion issue to who’s on Mr. Blackwell’s worst-dressed list.”
KIIS’ Anderson said that her station does a lot of research into the wants and needs of 18- to 34-year-olds. “We really listen to our audience, and we make sure everything that comes out of our station is lifestyle-driven,” she said. “We have high-profile promotions that have to fit their lifestyles. We give away Porsches or vacations to Puerto Vallarta. We have remote broadcasts from the site of the Grammys, or the hottest club.”
But according to Bill Summers, president and general manager of KLOS, it all comes down to the basics: the music.
“We’ve always been dominant in the male demographic between 18-34, and I’m sure the music is a key,” Summers said. “It’s also the personalities like (morning drivetime deejays) Mark and Brian. The baby boomers grew up with us and they really enjoy us. We’re always in the top three when it comes to that, and the difference between the top three is not that great.”
Portrait of L.A. Radio Age demographic profile: 23%: 55+ 32%: 35-54 36%: 18-34 9%: 12-17 Top five radio stations 18-34 age group: 1. KIIS-FM (102.7) 2. KLOS-FM (95.5) 3. KOST-FM (103.5) 4. KPWR-FM (105.9) 5. KROQ-FM (106.7) Top five radio stations 12 and older: 1. KOST-FM (103.5) 2. KIIS-FM (102.7) 3. KPWR-FM (105.9) 4. KABC-AM (790) 5. KLOS-FM (95.5) Source: Arbtron
