Tuesday, April 17, 2018

NYC Radio: 25-54 Men..WEPN Beats WFAN In PM Drive


The Michael Kay Show on WEPN 98.7 FM ESPN New York beat Francesa’s WFAN 660 AM / 101.9 FM replacements, “The Afternoon Drive” with Chris Carlin, Maggie Gray and Bart Scott.

In Nielsen ratings that sports stations judge themselves by, Kay had a 4.4 rating to CMB’s 4.2 with men 25-54, according to 98.7 FM GM Tim McCarthy, from 3-6:30 p.m., when the two programs go head-to-head. Carlin, Maggie & Bart runs from 2-6:30 p.m., while Kay is on from 3-7 p.m.

The Kay Show, with Don La Greca and Peter Rosenberg, never beat Francesa in a full book. The whole sports radio genre was down in the ratings as Kay’s number was good for eighth in the three-month session, while CMB’s was 10th. The winter radio book goes from January through March.

Overall, The FAN, which has the Yankees broadcasts and only features local talk, had a ratings advantage of 4.6-3.2, reports The NYPost.

The 98.7 ESPN show had a very strong advantage among young men (age 18-34), with a 3.3 rating compared to a 2.4 for WFAN’s combined audience on two stations.

Tim McCarthy, ESPN New York’s senior vice president and general manager, said, “I’m really happy for Michael, Don and Peter. They’ve been doing this for a long time, and the good news is the ratings over the last year have continued to grow in the right direction.”

In the spring book, Kay’s show will now try to use its seeming advantage in baseball with Kay, the voice of the Yankees, compared with Carlin, Gray and Scott, who have shown limited expertise on the Yankees and Mets.


CMB is still trying to find its full footing as a team.

First, it is unclear if three voices really can work, as it sometimes feels as if CMB lacks a flow to the conversation. Carlin has served as the leader of the show, but he is not the central figure, like Kay is on ESPN.

Meanwhile, Francesa has not yet announced his future plans. At 64, he walked away from WFAN by his choice.

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