from the Cincinnati Post
May 13, 2005
Promotions and titles were handed out at two of the three local radio stations owned by CBS this week. The moves may provide some needed stability for the area's only alternative rock station, WAQZ-FM (97.3), which took a hit in the first-quarter ratings from the loss of Howard Stern's radio show.
It was announced that veteran programmer Patti Marshall, currently program director of contemporary hits station WKRQ-FM (Q102), will assume the duties of operations manager for both Q102 and sister station WAQZ-FM (97.3).
Julie Evans, the station's promotions director, has been named WAQZ program director. She has been interim PD since January when the job was left vacant when Jeff "Shaggy" Nagel quit the station. Evans started at the station just five years ago as an intern.
WAQZ relaunched its format earlier this year as "everything alternative" and fills a much-needed void on the FM dial as the area's only alt-rock station for young listeners. Its musical programming has been a bit erratic, which is not a bad thing, since it represents the constantly changing alt-music scene. But those who have listened the last few months probably noticed that a little stable programming hand would not be a bad thing.
Of course, the station is aimed at an 18-to-34-year-old demographic that has become tougher for traditional radio to attract, since the generation programs its own music these days with the I-Pod, part of the Internet delivery music revolution. Radio has become less of a factor in their lives.
WAQZ took a huge hit in the ratings in the just-released first-quarter Arbitron survey, mainly because of the departure of Howard Stern to Sirius Satellite radio. The station dropped from second in morning drive among 18-34-year-olds to 11th. It now carries Rover's "Morning Glory" show. CBS moved the former Cleveland jock to Chicago to air on its former Midwest Stern stations. Rover's new stations also took a similar fall in the latest ratings.
"We knew the audience change of losing Howard and bringing in new personnel would take time to find an audience," said Mike Fredrick, CBS Cincinnati radio senior vice president. "Rover has been successful in Cleveland and has an outstanding track record. We think in due time he'll find the audience."
WAQZ is hardly unique in its post-Stern audience drop. CBS-owned FMs that aired Stern took a huge hit across the country. Already one Stern replacement, former Van Halen front man David Lee Roth, was dropped last month by CBS at its stations in the Northeast, where the show predominately aired.
While Stern was never a major hit in the six years he was on in Cincinnati, his show still attracted enough sampling that helped WAQZ across its listening day. Overall, the station dropped from a 5.7 share to a 3.1 in total young adult listeners in the winter ratings book.
from The Cincinnati Post
April 29, 2004
Local media watchers looking to see how and if the broadcast decency flap affected radio listening habits in the tri-state will find few answers in the latest Arbitron ratings covering January to March, released Wednesday.
The market's three so-called "shock jock" radio shows -- WEBN-FM's Dawn Patrol, the syndicated "Bob and Tom" on WOFX-FM and Howard Stern on WAQZ-FM -- showed mixed results and no discernible trends. They were down in some demographics, up in others.
This is in contrast to Stern's ratings released earlier this week in his native New York City. There he rocketed to No. 1 among morning shows.
Stern has tried to turn himself into a First Amendment martyr after he was heavily fined by the Federal Communications Commission and dropped by Clear Channel. This was after the Janet Jackson Super Bowl flap caused the FCC to tighten up on broadcasting indecency.
Some mornings Stern's entire show is almost a crusade against George Bush, calling the president everything from an "idiot" to "America's Ayatollah."
None of his histrionics seemed to affect local ratings, however. Indeed, there is some evidence that tri-state listeners were turned off by his obsession with his own predicament. Stern's Cincinnati numbers dropped during the period, falling from second to third among 18- to 34-year-olds, down almost five shares.
Stern also lost almost half his audience among young men. But his numbers may have been inflated here during the fall when New Rock 97.3 staged a major promotional campaign to tout the show.
WEBN's Dawn Patrol, the subject of an FCC complaint filed by Citizens for Community Values, also dropped among younger listeners. But the WEBN morning show was up two shares among listeners 25-54, improving from third to second in the time period.
Overall, WLW remains the No. 1 station among all listeners throughout the week with an 8.4 share. But the ratings story continues to be that WLW's winning share has dropped, highlighting the splintered radio listening now reflected in Arbitron ratings. It was just a couple years ago that WLW won the market with 10 or 12 shares.
Arbitron is now giving more weight to listeners' diaries placed in Warren and Butler counties to reflect the increased population in those areas. That means Dayton stations and ones in rural markets that don't cover the Cincinnati market get shares that they never used to.
The bottom line is the Arbitron radio ratings make it harder to discern trends as listening patterns are reported as more splintered and volatile.
Some apparent trends in the latest ratings book:
* WKRQ-FM's morning show of "Jeff and Jenn" jumped from 12th to seventh among 25-to-54-year-olds.
* WAQZ-FM dropped three shares from fourth to seventh among young adult listeners.
* WSKS-FM rules overall among 18- to 34-year-olds with a 13.2 share, jumping to first place over WEBN, which had a 10.5 share.
from The Cincinnati Enquirer
April 29, 2004
Shock jock Howard Stern and WAQZ-FM (97.3), the local radio station that carries his syndicated program, took a hit in the ratings period that ended March 31.
For local morning drive time among male listeners ages 18-34, Stern's show fell to second place in the winter rating period by New York City-based Arbitron, after reaching No. 1 in the fall for that demographic group and that time slot.
Stern and the station ranked behind the long-dominant WEBN-FM (102.7) Dawn Patrol after slowly gaining on them and finally beating them last fall in that category.
Stern's slide back to second in the battle for morning drive-time adult male listeners was not unexpected, said a spokesman for Clear Channel Communications Inc., the San Antonio-based company that owns WEBN.
"In all fairness, you never know with a rating book with all the wobbles, but with all the attention that Stern got with the (Federal Communication Commission), you'd think Stern would go up, and in some markets he had terrific ratings," said Mike Kenney, regional vice president for Clear Channel Communications Inc. of Cincinnati/Dayton/Huntington.
"But there's a lot of competition in this market," Kenney added.
Robert K. Riggsbee, president of Inside Media, a media planning, buying and management company, said Stern's rise to first place was a shocker.
"Nobody has dethroned WEBN in men 18-34, even in one period, and for a small radio station to dethrone them in the fall sent shock waves through the radio community," he said.
"I believe (Stern's) recent bashing of Clear Channel in his program has done nothing but help Clear Channel."
Stern was dumped from six Clear Channel stations earlier this year for bringing the company FCC fines of $495,000 after the commission determined he broadcast indecent material.
Also in the Arbitron report, people ages 12 and older each day were most likely to be tuned into a trio of Clear Channel stations: WLW-AM, followed by WEBN and in third place, WKFS-FM (107.1).
The top local station in the demographic of women listeners ages 25-54 - a group coveted by most advertisers because they are most likely to shop in grocery stores - was WRRM-FM (98.5), which was followed by its sister station, WMOJ-FM (94.9).
"We have held our rank and increased our share," said Dan Swensson, vice president of Radio Cincinnati Inc., a holding of Susquehanna Radio, a York, Pa.-based media company.
Nailing down the top spots for women with family-friendly radio programming has not been an accident, Swensson said.
"It's been part of my brand for a long time," he said.
from the Cincinnati Post
February 27, 2004
Emboldened by the reaction to Janet Jackson's breast baring at the Super Bowl and what is considered a new stand against broadcast indecency by the Federal Communications Commission and Congress, a local group says it will file complaints within a few weeks against Cincinnati Clear Channel rock station WEBN-FM, 102.7.
"We will file approximately 35 complaints with the FCC of indecent utterances on the station over the last six months," said Phil Burress, director of Sharonville-based Citizens for Community Values. "We are also going to be exploring the possibility of license revocation. Their license is up in July. We believe it's about time that some of these stations be dealt with."
Burress said the broadcasts include repeated references to oral and anal sex, and graphic sex talk with porn stars and strippers who are frequent visitors to the WEBN morning show.
The threat of the complaint comes as hearings in Congress continued on new broadcast indecency laws. It also follows by just two days Clear Channel's firing of one of its most controversial DJs, Florida-based Todd Clem, known as Bubba the Love Sponge. Clear Channel, the nation's largest radio company, also this week dropped the Howard Stern show from the six company stations that had been carrying it.
Clear Channel Radio President John Hogan said the Stern cancellations "drew a line in the sand with regard to protecting our listeners from indecent content."
Clear Channel said the move reflects its new zero tolerance indecency policy that includes companywide training and automatic suspensions for any DJ accused by the FCC of violating indecency rules. The company said it would immediately fire any employee who draws an FCC fine.
The new policy has left some of its on-air talent feeling like they've been left to twist in the decency wind.
"There is no doubt it is having a chilling affect," said Eddie Fingers, host of the WEBN morning show for almost 20 years. "Right now we are trying to find out exactly where the boundary is. At this stage of the game, there is just this nebulous line that apparently if crossed will result in termination."
When Clear Channel bought out the other big radio fish, Cincinnati-based Jacor Communications, in 1996, it inherited Jacor's programming team, considered the edgiest and most innovative in radio. It was headed by Cincinnati radio bad boy Randy Michaels, who encouraged stations to be controversial and racy.
The conservative Mays family of San Antonio, Texas, which founded and runs Clear Channel, removed Michaels from a programming position in July 2002. Insiders said the company was uncomfortable with Michaels' programming tactics. But many Clear Channel jocks, like Clem and Fingers, always understood their marching orders to be in the edgy Michael's mantra. In one week the company has apparently changed that.
"After years of being encouraged to not fear the line and to not worry about approaching the line, now it's grounds for termination," Fingers said.
Clear Channel radio personalities are waiting to find out what the company means by decency training.
"None of us know what is involved," Fingers said. " The company memo said we will undergo some sort of review of the acceptable versus the unacceptable. Before it was always sort of, 'We'll know it when we see it.' Now I guess we are going to be told what it is."
The threat of Citizens for Community Values complaints against WEBN is nothing new. The group has filed numerous ones in the last 10 years relating mainly to Fingers' morning show, the "Dawn Patrol." The FCC never found any merit in the complaints. The only time the station was fined by the FCC was five years ago, over a technical violation for airing an interview without informing the person he was on the radio.
In fact, in the last few years Burress' group stopped filing complaints, given what it perceived as the FCC's lack of interest in the issues the group was trying to raise.
Burress acknowledged events of the last month had changed the group's approach.
"The Janet Jackson thing was the straw," Burress said. "I'm not sure, reading the indecency standards, that what Janet Jackson did was illegal. But it was so offensive that people are calling for action. I am hearing a totally different tune from (FCC Chairman) Michael Powell and the FCC. Things have changed dramatically. Right now the whole nation is saying, 'We need to clean up this stuff.'"
Burress said he and representatives of other decency groups from across the country met with Powell last summer.
"Literally thousands of complaints had been filed, and we asked why nothing had been done. At that particular time, Mr. Powell was very passive and seemed annoyed by the fact we were bringing this to his attention."
Under FCC rules, broadcasters who use over the air signals are not allowed to air material that refers to sexual or excretory functions between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. The only regulation for cable and satellite channels is that found in obscenity laws.
Even before Janet Jackson flashed a national TV audience during the Super Bowl halftime show, the U.S. House had scheduled hearings on a proposed law that would increase the maximum fine for broadcast indecency tenfold to $275,000.
The agency on Tuesday proposed a fine of $755,000 against Bubba the Love Sponge, the largest penalty ever for radio indecency, for segments of his show that aired 26 times on Clear Channel stations in Florida.
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps was the only member of the five-person commission to oppose the fine. He said the penalty was not severe enough and suggested the FCC consider revoking the licenses of the stations that aired the segments.
Many conservative groups saw that as a signal that the FCC was getting serious again about such shock jock indiscretions.
But Burress is not convinced Clear Channel is serious about its new internal indecency policy, quoting Ronald Reagan that he will "trust, but verify." Burress did praise the company for assuring his group and others several years ago that it will not carry sexually explicit ads on its billboards. Clear Channel is one of the leading billboard owners in the country.
Some industry observers also wonder about the sincerity of Clear Channel's decision to drop Howard Stern. Stern's show is owned by Viacom's Infinity Broadcasting and actually competes with dozens of Clear Channel morning shows, such as in Cincinnati, where Stern airs on Infinity-owned WAQZ-FM. Clear Channel aired Stern in markets where Infinity owned no stations or Stern's contract dated to previous owners. Many doubt Clear Channel would have shelved Stern if it had actually owned his show, making millions off him at dozens of its stations.
Clear Channel would seem to be sensitive to damage control since it has become the whipping boy for those who oppose media consolidation. The company's detractors say its cost-trimming policies have homogenized radio talent and even hurt the music industry with tight playlists. Some think the company is clearly looking for political good will with its new decency pledge.
Fingers worries that the new policy from his own company has given self-styled decency groups the green light to file complaints.
"What I fear is it opens you up to a vendetta," he said. "If a group decides to go after you, they can rain complaints on the station and maybe cost you your job."
from The Cincinnati Enquirer
January 15, 2004
Programming for family listening brought WRRM-FM (98.5) some red-hot numbers in fall quarter ratings for listeners in the 25-54 demographic coveted by advertisers, according to an Arbitron report on commercial stations released Wednesday.
The station, known as "Warm 98," is at the top of the radio heap in Greater Cincinnati, sharing the No. 1 spot with WLW-AM (700).
Each posted a 7.1 rating.
While WLW lost listeners when compared to the summer rating period, WARM-98 moved from fourth place to first place in that key age group.
Darryl Parks, director of AM operations for Clear Channel Cincinnati, owner of WLW, took the rating report in stride.
"At the end of the day," Parks said, "we're still No. 1."
Another significant move came in the demographic of 18-34 men during the morning drive time slot. In that category, known by industry observers as the "beer demographic," WAQZ-FM (97.3) topped WEBN-FM (102.7) with a 20.6 rating compared to 18.1.
"We did a significant amount of marketing to let people know that Howard Stern was on," said Mike Fredrick, senior vice president and director of sales for Infinity Radio-Cincinnati, owner of WAQZ, WUBE-FM, WKRQ-FM and WGRR-FM.
"The outdoor campaign let people know he was on 97.3 FM. His audience keeps growing and growing."
The ratings for Monday through Sunday 6 a.m. to midnight in the adults 25-54 category are:
1. WRRM-FM and WLW-AM 7.1 3. WEBN-FM 6.9 4. WOFX-FM 6.4 5. WGRR-FM 5.9 6. WUBE-FM and WMOJ-FM 5.9 8. WYGY-FM 4.9 9. WIZF-FM 4.5 10. WKFS-FM 4.0
from the Cincinnati Post
October 16, 2003
What if they put out a ratings book and everyone dropped?
That's close to the case for the major tri-state radio stations in the quarterly ratings report released this week by Arbitron, covering the July-September listening period.
WLW-AM stayed the perennial No. 1-rated station among listeners 12 and older with a 9.4 share, but that was down from a 10.1 share, when the station finished first last spring. Same story for WEBN-FM, which finished second with a 6.6 share, down from 7.1.
Other market stalwarts such as WRRM-FM, WKFS-FM, WIZF-FM and WOFX-FM also were down or flat while maintaining their market rank.
Observers explain the trend by noting that, across the country, ratings are getting condensed because of increased narrowcasting. In other words, there's less separation between first and 10th place.
Also, in the tri-state market, Arbitron is putting heavier weight on Butler and Warren counties, because of increased population in those northern areas. That means more so-called fringe stations from outlying areas and the Dayton market are nipping away at shares of the traditional Cincinnati-based stations.
One station partying this week is WUBE-FM, about the only one with a dramatic increase in the summer book. B105 was up across all demographics with its best ratings in three years, jumping from seventh to third place in the key 25-54 age group.
"We're ecstatic. It's been a long road back. Country music was not at its most wonderful state by the late '90s and that's also when we wound up taking on competition," said Tim Closson, the station's veteran program director.
Overall, it was a good book for country radio, with B105 competitor WYGY-FM also up slightly across all demographics, but still a distant second to B105's numbers.
Closson noted that, since the end of World War II, country music and country radio have received a boost in every post-war climate, including Iraq, perhaps because of a surge in patriotism.
"It is true. There was a flourish for country after World War II, a flourish after Vietnam. After the first Gulf War there was a resurgence of country."
Closson also noted that B105 was the most listened to of all Cincinnati stations on the weekend. "That means a lot to us," he said. "That shows we are fueled by listeners' choices and not somebody at work making them for you."
Other tidbits from the quarterly ratings report:
Tri-state listeners continue their new love affair with conservative talk host Sean Hannity, who debuted on WKRC-AM last February. Among total listeners he scored a 7.1 share in his 3-6 p.m. shift, moving from seventh place to second place.
The all important morning drive slot found Jim Scott regaining first place among 25-54-year-olds from WEBN-FM's Dawn Patrol.
It was an up book for shock jock Howard Stern, who moved from seventh to second place among 18-34-year-old listeners on WAQZ-FM.
from the The Cincinnati Post
July 23, 2003
The Frog is back. After its worst rating book in perhaps 20 years during the first quarter, WEBN-FM had nowhere to go but up. It did that with a bang in the spring, becoming the No. 1 station listened to in the two key demographics: listeners ages 18 to 34 and 25 to 54, according to numbers released Tuesday.
The Arbitron survey covers radio listening from April through June and is a key indicator used to set advertising rates for the fourth quarter.
WLW-AM was again the No. 1 station in total listeners, but suffered some erosion in its core 25-54 audience.
WEBN's win in the older demographic came as it was up over two shares to 8.5, while Clear Channel sister station WLW, the perennial winner in the age group, slid two shares to 8.3.
Darryl Parks, WLW program director, said it was expected the news/talk station would slip from its strong first-quarter ratings when war fever was at its peak. But WLW's Reds listening in the spring was also off about a share from a year ago.
In the last rating book, WEBN was knocked out of No. 1 in the 18-34 demographic by Clear Channel sister station WKFS-FM. It was, perhaps, the first time since the early '80s that the station failed to be in first place in the age group. But it returned to the top of the demographics, up three shares to a 14.1 to WKFS's 12.6.
Scott Reinhart, WEBN program director, credited part of the station's resurgence to the rock music scene itself.
"There is a lot of good, harder-edge rock out there right now," he said. "Urban and hip hop was dominant, but now there are bands like Disturbed, Korn, Metallica with strong albums. That is mainstream for 'EBN."
Reinhart also cited the station's double entendre ad campaign -- "Go Rock Yourself" -- with renewing WEBN's edgy reputation.
In fact, WEBN was about the only top-10 station in the spring book showing any major increase in listeners. Such pop-music-oriented stations as WRRM-FM, WMOJ-FM, WIZF-FM, WKFS, and country stations WUBE-FM and WYGY-FM were either down or flat.
It was the same story in the all important morning-drive-time period among 25-54-year-olds with WEBN and WLW flipping places. WEBN's "Dawn Patrol" finished first in the age group, up almost two shares to a 9.5, as Jim Scott's "Morning Show" dropped two shares to a 9.2. During the period, WEBN also debuted new morning sidekick Suzette Spencer, a former Penthouse magazine centerfold and Dayton native.
It was also a strong book for WKRQ-FM's morning team of Tampa transplants Jeff Thomas and Jenn Jordan, who came on the air last October, nearly doubling their audience and moving from 13th to 7th in the 25-54 group and up to 4th from 7th among 18-34-year-olds.
Other high-profile morning shows were down. Howard Stern, on WAQZ-FM, dropped from 5th to 8th among 18-34-year-olds. Bob and Tom on WOFX fell over a share sliding from second to third among 25-54-year-olds.
Sean Hannity, the star personality from the previous rating period, stayed strong. Hannity's show, premiering on WKRC-AM in January, came on the air with more than twice the audience of Pat Barry after just six weeks. He remained strong among the 25-54 group in the spring, going from a 5.2 to 5.4 share.
from the Cincinnati Enquirer
May 3, 2003
Howard Stern's voice just got stronger in downtown Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.
Stern's syndicated morning show, and the rest of the WAQZ-FM (97.3) alternative rock programming, comes in loud and clear inside the I-275 loop since the station moved its transmitter south from Blue Ash to the WSTR-TV (Channel 64) tower near College Hill.
"People who live and work anywhere in Cincinnati now have a better chance to hear our station at home and at work," says Jay Waggoner, engineering director for Infinity's four Cincinnati stations (WAQZ-FM, oldies WGRR-FM, country WUBE-FM and rock WKRQ-FM).
The transmitter move is one of many recent changes aimed at building listenership at the station started by former radio talk host Mike McMurray as Lebanon's WMMA-FM nine years ago. The tower change completes Infinity's transition from a station on the northern fringe of the market to a Cincinnati player aimed at men 18-34.
The Federal Communications Commission approved the tower move as part of station's transfer of the "city of license" from Lebanon to Fort Thomas, Ky. The change means that the strength of its signal must be beamed into Fort Thomas, in the heart of the Tristate, instead of the Warren County seat.
"Over 80 percent of our listening was done in a car, because that was the only place they could get us," says Mike Fredrick, general manager. "They couldn't get us at work. They would go to work listening to Stern, and then give up on the station."
The new transmitter also is 120 feet higher than the old one in Blue Ash, which helps project a stronger signal downtown.
"We're putting more sheer power into downtown than we ever did, and we're able to penetrate more downtown office towers than ever before," Waggoner says.
Signal strength has been improved for most of Boone, Kenton, Campbell and Clermont counties, he says.
In the winter quarter Arbitron ratings released last month, WAQZ-FM had a 5.3 percent share of the 18-34 audience - in fifth place behind WFKS-FM (KISS107.1), WEBN-FM (102.7), WIZF-FM (100.9) and WUBE-FM (105.1).
With all listeners, WAQZ-FM ranked No. 14 with 2.5 percent audience share.
Those who tune in WAQZ-FM will hear a different station than the one that debuted Stern here in January 2001. The station has stopped calling itself "Channel Z," in favor of simply "New Rock 97.3."
Infinity launched the alternative rock format in 2000 as "Channel Z," which was what rival Clear Channel in the 1990s had called its alternative rock station at 107.1. (That station is now top 40 rocker KISS 107.1.)
WAQZ-FM also has dropped on-air promotional spots poking fun at Clear Channel's WEBN-FM, the city's established rock giant.
"WEBN-FM is well-programmed. They do what they do, and do it very well," says John Michael, program director and midday host (11 a.m.-2 p.m.).
"Instead of concentrating on them, we needed to concentrate on our own product - getting our jocks to sound better, and playing the right songs."
WAQZ-FM has cut back on playing Creed and Nickelback to air more Coldplay, Incubus, Sublime and Good Charlotte.
"We want to play more cuts, and go deeper with artists, and be more selective in which artists we deliver to Cincinnati," Michael says.
from the Cincinnati Post
April 25, 2003
WLW-AM (700) continues to rule in tri-state radio ratings, but Clear Channel sister station and conservative talker WKRC-AM (550) made dramatic gains. The hottest talk show in the tri-state is Sean Hannity on WKRC and the hottest music trend is the urban, hip hop scene.
Those are some of the conclusions drawn from the latest radio rating survey released from Arbitron covering the January-March listening period.
WLW was again No. 1 in total listeners with a 9.9 share. The station's morning drive show hosted by Jim Scott was especially strong, perhaps bolstered by news issues ranging from weather to war during the period. Scott's morning show drew its highest numbers in over a year with an 11.4 share among 25-54 year-olds, up two shares from fall.
The huge winner in the winter book was WKRC, up two shares in total listeners from a 3.8 to a 5.8 posting the station's highest numbers in years. The increase was almost single handily driven by the addition of syndicated talk host Hannity who came on the air in mid-January replacing Pat Barry. The New York-based Hannity, who also hosts a week night show with liberal foil Alan Colmes on Fox News, posted a whopping increase for the station's 3-6 p.m. period -- up an incredible four shares in total listeners, an amazing three shares among the 25-54 group. Such doubling of radio audiences over one rating period from a single personality is unprecedented.
Conservative talk was generally up for WKRC's other daytime syndicated shows featuring Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh, which posted significant increases. The station's only locally originated weekday show, morning drive slot featuring Craig Kopp and Jerry Thomas, had somewhat flat numbers.
On the FM side WKFS-FM (107.1) had big gains, winning the 18-34 crowd with a 13.1 share over WEBN-FM (102.7) with an 11. It is the first time in several years that WEBN has been in second place. WKFS also saw a significant bump in listeners 25-54.
Also up was urban music station WIZF-FM (100.9), further indicating that hip hop music among listeners is definitely a major music force for both white and black audiences.
There's mixed results for the one station with a major format change during the period, WSAI-AM (1530), which went from pop standards to '50s and '60s rock oldies and dropped to a 2.3 from a 3.1 in total listeners. In its morning drive, where the venerable Nick Clooney was replaced by veteran "boss jock" Dusty Rhodes Jan 1, the station went from a 3.0 to a 1.9 in total listeners. However, Rhodes fared better in certain demographics, essentially holding the morning audience among 35-64 year olds. It was not a great book for other oldies stations with WGRR-FM (103.9) losing over a share among 25-54 year-olds.
For country stations, WUBE-FM (105.1) saw its 25-54 year-old audience dip from 6.4 to 5.9; WYGY-FM (96.5), recently renamed "Star Country," held steady with a 3.7 share. It was another strong rating book for soft rocker WRRM-FM (98.5), which maintained second place among 25-54 listeners with a 7.9, followed by WEBN's 6.4.
from the Cincinnati Post
January 15, 2003
WLW again led the radio pack in the latest quarterly ratings from Arbitron, covering mid-September through November. Among listeners 12 and older, WLW was No. 1 with a 10.3 share followed by WRRM-FM (7.5) and WKFS-FM (6.4.).
"We were up in almost ever day part from a year ago," said Darryl Parks, WLW program director.
Especially strong was the resurgence of WLW's afternoon programming, featuring longtime talent Gary Burbank, even as the station's morning show, hosted by Jim Scott, slipped in some demographics.
It was the 13th ratings book over four years that WLW has been the overall top-rated station.
In the world of radio, such 12-and-older numbers are nice to brag about but are mostly meaningless. Radio is driven by demographics and time periods. With that in mind, here's a look at some of the winners and losers in the fall ratings book:
- WRRM (WARM 98) was a big winner. It had a huge increase in women in all age groups and soared to the No. 2 station among 25-54-year-old listeners. The soft rock station seemed to broaden its base in the latest ratings.
"We're not a radio station that requires some national contest to stimulate listening," said Dan Swensson, WARM 98 general manager, about the station's staying power. "We have a commitment to family and community and this book shows that resonates with a lot of people."
The Susquehanna-owned station buried its nearest competitor in the soft rock and adult pop/rock category, Clear Channel-owned WVMX-FM.
- In morning drive, a big change occurred in the key 25-54 age group. "Bob and Tom," the syndicated show out of Indianapolis, was first with a 9.9 share, airing on WOFX (The Fox). They beat out perennial winners Jim Scott on WLW (9.4) and WEBN's Dawn Patrol (6.9), which sank to fourth from first.
While those are three Clear Channel stations, the Cincinnati-based morning hosts, like WLW's Scott and WEBN's Eddie Fingers, are likely irritated they got beat by a syndicated morning show. They pride themselves in a locally originated show, while the likes of Bob and Tom bring no local nuance to the market.
Also of morning note: Howard Stern continues to do only OK in this market on WAQZ. Among 18-34-year-olds, he holds a lackluster fourth place with an 8.5 share, down from his second-place finish last summer.
- In the country battle, WUBE (B105) made a solid comeback, up over a share in 25-54-year-olds, with a 6.4 rating. Competitor WYGY dropped a share to a 3.5. The country battle is far from over, since WYGY -- another Susquehanna-owned station -- recently relaunched with a new imaging campaign as "Eagle 96."
- In the young adult rock/pop genre, WEBN tied with Clear Channel sister station WKFS at 11.8 among 18-34-year-olds. Making a whopping comeback was R&B/hip hop station WIZF with a 9.2 rating in the age group, up almost two shares.
from the Cincinnati Post
October 18, 2002
In fact, for the first time in several years, WEBN-FM was the overall winner among 25-to-54-year-old listeners, the prime demographic group for advertisers. The album rock station, which celebrated its 35th birthday in August, pulled a 9.2 share in the age group, compared to second-place WLW at 8.8. WEBN increased by two percentage points as WLW dropped more than a share.
WEBN's morning drive show, the Dawn Patrol, tied WLW's Jim Scott with a 9.9 share for first place among 25-to-54-year-olds.
WEBN also was tied with Clear Channel sister station WSKS-FM as the No. 1 station among 18-to-34-year-olds, each with a 13.1 share.
WLW remained the No. 1 station among total listeners with a 10.2 share followed by WEBN's 7.4. In morning drive Scott was No. 1 with a 10.1 share followed by WRRM-FM (8.4) and WEBN (7.2) in total listeners.
WLW's ratings perhaps declined a bit with the fading fortunes of the Cincinnati Reds, but program director Darryl Parks said summer months can be a down time for talk radio.
"In summer topics aren't always hot and heavy. People's lifestyles change. We are often searching for hot topics," Parks said.
Some see the subtle audience switch from news talker WLW to sister station WEBN as symbolic of pop culture a year after Sept. 11.
"People are sort of getting back to their lives. There's only so many times you want to hear a report on the war against terrorism. A lot of people are ready to get back to rocking again," said Michael Walter, WEBN program director. "If bombs start falling again in a couple months, good news talkers like WLW will do well again."
Other winners in the summer ratings book were the two Susquehanna- owned stations, WRRM-FM and WMOJ-FM. WARM 98 jumped a share to a third-place finish at 7.4 among 25-to-54-year-olds. MOJO's "jamming oldies" format was up almost two shares at 7.1 in the demographic, its highest rating ever.
Other winners and losers:
It was a generally a down book for country music. Competitors B105 (WUBE) and 96 Country (WYGY) both slipped in the ratings. B105 was down more than a share to a 5.4. Same story for WYGY, down to a 4.5 among 25-to-54-year-olds.
Syndicated shock jock Howard Stern posted some of his best ratings since coming on the air here on WAQZ-FM in January 2001. Stern had his highest numbers ever here among 25-to-54-year-olds with a 3.3 share. He was up a whopping four shares among 18-34 listeners at 10.9, in second place trailing WEBN's morning show (13.4).
It was a bit of a flat book for Bob & Tom, the other high-powered syndicated morning show heard on WOFX-FM. The Indianapolis-based team fell a half a share among the 25-54 age group to an 8.7, still good enough for third place behind WEBN and WLW.
from the Cincinnati Post
July 24, 2002
WLW is back on top with a vengeance. Rock and country radio is back as well. Soft rock, party rock and Howard Stern are all a bit down.
Those are some of the trends in the latest Arbitron radio ratings from the April-June listening period. It's no surprise that perennial ratings winner WLW is on top, but the station had some of its highest ratings in two years with an 11.1 share in total listeners. The station was up two shares from its previous No. 1 spot in the winter period among 12-and-older listeners.
A distant second was WEBN with a 6.6 share.
"No doubt the Reds help us (in the spring)," program director Darryl Parks said. "But we build the station around great personalities."
It was also a better book for rock radio with such rock warhorses as WEBN, WKRQ and WOFX all up.
Soft rocker WRRM (WARM98) came down to Earth, failing to hold on to sizable bump in the winter rating period and falling from an 8.1 to a 6.5. The party music oldies sound of WMOJ and R&B/hip hop station WIZF also saw declines.
Heritage top-40 rocker Q102 had a significant increase among 18-34-year-olds, going from a 7.1 to an 8.4. The station in the past few months has featured a more up-tempo rock feel while still hanging on to its traditional top-40 fare.
However, Q102's success is clouded by the future of morning host Luka, who has not been heard on the air for three weeks. There are conflicting rumors that the British-born host has been either fired or took time off for personal issues. Station officials refuse to comment. The latest ratings do not bode well for Luka as the station's afternoon and evening ratings out-perform her morning show.
Other ratings highlights:
Cincinnati continues to have a hot and cold relationship with Howard Stern. His syndicated morning show on WAQZ dropped significantly from an 8.6 to a 6.5 among 18-34 year-olds. A year ago Stern peaked in the demographic with a 9.3 share.
In the important morning drive, Jim Scott's WLW show rules with a 10.3 share a mong the crucial 25-54 year old listeners. The biggest gainer in mornings is the syndicated Bob and Tom Show on WOFX, coming in second with a 9.1, up almost two shares. The WEBN Dawn Patrol is third with almost no gain at a 7.7 share.
Oldies station WGRR was up over a share among 25-54 year-olds following months o f a fresh play list with late '60s and '70s hits.
It was also a good book for country radio. B105 was back to its highest numbers in two years among 25-54-year-olds, and even country competitor WYGY (96 Country) can tout increased ratings. Together the two country stations command almost 12 percent of the radio audience, one of the highest country radio shares in the nation for a market of this size.
from the Cincinnati Post
April 26, 2002
Feel-good radio is up, rock radio listening is down.
That's one of the trends in the latest radio ratings released this week from Arbitron, covering the January-March listening period.
Actually, few Cincinnati-area stations have reason to cheer in the latest ratings, since many were down. It is the sort of ratings book that could send demographers, pop-culture experts and radio programmers scurrying to calculators trying to figure out where the listeners went.
Among the trends revealed in the latest ratings book:
WLW-AM led the pack. Little surprise there. The news/talker again won in key 12-and-over demographics and in the 25-54 age group. But there was little for the station to celebrate as it dropped almost two shares in many age groups from the fall ratings period when Americans were glued to TV and radio for the latest "war on terrorism" news.
Listeners stayed away from noisy rock, whether it was classic rock, oldies or modern. WEBN-FM had one of its most severe drops in recent memory, down three to five ratings shares across the board. Also down were classic rocker WOFX-FM and oldies rocker WGRR-FM. Modern rocker WAQZ-FM (Channel Z) was flat.
Cozy radio was in. FM stations that play so-called "comfort music" did well. Soft rocker WRRM-FM (Warm 98) had one of its biggest jumps ever, going from a 6.2 share in the fall to an 8.1 in the winter, among 25-54-year-olds. R&B/hip hop station WIZF-FM also saw a significant increase and WKRQ-FM (Q102) also had a slight bump in listeners with its hybrid of hot pop and smooth rock.
The local ratings seem to be following a national trend. In most markets rock radio listening has been down, partially attributed to the fallout from Sept. 11. The theory goes that listeners sought out more comfortable - rather than edgy - radio stations. Also, modern rock itself has been in the doldrums. Corporate record companies are producing few new exciting acts and traditional rock radio is sticking with restricted play lists.
WEBN programers saw a ratings drop coming and the station has recently refreshed its play list, adding several new artists and backing off hard rock warhorses.
Most significant, the radio ratings also show several Dayton-based and rural stations in the mix where they never had been before. That may reflect a shift in population in Southwest Ohio. Arbitron ties its sampling to U.S. Census figures and is now more heavily surveying the booming Butler County area.
"The growing counties have more say," said Daryl Parks, WLW program director. "If you look at the book, almost six shares go to stations that never showed up in this market."
One other intriguing development bucking some of the ratings trends: Howard Stern's show had a resurgence in this market. Carried on Channel Z since early last year, the shock jock has had modest ratings. But in the winter period he almost doubled his audience among 18-34-year-olds, going from a 4.8 share to an 8.6.
from the Cincinnati Post
January 16, 2002
--snips--
Howard who? It has been a year since Howard Stern came on Cincinnati radio on WAQZ- FM(97.3) The latest rating book should be downright embarrasing for the self-proclaimed King of All Media in this market. Consider: A year ago in the fall book, WAQZ's morning show drew a 5.0 share, among 18-to-34-year-olds, with local host "Jimmy the Weasel." This past fall Stern drew a 4.8 share in the demographic. (Note: latest ratings show Stern's show also is down in his flagship market in New York, as he slipped to fourth place. He had been the routine ratings winner there.)
WKRQ's feel-good British gal, Luka, seems to have found a morning audience, even though she's hardly a ratings leader. Her show, which debuted in June, was up slightly in most demographics.
WEBN's Dawn Patrol continues to have a firm grip on morning radio listeners, up in all demographics in the book. The show finished a close second to WLW's Jim Scott among 25-to-54-year-olds and easily wins in the 18-34 demographics. In the 18-49 age group, WEBN is the local morning winner with a 12.1 to WLW's 11.1.
from the Cincinnati Post
November 12, 2001
--snips--
In most markets where he's on, veteran shock jock Howard Stern has quickly become among the top three morning shows. It hasn't happened here.
Tri-state listeners seem to be greeting Stern with curiosity, but the ratings show they are not exactly flocking to the the self-proclaimed "king of all media" since he debuted here last January on WAQZ-FM (97.3).
Based on latest ratings, Stern is fourth in the morning rock/talk wars behind WEBN, WIZF and WOFX in the 18-34 demographic.
"He has only been on the air since January and listeners are still finding him," said Mike Fredrick, Channel Z general manager. "Howard works very well in similar formats across the country. I think Cincinnati will follow suit."
Some think Stern's show these days is actually tamer, but his raunchy humor really hasn't changed much since the '80s. It may just be that there are so many raunchier imitators that Stern simply seems mild in comparison.
One reason to listen is his parade of celebrity guests. For example, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was on a day after the terrorist attacks. Paul McCartney stopped by for an extensive interview.
While local decency groups have promised to make an issue of his show with the FCC, Fredrick says Stern hasn't presented any problems with advertisers.
from the Cincinnati Post
October 19, 2001
WLW-AM (700) was the big winner in the latest radio ratings, riding interest in the Reds, the city's racial turmoil and, to some extent, the terrorist attacks. The station checked in with a commanding 11.1 share with listeners 12 and older.
The next closest station was WEBN-FM (102.7) with a 6.8.
"It's the strength of our personalities," said Darryl Parks, WLW program director. "Jim Scott, Mike (McConnell), Willie (Cunningham), Gary (Burbank). We were No. 1 across the board 12-plus. It's because we are talking about what Cincinnati's talking about."
The latest ratings covered the July-September period, and the last two weeks of it did include the terrorist attacks, which did perhaps skew the ratings to talk/news stations. But Parks said the WLW had strong numbers even in August.
Some other trends in the new radio ratings book:
The single biggest ratings loser is Howard Stern. He came on the air last January on WAQZ-FM (97.3) and peaked interest in the spring. But his ratings have declined dramatically. The latest ratings show Stern losing two shares in the crucial 18-34 market and three shares in the 25-54 demographics. It seems, after checking out the shock jock, local listeners couldn't care less about Stern.
It was generally a down book for rock radio, but country station WYGY-FM (96.5) had a solid surge, almost catching perennial country powerhouse WUBE in some demographics.
from the Cincinnati Post
July 25, 2001
Those are some of the radio listening trends in the latest Arbitron report released Monday covering the April-June radio listening period.
As expected, WLW-AM stayed the No. 1 station in the Cincinnati market, fueled by Reds baseball and the interest in coverage of the city's racial unrest. WLW led the pack in listeners 12 and older with a 9.3 share. Its closest competitor was sister Clear Channel station WEBN-FM with an 8.9 share, followed by WRRM-FM with a 7.1 share.
Perhaps the two biggest stories in the latest ratings book are the resurgence of country radio and shock jock Howard Stern, who continues to build an audience after coming on WAQZ-FM in January.
Among 18- 34-year-old listeners, Stern showed remarkable gains, even though WEBN's Dawn Patrol is still the No. 1 rock morning show among young adults with a 15.9 share. But Stern is pecking away in the demographic, up to a 9.3 share from 6.7 in the winter months. Among 18-34 men, Stern jumped from a 8.3 to a 13, passing the "Bob and Tom" show on WOFX-FM.
However, Stern doesn't come close to WEBN's morning team in the crucial 25-54 age group as the Dawn Patrol stayed No. 1 in the spring book with an impressive 10.3 share - even beating out WLW's Jim Scott, who posted a 9.5.
Overall, modern rocker WAQZ continued to show gains - up over a share among 18- 34-year-old listeners, but still trailing WEBN and WKFS-FM in the age group.
It was a solid ratings book for the two country stations WUBE-FM and competitor WYGY-FM, which came on the air last fall going head- to-head in country-pop programming against traditional powerhouse B- 105.
Among 25- 54-year-olds, B-105 rebounded almost two shares to a 6.5 from what was a disastrous winter book for the station. But WYGY was up as well, from a 3.9 to a 4.7. The numbers posted by both stations indicate this remains a strong country music market.
Still, WUBE is feeling the pressure. Its 25-54 listeners are still down several shares from a year ago when it was the No. 2 station in town with a 9.1.
WYGY's morning show also seemed to get a slight and immediate bump from its hiring last March of longtime B-105 air personality Eric Boulanger, who left the station in a contract dispute. WYGY's morning drive slot was up slightly less than a share among 25- 54-year-olds. But - not to be outdone - B105's morning team of Dr. Don and Amanda Orlando was up a share in the demographic during the rating period.
WKRQ-FM showed a slight increase in numbers since softening its format earlier this year by dropping harder-edged rock and rap music. The station jumped almost a share since winter among 18- 34-year- olds.
from the Cincinnati Post
June 26, 2001
The biggest hit single from controversial rapper Eminem has effectively been banned from the nation's airwaves thanks to a recent FCC decision.
A small, but significant fine levied by the Federal Communication Commission has opened the door for another music censorship debate on the sexual content of pop music.
The longtime rock lyric controversy was renewed three weeks ago when Colorado Springs radio station (KKMG-FM) was fined $7,000 by the FCC for playing the edited, but still racy, version of Eminem's "The Real Slim Shady."
The impact has been immediate.
"It has been pulled from all of our stations," said Randy Palmer, corporate spokesman for the San Antonio-based Clear Channel, the country's largest radio chain with 1,300 stations, including eight in Cincinnati. "Clear Channel is not allowing the playing of the song."
Lawyers for the other major radio chains - including Infinity, owner of four area stations - have also recommended they remove the Eminem song from playlists.
The FCC decision is the first time a No. 1 single from a multiple-platinum selling, Grammy-winning album has been essentially banned from the airwaves.
Radio programmers say the decision is especially chilling because it involves an edited version of a song that bleeped out the actual dirty words. The fine was levied because of sexual content, something the FCC has previously stayed away from judging.
The decision has left the record and radio industry in a bit of shock, wondering if this is an isolated ruling or whether it signals a new assault against sexually explicit content in pop music by the FCC.
In the past decade, the FCC has shown a reluctance to fine stations over indecency issues, acting only in the most blatant cases. The decision to fine a station for playing a song that has aired literally hundreds of thousands of times on thousands of radio stations in the past year is seen as giving a green light to decency groups to file complaints with the FCC over provocative material.
The FCC is not empowered to act on decency issues unless it receives a local listener complaint.
Phil Burress, head of Cincinnati's Citizens for Community Values, said he will encourage his members to again start taping radio shows.
"People stopped filing complaints because they felt like nothing was being done," said Burress. "Even the worst of the worse was being ignored. This will encourage people to take action and to file complaints with the FCC and hold these people accountable. They needed their hand smacked."
The FCC "Slim Shady" ruling held in part, "The edited version of the song contains unmistakable offensive sexual references. In this regard, a portion of the lyrics contains sexual references in conjunction with sexual expletives that appear intended to pander and shock."
Radio programmers were scratching their heads over that language, especially since the ruling applied to a song that has had wide commercial appeal and critical praise. Some suggest that if the "Slim Shady" ruling holds, the effect on what radio stations play would be profound.
"If you take that (FCC) language literally you've pretty much shut down rock radio, CHR (contemporary hits radio), MTV, and most of the hip-hop stuff," said Rick Jamie, program director at Cincinnati modern rock station WAQZ-FM.
Eminem's "The Marshall Mathers LP," which contains "Slim Shady," won three Grammys, selling 8 million copies. The single topped the charts last summer as the album was No. 1 on Billboard charts for eight weeks. Eminem's effort was generally praised by critics.
"Slim Shady" does use plenty of dirty words and sexual references as Eminem mocks the hypocrisy of celebrity pop culture, taking shots at everything from the Grammys to Britney Spears and MTV personalities. The song contains a variety of lewd sexual references to the female anatomy, masturbation and bestiality.
A leading trade journal, Broadcasting & Cable magazine, editorialized against the FCC decision. It wondered how far the FCC wants to go with this issue under the leadership of its new chairman, Michael Powell (the son of Secretary of State Colin Powell).
"We now have to question whether he means what he says," the editors wrote. "He just effectively banned a popular song from the airwaves because he and a few others running the FCC these days don't like it. Here's a worse thought: He banned the song because the White House doesn't like it."
Powell may have been singled out prematurely. The FCC's Enforcement Division issued the ruling and it's been reported it came without the approval - and perhaps without even the knowledge - of Powell and other commissioners. The decision would seem to go against Powell's hands-off policy on broadcasters as he has been giving stirring speeches that, in effect, say broadcasters have First Amendment rights too.
Some observers think the "Slim Shady" ruling will be overturned - either by courts or by the FCC commissioners.
Citadel, which owns the Colorado station fined in the case, has announced it will appeal the decision.
Still, groups that fancy themselves as protectors of public morality are not waiting for appeals.
Burress says his first order of business will be to go after Howard Stern, whose syndicated show began airing here on WAQZ in January.
"Absolutely, Howard Stern. No question about it. We're taping him now with an eye to filing a complaint," Burress said when asked if his group would target any particular Cincinnati radio content. "We are thrilled over the fact the FCC has finally taken action. For too many years they have ignored indecency over broadcast airwaves....It's a warning to all broadcasters."
Stern was fined several times in his career for indecent remarks, but has been "clean" the last few years with the FCC. Many critics consider his current show a lot tamer than it was in the early '90s. But then, "tamer" may be a relative term. While Stern pioneered the shock jock mode, many other radio morning shows have proceeded to be far more raunchier and crude that Stern ever has been.
WAQZ's Jamie, meanwhile, summed up the sentiment of many broadcasters about the Colorado ruling: "It's scary. It reeks of censorship," he said. "We don't go out of our way to be patently offensive to anybody. We're very conscious about what the community will or will not tolerate. But there is a certain amount of artistic content within these songs that you have to accept. You have to allow these people to have the platform to be able to convey their message. Yet we don't want to upset our advertisers or listeners. You do walk a fine line with this being in the entertainment medium."
Censorship issues aside, the FCC ruling is also a major financial matter.
Eminem and his record company stand to lose millions of dollars in lost royalties if radio stations do indeed pull his song. It's happening already. Radio & Records magazine, which tracks the nation's radio playlists, reports in just three weeks, the "Slim Shady" song has been pulled from half the stations that had it in their rotation.
from the Cincinnati Post
April 27, 2001
Local radio listeners haven't taken to Howard Stern, and they seem to be tuning out country music. They do like their rock.
Those are some of the trends in the latest radio ratings released yesterday that cover the January-March listening period.
While WLW led the way in the age 12-and-over category with an 8.7 share, it was a rather down book for the talk station, which failed to repeat its huge fall ratings numbers generated by the interest in the presidential election.
"I think the hanging chad dropped," said Scott Rhinehart, the operations manager for Clear Channel FM stations, most of which showed ratings increases against their AM cousin.
Overall, the trend in the winter ratings book is that there is no real winner. When one looks at the crucial 25-54 demographics, WEBN and WLW lead the way, then five radio stations - mostly rock oriented - follow, separated by less than a ratings point.
It was the first full radio ratings period since Stern made his debut in the market, coming on the air in early January on WAQZ-FM. The notorious shock jock failed to make much of a splash.
In the 18-34 age group, Stern boosted WAQZ's ratings by a mere point.
Among 12-and-older listeners, Stern also showed just a minor blip, but nothing the self-proclaimed "king of all media" could brag about in his first full ratings book in Cincinnati.
In the 18-34 age group, WEBN's morning drive "Dawn Patrol" buried Stern by increasing its ratings more than three points in three months. WEBN's locally originated morning show also finished in first place over the syndicated Bob and Tom show on WOFX-FM, which had its first down book in a year after previously ruling in the morning 25-54 age group.
If there was an overall winner in the ratings it was WEBN. The big loser was country music in general. That may be because many country acts have now crossed over to adult contemporary radio and there seems to be little excitement in new country artists.
Longtime country powerhouse WUBE-FM had one one of the biggest ratings drops in recent memory, posting a 4.6 share, down from an 8.0 a year ago.
from The Cincinnati Enquirer
April 27, 2001
Country music giant WUBE-FM (105.1), a top-three station for the past decade, was singing the blues when Arbitron's winter quarter ratings came in Thursday.
B105 fell from second last fall to No. 10, just two places above upstart competitor WYGY-FM (96.5).
In the 25-54 demographic sought by most advertisers, B105 dropped from second to ninth, losing nearly half of its audience, while WYGY-FM went to 10th from 12th.
The former sister stations were split up when Clear Channel, owners of top-rated WLW-AM and WEBN-FM, acquired AMFM last year.
B105 was sold to CBS' Infinity, which owns oldies WGRR-FM (103.5) and alternative rock WAQZ-FM (93.3).
Salem Communications, primarily a religious broadcaster, purchased WYGY-FM in September, giving B105 its first direct competition in a decade.
"Six months ago, people were taking bets that we wouldn't be around now," says Terry Dean, a former B105 salesman who manages WYGY-FM and sports talk WBOB-AM (1160).
WYGY-FM launched an aggressive TV campaign in October with a 10,000 song, commercial-free marathon. The station heavily promoted the fact that it plays more music and fewer commercials than B105. (Y96.5 airs eight spots an hour; B105's commercial load was nearly three times that amount.)
"We're not just playing more music, but a better mix of music, artists from the '80s and '90s like Ronnie Milsap, Crystal Gayle, Kenny Rogers and Eddie Rabbitt.
Mr. Dean promises that bigger ratings will not result in more commercials.
"That will not go up. It doesn't need to," he says.
With B105 mortally wounded, Clear Channel was able to claim the top three spots in winter with WLW-AM, WEBN-FM and newcomer WKFS-FM ("Kiss" 107.1). It jumped from sixth to third, while Infinity's WKRQ-FM (101.9) fell from No. 11 to 13.
Other ratings news:
* WEBN-FM remained No. 1 in the 25-54 and 18-34 demographic, despite the Howard Stern show debut Jan. 4 on WAQZ-FM, which ranked fifth.
WAQZ-FM's alternative rock format has doubled Channel Z's audience since last spring.
* Susquehanna's tandem of WRRM-FM (98.5) and WMOJ-FM (94.9) made a very strong showing being tied for third in the 25-54 demographic, behind WEBN-FM and WLW-AM. "Mojo jammin' oldies" was sixth in the demographic in fall, while WARM98 was fourth.
* Oldies WGRR-FM (103.5), which added 1970s tunes and dropped some '50s songs since January, bounced back to seventh place (from 10th last fall).
* Urban talk WDBZ-AM (1230), which started its "Buzz" format in August, moved up to No. 18 from No. 22. Competitor WCIN-AM (1480) lost half of its audience, tumbling into last place (No. 28).
Rankings: Here is Arbitron's ranking and audience share (percentage of listeners) for listeners age 12 and older for winter (January-March):
1. WLW-AM, 8.7; 2. WEBN-FM, 7.3; 3. WKFS-FM, 5.8; 4. WRRM-FM, 5.7; 5. WIZF-FM, 5.6; 6. WMOJ-FM, 5.2; 7. WGRR-FM, 5.2; 8. (tie) WKRC-AM, WOFX-FM, 4.7; 10. WUBE-FM, 4.6; 11. WVMX-FM, 4.3; 12. WYGY-FM, 4.0; 13. WKRQ-FM, 3.8; 14. WSAI-AM, 3.2; 15. WAQZ-FM, 2.9; 16. WHKO-FM, 1.0; 17. WCKY-AM, 0.9; 18. (tie) WDBZ-AM, WGTZ-FM, WPFB-FM, WNLT-FM, 0.7; 22. (tie) WLQT-FM, WTUE-FM, WMMX-FM, 0.6; 25. (tie) WSCH-FM, WIOK-FM, WFCJ-FM, 0.5; 28. WCVG-AM, WPFB-AM, WBOB-AM, WCIN-AM 0.4
Rankings for public stations will be released later this month.
from the Cincinnati Post
March 2, 2001
The latest ratings suggest some significant changes may be under way in local country radio listening habits. Country music upstart WYGY-FM (96.5), which came on the air last October, is apparently making a dent in traditional powerhouse WUBE-FM (B105).
Ratings show WYGY increasing listeners in January in the coveted 25-54 age group to a 4.5 share, up over a percent from the fall. B105 took a huge tumble in the demographic, down to a 5.6 share after posting an 8 share last fall when it was the No. 2 station in the demo. The significant B105 drop came as the station faced the new competition from WYGY, which has limited commercials, playing almost non-stop music, and spent a ton of money pointing that out in TV commercials. B105 also saw the departure of long- time morning sidekick Eric "Bubba Bo" Boulanger.
One note of caution. The latest ratings from Arbitron are a "trend," more of a snapshot of listening habits that factors in only three weeks in January to already reported fall numbers. It won't be until late April, with the release of the full three-month winter book, that the picture will become clearer.
"I honestly don't think you'll see a dominant country radio station here any longer," said Terry Dean, WYGY general manager. "This is typical of what happens ... when you have two country stations. We'll battle it out and people will have an option. That's OK."
When just the January numbers are extrapolated, WYGY actually beat B105 with a 5.9 share to a 4.4, in the 25-54 age group, Dean said.
The trend report sheds little light on the other local radio drama, introduction of Howard Stern's morning show in early January on WAQZ-FM. The station's morning numbers were up only slightly in January, but Stern's main rock competition - the entrenched WEBN Dawn Patrol - was up significantly in the 18-34 age group from 13.3 to 14.5, which indicates Stern has had no impact so far.
from The Cincinnati Enquirer
February 2, 2001
By John Kiesewetter, TV Critic
Enquirering Mind: This Enquirering Mind wants to know: Why did WAQZ-FM (97.3) censor the Howard Stern Show two weeks ago when Mr. Stern was talking about anal sex? Should Mr. Stern's Cincinnati fans expect frequent disruptions when he gets raunchy?
No and no, says Mike E. Fredrick, Channel Z general manager. He says the interruption was an accident by a rookie board operator, not censorship.
On Jan. 17, in the final hour (9 a.m.) of the nationally syndicated show, Channel Z cut away from Mr. Stern in mid-sentence and started playing rock music. Channel Z later rejoined the sex conversation.
"We broke away from the show, but not for the reasons you might think," Mr. Fredrick says.
"With the difficult and unpredictable nature with which Howard runs his show, we have to have our board operators on their marks. The day in question involved the training of a new board op who simply hit the wrong button," he explains.
--snips--
from the Cincinnati Post
January 5, 2001
The controversial and bawdy Howard Stern radio show debuted on Cincinnati airwaves T hursday as WAQZ-FM (97.3) became the 45th affiliate in his radio syndication empire.
As is Stern's practice whenever a new affiliate comes on board, he held a live on-air news conference with members of Cincinnati media Thursday morning, fielding questions from his New York studios.
"I've heard (Cincinnati) is a conservative place. But everywhere I go I get that 'this is a conservative place,' " Stern said. "I've decided conservative is good. The more conservative, the better people like me - because people are not conservative."
That was one of his more serious moments in his local debut.
Stern began his welcome here with one of his typical irreverent, tongue-in-cheek "opening statements."
"I don't think about Cincinnati. The truth is I have never been to Cincinnati. I don't plan on going to Cincinnati and I have no idea where Cincinnati is. ... I can't even spell Cincinnati and if you want more truth I think Cincinnati is one of the silliest names of I've heard for a city."
Stern's debut here was a surprise, though it had been rumored a station would pick up the show. It's believed his appearance on WAQZ - owned by CBS/Infinity, which also owns the Stern show - is related to his recent signing of a five-year contract with the company, reportedly worth $18 million a year.
"I've been asking the company a long time to be on in Cincinnati and finally I have a home there," Stern said.
Stern reassured listeners he did not come to usurp our morals: "People think what I say is bad for their kids. But I am powerless over my own kids. ... My kids come home and leave food and dirty dishes all over the place.
"My kids don't listen to me and neither should yours."
from the Cincinnati Enquirer
January 5, 2001
Listening to Howard Stern's debut on WAQZ-FM (97.3) Thursday, I was shocked. Shocked!
Shocked that Mr. Stern, the raunchy syndicated radio host, was so tame, even by Cincinnati's alleged conservative standards.
No strippers or porn stars. No requests for female studio guests to peel off their panties (or tops), as he does on the video version of his radio show on the E! Entertainment channel (11 p.m.-midnight Sunday-Friday).
Instead, Tristate listeners heard one subdued dude, even when talking about Cincinnati native Carmen Electra.
"That chick's got really nice feet," he said. "There isn't a bit of her that's unattractive."
That's all he could say about her? Amazing!
What about his low-key debut on Cincinnati airwaves? He has verbally trashed new markets in the past, or bragged about burying the competition. I expected some Big Pig Gig insults, or riffs about Mapplethorpe or Larry Flynt.
The best he could come up with was stunningly ordinary: "I've never been to Cincinnati. I have no plans to come to Cincinnati. I can't even spell Cincinnati ... I think Cincinnati is one of the silliest names I've ever heard for a city."
When the self-proclaimed King of All Media returned to Dallas Tuesday after a 3 1/2-year absence, he declared:
"I broke the shackles of conventional radio by speaking what is on my mind. I'm Columbus, Magellan, Ponce de Leon, Galileo, Wernher von Braun, the Wright brothers and Carrot Top all rolled into one."
On Thursday, he seemed shackled by a cliche - acting as if he had never heard of a "Channel Z" radio station.
"Channel Z? What is that?" he said opening his 6-10 a.m. national broadcast. "Find out what Channel Z means, because we don't get it. I've only been in radio for 20 years."
Actually, he's been in radio for nearly 30 years. Queens native Howard Allan Stern, who turns 47 on Wednesday, started at a Boston College station in 1972. For the past 15 years, he has been the morning DJ on New York's WXRK-FM (K-Rock).
His radio career has been distinguished by big ratings and big fines. The Federal Communications Commission has levied more than $1.7-million in fines for indecency on Mr. Stern's employer, CBS' Infinity Broadcasting. The company also owns WAQZ-FM, WGRR-FM (103.5) and WKRQ-FM (101.9) here.
During a brief on-air press conference Thursday, Mr. Stern said he had been asking Infinity for a long time to put his show on a Cincinnati station.
He says his show has been successful in other so-called conservative cities, such as Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia. He's No. 1 with men ages 18-34 in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Columbus, Louisville and Pittsburgh, according to WAQZ-FM. He has been less successful in Chicago and Memphis.
The Howard Stern Show comes to Cincinnati as part of an Infinity expansion after the Private Parts author signed a new five-year contract last month.
Mike Frederick, WAQZ-FM general manager, says he looked at Cleveland and Columbus research before buying the Stern show. The move had been expected since the WYLX-FM rock oldies format was dropped March 31.
The station, established in Lebanon seven years ago as WMMA-FM, jumped from 12th to fifth with listeners 18-34 in the summer ratings after switching to alternative rock. It was No. 2 (to WEBN-FM) with men that age.
"There seems to be a lot more acceptance of him after his movie (Private Parts, 1997)," Mr. Frederick says. "We feel that what he is doing right now is on par with what is already out there now."
That was true Thursday. The Stern show wasn't as tasteless as some bits typically heard on the syndicated Bob & Tom Show on Clear Channel's WOFX-FM (92.5) or on Clear Channel's WEBN-FM (102.7) Dawn Patrol.
Mr. Stern spent the morning talking about his desire to place a $1-million bet at a Las Vegas blackjack table; chatting with actor Gary Coleman about his alleged virginity; and speculating on how much boxing announcer Mike Buffer gets paid to say "Let's get ready to ruuuumble!"
Pretty tame stuff, by morning radio standards anywhere.
Maybe the King of All Media was deliberately trying to make a good first impression here, to sneak into Cincinnati and then reveal his true self.
"Spreading like a cancer," is how he described the growth of his show. He could be right. I wouldn't be shocked.
John Kiesewetter is TV/radio critic for The Enquirer.
from the Cincinnati Post
January 4, 2001
The self-proclaimed ''king of all media'' has arrived in Cincinnati.
In a sort of radio Pearl Harbor, Howard Stern's syndicated show unexpectedly debuted this morning on WAQZ-FM (97.3, Channel Z).
Stern's sudden addition to the local radio market heats up an already competitive morning drive radio war that features the longtime Dawn Patrol on WEBN-FM and the syndicated Bob and Tom show on WOFX-FM.
It had long been rumored that Stern would eventually be picked up by a local station, but insiders say many shied away from the show in this market because of its possible controversy and cost. Channel Z General Manger Mike Fredrick would reveal little about why the station decided to pick up the show now.
"We just feel like it's the right time," he said. "Our alternative music format lends itself perfectly to Howard in the morning. He's played well in similar Midwest cities. In Columbus and Pittsburgh he's No. 1, 2 or 3 in the male demo. The audience finds this guy."
Fredrick refused to comment on the cost of the show or whether the station, owned by the CBS/Infinity group, suddenly got a better deal for Stern, since he just renegotiated a new contract with Infinity, which owns his New York-based show.
It's reported that Stern signed a new deal three weeks ago worth close to $100 million over five years.
In the '80's, Stern defined the new wave of radio shock jocks, a trend that he has actual ly expressed regret over creating. While Stern is bawdy, his humor ultimately derives from his "welcome-to-my-living-room," and "everyman" attitude that has led to his 15-year success.
Stern is known for his rudeness, gay bashing, potty mouth and misogyny, but Fredrick doesn't expect any local controversy, saying that's pretty much what morning rock radio has become in recent years.
"Howard is no worse than what is out there now from the competitors. Their content is on the same par," he said. "It's not for everyone, but from his track record there's no other personality in the country that can deliver the audience of the size he can."
Stern's entry in the market comes as he has been showing some slippage in ratings in other cities. Some estimates say Stern's national audience has slipped by 10 percent in the past year alone. Media critics think the divorce of his longtime wife led to the ratings decline as she often was an endearing, humanizing character on the show and added a delightful touch of reality to Howard's craziness.
Still, Stern's Cincinnati arrival should make for some interesting competition.
"Initially he's going to step on the Dawn Patrol. Target number one will be the frog," said Ricky Jamie, Channel Z program director and a former WEBN music director.
At WEBN, the official comment about Stern came from Eddie Fingers, who has become a formidable morning show host in his own right the past 15 years.
"It's a bold move for that station hiring a 50-year-old multi-millionaire to host a talk show in the morning. It might make sense for a station that plays Journey, Styx, etc. I just ask anyone who still likes music in the morning to join us. We'll be rockin' hard," Fingers said in a statement.
from the Cincinnati Enquirer
January 4, 2001
Nine months later, WAQZ-FM (97.3) managers finally have answered my question:
Yes, Infinity's alternative rock station will bring shock jock Howard Stern's national radio show to Tristate airwaves. It happened today at 6 a.m.
When WYLX-FM changed to "the new Z" on April 1, and took aim at Clear Channel's top-rated WEBN-FM (102.7), I asked if the station would be picking up Mr. Stern's show, also owned by CBS' Infinity Broadcasting Corp.
Chuck Finney, the operations director for Infinity's WAQZ-FM, WGRR-FM and WKRQ-FM who sidestepped the question in April, admits there were corporate pressures in the decision to bring the Stern show to Cincinnati, where it had never aired.
"Howard just signed a new contract (with Infinity) and part of that was the decision to roll it (the show) out in different markets," Mr. Finney says.
Mr. Stern, who returned to Dallas airwaves this week, signed a five-year contract with Infinity last month. Infinity is the nation's second-largest radio company behind Clear Channel, which operates its radio division from Randy Michaels' office in Covington.
Until now, no Cincinnati station had dared to air Mr. Stern's raunchy radio show or syndicated weekend TV show. His fans could only catch a videotape of Mr. Stern's radio show at 11 p.m. Sunday-Friday on the E! cable channel.
Mr. Stern's 6-10 a.m. show replaces Adam Campbell, who will move to a different shift.
In the past, Mr. Stern has launched his show in new markets by coming to that city and "burying" a rival station. Will he come here to bury WEBN-FM, which was named a "legendary station" by the National Association of Broadcasters in September?
"My guess is when he gets to No. 1 in Cincinnati, he will come here," Mr. Finney says.
--snips--
from the Cincinnati Business Journal
January 3, 2001
Ready or not, Cincinnati is about to get a heavy dose of Howard Stern.
The controversial New York "shock jock" will debut on WAQZ-FM 97.3 tomorrow, with a morning show known for rude, lewd and outrageous behavior. The move is aimed as a ratings booster for "Channel Z," whose alternative-rock format primarily targets male listeners.
"I think it'll have a significant impact on our ratings," said Mike Fredrick, general manager for WAQZ, one of four local FM stations owned by New York-based Infinity Broadcasting.
Since changing formats in March, Channel Z has seen a steady increase in young-male listeners, finishing the most recent ratings period second in that category to WEBN-FM 102.7. But Fredrick expects Stern to broaden WAQZ's morning-show audience to a more lucrative demographic: men, aged 25-54.
He said Stern ranks either first or second in that category in virtually every city that broadcasts his show. The show is also videotaped and aired at 11 p.m. on the E cable network. Those cities include several midwestern cities such as Cleveland, Columbus, Pittsburgh and Louisville.
Some industry observers say Stern's sometimes vulgar content could backfire on WAQZ, prompting advertisers to back away. But Fredrick isn't worried. "His content is really no worse than what is out there already," he said.
Playing Kid Rock's "Bawitdaba" all day on April Fool's day wasn't a joke.
The programming stunt on 93.7 FM signaled a change from 1980s classic hits on WYLX-FM to the rebirth of alternative music WAQZ-FM at noon Monday.
Howard Stern's syndicated show may be coming next on "the new Z at 97.3," which is taking aim at Clear Channel's WEBN-FM (102.7), the city's No. 1 station.
Just what we need to liven up our boring radio landscape - a radio war.
"WEBN-FM has become so classic rock, that the opportunity to play alternative rock for a young audience is huge," said Chuck Finney, operations manager for CBS' three Infinity Broadcasting stations here, WKRQ-FM (101.9), WGRR-FM (103.5) and WAQZ-FM.
Clear Channel (then Jacor) pulled the plug on old WAQZ-FM, known as alternative rock "Channel Z," in August 1998. It became WKFS-FM (107.1), or "KISS," a top-40 station competing head-to-head with Infinity's Q102.
The move has paid off for Clear Channel. KISS107.1 beat Q102 in the fall quarter Arbitron ratings for the first time. KISS107.1 jumped from No. 13 to No. 8 in a year, while Q102 dropped from No. 7 to No. 9.
So Infinity, the second-largest radio company (behind Clear Channel) in the nation and this city, has struck back. The station officially changed formats Monday after Jimmy "the Weasel" Salzarulo spent the weekend playing the Kid Rock song almost 1,000 times while asking listeners if they wanted an alternative rock or young country format.
Going young country wasn't as crazy as it sounded. Infinity has agreed to buy country music giant WUBE-FM (105.1) from Clear Channel, so having a "young country" sister station would have made sense. (Young country WYGY-FM, 96.5, will likely change formats when a sale is completed to Salem Communications, a religious broadcaster in Camarillo, Calif.)
"There are 10 stations on the dial that target women," Mr. Finney said, "and only two (music) stations that target men, WEBN-FM and WOFX-FM." Clear Channel owns both.
"WEBN has given up the young men position. They get young men now by default," said Mr. Finney, spouting more fightin' words.
He has enlisted two former Jacor employees for the battle: Channel Z veteran Rick Jamie will be WAQZ-FM program director; Mr. Salzarulo, a former WEBN-FM personality, will be a DJ and production director.
The buzz around town also says WAQZ-FM could add raunchy morning man Howard Stern, whose show is owned and syndicated by parent Infinity. He would compete with Eddie Fingers and Bob "the Producer" Berry on WEBN-FM and the syndicated Bob & Tom Show on WOFX-FM (92.5).
Is the Howard Stern Show under consideration? Is there corporate pressure to bring Stern to Cincinnati, where his show has never aired?
"No comment," Mr. Finney said to both questions.
I can't tell if the Stern rumor is a serious possibility, or another bit of radio gamesmanship. I can't guess how Cincinnati listeners - or advertisers - would react to his show, which replays at 11 p.m. daily on cable's E! channel.
I do know that a previous WEBN-FM manager once got a call from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati office, protesting a fake beer ad - Mother Theresa endorsing Tree Frog Beer - and threatening to organize a boycott of the station by all Catholic advertisers. On the other hand, the anti-porn Citizens for Community Values has been targeting WEBN-FM for years, and it's still No. 1.
I wouldn't be surprised if Clear Channel retaliated by changing one of its eight stations to country music to take a bite out of Infinity's B105. Maybe WVMX-FM (94.1)?
So stay tuned. This could be fun.
--snips--
from the Cincinnati Post
April 4, 2000
The new WAQZ-FM is playing the same kind of modern and alternative music that the old "Channel Z" played up until it switched formats in August of 1998, when the station adopted a "contemporary hits" format.
At the time, WAQZ was being managed by Jacor Communications, which was using the station to battle WKRQ-FM (Q-102, 101.9), which also plays contemporary hits.
WAQZ eventually became WKFS-FM (The Kiss, 107.1) and is part of the huge block of radio stations owned by Clear Channel Communications, which swallowed up Jacor.
Q-102 and the new WAQZ are both owned by Infinity, which also owns WGRR-FM (Oldies 103.5) in Cincinnati.
"Alternative music fans have been starved since Channel Z ceased to exist nearly two years ago," said Chuck Finney, operations manager for Infinity.
Finney said former WAQZ personality "Jimmy the Weasel" is helping the new Channel Z get off the ground.
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