from the Chicago Sun-Times
CBS Radio took it on the chin in audience ratings for the first quarter, setting the stage for more turmoil and turnover.
Arbitron figures released Wednesday showed only one of the company's seven stations -- country powerhouse WUSN -- increasing in adult listenership since last fall.
Most prominent among all its losers was "Free FM" talker WCKG, where the replacement of syndicated morning star Howard Stern by Cleveland import Shane "Rover" French has been an epic disaster. (From sixth place with a 4.0 percent share of adults for Stern in fall, French plunged to 34th place with a 0.5 share.)
Also down in its target audience was "Jack FM" oldies WJMK, which replaced its legendary talent lineup and dropped its traditional oldies format last June.
In anticipation of the declines, CBS Radio recently shuffled general managers at WCKG, WJMK and rhythmic Top 40 WBBM-FM (which fell behind Clear Channel Radio Top 40 rival WKSC in teens and total listenership for the first time). But little else has changed.
Rounding out CBS Radio losers, ratings also slid at adult rock WXRT and all-news WBBM-AM.
With Chicago mirroring the company's fortunes nationwide, CBS Radio announced first-quarter revenue losses of 6 percent Wednesday. Hinting at selling off some stations, CBS Corp. CEO Les Moonves declared that radio is "our one segment that is not yet achieving acceptable growth."
Clear Channel Radio's urban contemporary WGCI again topped the market overall, followed by Tribune Co.-owned news/talk WGN, which rebounded from third place last fall.
Spanish-language stations, including Univision Radio's WOJO and Spanish Broadcasting System's WLEY were way up, aided by the introduction of Arbitron's "ethnic measurement and reporting enhancements" to boost Hispanic representation in the survey.
Jonathon Brandmeier's first full ratings period since his return to the market delivered big dividends to Emmis Communications' classic rock WLUP. His strong showing in mornings was offset by losses in other time periods at the Loop.
Waning interest in sports sent both sports/talk stations -- CBS Radio's WSCR and ABC/ESPN's WMVP -- into tailspins.
Arbitron's winter survey period ran from Jan. 5 to March 29.
from the Chicago Sun-Times
January 12, 2006
Emmis Communications showed improvement at classic rock WLUP with the return of Jonathon Brandmeier to mornings as well as at alternative rock WKQX where Mancow Muller rebounded strongly in mornings.
Howard Stern's last full ratings period at WCKG did little to help the sagging fortunes of the CBS Radio "Free FM" talker.
MORNINGS
1. WGN, Spike O'Dell 7.6 [8.2]
2. WBBM-AM, Felicia Middlebrooks & Pat Cassidy 7.1 [7.3]
3. WOJO, Rafael "El Pistolero" Pulido 4.1 [4.5]
4. WVAZ, Tom Joyner 4.0 [4.2]
WGCI, "Crazy" Howard McGee 4.0 [4.4]
WLS, Don Wade & Roma 4.0 [4.5]
7. WTMX, Eric Ferguson & Kathy Hart 3.9 [3.4]
8. WLIT, Melissa Forman 3.5 [2.6]
9. WUSN, Big John Howell & Ramblin' Ray Stevens 3.4 [3.5]
10. WNUA, Ramsey Lewis & Karen Williams 2.9 [3.0]
from Crain's Chicago Business
August 1, 2005
Chicago is tuning out its shock jocks.
The loudmouths who've long dominated the local airwaves-Erich "Mancow" Muller, Steve Dahl and Howard Stern-all saw ratings slide at least 15% among their target audiences this spring, according to quarterly Arbitron Inc. ratings released to advertisers last month.
Radio executives blame a variety of culprits: tamer content forced by a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) indecency crackdown, shrinking audiences as iPods and satellite radio gain popularity and even the recent successes of local baseball teams, which have sent fans to sports stations.
But some listeners say the long-running shows, hosted by personalities older than most of those in their intended audiences, have simply grown tired. Mr. Muller's show debuted in 1988; Mr. Dahl's in 1978, and Mr. Stern has been in the Chicago market for nine years.
"I used to listen to Stern a lot," says Brian Dias, a 27-year-old hotel sales executive, who now listens to an iPod and to "Eric and Kathy in the Morning" on WTMX-FM instead. "The antics just got to be too much."
Says Dan Maloy, a 26-year-old personal trainer who abandoned Mr. Muller's program for National Public Radio, "It used to be humor interspersed with news, but it just sort of devolved into personal rants."
That's bad news for the stations. Mr. Muller's show accounts for about 40% of advertising revenues at WKQX-FM, says General Manager Marv Nyren. Mr. Dahl's generates about 40% of ad sales at WCKG-FM, while Mr. Stern's syndicated show accounts for about 20% of the station's revenues. (Mr. Stern will be switching to satellite radio on Jan. 1.)
Eventual Cost
Advertisers say that despite the declines, jocks like Messrs. Dahl, 50, and Muller, 39, remain among the best avenues to reach male consumers. But that view will change if the current ratings trends continue.
"You can't keeping losing like that and charge the same amount," says Orland Park ad buyer Paula Hambrick. "Eventually, it'll cost them."
The jocks' audiences have shrunk since the genre's local heyday in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with the decline accelerating this year.
Ratings among men aged 18 to 34, the target for "Mancow's Morning Madhouse," fell 18% in the spring vs. the year-earlier period, the show's fourth straight annual decline. It now ranks No. 3 among its target demographic during his morning drive time slot, down from No. 1 in 2003.
Overtaking Mr. Muller for the top spot: "Crazy" Howard McGee on WGCI-FM and Rafael "El Pistolero" Pulido at Spanish-language WOJO-FM.
Mr. Nyren blames the decline on an FCC crackdown on indecency that has forced Mr. Muller to scrap outrageous bits such as "Drunk Girl Fridays," in which still-inebriated co-eds recounted their adventures from the prior evening.
"He can't really do the show he wants to do," says Mr. Nyren, who says the show's ad revenues have remained flat in recent years. "I hate to use 'clean it up,' but there are severe penalties now.'"
Mr. Muller disagrees. "You can do a great show without appealing to the lowest common denominator," he says.
No National Trend?
The shock-jock genre's appeal doesn't appear to be dwindling outside of Chicago, however. Ratings for Mr. Stern's nationally syndicated program remain strong elsewhere. And Mr. Muller's recent syndication deal, which now has him in 19 markets nationwide, suggests there's still widespread interest in outlandish talk shows.
"There's nothing I've seen that suggests a negative national trend," says Michael Harrison, editor of trade magazine Talkers.
Adds Joe Bevilacqua, station manager at Washington, D.C.'s DC-101, which launched Mr. Stern to prominence in the early 1980s: "We're seeing the exact opposite trend. (Morning shock-jock show) 'Elliott in the Morning' is up, Howard (Stern) is up."
That makes the Chicago trend puzzling. "I don't know what's driving it," admits Mr. Muller. He faults stations for taking loyal audiences for granted and not boosting marketing. "Great talents are like teeth," he says. "Ignore them and they'll go away."
Executives at stations benefiting from the shift say listeners appear to be tiring of the schtick. "Maybe their acts are starting to wear out," says John Gehron, Clear Channel Communications Inc.'s top Chicago executive. Clear Channel owns seven Chicago stations, including WGCI.
Take Mr. Dahl. While his show is less shocking than in his 1970s and 1980s heyday, when he incited a Comiskey Park riot on Disco Demolition Night and got an on-air vasectomy, he still qualifies as one of the market's most bombastic-and occasionally, most lewd-personalities. Last month, according to a show log on his Web site, he devoted airtime to counting down the minutes until a 17-year-old pop star becomes "legal" and to making off-color jokes about the Gay Games.
Rockers Gain
Mr. Dahl's spring ratings among his target audience of men aged 25 to 54 fell 15% vs. the year-earlier period, dropping him to second place behind sports talk on WMVP-AM. (It was his third straight spring ratings decline.) Also gaining among his core audience were music-driven formats on WLUP-FM and WXRT-FM.
Terry Hardin, general manager of WCKG, chalks up the declines to a greater variety of media choices available to listeners. "These shows are still well-positioned," he adds.
from the Chicago Sun-Times
July 20, 2005
Cubs baseball broadcasts and refinements to news and programming elements helped news/talk WGN regain the top spot in the Chicago radio ratings for spring.
"There are a lot of little things going on that add to the quality and success of the station," said Tom Langmyer, who signed on as vice president and general manager of the Tribune Co.-owned radio flagship in March.
Together with new program director Len Weiner, who was lured from sports/talk WMVP, Langmyer has instituted a few discernible changes to WGN's on-air sound -- from the content and pacing of newscasts to other more subtle enhancements.
WGN also finished first overall in mornings with Spike O'Dell and middays with the duo of Kathy O'Malley and Judy Markey, followed by Steve Cochran.
Another big winner in the Arbitron quarterly survey released Tuesday was urban contemporary WGCI, which dominated the market among listeners between the ages of 18 to 34, 18 to 49 and 25 to 54 -- all highly significant categories to advertisers (and to a station's bottom line).
WGCI was tops in afternoons with Sam Sylk and evenings with Mike Love and Victor "The Diz" Blackful (known collectively as "The Bad Boyz").
John Gehron, regional vice president and market manager for Clear Channel Radio, attributed WGCI's growth to a combination of outstanding programming, air talent and community involvement. "They're a remarkable radio station that's really hitting on all cylinders," he said.
Also rightfully ecstatic was adult rocker WXRT, which moved up from 11th to fourth among listeners between 25 and 54. Even more impressively, the Infinity Broadcasting station jumped from 10th to first place among men in the same age bracket.
Bonneville International's hot adult-contemporary WTMX had its best showing in years, led by the morning team of Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart, who finished first among adult listeners. Bonneville's other outlets -- classic hits combo WDRV/WWDV and rhythmic adult-contemporary newcomer WILV -- also grew substantially.
Three of the market's highest paid and highest profile personalities would no doubt gladly pay to have every copy of the spring ratings book burned. The numbers this time just didn't add up for Mancow Muller, morning host on Emmis Communications' alternative rock WKQX; Mike North, morning host on Infinity's sports/talk WSCR, and Roe Conn, afternoon host on ABC's news/talk WLS.
The Score's rival, ABC-owned ESPN flagship WMVP, retook the sports/talk lead thanks in part to White Sox baseball broadcasts. The Sox will move to the Score next year.
In its swan song as an oldies station, Infinity's WJMK fell to a tie for 16th place overall. It's too soon to gauge the impact of the "Jack FM" format that replaced it on June 3.
A newcomer that wasn't expected to register in the ratings yet was WCPT, which debuted as "Chicago's Progressive Talk" on May 5 -- five weeks after the beginning of the spring ratings period. The Newsweb Corp. daytime suburban outlet for Air America Radio and other liberal talk programming debuted in 34th place with a 0.4 percent audience share.
That already puts WCPT within striking distance of Salem Communications' WIND, which signed on in November as a 24-hour syndicated conservative talker and was tied for 31st with a 0.5 share in spring.
Arbitron's spring survey period ran from March 31 to June 22.
MORNING DRIVE
1. WGN, Spike O'Dell 8.2 [8.5]
2. WBBM-AM, Felicia Middlebrooks & Pat Cassidy 6.4 [7.2]
3. WGCI, "Crazy" Howard McGee 5.4 [4.6]
4. WTMX, Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart 4.2 [4.0]
5. WLS, Don Wade & Roma 3.8 [4.3]
6. WVAZ, Tom Joyner 3.6 [4.6]
7. WOJO, Rafael "El Pistolero" Pulido 3.5 [2.8]
WUSN, Big John Howell & Ramblin' Ray Stevens 3.5 [3.4]
9. WNUA, Ramsey Lewis & Karen Williams 3.2 [3.7]
10. WLEY, Miguel "El Chokolate" Silva 2.9 [2.4]
WBBM-FM, Ed Volkman & Joe Bohannon 2.9 [3.4]
WKSC, Kevin "Drex" Buchar 2.9 [2.0]
The Winter 2005 Arbitron isn’t one Howard Stern is likely to boast about – at least as far as his top three markets go. The syndicated morning man’s 12+ ratings are down in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, according to Arbitron ratings released April 25.
On his Infinity-owned WXRK (K-Rock) New York flagship, Stern fell from a first place 7.0 to a second place 6.4 in the Winter, unseated by "El Vacilón de la Mañana" on Spanish Broadcasting System’s WSKQ (La Mega).
In Los Angeles, Stern slid from a fourth place tie in the Fall (4.6) to finish sixth in the Winter (3.9) on Infinity FM Talk KLSX. And Stern managed only a 2.2 on Infinity FM Talk WCKG Chicago, ranked 16th. That’s down from a 3.0 in the Fall, when he tied for 12th place.
Stern is also down in Detroit (3.2-2.7 on Infinity’s WKRK) and in San Diego (4.9-3.2 on Infinity’s KPLN).
However, in Stern’s Philadelphia stronghold, he gained share (8.7-9.0) on Infinity’s WYSP, remaining in second place. And Stern improved his Boston market position on Infinity’s WBCN, from third in the Fall (5.4) to second in the Winter (6.6).
from the Chicago Sun-Times
BY ROBERT FEDER
SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST
Clear Channel Radio, which sharply reduced the commercial clutter on all of its stations, reaped benefits in the winter Arbitron survey, with four of its outlets ranking among the market's top five overall.
Leading the way was Clear Channel's urban contemporary WGCI, which overtook Tribune Co.-owned news/talk WGN for the top spot overall. It was the first time WGN had dropped from first place since the fall of 2002.
Clear Channel's other top finishers were adult urban WVAZ, smooth jazz WNUA and adult contemporary WLIT.
John Gehron, regional vice president and market manager for Clear Channel, attributed his group's strong showing in part to the companywide "Less Is More" initiative to scale back commercial breaks and reduce ads and promos.
"People found our stations more listenable," Gehron said.
The other big winner in the winter book was Univision Radio's Spanish-language adult contemporary WPPN. A mere four months after its debut, "Pasion 106.7 FM" leaped over Univision's WOJO and Spanish Broadcasting System's WLEY to become the No.1 Spanish station in the market.
Infinity Broadcasting's country WUSN also had a stellar showing, posting its best ratings in years.
As a whole, FM stations geared to adult men fared poorly, with Infinity's comedy/talk WCKG and the Emmis Communications combo of classic rock WLUP and alternative rock WKQX taking the biggest hits. The effect of Q-101's recent format adjustment has yet to be seen in the station's battle with Disney/ABC's active rock WZZN.
Among sports talkers, Infinity's WSCR regained a razor-thin lead over Disney/ABC's WMVP in total share. But in the target audience of men between the ages of 25 and 54, ESPN Radio 1000 beat the Score overall and in mornings, afternoons and evenings. Biggest shocker: ESPN Radio 1000's Dan McNeil, John Jurkovic and Harry Teinowitz unseated WCKG icon Steve Dahl for the top spot in afternoons among men.
There was still nothing to write home about for three newcomers -- Bonneville International's rhythmic adult contemporary WILV, Salem Communications' news/talk WIND and the Newsweb Corp. eclectic simulcast of WDEK, WKIE and WRZA.
Arbitron's winter survey ran from Jan. 6 to March 30.
Chicago radio ratings
Here is Arbitron's ranking for winter, followed by average share of listeners age 12 and older (with fall share in brackets):
MORNING DRIVE
1. WGN, Spike O'Dell 8.5 [8.8] 2. WBBM-AM, Felicia Middlebrooks & Pat Cassidy 7.2 [6.1] 3. WVAZ, Tom Joyner 4.6 [4.3] WGCI, "Crazy" Howard McGee 4.6 [4.4] 5. WLS, Don Wade & Roma 4.3 [4.6] 6. WTMX, Eric Ferguson & Kathy Hart 4.0 [3.8] 7. WLIT, Melissa Forman 3.7 [3.4] WNUA, Ramsey Lewis & Karen Williams 3.7 [3.2] 9. WUSN, Big John Howell & Ramblin' Ray Stevens 3.4 [3.5] WBBM-FM, Ed Volkman & Joe Bohannon 3.4 [3.3]
from the Chicago Sun-Times
October 19, 2004
The Cubs have disappointed their fans, but they again proved a godsend to WGN in the latest Arbitron audience survey.
In a home run for Tribune Co. synergy, ratings released Monday for the summer quarter gave the top-rated news/talk station its best showing all year, thanks in large part to the popularity of Cubs baseball broadcasts.
The North Siders not only helped widen WGN's lead overall, but boosted John Williams to first place in afternoons. WGN's Spike O'Dell continued in first place in mornings.
The other big Arbitron winner came in the Spanish-language arena, where Univision Radio's WOJO posted its highest share ever. Most notably, the station finished first in both mornings and middays among listeners between the ages of 25 and 54 -- the group most coveted by advertisers.
Despite recent upheaval, Disney/ABC Radio's news/talk WLS maintained its strength overall. The midday combination of local hosts Jay Marvin and Eileen Byrne and syndicated giant Rush Limbaugh widened their first-place lead, while afternoon host Roe Conn (who's been solo since ex-partner Garry Meier departed in January) also moved up.
WLS showed an ominous decline in mornings, however, with Don Wade and Roma off the air for several weeks during the summer ratings period -- and gone entirely since Sept. 14 when their contract extension expired. If the husband-and-wife team isn't brought back very soon, Monday's ratings suggest, the results could be disastrous.
Speaking of renewals, Emmis Communications reupped morning franchise Mancow Muller just in time to save alternative rock WKQX from humiliation by Disney/ABC modern rock WZZN.
The only rock format to improve in summer was contemporary-hit radio (also known as Top 40), with Infinity Broadcasting's WBBM-FM holding steady and Clear Channel's WKSC moving up to the top 10 overall for the first time.
Clear Channel's smooth jazz WNUA rebounded strongly from a poor performance in spring.
In the closely watched (and ridiculously overanalyzed) battle between sports/talk stations, ESPN flagship WMVP, owned by Disney/ABC, beat Infinity's WSCR overall and in key demographics. The effect of Mike North's move from afternoons to mornings on the Score has yet to be seen.
Newsweb Corp. newcomer WRZA, which debuted its eclectic "Nine FM" format, failed to show up in what would have been its first ratings report card.
Arbitron's summer survey period ran from July 1 to Sept. 22.
CHICAGO RADIO RATINGS
Here is Arbitron's ranking of the top 30 stations for summer, followed by average share of listeners age 12 and older from 6 a.m. to midnight Monday through Sunday (with spring share in brackets):
1. WGN-AM (720) 6.9 [6.2]
2. WGCI-FM (107.5) 5.7 [5.5]
3. WBBM-AM (780) 4.5 [4.7]
4. WLS-AM (890) 4.4 [4.5]
5. WVAZ-FM (102.7) 4.3 [3.8]
6. WOJO-FM (105.1) 4.2 [3.4]
WNUA-FM (95.5) 4.2 [3.5]
8. WBBM-FM (96.3) 4.1 [4.0]
9. WPWX-FM (92.3) 3.3 [3.1]
WKSC-FM (103.5) 3.3 [2.9]
11. WUSN-FM (99.5) 3.2 [3.1]
12. WLIT-FM (93.9) 3.1 [3.2]
13. WJMK-FM (104.3) 3.0 [3.0]
14. WDRV-FM (97.1)/
WWDV-FM (96.9) 2.8 [2.9]
15. WTMX-FM (101.9) 2.7 [2.8]
16. WLEY-FM (107.9) 2.6 [3.0]
17. WXRT-FM (93.1) 2.1 [2.4]
18. WKQX-FM (101.1) 2.0 [2.0]
19. WCKG-FM (105.9) 1.9 [2.1]
WLUP-FM (97.9) 1.9 [2.1]
21. WFMT-FM (98.7) 1.8 [1.8]
22. WZZN-FM (94.7) 1.7 [1.9]
23. WGRB-AM (1390) 1.6 [1.5]
WNND-FM (100.3) 1.6 [1.6]
25. WSRB-FM (106.3) 1.4 [2.1]
WMVP-AM (1000) 1.4 [1.1]
27. WSCR-AM (670) 1.3 [1.3]
28. WRLL-AM (1690) 0.9 [0.7]
29. WVON-AM (1450) 0.8 [1.3]
30. WIND-AM (560) 0.7 [0.7]
MORNING DRIVE
1. WGN, Spike O’Dell 9.1 [8.4]
2. WBBM-AM, Felicia Middlebrooks and Pat Cassidy 7.2 [7.2]
3. WOJO, El Pistolero 4.9 [3.4]
4. WVAZ, Tom Joyner 4.3 [3.3]
5. WGCI, “Crazy” Howard McGee 3.9 [4.4]
6. WLS, Don Wade and Roma 3.8 [5.4]
7. WNUA, Ramsey Lewis and Karen Williams 3.5 [2.8]
WTMX, Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart 3.5 [4.0]
9. WBBM-FM, Ed Volkman and Joe Bohannon 3.4 [3.3]
10. WKQX, Mancow Muller 3.3 [2.7]
from the Chicago Sun-Times
July 21, 2004
For seven of Chicago's biggest radio stations, the release of Arbitron's spring survey Tuesday was something like the proverbial tree falling in the forest: It couldn't be heard.
Because Infinity Broadcasting failed to renew its $20 million contract with Arbitron, none of the seven outlets here owned by the radio division of Viacom Inc. could obtain -- or even comment on -- the spring numbers.
Until late last week, in fact, Arbitron was seeking to block newspapers and trade publications from printing any of the figures -- in case they might fall into Infinity hands. (Cooler heads prevailed when it became apparent that the press ban was unenforceable anyway.)
Maybe it's just as well they can't use the spring numbers since every one of Infinity's stations was down or flat from the winter quarter. Of the seven, adult rock WXRT and sports/talk WSCR took the biggest hits.
On the other hand, the Arbitron-Infinity dispute deprived comedy/talk WCKG of bragging rights after syndicated morning host Howard Stern and afternoon host Steve Dahl finished first among adult men in their respective time periods. WCKG's Kevin Matthews finished second among adult men in middays to Bob Stroud of Bonneville International oldies/classic rock combo WDRV/ WWDV.
Infinity also owns all-news WBBM-AM, contemporary-hit WBBM-FM, country WUSN and oldies WJMK.
Tribune Co.-owned news/talk WGN again finished first overall, led by top-rated morning host Spike O'Dell and boosted by Cubs baseball broadcasts.
Crawford Broadcasting's new rhythm-and-blues WSRB took a bite out of Clear Channel Radio's urban-adult WVAZ and smooth jazz WNUA. But Clear Channel retained the top two spots among listeners between the ages of 25 and 54 with urban contemporary WGCI and V-103. WGCI also led among listeners between 18 and 34.
Contemporary-hit WKSC brought Clear Channel its best news, with substantial gains among its target of young women. Afternoon host Scott Tyler became the first "Kiss FM" personality to crack the top 10 overall.
Disney/ABC's news/talk WLS moved up in mornings with Don Wade and Roma, and remained No. 1 in middays with the combination of Jay Marvin and Eileen Byrne, followed by the syndicated Rush Limbaugh. In afternoons, Roe Conn held onto third place, although he lost some audience share in his second ratings period without Garry Meier, who declined a contract renewal.
On the eve of his contract expiration at Emmis Communications alternative rock WKQX, $3-million-a-year morning star Mancow Muller moved up from a disastrous showing in winter to finish in 13th place overall.
Another one of the market's highest paid personalities, the Score's Mike North, fell to 26th place in afternoons -- behind Dan McNeil, John Jurkovic and Harry Teinowitz on Disney/ABC rival sports talker WMVP. North and partner Doug Buffone are in talks with their bosses about moving to mornings on the Score.
Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart, the morning duo on Bonneville International modern rock WTMX, regained the top spot they captured last spring in the 25-to-54 lineup.
Arbitron's spring survey period ran from April 1 to June 23.
CHICAGO RADIO RATINGS
Here is Arbitron's ranking of the top 31 stations for spring, followed by average share of listeners age 12 and older from 6 a.m. to midnight Monday through Sunday (with winter share in brackets):
1. WGN-AM (720 6.2 [5.8]
2. WGCI-FM (107.5) 5.5 [5.6]
3. WBBM-AM (780) 4.7 [4.9]
4. WLS-AM (890) 4.5 [4.5]
5. WBBM-FM (96.3) 4.0 [4.0]
6. WVAZ-FM (102.7) 3.8 [4.1]
7. WNUA-FM (95.5) 3.5 [3.7]
8. WOJO-FM (105.1) 3.4 [4.0]
9. WLIT-FM (93.9) 3.2 [3.5]
10. WUSN-FM (99.5) 3.1 [3.2]
WPWX-FM (92.3) 3.1 [3.1]
12. WLEY-FM (107.9) 3.0 [3.3]
WJMK-FM (104.3) 3.0 [3.2]
14. WKSC-FM (103.5) 2.9 [2.5]
WDRV-FM (97.1)/WWDV-FM (96.9) 2.9 [3.0]
16. WTMX-FM (101.9) 2.8 [2.9]
17. WXRT-FM (93.1) 2.4 [2.8]
18. WSRB-FM (106.3) 2.1 [1.3]
WCKG-FM (105.9) 2.1 [2.1]
WLUP-FM (97.9) 2.1 [2.0]
21. WKQX-FM (101.1) 2.0 [1.6]
22. WZZN-FM (94.7) 1.9 [1.6]
23. WFMT-FM (98.7) 1.8 [2.1]
24. WNND-FM (100.3) 1.6 [1.8]
25. WGRB-AM (1390) 1.5 [1.3]
26. WVON-AM (1450) 1.3 [0.8]
WSCR-AM (670) 1.3 [1.6]
28. WMVP-AM (1000) 1.1 [1.1]
29. WIND-AM (560) 0.7 [0.8]
WRLL-AM (1690) 0.7 [0.4]
WVIV-FM (103.1) 0.7 [0.8]MORNING DRIVE
1. WGN, Spike O'Dell 8.4 [8.4]
2. WBBM-AM, Felicia Middlebrooks and Pat Cassidy 7.2 [8.0]
3. WLS, Don Wade and Roma 5.4 [4.4]
4. WGCI, "Crazy" Howard McGee 4.4 [4.3]
5. WTMX, Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart 4.0 [4.1]
6. WOJO, El Pistolero 3.4 [4.2]
7. WVAZ, Tom Joyner 3.3 [3.8]
WBBM-FM, Ed Volkman and Joe Bohannon 3.3 [3.4]
9. WCKG, Howard Stern 3.2 [3.2]
10. WUSN, Big John Howell and Ramblin' Ray Stevens 3.1 [3.1]--snips--
from the Chicago Sun-Times
April 24, 2004
Howard Stern's epic battle with the government over indecency and free speech gave the syndicated shock jock a big boost in the audience ratings for the winter quarter.
Arbitron figures released Friday show Stern's morning show on WCKG-FM (105.9) jumped from 15th place last fall to ninth. Among listeners in the demographically desirable age range between 25 and 54, his show surged from sixth to third.
Stern's success was even more pronounced in his home market of New York, where he finished first overall and in the 25-to-54 category.
Mancow Muller, who also has been cited for on-air indecency by the Federal Communications Commission, didn't fare as well in winter. "Mancow's Morning Madhouse" on WKQX-FM (101.1) plunged from seventh to a tie for 17th overall and from eighth to 13th in the 25-to-54 category.
Muller's station fared even worse overall, with Q-101 falling to a tie for 22nd place with its archrival rocker, WZZN-FM (94.7).
Ever since the feds began turning up the heat on indecency enforcement -- prompted by Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" at the Super Bowl -- both Stern and Muller have transformed their shows into extended rants against government censorship. The ratings suggest that Stern's audience may be more receptive to his discourses on politics than Muller's.
Controversy of another sort appeared to have little impact on WLS-AM (890), where afternoon co-host Garry Meier has been off the air in a contract impasse since Jan. 12. With partner Roe Conn continuing as solo host, the afternoon show held steady in second place overall and third in the 25-to-54 category.
WGN-AM (720) again finished first overall, followed in order by WGCI-FM (107.5), WBBM-AM (780), WLS, WVAZ-FM (102.7), WOJO-FM (105.1), WBBM-FM (96.3), WNUA-FM (95.5), WLIT-FM (93.9) and WLEY-FM (107.9).
The appearance of WOJO and WLEY in the top 10 underscored the strong performances by Chicago's two leading Spanish-language stations. In particular, WOJO posted its highest ratings ever.
Arbitron's winter survey period ran from Jan. 8 to March 31.
from the Chicago Sun-Times
April 27, 2004
MORNING DRIVE
1. WGN, Spike O'Dell 8.4 [8.5]
2. WBBM-AM, Felicia Middlebrooks and Pat Cassidy 8.0 [7.1]
3. WLS, Don Wade and Roma 4.4 [5.7]
4. WGCI-FM, "Crazy" Howard McGee 4.3 [4.1]
5. WOJO, El Pistolero 4.2 [3.5]
6. WTMX, Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart 4.1 [3.3]
7. WVAZ, Tom Joyner 3.8 [4.6]
8. WBBM-FM, Ed Volkman and Joe Bohannon 3.4 [3.3]
9. WCKG, Howard Stern 3.2 [2.5]
10. WUSN, Big John Howell and Ramblin' Ray Stevens 3.1 [3.2]
WNUA, Ramsey Lewis and Karen Williams 3.1 [3.2]
from the Chicago Sun-Times
February 3, 2004
Question: What do the following people have in common? Spike O'Dell, "Crazy" Howard McGee, Mancow Muller, Howard Stern, Ed Volkman & Joe Bohannon, Eric Ferguson & Kathy Hart and Felicia Middlebrooks & Pat Cassidy.
Answer: They all host morning radio shows in Chicago.
And every one of them is No. 1 in the ratings.
Although radio is called a "mass medium," the way its audiences are measured is so narrowly segmented that any number of shows can claim to be the most popular in their time period. Who's first simply depends on which part of the audience you're counting.
As we have pointed out in the past, Arbitron Co. adds up listeners and then slices and dices them according to age, gender, race and other demographic factors. While the ratings published here each quarter reflect audience shares for all listeners age 12 and older, those numbers actually have little to do with how well stations are reaching their target audiences or delivering potential customers to their advertisers.
Here, according to the latest Arbitron quarterly survey (for the period from Sept. 18 to Dec. 10, 2003) are Chicago's top-rated radio hosts in each time period, followed by the specific age and gender categories in which their programs are No. 1:
Mornings
*Spike O'Dell of WGN-AM (720): People 12 and older; Women 35-64.
*Ed Volkman & Joe Bohannon of WBBM-FM (96.3): People 12-17, 12-24; Women 12-24.
*"Crazy" Howard McGee of WGCI-FM (107.5): People 18-34, 18-49; Women 18-34.
*Eric Ferguson & Kathy Hart of WTMX-FM (101.9): People 25-49; Women 18-49, 25-49, 25-54.
*Felicia Middlebrooks & Pat Cassidy of WBBM-AM (780): People 25-54, 35-64; Men 25-54 (tie), 35-64.
*Mancow Muller of WKQX-FM (101.1): Men 12-24, 18-34, 18-49.
*Howard Stern of WCKG-FM (105.9): Men 25-54 (tie).
--snips--
from the Chicago Sun-Times
January 9, 2004
From the popularity of its six-week airing of Christmas music on WLIT to the successful launch of its "Real Oldies" format on WRLL, Clear Channel Radio had plenty to cheer about in the Arbitron audience survey for fall.
Ratings released Thursday showed four of Clear Channel's seven Chicago stations commanding the top four spots among listeners between the ages of 25 and 54 -- the group most coveted by advertisers.
In a rerun of its clean sweep last fall, Clear Channel dominated grownup listenership with adult urban-contemporary WVAZ, urban-contemporary WGCI-FM, adult-contemporary WLIT and smooth jazz WNUA. Despite competition for its all-Christmas music lineup from Bonneville International's adult-contemporary WNND this time around, WLIT enjoyed substantial increases across the board.
Clear Channel also exceeded expectations for the debut of WRLL with its brand-new signal on the far end of the dial at 1690 AM. Launched three weeks into the fall rating period, the oldies and adult-standards home of Larry Lujack and Tommy Edwards in the morning and Ron Britain in the afternoon led the market in the audience measurement of time spent listening.
Two of Arbitron's biggest winners last summer -- Tribune Co.-owned news/talk WGN and Infinity Broadcasting's country WUSN -- were among the biggest losers in fall.
For WGN, the collapse of the Cubs' pennant hopes in October brought the station its worst ratings since a record-low finish last year (and one of the few times it has dipped below a 6.0 percent share). Even so, WGN still finished first overall and first in mornings, led by newly re-signed host Spike O'Dell.
The release of the fall book couldn't have come at a worse time for WGN's John Williams, whose contract expired at the end of 2003 and who's now in the midst of renewal talks. His afternoon show plunged from first place to a tie for ninth, following the Cubs' swan song.
Better news in afternoons came to Steve Dahl, who finished first in the 25-to-54 money demo on Infinity Broadcasting's comedy/talk WCKG. But thanks again to the vagaries of Arbitron, Dahl didn't even register among the top 10 overall in his time period.
Rush Limbaugh's legal troubles and his extended absence for treatment of a prescription drug addiction did nothing to diminish the popularity of his syndicated talk show here. Middays on Disney/ABC's news/talk WLS jumped to first place.
Bonneville International was singing the blues, with all four of its stations down (modern rock WTMX, classic rock WDRV, album rock WLUP and adult-contemporary WNND), while Crawford Broadcasting had an auspicious debut for new rhythm-and-blues WSRB.
In some of the more closely watched head-to-head format battles, Univision Radio's WOJO overtook Spanish Broadcasting System's WLEY among Spanish-language stations; Emmis Communications' WKQX (kept afloat by Mancow Muller's "Morning Madhouse") held the narrowest possible lead over Disney/ABC's WZZN in the rock arena; and Infinity Broadcasting's WSCR held a similar razor-thin margin over Disney/ABC's WMVP among sports talkers.
As a group, Clear Channel's seven Chicago stations had a combined share of 23.2, while Infinity Broadcasting's seven stations had a combined share of 20.7.
Arbitron's fall survey period ran from Sept. 18 to Dec. 10.
CHICAGO RADIO RATINGS
Here is Arbitron's ranking of the top 30 stations for fall, followed by average share of listeners age 12 and older from 6 a.m. to midnight Monday through Sunday (with summer share in brackets):
MORNING DRIVE
1. WGN, Spike O'Dell 8.5 [9.8]
2. WBBM-AM, Felicia Middlebrooks and Pat Cassidy 7.1 [7.2]
3. WLS, Don Wade and Roma 5.7 [4.5]
4. WVAZ, Tom Joyner 4.6 [4.7]
5. WGCI-FM, "Crazy" Howard McGee 4.1 [5.3]
6. WOJO, El Pistolero 3.5 [3.1]
7. WKQX, Mancow Muller 3.4 [2.6]
8. WNUA, Ramsey Lewis and Karen Williams, 3.3 [3.4]
WTMX, Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart 3.3 [4.0]
WBBM-FM, Ed Volkman and Joe Bohannon 3.3 [3.3]--snips--
from the Chicago Sun-Times
October 28, 2003
All of us here on the Sun-Times radio desk would like to offer our congratulations to Rafael "El Pistolero" Pulido, morning host at WOJO-FM (105.1), on being No. 1 in the latest Arbitron ratings.
Way to go, "El Pistolero"!
While we're at it, we'd also like to congratulate Robin Rock, midday host at WLIT-FM (93.9), and Steve Seaver, afternoon host at WLUP-FM (97.9), on also being No. 1 in the latest Arbitron ratings.
And let's not overlook Brian Middleton of WBBM-FM (96.3), Lisa Berigan of WTMX-FM (101.9) and Troi Tyler of WVAZ-FM (102.7).
Wait a minute. You say you've never heard of any of these people? Well, they're all No. 1. As Casey Stengel said, you could look it up.
Sure, news/talk WGN-AM (720) wins the overall "beauty contest" in Arbitron by grabbing the most listeners between the ages of 12 and death. And urban-contemporary WGCI-FM (107.5) runs a close second with its broad appeal among those who were born after Dwight Eisenhower's first term as president.
But when it comes to targeting both listeners and advertisers, radio is a highly segmented medium. Depending on how you slice and dice the numbers, there are at least 10 stations in town that can rightfully claim No. 1 rank among some portion of the market sometime during the day.
Here, straight from Arbitron's summer survey report, are a few notable examples:
*WOJO, a Spanish station that airs regional Mexican music, is No. 1 in the market among men between the ages of 18 and 34 all day long. In mornings, "El Pistolero" is No. 1 among men 18 to 34 and men 18 to 49.
* The Loop, an album rocker, is No. 1 among men 25 to 49 all day long and specifically during middays and afternoons.
But in mornings, the 25 to 49 male crowd favors "The King of All Media," Howard Stern, on comedy/talk WCKG.
*Women between 35 and 64 dig adult-urban V-103 overall, but in middays they groove to Robin Rock on "Lite FM."
*In afternoons, Steve Dahl tops the testosterone count (men 25 to 54) on WCKG. But ex-partner Garry Meier and Roe Conn are No. 1 among men 35 to 64 on news/talk WLS-AM (890).
*Modern rock "The Mix" owns chicks in the 18-to-49, 25-to-49 and 25-to-54 groups during mornings (with Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart) and middays (with Lisa Berigan).
*Those fickle teens can't pick a winner between WGCI and contemporary-hit B-96. They're tied.
--snips--
from the Chicago Sun-Times
July 17, 2003
Aided more by the popularity of Cubs baseball broadcasts than coverage of the war in Iraq, WGN widened its lead during the spring quarter as Chicago's most popular radio station.
Arbitron Co. ratings released Wednesday showed the Tribune Co.-owned news/talk outlet with a clear margin over Clear Channel Communications' urban-contemporary WGCI-FM.
Unlike the first Gulf War and the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, coverage of this year's war appeared to have significantly less impact on ratings for news and news/talk stations. Infinity Broadcasting's all-news WBBM-AM and ABC-owned news/talk WLS both declined.
WGN's Spike O'Dell continued first in mornings overall, while the duo of Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart at Bonneville International's modern rock WTMX jumped ahead of WBBM-AM's Felicia Middlebrooks and Pat Cassidy and WGCI-FM's "Crazy" Howard McGee for the top spot in mornings among listeners between the ages of 25 and 54.
The growing influence of Hispanics in the market was reflected in strong showings for Spanish-language stations. Hispanic Broadcasting's WOJO jumped to a record-high share, overtaking its main rival, Spanish Broadcasting System's WLEY. Among listeners between the ages of 18 and 34, WOJO finished second overall--behind only urban powerhouse WGCI-FM.
Another big winner was Window to the World's classical WFMT, which posted its second- highest share ever.
Although none of WCKG's high-profile personalities--Howard Stern in mornings, Kevin Matthews in middays and Steve Dahl in afternoons--made the Top 10 lists overall, each mirrored the Infinity comedy/talk station's spectacular first-place showing among men between the ages of 25 and 54.
First among women in the age group was Clear Channel's adult urban-contemporary WVAZ.
"Morning Madhouse" host Mancow Muller edged back into the Top 10, but his alternative rock station, Emmis Communications' WKQX, fell to its lowest share in more than a decade. Q-101's main format competitor, ABC-owned WZZN, narrowed the gap.
Among all listeners, Clear Channel's six Chicago stations had a combined share of 21.6, while Infinity's seven local outlets had a combined share of 20.8. In the 25-to-54 demographic, Clear Channel swept the top three spots with WVAZ, WGCI-FM and "smooth jazz" WNUA.
Arbitron's spring survey period ran from March 27 to June 18.
--snips--
CHICAGO RADIO RATINGS
Here is Arbitron's ranking of the top 30 stations for spring, followed by average share of listeners age 12 and older from 6 a.m. to midnight Monday through Sunday (with winter share in brackets):
1 WGN-AM (720) 6.7 [6.1] 2 WGCI-FM (107.5) 5.8 [5.9] 3 WBBM-AM (780) 5.1 [5.8] 4 WLS-AM (890) 4.6 [5.1] 5 WNUA-FM (95.5) 4.5 [4.6] 6 WVAZ-FM (102.7) 4.3 [3.8] 7 WBBM-FM (96.3) 3.8 [3.9] 8 WOJO-FM (105.1) 3.5 [2.3] 9 WLEY-FM (107.9) 3.1 [3.4] WJMK-FM (104.3) 3.1 [2.7]
--snips--
20 WCKG-FM (105.9) 2.0 [1.9] WKQX-FM (101.1) 2.0 [2.2]
--snips--
MORNING DRIVE
1 WGN, Spike O'Dell 9.4 [9.3] 2 WBBM-AM, Felicia Middlebrooks and Pat Cassidy 7.7 [8.8] 3 WLS, Don Wade and Roma 5.5 [5.3] 4 WGCI-FM, "Crazy" Howard McGee 4.9 [4.6] 5 WTMX, Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart 4.2 [3.6] 6 WOJO, El Pistolero 3.8 [2.6] WVAZ, Tom Joyner 3.8 [3.5] 8 WBBM-FM, Ed Volkman and Joe Bohannon 3.5 [3.9] 9 WNUA, Ramsey Lewis and Karen Williams 3.2 [3.7] 10 WKQX, Mancow Muller 3.0 [2.9]
-- snips--
from the Chicago Sun-Times
April 22, 2003
WGN bounced back from its worst ratings ever to reclaim the top spot in the Arbitron survey for winter.
Ratings released Monday showed the Tribune Co.-owned news/talk outlet overtaking Clear Channel Communications' urban-contemporary WGCI-FM and Infinity Broadcasting's all-news WBBM-AM for ultimate bragging rights in the market.
The winter survey period included only the first week of the war in Iraq, but heightened audience interest in news during the weeks leading up to the conflict no doubt contributed to solid ratings increases for WGN, WBBM-AM and ABC-owned news/talk WLS.
Among listeners between the ages of 25 and 54--widely regarded as the group most coveted by advertisers--WBBM-AM had its best showing ever, landing second to WGCI-FM.
Overall, WGN's Spike O'Dell regained the morning ratings crown he lost last fall to WBBM-AM's Felicia Middlebrooks and Pat Cassidy. In middays, WLS' lineup of Jay Marvin and Eileen Byrne followed by the syndicated Rush Limbaugh finished first in middays. In afternoons, the WLS duo of Roe Conn and Garry Meier moved up to tie WGCI-FM's Sam Sylk for No. 1.
Stations that target male listeners generally improved, with especially notable increases at Bonneville International's classic rock WLUP and Infinity's adult rock WXRT, comedy/talk WCKG and sports/talk WSCR.
The war of attrition between Chicago's two alternative rockers--Emmis Communications' WKQX and ABC's WZZN--has taken on the desperate look of a stalemate, with neither station gaining on the other.
Jeff Smulyan, chairman and chief executive of Emmis, went out of his way last week to express dismay at the "clearly soft" performance of Q-101, placing blame squarely on competition from The Zone. "Sometimes you just get in the trenches and slug it out," he told industry analysts. "That's sort of what we do in this business."
Morning newcomers Kevin "Drex" Buchar of Clear Channel's contemporary-hit WKSC and Brooke Hunter and Jill Egan of The Zone had inauspicious debuts. Both shows were down from their predecessors' fall numbers.
As a group, Infinity's seven Chicago stations had a combined audience share of 22.2, while Clear Channel's six local outlets had a combined share of 21.7.
Arbitron's winter survey ran from Jan. 2 to March 26.
CHICAGO RADIO RATINGS
--snips--
MORNING DRIVE
1. WGN, Spike O'Dell 9.3 [7.5] 2. WBBM-AM, Felicia Middlebrooks and Pat Cassidy 8.8 [7.9] 3. WLS-AM, Don Wade and Roma 5.3 [5.0] 4. WGCI-FM, "Crazy" Howard McGee 4.6 [5.0] 5. WBBM-FM, Ed Volkman and Joe Bohannon 3.9 [3.7] 6. WNUA, Ramsey Lewis and Karen Williams 3.7 [4.2] 7. WTMX, Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart 3.6 [3.6] 8. WVAZ, Tom Joyner 3.5 [3.6] 9. WUSN, Big John Howell, Ray Stevens and Trish Biondo; Tom Rivers 3.4 [3.2] 10. WLEY, Nacho Zepeda, Roberto Carreto and Veronica Avila 3.1 [3.2]
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