The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » The Most Popular Radio Formats Of 2018

RadioActive · January 8, 2019 12:58 pm

I'm not sure how much credence I give this and numbers are easy to manipulate. But a company called "Marketing Charts" in the U.S. has come out with its rankings of the top radio formats down south for the past year. While news/talk is #1 in the overall cume, it cautions it was an election year in the States and that may be one of the reasons for the increase.

The numbers are based on Nielsen PPMs from January to November of 2018, and of course there are big differences depending on the age of the audience being measured. (Pop CHR clearly wins for the 18-34 demo.) Mileage most certainly varies in Canada.

So with those caveats in mind and for whatever it's worth, here are the results.

The Most Popular Radio Formats of 2018

RadioActive · January 8, 2019 7:07 pm

For some reason, Country has never been a major force in Toronto, although many have tried. CFGM was once the only place to find it. CKFH made the effort for a while. So did CKEY. Most recently, CISS-FM and CHAM played it. Even CHUM-AM once did an hour or two with Fred Snyder (aka Moose Latreck) which was highlighted on early CHUM Charts.

But nothing ever seemed to hook a big enough audience. Yet just down the road, WYRK-FM in Buffalo has been one their top rated stations for years.

I've always wondered what the reason is, but it just doesn't seem to be a music genre GTA residents care a lot about.

RadioAaron · January 8, 2019 7:26 pm

Country could work in Toronto. It did for a period on 92.5, but it was during a peak in the format, and before development further impaired that signal.

New York and LA, both very multicultural, have successful Country stations. The difference is that the format gets most of its ratings from the suburbs, and those American markets have ratings breakdowns for those suburbs. We have an Oshawa book and a Hamilton book -- not good enough.

Locally, it would need one of the big CN tower signals that reach the whole market to work...and none of them are in a position where a format change is warranted. If signals weren't an issue, it would make sense on 92.5 (again) or 93.5, but that's not happening.

Last edited by RadioAaron (January 8, 2019 7:28 pm)

January 8, 2019 7:29 pm

WXRL Buffalo/Lancaster at 1300 AM and 95.5 FM may have more Toronto & GTA listeners than industry polls are measuring

Last edited by geo (January 8, 2019 7:30 pm)

RadioAaron · January 8, 2019 7:32 pm

They don't even have any listeners in Buffalo.

Lee Marshall · January 8, 2019 7:36 pm

Toronto has always been 'too good' for country. I call B.S. If a country station in T.O. only sits 5th or 6th? Good enough. In my travels [albeit small market 'cause I loathe living in big markets] [it's really only the horrid traffic congestion and loathsome people] both Classic Rock and Country ranks legions beyond anything else. If your don't have a Classic rock or Country station within your radio's reach? Everything else is just lowdown, pure SHIT. That's my research. I've done a LOT of it. If major markets 'fill out' this way at least according to this list? It's just another reason NOT to live there. In rural everywhere a talk station ain't even on the distant 3rd row back-burner. That's in Canada and not in dick-gazin' America. I honestly believe ratings are a bucket of large turds. THIS shyte isn't what people want. It's what 'corporates' want us to want. It's FIXED.

R.A. I feel your trepidation. That list is made up B.S.

Bell wants to know what we want? Sure they do. Clowns. How to take a network down in 4 years. THAT's what they know.

RadioAaron · January 8, 2019 7:50 pm

Lee Marshall wrote:
.

Bell wants to know what we want? Sure they do. Clowns. How to take a network down in 4 years. THAT's what they know.

Nothing personal, I'm sure

splunge · January 8, 2019 8:12 pm

its a couple of years old, but here's the canadian data.

RadioActive · January 8, 2019 8:33 pm

Country is a huge format out in the western part of Canada. Again, Toronto has seemed immune to its charms for a long time. I'm not sure we'll ever know why. Perhaps someone will take another stab at it in the future and do it so well, it'll finally make its mark here.

Bristol · January 8, 2019 8:46 pm

Country in TO...there is CJKX96's synchronous repeater on FCP at 95.9...sounds pretty good....there are 3 choices in the GTA: KX96 Ajax (#2 in Durham) , KX96 Toronto and KX94.7 (#2 in Hamilton)

Lee Marshall · January 8, 2019 9:23 pm

RadioAaron wrote:
Lee Marshall wrote:
.

Bell wants to know what we want? Sure they do. Clowns. How to take a network down in 4 years. THAT's what they know.

Nothing personal, I'm sure

What??? My first criticism of 'the place' and what? After almost 5 years I don't get to have an opinion? That's bullshit. When it comes to TV? They haven't got a clue. The real television minds left not too terribly long after the 2010 Olympics and my old boss Rick Lewchuk headed south shortly thereafter. It's been a clown show ever since. They've been treading water in marginally congealed jello ever since. It is what it isn't.

Lee Marshall · January 8, 2019 9:34 pm

RadioActive wrote:
Country is a huge format out in the western part of Canada. Again, Toronto has seemed immune to its charms for a long time. I'm not sure we'll ever know why. Perhaps someone will take another stab at it in the future and do it so well, it'll finally make its mark here.

I'll tell you what the problem is...and remember I've researched all of this multiple times. REAL country fans are 'OK' with NEW Country but they want their oldies absolutely. You eliminate the classics and you're screwed. New 'Country' is just wanna-be Rock 'n' Roll with a meaningless piece of straw stuck 'tween' yer teeth twang. It needs to be tempered meaningfully to work in most Canadian markets where there's only gonna be one/1 Country station per market. [if that]. In tiny markets it's better to totally forget top 30 and only go with a country mix. [or classic hits/classic Rock] Why? The younger people have all left for 'the city' and the school 'kids' don't much listen to the radio anymore.

'Corporate' don't know shit from shinola and the 'audience' ain't happy.

Peter the K · January 8, 2019 9:46 pm

I've always enjoyed classic country and everything up to the 90s but I couldn't wrap my head around why today's country just doesn't do it for me.

Then I saw this video and it all started to make sense.

Last edited by Peter the K (January 8, 2019 9:46 pm)

Fitz · January 8, 2019 10:05 pm

My favorite country was country rock and it was played on rock stations during the 1970's. Groups like Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, Wilco and the Jayhawks carried the music into more recent times but they never made it to nu country. Americana maybe.

Too many great songs from the genre and here are two:

the original hank · January 9, 2019 12:52 am

for me... i'll go with outlawwwwwwww country!

Dale Patterson · January 9, 2019 1:15 am

RadioActive wrote:
For some reason, Country has never been a major force in Toronto, although many have tried. CFGM was once the only place to find it. CKFH made the effort for a while. So did CKEY. Most recently, CISS-FM and CHAM played it. Even CHUM-AM once did an hour or two with Fred Snyder (aka Moose Latreck) which was highlighted on early CHUM Charts.

But nothing ever seemed to hook a big enough audience. Yet just down the road, WYRK-FM in Buffalo has been one their top rated stations for years.

I've always wondered what the reason is, but it just doesn't seem to be a music genre GTA residents care a lot about.

From 1968 to 1988, CKOC had an hour of country beginning at 5 a.m.

Radiowiz · January 9, 2019 4:01 am

RadioActive wrote:
For some reason, Country has never been a major force in Toronto, although many have tried. CFGM was once the only place to find it. CKFH made the effort for a while. So did CKEY.

Are you saying that CKEY actually did Country music as CKEY?
Or did you forget that CKEY became CKYC when Key 590 became Country 59?

Radiowiz · January 9, 2019 4:19 am

Fitz wrote:
My favorite country was country rock

CISS 92 in it's Country life had Rockin' Country Saturday nights.

Radiowiz · January 9, 2019 4:23 am

Peter the K wrote:
Then I saw this video and it all started to make sense.

Except the video you posted fails to address the idea that the Country music he was suggesting near the end of the video is actually Country and Western music.

Fitz · January 9, 2019 8:21 am

Dale Patterson wrote:
RadioActive wrote:
For some reason, Country has never been a major force in Toronto, although many have tried. CFGM was once the only place to find it. CKFH made the effort for a while. So did CKEY. Most recently, CISS-FM and CHAM played it. Even CHUM-AM once did an hour or two with Fred Snyder (aka Moose Latreck) which was highlighted on early CHUM Charts.

But nothing ever seemed to hook a big enough audience. Yet just down the road, WYRK-FM in Buffalo has been one their top rated stations for years.

I've always wondered what the reason is, but it just doesn't seem to be a music genre GTA residents care a lot about.
From 1968 to 1988, CKOC had an hour of country beginning at 5 a.m.

Dale not sure if you remember this but FM 108 actually had a bluegrass show for a while. I did not remember that until I found a short taped snippet of that. Bluegrass reached the mainstream when the Dillards appeared as the Darlings on Andy Griffith Later Doug Dillard would team up with Gene Clark of the Byrds for one of the first country rock releases and after that the Dillards themselves entered the country rock field.

Fitz · January 9, 2019 8:53 am

grilled.cheese wrote:
I love how a topic starts off about something modern but quickly devolves into the "good ol' days" when people would wear an onion on their belt (it was the style at the time).

Something a bit more modern and a big influence on Oasis who were a modern rock staple during the 1990's.

Last edited by Fitz (January 9, 2019 8:57 am)

January 9, 2019 10:48 am

Lee Marshall wrote:
REAL country fans are 'OK' with NEW Country but they want their oldies absolutely. You eliminate the classics and you're screwed. In tiny markets it's better to totally forget top 30 and only go with a country mix

Lee have you checked out AM 920 Wingham (Blackburn)? A 70s, 80s & 90s mix broadcasting from a pleasant town. Very little 50s & 60s, surprise/surprise. Newscasts include agricultural market numbers such as barley by the bushel and pork bellies. One needs to keep informed on when to unload all those squealing, feeder piglets in the barn.

Country FM 93 Owen Sound (Bayshore) runs a decent 4-hour program Sunday evenings 7 - 11:00, the timing of which demonstrates how little importance they give to country gold.

Last edited by geo (January 9, 2019 11:09 am)

January 9, 2019 11:30 am

Lee Marshall wrote:
Toronto has always been 'too good' for country. I call B.S. If a country station in T.O. only sits 5th or 6th? Good enough. In my travels [albeit small market 'cause I loathe living in big markets] [it's really only the horrid traffic congestion and loathsome people] both Classic Rock and Country ranks legions beyond anything else. If your don't have a Classic rock or Country station within your radio's reach? Everything else is just lowdown, pure SHIT. That's my research. I've done a LOT of it. If major markets 'fill out' this way at least according to this list? It's just another reason NOT to live there. In rural everywhere a talk station ain't even on the distant 3rd row back-burner. That's in Canada and not in dick-gazin' America. I honestly believe ratings are a bucket of large turds. THIS shyte isn't what people want. It's what 'corporates' want us to want. It's FIXED.

R.A. I feel your trepidation. That list is made up B.S.

Bell wants to know what we want? Sure they do. Clowns. How to take a network down in 4 years. THAT's what they know.

lol

RadioActive · January 9, 2019 12:40 pm

Meanwhile, In Kingston, there's a country show that gets an incredible 31.7 share.

Radio show's 'Code' of success includes affable host, classic country music

Radiowiz · January 9, 2019 12:53 pm

If this were a good 6 or so years ago, many here would be arguing that Country music does not work in Ottawa. Bell decided to toss Country music on 93.9 FM anyway...

January 9, 2019 1:40 pm

CJBQ Trenton/Belleville, possibly my fave radio stn in the whole damn world has an excellent weekend mornings moldie-oldies country program