July 25, 2003

Radio AM to FM: July 25, 2003

Power 106 Takes It Again

KPWR won again in the just-released Los Angeles radio Arbitron ratings, beating out second-place KROQ by almost a full point, 5.3 to 4.4. This is the fifth straight win for Power 106, and its highest consistent ratings since the station knocked KIIS-FM out of the top spot over a decade ago.

On the strength of hot topics in the news and a roster of hosts that is arguably one of its strongest ever, KFI came in third with a jump to 4.3 from 3.7. FM sister KOST was up slightly to 3.8 from 3.6 for fourth, while KTWV The Wave stunned everyone by moving up almost a full point to 3.6 and came in fifth.

In somewhat of a surprise, former dominator KIIS-FM came in 6th, dropping from 4.1 to 3.5, its lowest showing in at least a year -- possibly in a decade or more. Perhaps its not truly a surprise, though, as KIIS-FM is but a shell of its former self during the years it led the ratings by margins of full points with the strength of great personalities, music selection, production and on-air presentation.

The rest of the top-10 is carried by KLAX (up to 3.5 from 2.8); KSCA (down to 3.5 from 3.7); and a tie between KKBT and KRTH (both up to 3.3 from 3.1).

KFI not only came in third overall, it also dominated the talk format with its 4.3 share. KABC was up as well to 2.9 from 2.5, while KLSX was flat -- but not far behind -- with a 2.5 share. Way down the list was KRLA at 0.6 (down from 0.7), while KPLS didn't even show ... proving once again that the influence of conservative talk is truly a myth.

On the strange side: the Spanish-combo of KBUA/KBUE actually went DOWN in the ratings with the addition of KMXN and the creation of a simulcast in January. That trend continued with a drop of more than a point from Winter, to 2.3 from 3.4. Strange, since the addition of KMXN's 94.3 FM signal should have made for a far more powerful station: KBUA also broadcasts on 94.3 from the Valley, and the simulcast thus reduces interference from competing formats.

Each rating is an estimate of the percentage of listeners aged 12 and over tuned to a station between the hours of 6 AM and 12 Midnight, as determined by Arbitron.

Station-Winter 2003-Spring 2003

KPWR-5.0-5.3
KROQ-4.4-4.4
KFI-3.7-4.3
KOST-3.6-3.8
KTWV-2.8-3.6
KIIS/KAVS-4.1-3.5
KLAX-2.8-3.5
KSCA-3.7-3.5
KKBT-3.1-3.3
KRTH-3.1-3.3

KABC-2.5-2.9
KLVE-3.4-2.9
KBIG-2.7-2.5
KLSX-2.5-2.5
KZLA-2.2-2.5
KBUA/KBUE/KMXN-3.4-2.3
KYSR-2.0-2.3
KHHT-2.6-2.2
KXOL-2.2-2.2
KNX-2.1-2.1

KCBS-FM-2.3-2.0
KLOS-2.4-2.0
KSSE-1.6-1.8
KZAB/KZBA-0.5-1.7
KFWB-2.1-1.6
KJLH-1.4-1.6
KMZT-1.8-1.6
KLYY-0.8-1.4
KRCD/KRCV-1.8-1.2
KLTX-0.9-1.1

KHJ-1.1-1.0
KBLA-1.0-0.9
KDLD/KDLE-0.8-0.7
KFSH-0.7-0.7
KLAC-0.8-0.7
KRLA-0.7-0.6
KSUR/XSUR-0.3-0.6
KWIZ-0.8-0.6
KKLA-0.7-0.5
KTNQ-0.6-0.5

KWKW-0.5-0.5
KWVE-0.6-0.5
KXTA/XTRA-0.0-0.5
KGGI-0.4-0.4
KSPN-0.4-0.4

Ratings are © 2003 Arbitron. May not be quoted or reproduced without prior written permission from Arbitron.

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