Both Sides Will Declare Victory in Mike Francesa Michael Kay Ratings War
The initial ratings are in in the Mike Francesa WFAN vs. Michael Kay ESPN 1000 ratings wars, and, well, it seems presumable that both sides will declare victory:
@MikeFrancesa beat @RealMichaelKay in winter ratings book with streaming and over-air combined. Kay beat Francesa if you remove @WFAN660's streaming. @ESPNNY98_7FM's over-air and streaming numbers are combined. ESPN won't separate them, so . . . it's complicated. Story to come.
— Neil Best (@sportswatch) April 15, 2019
The Winter Book is here:
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) April 15, 2019
* Michael Kay outrated Mike Francesa, 5.9- 5.5 in the 25-54 male demographic in the category both stations use to sell advertising.
* FAN’s initial number does not include Francesa’s stream. When added in, Francesa has a 6.2-5.9 advantage
* Column later
There are a few caveats here. The demographic being compared here is 18-54 year old men, which their advertisers target. WFAN separates the feeds for streaming and terrestrial radio for advertising purposes, whereas ESPN does not. The Michael Kay Show is also on YES Network and SiriusXM, which means that it’s almost certain they have a bigger aggregate audience right now. Nevertheless, if you compare apples-to-apples, Francesa will emerge the winner.
It’s easy to envision a scenario where both sides say they won.