Winnipeg Radio Ratings Spring 2018

Spring 2018 radio ratings

(previous rating period in brackets)

1. CBC Radio One — 14.2 (14.2)
2. 680 CJOB — 10.9 (11.2)
3. QX 104 — 10.3 (8.1)
4. 92.1 CITI — 5.9 (6.5)
5. 99.9 BOB FM — 5.7 (6.3)
6. 103.1 Virgin Radio — 5.5 (7.3)
7. TSN Radio 1290 — 5.4 (3.3)
8. 94.3 The Drive — 5.2 (6.6)
9. KiSS 102.3 — 4.3 (4.5)
10. Energy 106 — 4.0 (4.8)
11. Power 97 —  3.5 (4.4)
12. Peggy @ 99.1 — 3.2 (2.1)
13. CBC Radio 2 — 3.1 (4.1)
14. Hot 100.5 — 1.6 (2.2)
15. Now Country 104.7 — 0.4 (0.4)
16. Radio-Canada Espace Musique — 0.1 (0.1)

CBC Radio One continues to dominate Winnipeg's radio market according to the Spring radio ratings book. For the last number of years CBC has held this commanding position ever since it surpassed CJOB. The two primarily talk based stations rank 1 and 2 with 680 CJOB slipping from their last ratings period.

The station that took a big jump was TSN Radio 1290 and the reason for that is probably the long run of the Winnipeg Jets into the play-offs. It was enough to elevate the station to the heady territory of 7th place on the list.

The highest rated FM music station is QX 104. Country music remains strong with women and has gained ground against the classic and rock stations in the city. They have taken number 3 on the dial while 92.1 CITI and 99.9 Bob FM have 4th and 5th. New popular music station 103.1 Virgin too had a big drop.

Only two music FM radio stations had gains in this period, That was QX 104 and Peggy @ 99.1 which features adult contemporary such as 1980s pop to more recent releases. A few other stations chase that dynamic and it is hard to appear different to competitors.

It is difficult to know if the latest book will trigger firings and format changes. The importance of having the right on air talent and content seems to escape the tall foreheads elsewhere who react to these things. A little luck helps too. TSN floated upward on Jets coverage. 

People still love their talk and music and don't mind curated stations but it better be delivered through apps, Google Home, Alexa and on satellite. They want to visit the websites, enter contests and see their DJS at events or online.

Today's programmers need to get their signal on every device there is and not be surprised when people are listening and responding from all over the world. And somehow that reach has to be measured and sold to advertisers.

I have said often enough here that if CJOB wants to take back number 1, they have to offer a FM signal as well as a AM signal. They locked up Winnipeg Blue Bomber football which helped them last year. If they are not looking at locking down the new soccer broadcasts, they would be fools not to.

As far as music stations go: on air talent that isn't paid pennies and wasted on canned programming would go a long way. Good talent can educate and introduce more music if a format starts to go stale. Instead of a wholesale format change it could be that songs not in rotation but by loved artists are played. Or songs covering a certain theme or season. It is the lack of originality and flexibility that is sometimes staggering.

In any event, it will probably be fall before we see a shake-up once again in Winnipeg and it will probably be firing people and a format chance by someone named Harold in Toronto who has launched 20 other stations that year. That probably isn't going to work. Assume that people will go anywhere to listen to music they like and if you want to keep them, it will have to be at a personal level on the devices they like.