“The country format has, indeed, reversed the trend of declining shares seen in the late 1990s.”
That’s from Katz Media Group, which released its Spring 2004 National Format Averages and Share Trends report.
Author Lisa Chiljean said possible reasons are a different influx of talent and music, less fragmentation of the format within markets, less “blurring of the lines” between pure country and crossover AC artists, and a downturn in the shares for some Rock or Adult Contemporary niches.
Country has been the top format for a decade, the organization said, with a 54% advantage over the next closest competitor among Persons 12+.
More highlights:
– Changing U.S. demographics continue to play a big role in the popularity of formats. Ethnic formats – both Black and Hispanic – now account for four of the 10 most popular formats.
– Interest in News and Talk remains strong. The number of stations programming some variation of News and/or Talk has increased from 326 to 535 in a decade. Increased fragmentation, however, has affected shares.
-The Adult Contemporary format shows some mixed results. While the mainstream formats such as Soft A/C, Hot A/C and Adult Contemporary were down, niches such at ’80s and Soft Rock increased.
Info: www.katz-media.com.
