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NEW HAVEN- WPLR-FM program director Ed Sabatino was a little antsy Monday, with the looming release of spring Arbitron ratings and the fact that he’d replaced the station’s popular morning team in January.
"When you go through changes like that, you’re in a dangerous place," he said.
Maybe he was posturing a bit, but he said he’d be happy to do at least an 8 share instead of the 11s or 12s earned by the "Smith & Barber" morning show in key demos.
Well, on Tuesday he said, "I couldn’t be happier," as WPLR is "damn close to even" compared to a year ago. The station is down compared to the fall ratings book, but Sabatino calls the last book "an aberration ... a sweet kiss."
Did the "Chaz and AJ" show manage an 8 share for WPLR? Depends on the demo (age group). That’s the thing about ratings in radio and TV — they’re a sales tool and almost everyone wins. Sales folk can make the numbers jump through hoops.
The new show did a 9.5 with people 25-54, which made it No. 1 in the New Haven market. But the numbers were lower for women and ages 12-plus, since adult men are WPLR’s traditional audience.
"Smith and Barber" ended in January when Sabatino and WPLR General Manager John Ryan decided to make a change after Bruce Barber complained about his unhappiness in the job and talked of leaving after his contract was up in May.
The station bought out the pair’s contracts, and suddenly the show was over (despite a very successful fall ratings book). The early hook left fans and Brian Smith stunned and angry, but Sabatino used the opportunity to hire the available "Chaz and AJ" away from a Long Island station.
Sabatino said the new team has been making headway and has brought more hits to the station’s Web site. He also said that "these guys do a lot of things that Smith and Barber never did."
Sabatino said "Chaz and AJ" cover more subjects, games and topics and have more interaction with each other than the previous team.