Exclusive: Dumping DePetro In Morning Hurting WPRO-AM
Thursday, February 09, 2012
The market’s “radio station of record” decided to move morning drive host John DePetro out of his slot and put him on from 9am till noon. Now, one year later the ratings have dropped nearly in half.
It also meant that Dan Yorke’s time slot would change and so would Buddy Cianci’s. The station opted to promote Tara Granahan who had been DePetro’s Executive Producer and on-air contributor with former Channel 6 news guy
A Risk
When the on-shuffle was reported here, the issue of this being a big risk for the station was raised. Gobeil taking over for DePetro that is. Here is a look from that February 2011 article.
What isn’t known is how well this morning show will work. The current one with DePetro is a proven ratings winner and it works. Some people in the advertising community tell me this is a risky move. You can debate his style, but DePetro engages listeners, gets phones to ring and the most important thing for station brass is that he gets people to advertise and spend money!
Andrew Gobiel - job being shopped
The Numbers
GoLocal has obtained specific rating numbers for the WPRO-AM morning show for the past 12-months and beyond. They clearly show that this switch from DePetro to Gobeil is not working as management as planned. You could also argue why was the change even made?
Radio ratings are measured in share and rating points. The share is the % of people listening to a specific program at a specific time. Ratings and share help sales people sell the radio station. The higher and better the share – the higher the ad price can be.
An analysis of the numbers shows that for 10-straight months, since DePetro has been off the show, the share % of listeners has been trending down. In addition, the two lowest share % numbers for the morning show was in November and December of 2011. The numbers show that in July of 2009 DePetro’s numbers were almost twice what the numbers were for this new morning show at the end of last year. This drop in share in not only problematic for selling ads during morning drive, it also hurts the station as a whole because the morning show helps to set the pace for the rest of the day. Listeners who start in the morning, have a better chance of staying longer through the day listening to Yorke and Cianci.
Job Being Shopped
GoLocal, through multiple sources, has learned that the morning show job to co-host with Granahan is quietly being shopped around. More than one person has been approached to see if they have an interest in the show. It is unclear what the timetable may be. But if those share numbers continue to drop going into early 2012—you can bet it will be sooner than later.
Love him or hate him – DePetro had higher higher numbers. But will the station consider a switch back?
It depends on how much pride the powers at be can really swallow.
But in broadcasting, dollars often win out over pride.
Related Articles
- BREAKING: Big Cuts at WPRO - Cumulus Axe Starts to Fall
- BREAKING: WPRO Hires Doreen Costa
- Exclusive: Major Shake Up at WPRO-AM
- Was WPRO Radio Report A Political Hit & Run?
- YOU DECIDE: DePetro or Gobeil on WPRO-AM
Comments:
tom brady
7:55am on Thursday, February 09, 2012
103.7 and 98.5 are much less depressing. DePetro is a negative person as is Dan Yorke. Buddy the "radio felon" is totally unlistenable.
guy smily
8:28am on Thursday, February 09, 2012
Just for the record, there is a woman on in the same morning time slot who has been doing a great job for years at 920 WHJJ, Helen Glover.
Edward Smith
8:39am on Thursday, February 09, 2012
Helen who? Is that a Spanish radio station?
David Beagle
10:00am on Thursday, February 09, 2012
Depetro's style doesn't fit the morning do-gooder slot. Too many interuptions and family oriented bits in the morning drive slot. He has an opinion, like it or not that draws listeners. During the moring drive, you can't be tough with too much fluff. This article doesn't mention what Depetro's ratings are for the 9 to noon slot. The most popular syndicated talk show hosts have opinions, they didn't get popular by being middle of the road fence sitters or by being liberals.
john paycheck
10:08am on Thursday, February 09, 2012
depetro is king....
sheeza Teacha
12:00pm on Thursday, February 09, 2012
Obviously, if it was decided that the morning show format was to be changed to a new show, the slot didn't "belong" to DePetro. Derderian's one-sided article infers that Gobeil usurped DePetro out of his time slot. Were DePetro doing the job that the station expected, the morning show wouldn't have been changed. As far as I am concerned, Gobeil is the rock solid personality on the morning news show; he's intelligent, personable, sharp, and elicits great responses from the guests he schedules. Granahan regularly comes across as disinterested, confused, uninformed about the topics at hand, and resistant to verbal banter. It is obvious that Derderian’s candor in this article is duplicitous and a better accounting of perspectives is necessary in order for clarity to be communicated. As for me, I can safely say that if Gobeil is removed from the morning show, I'll go back to listening to NPR.
anthony genzale
12:27pm on Thursday, February 09, 2012
I agree fully with guy smiley. I have been listening to Helen Glover on WHJJ for years and she does an excellent job. Rhode Islanders have got to learn to change the station on their radios away from WPRO 630 AM and change their TV's away from WJAR TV 10 and see the great alternatives we have on stations like WHJJ 920 AM and WPRV 790, and on TV channels 6, 12 and 64. No other market in the US has such concentration in the ratings on two stations like WPRO 630 and WJAR 10. Change in your radio and TV selections, just like in politics, is good!
jack flash
1:40pm on Thursday, February 09, 2012
I also listen to Helen Glover and enjoy her work. In addition I listen to WPRO daily as well. I have enjoyed listening to John Depetro as well but have noticed as of late that his show has become very different from what it once was. I am turned off by the constant voice recordings played while he talks over them. These voice recordings consist of things like the words (little guy) someones deceased animal played over and over and other things. It sound more like a circus than a talk show. I don't know what he is attempting to accomplish but once it starts, I am gone. I am in agreement that folks should get their news and discussion from more than once source. Anthony makes a very good point.
Pam Thomas
1:58pm on Thursday, February 09, 2012
Those voiceovers are annoying. Little Guy got boring very quickly. And the minute depetro starts his religious ranting on the banner or planned parenthood, I switch stations. But I do like his newsiness, which seems to be missing in the early show now.
David Beagle
3:15pm on Thursday, February 09, 2012
We have to face the fact that we're pretty much a one horse town when it comes to local talk radio. WHJJ, aside from Helen, falls off the table after 10 a.m. After that, for news and hot topics, its WPRO or nothing. Tiny, hampster-driven radio stations don't make it past town boundries.
David Beagle
3:17pm on Thursday, February 09, 2012
And, while we're on the subject, has anyone checked whether Carolyn Fox is available?
David Pepin
2:28am on Friday, February 10, 2012
The Phoenix reported recently that DePetro and Yorke have their contracts expiring this year - I wonder if that's driving all the craziness. Riddle me this: if DePetro's ratings are so great, how come PRO had layoffs late last year? I just think it's funny that John has been rah-rah about other people losing their jobs (say, Providence and Central Falls teachers). It'll be interesting to see what PRO does - have they sacrificed other people's jobs so John can be re-upped? Given the layoff of Bob Plain shortly after Doreen Costa's hiring, the theory floated on GoLocalProv's FB page that DePetro gave Derderian this story, while we have no way of knowing whether or not it's true, doesn't seem quite so far-fetched.
Gina Catalano
9:56am on Friday, February 10, 2012
Was just about to say that I can't stand hearing the weight loss commercial and how much weight they have lost & it just came on again...I really don't care how much weight Tara has lost or how her hair has become thicker...
pearl fanch
12:06am on Monday, February 13, 2012
Let’s get this straight. There is NO worse talk show host than John DePetro. Nobody comes close to being as obnoxious as him. Disagree with him, and you’ll be hung up on, and ridiculed. I pray for the day that WPRO wakes up and cans this fool.
Then again, they did hire Buddy the felon. He’s the guy who was more corrupt than any other politician in the history of the state, yet he gets paid to criticize today’s politicians. Not that they shouldn’t be criticized, but certainly not by him.
My routine is very simple. Helen Glover in the morning. At 10:00 I switch to 103.7, and then at noon, it’s Dan Yorke.
See, I’m capable of changing stations. Too bad the rest of RI can’t do the same.