Radio Heads: NFL Teams Dominate The Dials On Opening Weekend

By David Broughton, Research Dir, SportsBusiness Journal

Two-thirds of all men ages 25-54 that were listening to the radio in the K.C. market during the Chiefs’ season opener were tuned in to the game, according to data from Arbitron's newly created sports division. KCFX-FM, the team’s flagship station for 21 straight seasons, aired the team’s "MNF" game against the Chargers. The Steelers' opening Sunday home game against the Falcons averaged a 64.3 share in that demo on the team’s flagship stations WDVE-FM and WBGG-AM. The Ravens-Jets game averaged a 6.8 in N.Y. on WEPN-AM, the Jets’ flagship station, while the Lions-Bears game had the league’s largest opening weekend radio audience. CBS Radio-owned WBBM-AM, the Bears’ radio rights holder since '00, drew an average of 855,700 listeners in the Chicago market during its game coverage. During the game coverage, the NFL broadcasts were the top-ranked programs for 25 of the 29 flagship stations. In N.Y., the Jets game was also head-to-head with a Yankees-Rays game, which had AL East title implications. In Charlotte, the Panthers were outdrawn by a country radio station, while in the Bay Area, the Raiders were behind an adult contemporary station. Hispanic programming finished higher overall in Phoenix than the Cardinals' station. This is the first time Arbitron has compiled an NFL Opening Weekend report of Portable People Meter (PPM) data. The compilation includes listener data for the 29 teams in 23 markets where the PPM service has been put into place. Arbitron’s PPM tracking is not used in the Buffalo or New Orleans markets.