Even though Houston’s sports radio listenership traditionally trails most Top-10 markets, with three stations competing for the same audience, the spring book remained pressure packed as live sports were paused. It should be noted, Houston’s three sports stations operate on different lineup schedules, making it difficult to break down the traditional Nielsen dayparts.
After topping their format competition in the first quarter of 2020, Sports Radio 610 continued its overall lead during the spring book in the target demo of Men 25-54. In weekday prime (M-F 6a – 7p), 610 was tied for 18th with a 2.3 share while SportsTalk 790 closed the gap placing 23rd with a 1.5, up almost a full point from the winter book. ESPN Houston finished 25th earning below a 1 share.
Without sports, 610’s morning show featuring Seth Payne and Sean Pendergast dropped half a point as compared to the winter book, finishing tied for 15th with a 2.6 share from 6a – 10a. SportsTalk 790 and ESPN Houston finished 24th and 25th respectively, both earning below a 1 share. ESPN Houston breaks up the 4-hour block by offering a combination of Golic & Wingo and The Bench with John Granato and Lance Zierlein, which begins at 7am. SportsTalk 790’s morning show with Sean Salisbury fills the full 6 – 10a window.
In middays between 10a – 2p, 610’s John Lopez and Landry Locker matched the station’s morning drive performance with a 15th place finish and a 2.6 rating. In the same window, ESPN Houston finished 25th, while offering the last hour of Granato and Zierlein, followed by The Press Box with Charlie Pallilo and Joel Blank with Nick Sharara from 11a – 2p.
From 10a – 3p, SportsTalk 790 was 24th with a 1.5 share, a big increase from their winter book which saw them sit below a 1. During the five-hour midday block, 790 features a combination of In The Trenches with ND Kalu and The Matt Thomas Show.
In afternoons, 610’s Clint Stoerner and Ron ‘Show’ Hughley finished 20th with a 1.9 share from 2 – 6p. Sports Talk 790 again made a big jump, surpassing 610 in afternoons with a 2 share during the 3p – 7p window, a more than full point increase from the station’s winter book. The afternoon schedule on 790 features The A-Team w/ Wexler and Clanton from 3 – 6p and The Nightcap in the six o’clock hour. From 3p – 7p, ESPN Houston was down half a point from the winter, finishing 25th with less than a 1 share. Since mid-May, the station has aired The Josh Innes Show from 2 – 4p, followed by The Blitz with Fred Faour and AJ Hoffman from 4 – 7p.
