Will Real 92.3's Big Move Inspire Others To Elevate Afternoons?

When early PPM ratings results came in as this methodology replaced diaries, some radio stations saw cumes for afternoon drive rival or surpass morning listenership. A bigger audience in afternoons didn’t start a trend of investing more into pm programming. The playbook didn’t change. Will the audacious move by KRRL (Real 92.3)/Los Angeles to hire morning Talent J Cruz from competitor KPWR (Power 106) to handle afternoons inspire other stations to upgrade this important daypart?

When J Cruz joined Power 106 in 2011, some speculated (but not confirmed) that the new addition to the station was being groomed for mornings since he came to Power from KVEG (Hot 97.5)/Las Vegas‘ morning show. At the time, Big Boy was heard in a.m. drive. But after Big Boy bounced to Real 92.3 in 2015, J Cruz filled the void.

J Cruz isn’t coming to Real 92.3 alone–two from “The Cruz Show” are along for the ride. Executive Producer and former “Big Boy’s Neighborhood” Sports Dude Jeff Garcia aka Jeff G and DJ Lechero moved with J Cruz from Power 106, and Real 92.3’s DJ Lezlee will join the guys when it debuts at 2 pm on Thursday, April 18th.

Since “The Cruz Show” features an ensemble, some may wonder if Real 92.3 management has a morning show in-waiting to replace “Big Boy’s Neighborhood,” but that does not seem to be the case. When the press release went out on Monday, April 15th, a photo of J Cruz and Big Boy together was included. The visual not only made it seem like Big Boy was welcoming J Cruz, it also made it clear that Big was in the loop and not blindsided by the hiring of the person he competed for morning listeners with.

Big Boy actually seems to go above and beyond to co-sign J Cruz publicly by interviewing “The Cruz Show” cast on “Big Boy’s Neighborhood,” appearing on a local TV morning show, and consistently mentioning the hashtag #CruzMoved.

Bringing “The Cruz Show” to Real 92.3 and leaving it in afternoon drive is a brilliant move by iHeartMedia. Listeners who flipped back and forth between “Big Boy’s Neighborhood” and “The Cruz Show” no longer have to choose. Now they can listen to both shows during drive times. Ratings are likely to increase for Big Boy since his direct competitor is now in the family. And afternoons ratings are likely to rise on Real 92.3 because it will have a familiar show with the level of entertainment that is usually reserved for the morning commute.

During his appearance on KTLA with J Cruz, Big Boy mentioned iHeartMedia’s “talent-driven” philosophy. In the press release announcing the hiring of J Cruz, iHeartMedia EVP of Urban/Hip Hop Programming Strategy & Real 92.3 Program Director Doc Wynter stated:

“iHeartMedia is all about attracting the very best on-air talent and I’m excited to add J Cruz to the growing list of super talents in our thriving Los Angeles market. Big Boy in the mornings and J Cruz in the afternoons–I get chills just saying it!”

The potential for ratings growth is there, but what about revenue? It will be interesting to see if Power 106 morning show advertisers will stay with the station or take their dollars with J Cruz to Real 92.3.

On paper, the extra dollars spent to bring “The Cruz Show” to Real 92.3 for a more competitive afternoon drive program makes sense. An aggressive sales team will help the team make enough money to justify this investment in talent. If this gamble pays off, hopefully other programmers and companies will invest substantial dollars into making afternoon drive as entertaining as mornings.