Good Old CKNW?

CKNW has long been the self-styled "Big Dog" of Vancouver's AM radio scene. Now the provincial powerhouse is beginning to show its age.

While NW is proudly celebrating 60 years of continuous radio programming, rightfully touting its deep community ties with an upbeat "birthday" campaign, beneath the surface the station is dealing with a middle-age identity crisis.

For decades, the station has perched atop the Vancouver radio ratings ladder, but now NW is in the unaccustomed position of fighting off the upstart JACK-FM, the two-year-old Rogers-owned rock radio station, for bragging rights to the local radio marketplace. 

How stiff is the competition? Last fall, JACK managed to top NW in overall share, (13.4 vs. 13.3).  While NW has since regained its number one status (14.0 vs 10.4 share/Spring 2004), JACK remains strong in many of the key niche demos (adults 18-49, 25-54) that advertisers crave.   

With some of NW's gains running concurrent with the Canucks' end of season and Stanley Cup playoff run, some analysts caution not to read too much into one individual ratings book.

Tough times for a 'generalist'  Marketed for years as the authoritative provincial voice for news, talk and live sports radio, NW's "generalist" brand of AM radio is under attack across the radio spectrum. With the AM band increasingly settling into a niche, "narrow-casting" modus operandi, some analysts have begun to question the long-term viability of NW's more broad based approach to radio programming.

"The CKNW situation is not unique," according to Rick Scott, a Seattle-based radio consultant. "The days of being a radio omnibus programmer are disappearing at a rapid rate, especially as the industry resorts to niche audience and programming formats."

While CKNW is still a major star in CORUS Entertainment's B.C. based radio constellation, there are some other signs that the reliable cash cow is beginning to suffer from the competitive heat.

On the news front, Rogers Communications' 24/7 all-news station CKWX has slowly but surely built up a steady audience following, nibbling away at NW's information-based constituency.

Strafed by Rafe

NW's talk-radio programs - most specifically its popular mid-morning slot -- have also recently come under attack from 600AM. Longtime NW on-air personality Rafe Mair, dumped by the station for a variety of reasons - ranging from his abrasive personality, criticism of his masters, an increasingly older demographic, now competes each morning with his former NW colleague, Bill Good.

While his radio home call letters have changed, Mair's opinionated style has not - much to the delight of his loyal listening audience.  Although according to the 2004 spring ratings book, Good's show has double the audience of its main rival, (13.9 share vs. 6.9 share) Mair has been able to carve out a sizable niche of the marketplace. 

CKNW's domination of the local radio sports scene is also in a state of flux. While it retains radio broadcast rights to the Vancouver Canucks - the market's top sports property, NW's once inviolate position as the city's radio sports leader is being challenged.

In late March, the BC Lions bid NW adieu, taking their radio football ball to the all-sports TEAM1040, ending 18 years of affiliation in the process. While being the radio voice of the CFL Lions had become somewhat of a revenue albatross (NW estimates losses of $500K in the past three years), losing out to the upstart TEAM1040 was a blow to the station's prestige.

'Frozen dial syndrome'

NW also finds itself suffering from "frozen radio-dial syndrome," which tends to afflict a passive and generally aging listening demographic. While they keep their AM dial constantly tuned to 980, giving the station a loyal audience, NW is not appreciably increasing its total audience numbers or diversifying its base by reaching a younger demographic.

The lack of diversity has its roots in its stable of on-air personalities. While Frosty Forst still rules the roost as the king of the AM "morning men," at 64 years old, it only seems like he's been around forever, and he won't last much longer.

NW's hold on the 8:30 a.m. to noon slot has taken a definite hit with Rafe Mair's relocation to AM600. While NW countered by shifting Bill Good from late morning and early afternoon (11:00 AM-3:00 PM) to the earlier mid-morning day part, the newfound competition has forced NW to expend a lot of energy and resources to repel the  challenge.

NW has brought in Cameron Bell, the heavyweight former head man at the BCTV News Hour as a consultant to help Good hone his programming edge and steer his sees-all-sides on-air approach in a more controversial direction.

The Brian Burke factor

With Good moving to an earlier time slot a year ago, NW backfilled its noon-time programming period with ex-BCTV news-reader Jennifer Mather. While a female voice was much-needed, it has also been short-lived -- it ended in January with her maternity leave.

Although slated to return later this year, that plan is dependent on the career moves of her husband Brian Burke. With Burke, the outspoken former President/GM of the Vancouver Canucks unceremoniously dumped by the suits at Orca Bay in early May, the probability that the couple will leave town sooner rather than later has increased considerably.  Mather's replacement, business pundit Michael Campbell, is not a long-term solution for the station.

Philip Till's "drive home" slot has kept its performance levels at acceptable levels, but there are still issues that need to be addressed.  Till's afternoon partner, John McComb, is on personal-health leave, and his return is far from certain. NW "swing-man" Peter Warren has filled in admirably when called upon, but he's also over 60 and enjoying semi-retirement.

Vancouver based radio consultant and analyst John Rae says it's easy to recognize your challenges. Fixing your problems is a different matter entirely.  "Talk radio needs to be opinionated, informed and entertaining.  It sounds simple, but in NW's case, more often than not, they have gotten away from these basic principles," Rae says. "In its simplest terms, they need to get younger and edgier".

A knack for finding talent

Faced with similar challenges in the past, NW has always managed to reinvent itself by hiring the market's "best and brightest." It is a tradition that dates back almost 40 years -- from Jack Webster in the '60s to Gary Bannerman in the '70s and early '80s, to Rafe Mair in the '90s. But that was then and this is now.

Whether the Big Dog can learn new tricks in a changing radio marketplace remains to be seen.

Brian Schecter, a frequent contributor to The Tyee on media and sports issues, is a Vancouver-based writer, consultant and television producer and director.