Cynthia D. Webb
Staff Writer
When radio shock-jock Howard Stern heads for Sirius Satellite Radio next month, leaving behind 27 Infinity Broadcasting stations including KLLI-FM (105.3) in Dallas, the local station won't exactly be acting like a jilted spouse.
Instead, KLLI is going on the offensive.
The station is touting Stern's morning-show replacement, rocker David Lee Roth, in a high-profile multi-media campaign. And, according to at least one advertiser, it's planning to hike next year's advertising rates by at least 15%.
KLLI, which ranks fifth with audiences aged 12 and over in the nation's fifth-largest radio market, says it expects an ad-revenue boom from companies who've previously shunned Stern, the self-styled "King of All Media," because of his racy content.
David Henry, KLLI's general manager, declined to confirm exactly how much ad rates will rise. But he said they will increase because KLLI ranks No. 1 with its target demographic, men aged 25-54, and is No. 3 among adults 25-54, according to the summer 2005 Arbitron ratings.
The station's popularity, Henry said, is due largely to the afternoon Russ Martin Show, which maintained its No. 1 spot with adults 25-54, and rose from third to first for adults 18-34, between summer 2004 and summer 2005. During the same time frame, the station's midday Pugs and Kelly show went from fifth to first place among men 25-54.
Stern, meantime, dropped to fifth place from third place with adults 25-54, according to the figures, and to sixth place from fourth among adults 18-34.
Henry said the station has already signed a 2006 advertising deal with Lexus cars, one of the companies that wouldn't advertise with the station because of the controversial Stern. "Now we are targeting everyone from Foley's to Mercedes to Cingular," he said.
Martin the draw
"Howard's big for us just four hours of the day. One of the things that separates us is that the rest of our lineup brings in a lot of listeners as well," said Gavin Spittle, vice president of talk programming for KLLI and its sister station, KRLD-AM(1080). "Our centerpiece for the station is the Russ Martin Show."
Martin, a 25-year veteran of the Dallas radio market, presides over a drive-time show that vacillates between the sacred and the profane with a practiced, "Who cares?" attitude.
Earlier this month, KLLI began aggressively promoting Roth and Martin with its largest multi-media publicity campaign to date. Station officials declined to say how much they would spend on the campaign.
New York-based Via Group created the television and billboard campaign. Via's TV ads will air heavily in December and January and split their focus between Roth and Martin. The six-month billboard campaign, which launched this month, promotes both shows as well.
The station's publicity follows Infinity's October rebranding campaign called "Free-FM." It focuses on the originality of the broadcaster's radio fare, stressing the fact that traditional radio -- unlike satellite radio -- doesn't cost listeners anything.
It remains to be seen whether Stern can lure either advertisers or listeners to the Sirius satellite station, where subscribers pay $12.95 a month.
Larry Speigel, principal at Dallas' The Richards Group, said, "Sirius is using Howard as a way to create a news event and big hype. It's 'Hey, look at us, we're going to make it.' "
Sirius had 2.2 million subscribers as of Sept. 30. During the fourth quarter of 2005, the network is expecting to gain an additional 800,000 subscribers, said Jim Collins, vice president of corporate communications for Sirius.
Sirius competes for subscribers with XM Radio, which has more than 5 million subscribers.
Sirius is seeking advertisers as well as subscribers in the North Texas area, Collins said. "Our major source of revenue will always be subscriptions," he added, while noting that ads could account for 10% of Sirius' revenue in 2006.
Former Van Halen frontman Roth, whose show will also air in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and West Palm Beach, Fla., has never hosted his own radio program.
Even so, "with advertisers, we have a proven track record of ratings and a proven track record of results." Spittle said of KLLI. "Obviously, once Roth's program takes shape, those advertisers will realize whether they want to be on the program."
Wayne Walker, principal of Guru Partners Marketing and Advertising and formerly director of sales at KLLI, says KLLI has reason to be confident. Walker's clients spend about $1 million on advertising annually with the station.
"Everyone is worried about Howard Stern. I'm not," Walker said. "That station belongs to Russ Martin, like KVIL-FM (103.7) belonged to Ron Chapman. Howard has been a flashpoint, an objection point. At the point he's removed, advertising demand at the station will go up."
from the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
May 18, 2004
After 12 years as a mainstream rock station, KEGL/97.1 FM "The Eagle" pulled a major change Tuesday, switching to "Sunny 97.1," a light-rock station playing songs from the '60s, '70s and '80s.
The transition came around 10 a.m., when the station _ running an automated, jock-free format since Monday afternoon _ played Sammy Hagar's Where Eagles Fly to mark the end of the Eagle. After a brief silence, an announcement aired welcoming Fort Worth-Dallas listeners to a new radio station, which then hammered the brand across by playing the Beatles' Here Comes the Sun, Stevie Wonder's You Are the Sunshine of My Life and Bobby Hebb's Sunny.
Brenda Adriance, vice president/Dallas market manager for owner Clear Channel Communications, and John Roberts, Sunny's program director, did not return repeated phone calls to inquire about the change.
"There was a great opportunity for a radio station like The New Sunny 97.1," Adriance said in a news release, "and we believe this station will better serve the needs of listeners and advertisers in the Dallas-Fort Worth community."
The entire Eagle airstaff was fired in the change and attempts to reach them have been unsuccessful. Robert Miguel, who was afternoon DJ Cindy Scull's right-hand man and who did a local-music show on weekends, posted a message on his Web site (www.robertmiguel.com) saying that he was told at 2 p.m. Monday that the station would drop the rock format.
The Eagle has struggled in the ratings recently, but in the '90s, it was a signifcant force. From 1992 to 1997, it was the Fort Worth-Dallas home of Howard Stern's syndicated show at a time when Stern was at his peak _ and at his most divisive. People protested when the Eagle picked up Stern's show, and different groups protested when the station's owner dropped the show. Even without Stern, the station rose as high as No. 3 in the Arbitron ratings, during an era in which Russ Martin was the morning DJ. Both Stern and Martin are now on KLLI/105.3 FM.
Stern was not the only personality to stir things up. In June 2001, nighttime personalities Kramer & Twitch were fired after a stunt in which they falsely reported that teen pop star Britney Spears had been killed in a car accident.
You will be unlikely to hear any antics of that sort on Sunny, which appears to be taking direct aim at adult-contemporary leader KVIL/103.7 FM and indirect aim at oldies station KLUV/98.7 FM, both owned by Clear Channel rival Infinity Broadcasting. Station announcements boasted that it will be mostly about the music, not about DJ chatter. It is soliciting comments about the change at the old Eagle Web site, www.kegl.com.
As for the Eagle airstaff, it will have a goodbye party at 8 p.m. Friday at Trees in Dallas' Deep Ellum district.
from the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
May 03, 2004
Last week, the results of radio's winter 2004 Arbitron survey were released, the day before TV's May sweeps period started. It's like being stuck at the confluence of two rivers in ratings hell -- an aptly Stygian metaphor, seeing how it often seems that even Satan can quote the ratings to serve his purposes.
Because radio has wrapped things up while TV is just getting started, let's concentrate on the former. Considering that some folks seem to think Howard Stern is Satan, let's recap one of the big stories: In the winter survey, Stern's show -- which airs on KLLI/105.3 FM "Live 105" -- had its best ratings since he returned to the Fort Worth-Dallas airwaves in January 2001. The station itself had its best showing in its four-year history, placing 11th overall, with a big boost from afternoon jock Russ Martin, who boasts of being No. 1 in the 3-7 p.m. time slot among 18- to 34-year-old men, 18- to 34-year-old adults, 25- to 54-year-old men and 25- to 54-year-old adults.
Ah, demographics. When I was a teen listening to radio, I used to wonder how El Paso's three rock radio stations could all claim to be No. 1 at the same time. The answer is in the demographics -- you can be No. 1 in one demo while someone else is first in another -- and no matter which programmer I talk to, he or she will say that it's the target demographic, not the overall "12-plus" (listeners 12 and older) number, that's important.
--snips--
from the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
April 29, 2004
For the past couple of months, Howard Stern has been on a tear against the Federal Communications Commission, complaining about its crackdown on radio indecency and insisting that listeners can tune him out if they don't like what he's saying.
It turns out more people are listening. In Arbitron's winter survey for Dallas-Fort Worth, Stern's morning program, which airs on KLLI/105.3 FM, placed first in the 18- to 34-year-old and 25- to 54-year-old male demographics and second in the 25- to 54-year-old "persons" category. Stern's showing helped the station to 11th place overall. According to Arbitron, Stern's ratings are also up in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, the top three markets in the country (Dallas-Fort Worth is fifth). And he wasn't the only strong performer at KLLI, which is known for politically incorrect, sometimes off-color "hot talk." Locally based afternoon host Russ Martin placed first in four key demographics, and the station was No. 1 in 25- to 54-year-old men, one of its target demographics.
Stern has blamed the Janet Jackson Super Bowl halftime fiasco for the increased focus on his show and has complained that he's being made into a poster boy for indecency when there are other, lesser-known jocks who do more outrageous material.
He has often made the point that if listeners don't like his show, they don't have to listen, and that the adult content of his show is common knowledge, while Jackson's breast-baring at the Super Bowl came as a shock to people who thought they were watching family programming.
But there may be more to Stern's Dallas-Fort Worth showing than the FCC's renewed focus on indecency. Gavin Spittle, KLLI's program director, says that Stern's ratings have been climbing steadily since last summer, well before the Super Bowl mess.
"Howard's just a great talent," Spittle said. "And he's the cornerstone of our lineup. I think we now have one of the top talk lineups in the market."
Stern had been No. 1 in Fort Worth-Dallas before, when he aired on hard rock station KEGL/97.1 FM "The Eagle." But in 1997 the Eagle, then owned by Nationwide Insurance, dropped Stern, claiming that although his ratings were high, it couldn't attract advertisers for his show. Stern fans protested the decision and spent years hoping for his show's return to Dallas-Fort Worth before it landed at 105.3 in January 2001.
Interestingly, Martin was moved into Stern's morning slot on the Eagle and proved to be a strong morning personality himself. When 105.3 went on the air in April 2000, it lured Martin away from the Eagle and made him into a talk personality. He covered mornings till Stern's return, which moved Martin to the afternoons, where he has been one of the market's most successful jocks.
In April, Clear Channel stations in six markets dropped Stern's show after the FCC fined the company $495,000 for airing explicit material on the show. One of those stations, in San Diego, saw its morning ratings plummet in subsequent weeks from an 8.9 share, or percentage of the listening audience, to a 0.7 share.
But Stern isn't a key personality for Clear Channel, which owns 1,200 radio stations; he is syndicated by Infinity Broadcasting, a Viacom division that also owns KLLI and five other Dallas-Fort Worth radio stations.
Mel Karmazin, the president and chief operating officer of Viacom, has steadfastly defended Stern, saying that his show's content isn't indecent. Industry Web site AllAccess.com quoted Karmazin as telling a New York audience this week that Stern should have the freedom to say what he wants, including discussing anal sex (one of the topics that led to the fine against Clear Channel).
"Just because you don't like the words 'anal sex' doesn't make it indecent." Karmazin told The New Yorker's Ken Auletta before an audience at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, the Web site reports.
from the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
November 03, 2003
After Dallas radio vet John LaBella died in a freak car accident in March 2002, Al Brumley led his Dallas Morning News radio column with a simple statement: "What a terrible week."
That's the way a lot of radio people felt last week when Al died at age 40 of complications from a brain tumor that had plagued him since 1996.
During his near-decade of covering radio for the Morning News, Al had become part of the radio scene here, and although he seldom mentioned his health problems in print -- he referred to "that pesky brain tumor" -- the area's passionate radio fans, as well as the personalities and programmers, were aware of them.
"He was a guy who wrote about radio who truly loved the medium," said Ron Chapman, morning-show host at oldies station KLUV/98.7 FM. "He liked to hang around with radio guys, and he liked to sit around in control rooms and watch people work." Chapman said that when he made the move to KLUV in 2000 after 31 years at KVIL/103.7 FM, Al was in the control room when Chapman showed up for his final KVIL show. And Al was in the KVIL studio the next week, when Ken Barnett took over the show.
Kidd Kraddick, of the syndicated Kidd Kraddick in the Morning Show on KHKS/106.1 FM, said that when he received an award at a National Association of Broadcasters convention, he spent most of the night talking to Al, who was there to cover Fort Worth-Dallas people who were receiving awards.
"I learned that writing about radio was not his life's ambition," Kraddick said. "He was a great piano player, an amazing piano player, and what he really wanted to do was write songs. I found that really amazing. You know somebody for the longest time, and you think, 'OK, they were meant to do this' … and then you realize that they have this whole other passion that you didn't know about."
Ken Dowe, the chief operating officer of Service Broadcasting Corp. and a Metroplex radio presence since the '60s, had a similar experience when Al came over to his house to talk about a story and discovered Dowe's little-played piano. Dowe also enjoyed another side of Al's nonradio personality.
"I loved his movie reviews more than I liked his radio column," Dowe said with a laugh. "Because I'm a movie nut. … I'd ask him why he didn't just write movie reviews, and he'd say, 'Ah, they've got enough people doing that.' "
That's a key statement, I think. Fort Worth-Dallas is unusual in having two daily newspapers that each have a radio column; the beat is often overshadowed by more glamorous entertainment beats. Yet radio is a big business, and at its best, one of the most "local" parts of the entertainment media. But mainstream-media radio writers are becoming scarcer, and full-time radio reporters even rarer.
I have, occasionally, struggled with whether I want to keep doing this column. One of the things that kept me going is knowing that I had a strong competitor. One of the things that will keep me going is knowing, even with our minor acquaintance, that Al's the type of guy who wouldn't want another radio writer to give it up.
--snips--
from the Dallas Morning News
May 4, 2003
--snips--
Ratings update
The winter ratings book didn't pack any huge surprises this time around, although, as always, there's plenty to talk about anyway.
Speaking of talk, Mark Davis at WBAP-AM (820) remains the king of midmorning talk among all listeners with a 5.3 share.
But among listeners ages 25 to 54, a demographic that advertisers crave, Mr. Davis ranked second among talk stations to the last hour of Dunham & Miller and two hours of Norm Hitzges at "The Ticket" KTCK-AM (1310).
Among all listeners, KTCK ranked second from 9 a.m. to noon with a 3.9 share, followed by "Live 105.3" KLLI-FM (105.3) at 2.1 and Glenn Beck at KLIF-AM (570) at 1.5.
Among older listeners, KTCK had a 5.1 share, while Mr. Davis had a 3.5 share. KLLI, with a combination of Howard Stern and Pugs & Kelly, ranked third at 1.8, and Mr. Beck at KLIF earned a 1.1 share.
For those curious about the Rush Limbaugh/Bill O'Reilly battle, well, so far it's not much of a contest. Mr. Limbaugh, on WBAP, earned a 7.5 share overall from 1 to 4 p.m., compared to KLIF's 2.1 with the last hour of Mr. O'Reilly and two hours of Dr. Laura.
Among older listeners, Mr. Limbaugh had a 5.0 share; KLIF managed a 1.6.
In afternoon drive, Russ Martin at KLLI recovered from a rough fall book - in which he fell from third to 13th place overall - to rank fourth among all listeners at 4.4, tied with KSCS-FM (96.3).
His closest "hot talk" competition, The Hardline at KTCK, ranked sixth overall with a 4.0 share, tied with KLUV-FM (98.7) and WBAP.
Among the 25-54 listeners, Mr. Martin tied for second with The Hardline at 5.7.
More on the ratings next week.
--snips--
from the Dallas Morning News
April 25, 2003
"K104" KKDA-FM (104.5) widened its lead as Dallas-Fort Worth's favorite radio station in the winter Arbitron ratings, even though its share dropped slightly.
The ratings, released Thursday, show that the urban-contemporary station fell from a 6.8 share to 6.3. But its closest competitor, country station "The Wolf" KPLX-FM (99.5), fell from 6.1 to 5.5.
Hispanic "Estereo Latino" KLNO-FM (94.1), up a 10th of a point at 5.2, now finds itself less than a half-point out of second place.
The winter ratings saw "The Ticket" KTCK-AM (1310) crack the top 10 for the first time in more than a year with a 3.3 share, while its closest talk competition, "Live 105.3" KLLI-FM (105.3), hit a three-way tie for 20th at 1.9.
Among listeners ages 25 to 54 – a group prized by advertisers – KKDA also ranked No. 1 with a 6.0 share, followed by KPLX at 5.5 and KLNO at 5.3. KTCK came in fourth at 4.7, followed by oldies KLUV-FM (98.7) at 4.6.
"Mix 102.9" KDMX-FM (102.9) fell from fourth to 10th place among older listeners, 4.6 to 3.3.
In morning drive, KKDA's Skip Murphy ranked No. 1 with a 7.1 share, far outpacing Héctor Velásquez at KLNO, a surprise No. 2 at 5.6. (Mr. Velásquez now works the afternoon-drive shift, with Raúl Brindis and Pepito handling mornings.) Kidd Kraddick at "Kiss FM" KHKS-FM (106.1) ranked third at 5.1, tied with the WBAP Morning News at WBAP-AM (820). Rounding out the top five was KPLX, with a 5.0 share.
Mr. Murphy and Mr. Velásquez ranked first and second, respectively, among the 25-54 listeners, with KTCK's Dunham & Miller third, KPLX's Wake Up With the Wolf fourth and Mr. Kraddick fifth.
In the world of classic rock, after a strong debut in January 2002, "The Bone" KDBN-FM (93.3) continues to lose listeners to competitor KZPS-FM (92.5). Among all listeners, KDBN tied for 20th with KLLI and KESS-FM (107.9) with a 1.9 share. But KZPS tied for 15th place with KRLD-AM (1080) at 2.4.
Among older listeners, KZPS tied with "The Oasis" KOAI-FM (107.5) for eighth with a 3.4 share, while KDBN ranked 14th with a 2.8 share.
from the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
March 17, 2003
For weeks, if not months, rumors have been circulating about changes at Infinity-owned KYNG/105.3 FM and KRBV/100.3 FM. Last week, changes occurred, but so far, they're not exactly the major switches some people predicted -- or in some cases, wished for.
First, FM-talk KYNG is no longer KYNG. It's KLLI. And the station started calling itself "Live 105.3," rather than "The Talk That Rocks Texas," which is good, because the old slogan didn't exactly roll off the tongue. Bob McNeill, the station's program director, said Infinity made the switch because the KYNG call letters were still strongly identified with a previous format.
"Those call letters still say 'Young Country,' and that's not what we are anymore," McNeill said, referring to the station that lived at 105.3 for most of the '90s. As for dropping "The Talk etc.," McNeill said the station wants to break away from a "talk radio" stereotype. "If you say, 'We're a talk station, people think of something other than what we are," he says. "When you say 'talk radio,' people think Rush Limbaugh, and we're not that."
But the station is a talk station, and McNeill says that's not going to change. Howard Stern's still on in the morning, Russ Martin is still the afternoon guy, Pugs and Kelly are still doing middays, and Ken Goldberg's Law & Disorder is still the night show.
This would appear to shoot down rumors that KYNG would become a music station, with Stern and Martin anchoring mornings and evenings. The station has been playing classic rock during most of its weekend hours, but McNeill said it will gradually move away from that and begin adding more weekend talk shows. Some of those shows will be brokered programming, which is a fancy way of saying "infomercials," but McNeill said many of the shows will be station-generated.
Another scenario that cropped up was that KYNG -- oops, I mean KLLI -- would take on an "entertainment" format that Infinity was experimenting with at WNEW in New York. But the format never got off the ground in the Big Apple, so don't expect it to happen here.
Meanwhile, KLLI sister station KRBV/100.3 FM "Wild-FM" made a program director change. John Cook, the former program director of the top-40 station, left to take the reins at San Antonio's KTFM/102.7 FM. Dan Kieley, the new program director, is the former PD of Los Angeles top-40 station KIIS-FM. KIIS is a Clear Channel station, but Kieley had been away from it for nearly a year, so it's not like he jumped immediately from one ship to the other.
Kieley said it's too soon to tell what changes, if any, he'll bring to Wild, which has struggled in the ratings. But with his top-40 background, it seems likely he'll keep the station in the format.
--snips--
from the Dallas Morning News
February 16, 2003
Feb. 16--There's been so much stuff happening lately, we haven't gotten around to taking a closer look at the fall ratings, released in January.
But a lull in news last week has provided the window we need.
As reported earlier, "K104" KKDA-FM (104.5) once again reigned as the overall champ, with "The Wolf" KPLX-FM (99.5) at No. 2 and "Estereo Latino" KLNO-FM (94.1) coming in third.
Some folks believe KLNO could hit No.1 by the spring book. But it's going to take a mighty effort. KKDA had a 6.8 overall share in the fall ratings; KLNO pulled in a 5.1.
Meanwhile, check out country station KSCS-FM (96.3) at No. 6. At this point, it's safe to say the country-music war in Dallas is over. KSCS has hired a new program director, but "The Wolf" has branded itself so well as the hip country station in town that it could be years before KSCS catches up.
And let's not forget "The Bone" KDBN-FM (93.3), which experienced a precipitous drop -- from 12th to 21st place. Has the "wow" factor worn off? Or has the programming team grown less and less courageous, making the station more and more bland? Or was it simply, as some have said, a bad book for rock 'n' roll?
In other news, the winter book saw a dramatic shift in afternoon-drive guy talk.
On KYNG-FM (105.3), T he Russ Martin Showfell from third to 13th place overall, from a 5.0 share to a 3.2; second to eighth place for ages 25-54, 5.9 to 3.9; and first to fifth place among men 18 to 49, 9.1 to 4.5.
But The Hardline on "The Ticket" KTCK-AM (1310) jumped from seventh place to a tie for third with WBAP-AM (820) overall, 3.7 to 4.2; from third to second in ages 25-54, 5.3 to 5.9; and from second to first place among men 18-49, 7.7 to 9.3.
KPLX is No. 1 overall in afternoon drive with a 6.6 share, followed closely by KKDA at 6.2.
In morning drive, Skip Murphy at KKDA remains the leader, while the Wake up With the Wolf morning show on KPLX was second and Kidd Kraddick on KHKS-FM (106.1) ranked third.
To what do we attribute Mr. Kraddick's inability to return to the No. 1 spot he held for so long? Not to take anything away from Mr. Murphy and his crew -- like they have anything to prove anyway -- but it doesn't take Stephen Hawking to see that Mr. Kraddick lost his No. 1 status in the wake of his syndication deal. Changes in the show have been subtle, granted, but listeners have picked up on the shift of focus -- away from Dallas -- just the same.
Finally, in answer to many e-mail questions, Howard Stern, whose nationally syndicated morning show airs on KYNG, ranked 18th in the winter ratings. Call me crazy, but maybe those 30-minute commercial breaks (we're not exaggerating) are about 25 minutes too long.
--snips--
from the Dallas Morning News
January 16, 2003
"K104" KKDA-FM (104.5) clocked in as the overall champion in the all-important fall Arbitron ratings released Wednesday.
But "The Wolf" KPLX-FM (99.5) was close behind and outpaced KKDA among the older listeners that advertisers often shoot for.
Perhaps the biggest surprise in the ratings, though, was the dramatic drop experienced by classic-rock station "The Bone" KDBN-FM (93.3), which had been performing so well since signing on last year.
Among all listeners, KDBN fell from 12th to 21st place from a 2.8 share to a 2.0. Among listeners ages 25 to 54, the station fell from seventh to 14th place ? from a 4.0 share to a 3.0.
Dan Bennett, vice president and market manager for The Bone and several other Susquehanna-owned stations, said it was a bad ratings period for male-oriented rock stations across the board. However, KDBN bested its primary competitors KZPS-FM (92.5) and "The Eagle" KEGL-FM (97.1) among men ages 25 to 54, he pointed out. He said he was pleased with the station's performance.
Another Susquehanna station has reason to be pleased. "The Ticket" KTCK-AM (1310) moved from seventh to fifth among the 25-54 set 4.0 to 4.3 while its primary "hot talk" competitor, KYNG-FM (105.3), languished in 19th place with a 2.1 share.
KLIF-AM (570), on the other hand, can't get any momentum going. The talker ranked 28th overall with a 1.2 share and 26th among older listeners with a 1.3 share.
In morning drive, KKDA'S Skip Murphy ranked No. 1 overall and among older listeners.
Coming in second in both demographics was the Wake up With the Wolf morning show on KPLX, and ranking third in each was Kidd Kraddick on KHKS-FM (106.1).
Rounding out the overall top five were Los Hijos de la Mañana on KLNO-FM (94.1) and the WBAP Morning News on WBAP-AM (820). Among older listeners, Dunham & Miller on KTCK ranked fifth.
In other news, fall marked the second appearance of "The Beat" KBFB-FM (97.9) in the top 10 since the station debuted in Dallas two years ago. KBFB tied for 10th place with "The Mix" KDMX-FM (102.9) with a 3.2 share.
from the NY Daily News
November 13, 2002
Ever wondered how many other people in America are actually listening to, say, Howard Stern at the same time you are?
Tony Sanders, who crunches national numbers for the trade publication Inside Radio, says it's around 1,490,000.
Standard radio ratings, designed for advertisers, use a figure called "cume," which is the cumulative number of persons who tune to a given show or station at some time during an average week.
That's obviously a much higher figure. The national weekly "cume" for Stern has been estimated by the trade mag Talkers at "8 million-plus."
By comparison, Rush Limbaugh is rated at 14.5 million-plus per week, Sean Hannity at 10 million-plus and Dr. Joy Browne and Imus at 5 million-plus.
The numbers of people listening to those hosts at any one time presumably are proportionate to Stern's numbers.
Stern's numbers also mean more than 10 times as many people are listening to him at any given time than are, say, watching cable news channels on television.
Sanders has also tracked Stern's ranking in all of his markets for summer 2002 - though this is just based on his share of the total audience. Like most hosts, Stern scores higher among his specific target audiences, which for him includes younger men.
Overall, Stern is No. 1 in New York, Orlando, Phoenix, Syracuse and York, Pa.
In other cities, it goes like this: Philadelphia, second; Washington, D.C., fourth; Los Angeles, seventh; Baltimore, 16th; Cleveland, second; Buffalo, fourth; Chicago, 10th; Dallas, 11th; Detroit, ninth; Hartford, sixth; Las Vegas, second; Boston, second; San Diego, third; Pittsburgh, third; Seattle, fourth; Rochester, seventh; Miami, fourth; San Francisco, fifth.
--snips--
from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
October 28, 2002
--snips--
And now . . . the ratings: You know stations are doing well when their execs send unsolicited e-mails crowing about their ratings. John Peroyea, station manager of contemporary Christian KLTY/94.9 FM, included me in a gang e-mail with the subject line "Spread the word!!!!!!!!"
"The summer ratings are here, and we have set a station record!" Peroyea wrote. "We are tied overall with KHKS!!" Peroyea goes on to talk about the success of Frank Reed's morning show, which beat people like KLUV/98.7 FM's Ron Chapman (who, to be fair, was on vacation a good deal of the ratings period) and KYNG/105.3 FM's Howard Stern in KLTY's target demographics.
Here's the top 10 overall, among people 12 and over, for the period covering roughly July through September: 1. KKDA/104.5 FM "K104" (urban contemporary). 2. KPLX/99.5 FM "The Wolf" (country). 3. KLNO/94.1 FM "Stereo Latino" (regional Mexican). 4. WBAP/820 AM (news-talk). 5. KSCS/96.3 FM (country). 6. (tie) KLTY/94.9 FM (contemporary Christian); KHKS/106.1 FM "KISS-FM" (Top 40). 8. KOAI/107.5 FM "The Oasis" (smooth jazz). 9. KLUV/98.7 FM (oldies). 10. KDGE/102.1 FM "The Edge" (modern rock).
Most increases in the summer ratings period reflected rebounds from low spring ratings. But there were other winners besides KLTY. KSCS' ratings were its best since fall 2001, after a couple of relatively poor quarters. The station has remained in the top 10 during the past year, but is trailing rival the Wolf, which has been either No. 1 or 2 overall the past four quarters. And KSCS is still down nearly a full share point from a year ago, from 5.2 to 4.3.
Adult-contemporary KDMX/102.9 "The Mix" had its best ranking in a year, with a tie for 12th. Its share, however, hasn't fluctuated all that much during the last three quarters, and at 2.8, it was still down from a year ago. And urban adult contemporary KSOC/94.5 FM "K-SOUL," formerly known as KTXQ "Magic 94.5," had its best ratings yet, with a 2 share overall and a tie for 20th.
from the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
July 1, 2002
Robert Philpot/Radio
New at the Eagle nest: Clear Channel-owned rock station KEGL/97.1 FM "The Eagle" named a new program director last week: Max Dugan, who comes from Colorado Springs, where he was the national rock manager for Citadel Communications. Duane Doherty, who had been program director for the Eagle and KDGE/102.1 FM "The Edge," is still with the company and is back to solely overseeing the Edge.
Dugan will take on a station that has been struggling recently and that has made its share of boneheaded moves in the past few years. First, under Nationwide Broadcasting, it let Howard Stern go; then, under Clear Channel, it let Russ Martin go after he brought the morning show back to prominence when Stern was canceled (Stern and Martin are now at KYNG/105.3 FM "The Talk ... That Rocks Texas," and scoring high ratings).
And it's been enduring some strong competition in the form of KDBN/93.3 FM "The Bone," which has thrived since it began its hard classic-rock format in January, although indications are that the Bone's recent ratings - while still good - are leveling out. Because Dugan is familiar with both current and classic rock, it looks like the Eagle is taking the Bone very seriously as a competitor.
from The Dallas Morning News
May 19, 2002
--snips--
How's Howard?
Several people have written lately wondering how Howard Stern did in the recently released winter Arbitron ratings. Mr. Stern, whose nationally syndicated morning show airs locally on KYNG-FM (105.3), ranked 10th overall with a 3.2 share, down from a ninth-place 3.4 share in the fall.
Among listeners ages 25 to 54, Mr. Stern tied for sixth with the WBAP Morning News with a 4.4 share. In the fall he ranked seventh with the same share.
By comparison, Kidd Kraddick at "Kiss FM" KHKS-FM (106.1) ranked No. 1 overall with a 7.1 share and tied for first with Skip Murphy at "K104" KKDA-FM (104.5) among the 25-54 crowd with a 7.3 share.
--snips--
from the Ft. Worth Star Telegram
May 13, 2002
Robert Philpot
"Rocks" steady: KYNG/105.3 FM "The Talk . . . That Rocks" continues to fare well in the ratings with its FM "hot talk" format. Afternoon host Russ Martin was No. 1 among men 18 to 34, the station's target demographic (and performed well elsewhere); Howard Stern's syndicated show was tied for first in the 25-to-54 male demographic.
Although he was happy about the ratings, station manager Reid Reker says he doesn't get preoccupied with them. "I'm not that numbers-intense," Reker says. "If you live by those things, you die by 'em." (Of course, that's easy to say when you're happy with your ratings.)
As an aside, Reker dismissed a rumor that bad boys Kramer & Twitch are returning to Dallas. Around this time last year, the guys were fired from KEGL/97.1 FM "The Eagle" for falsely reporting that Britney Spears was dead. They wound up in a better time slot at a Detroit station that, like KYNG, is owned by Infinity Broadcasting.
But Internet rumors that Kramer & Twitch are returning to Dallas continue to crop up. The latest was that Susquehanna Radio Corp., which owns four stations here, would pay them seven figures to return. But Reker says Infinity is very happy with them in Detroit, and that he has heard nothing about them leaving.
--snips--
from the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
April 27, 2002
Country station KPLX/99.5 FM "The Wolf" scored its second straight No. 1 in the overall Arbitron ratings, which are released quarterly. But the Wolf's sister station, KDBN/93.3 FM "The Bone," made the biggest impact.
Or maybe that should be "brother station," as the male-oriented classic rocker was No. 1 among 25- to 54-year-old men in its first quarter on the air.
First, the overall Top 10, which estimates listenership among people 12 and over in Fort Worth-Dallas. The winter ratings period is roughly January-March.
1. KPLX/95.5 FM 2. KKDA/104.5 FM "K104" (urban contemporary) 3. KHKS/106.1 FM "KISS-FM" (Top 40) 4. WBAP/820 AM (news/talk) 5. KLNO/94.1 FM "Estereo Latino" (regional Mexican) 6. (tie) KOAI/107.5 FM "The Oasis" (light jazz/adult contemporary) 6. (tie) KLUV/98.7 FM (oldies) 8. KSCS/96.3 FM (country) 9. KVIL/103.7 (adult contemporary) 10. KDGE/94.5 FM "The Edge" (modern rock)
The Bone, which went on the air Jan. 3, was No. 11. The station, owned by Susquehanna Radio Corp., rose from the ashes of 3-year-old modern-rocker KKMR/93.3 FM "Merge Radio," which never had that strong a rating. In its last quarter as Merge Radio, 93.3 placed only 24th out of some 40 measured stations.
Even more impressive was the Bone's ranking among its target audience of 25- to 54-year-old men, as 93.3 went from No. 20 in that demographic in fall 2001 to No. 1 in winter 2002. The Bone is expected to receive even more of a boost from its morning man, Fort Worth-Dallas radio veteran Bo Roberts, who went on the air in March and was a factor for only a third of the winter quarter.
Roberts and his former partner, Jim White, were fired in summer of last year by classic rocker KZPS/92.5 FM, the Bone's chief rival. KZPS' ratings have fallen ever since: In winter 2001, it was tied for seventh overall but was tied for only 16th in winter 2002. And even with Roberts only a partial factor, KDBN was No. 5 among 25-to 54-year-old men in mornings, while KZPS dropped from a tie for sixth to No. 12 in that time slot.
Russ Martin, afternoon guy for talk station KYNG/105.3 FM and the big story in the fall 2001 survey, saw his overall numbers fall but still remained No. 1 in afternoons.
Because of deadlines, more analysis of the winter Arbitrons won't be included in Monday's radio column; look for it in the May 6 radio column.
from the Dallas Morning News
April 27, 2002
The puns that come to mind are too many and too trite to mention.
Suffice it to say that in the winter Arbitron ratings released Friday, "The Bone" KDBN-FM (93.3) had possibly the most successful debut of any radio station in Dallas history.
"The Bone," which took the 93.3 signal from adult alternative to classic rock on Jan. 3, also took that signal from 24th place overall in the fall ratings to 11th place in the winter, from a 1.4 share to a 3.1.
Among listeners between the ages of 25 and 54 -- one of the demographics slobbered over by advertisers -- KDBN rose from 19th place to a tie for fifth with the venerable KVIL-FM (103.7), 1.9 to 4.4.
And where, you might wonder, are all those listeners coming from? Everywhere, it seems:
-- "The Wolf" KPLX-FM (99.5), a sister station to KDBN in the Susquehanna family, held on to its No. 1 spot overall but fell from a 6.1 to a 5.6 share. It also lost half a point among the older listeners.
-- KZPS-FM (92.5), KDBN's direct classic-rock competitor, fell from 11th to 16th place overall and from ninth to 14th among the 25-to-54 audience.
KZPS' syndicated morning show, The Bob & Tom Show, fell from 15th to 20th place overall and from 13th to 17th place 25-54. Meanwhile, KDBN rose from 25th to 14th in morning drive overall, and 19th to 11th 25-54. And KDBN managed to do that even though popular morning man Bo Roberts only began working there at the tail end of the winter survey.
-- And then there's "The Eagle" KEGL-FM (97.1), which plummeted from ninth to 22nd place overall, and "The Talk That Rocks" KYNG-FM (105.3), which dropped from 13th to 18th.
It's safe to assume that all of these hits can be attributed, at least in part, to KDBN.
But there was other big ratings news Friday. Mexican-regional KLNO-FM (94.1) was celebrating a fifth-place overall finish for the station and a fourth-place morning-drive finish among the 25-54 audience for Hector Velasquez and his team. Mr. Velasquez also finished fifth overall.
"We did a lot right this time," said Andy Lockridge, operations manager for KLNO owner Hispanic Broadcasting Corp. in Dallas. "We worked really hard, and it's nice to see it pay off."
Kidd Kraddick at "Kiss FM" KHKS-FM (106.1) continues his reign as the Dallas area's most popular morning-drive host, pulling in a 7.1 share, just ahead of Skip Murphy's 7.0 share at "K104" KKDA-FM (104.5). The two tied for first among the 25-54 crowd with a 7.3 share.
SIDEBAR:
Here are the top 20 Dallas-Fort Worth radio stations, according to the winter Arbitron survey, which ran from Jan. 3 to March 27. Diary keepers must be at least 12 years old. Each entry must represent at least 15 minutes of radio listening between 6 a.m. and midnight to be included in the survey. Each share point reflects 6,000 listeners in an average 15-minute period.
Rank/station Winter share Fall share/rank
1. KPLX-FM (99.5) 5.6 6.1/1
2. KKDA-FM (104.5) 5.4 5.7/2
3. KHKS-FM (106.1) 4.7 4.8/5
4. WBAP-AM (820) 4.5 5.2/3
5. KLNO-FM (94.1) 4.4 3.7/7
6. KOAI-FM (107.5) 4.1 3.5/8
KLUV-FM (98.7) 4.1 3.9/6
8. KSCS-FM (96.3) 3.8 5.0/4
9. KVIL-FM (103.7) 3.5 3.0/13
10. KDGE-FM (102.1) 3.3 3.2/9
11. KDBN-FM (93.3) 3.1 1.4/24
12. KRLD-AM (1080) 2.9 3.1/11
13. KTCK-AM (1310) 2.8 2.4/19
WRR-FM (101.1) 2.8 2.0/20
15. KDMX-FM (102.9) 2.7 2.6/17
16. KLTY-FM (94.9) 2.5 2.9/15
KZPS-FM (92.5) 2.5 3.1/11
18. KYNG-FM (105.3) 2.3 3.0/13
KBFB-FM (97.9) 2.3 2.7/16
KRBV-FM (100.3) 2.3 2.6/17
Source: Arbitron
from dfw.com
January 17, 2002
During the past couple of years, reports have surfaced that country music doesn't have the clout that it had in the early to mid-'90s. You couldn't tell that from the quarterly Arbitron ratings, though, in which country station KPLX/99.5 took its first overall No. 1 in its 3 1/2-year history as The Wolf.
The latest ratings "book," which measures listenership from roughly October through December, contained some other impressive leaps as well. But first, here's the overall top 10 for listeners 12 and over:
1. KPLX/99.5 FM
2. KKDA/104.5 FM "K104" (urban contemporary)
3. WBAP/820 AM (news-talk)
4. KSCS/96.3 FM (country)
5. KHKS/106.1 FM "KISS-FM" (top 40)
6. KLUV/98.7 FM ('60s and '70s oldies)
7. KLNO/94.1 FM "Estereo Latino" (regional Mexican)
8. KOAI/107.5 FM "The Oasis" (smooth jazz)
9 (tie). KEGL/97.1 FM "The Eagle" (rock)
9 (tie). KDGE/102.1 FM "The Edge" (modern rock)
Radio programmers will tell you that the "12-plus" numbers are only part of the story, which is illustrated by the growing success of "hot-talk" station KYNG/105.3 FM. The station, which switched from country to talk in April 2000, has grown steadily each ratings period since, achieving a tie for 13th in this survey with a 3 share. "Share" measures the percentage of the listening audience, and although 3 percent sounds low, it's strong in the Dallas-Fort Worth market, where a 6.1 share was good enough for first place.
But KYNG doesn't target the 12-and-over demographic; its target audience is 18- to 34-year-old men, and it was No. 1 in that demographic, powered by syndicated Howard Stern in the morning and locally based Russ Martin in the afternoon. Martin was particularly strong, with a phenomenal 14.7 share among men 18 to 34. Reid Reker, KYNG's station manager, says that Martin's success is simple to explain:
"I think it's just that new people discover him every day, and when they find him, they can't leave," Reker says. "He's just a great entertainer."
--snips--
from the Dallas Morning News
October 28, 2001
A little more advertising, a little shifting around of the playlist, and boom ? you're back on top.
That was the story for country station KSCS-FM (96.3) last week, which rebounded after a year of pummeling from "The Wolf" KPLX-FM (99.5).
Brian Philips came to town a few years ago, dubbed KPLX "The Wolf," withstood a barrage of laughter from radio insiders, and made KPLX the most popular country station in the Dallas-Fort Worth market. That shocked everyone, including, of course, KSCS operations manager Dean James.
He acknowledged last week that KSCS had grown so accustomed to being on top that it had become a bit lackadaisical. But no more.
KSCS earned a third-place 5.2 share in the summer Arbitron ratings, while KPLX came in fourth with a 4.8 share.
And among listeners between the ages of 25 and 54, a demographic that makes advertisers tingle, KSCS shot up from a ninth-place 4.2 share in the spring to a first-place 5.5 summer share. KPLX came in third with a 5.0 share.
This market might not have supported three major country stations, but two seems a perfect fit. These guys are in the middle of a classic radio war, and in the end that means good things for listeners: better music, more contests, bigger prizes, and all-around better country radio.
Meanwhile, let's not forget about good ol' Americana station KHYI-FM (95.3), also known as "The Range." It's still churning out classic country, and it's also working on boosting its signal. Give 'em a listen. You'll be glad you did.
Another big piece of news to be found in the summer ratings was WBAP-AM (820)'s ascension to a first-place tie with "K104" KKDA-FM (104.5) overall.
WBAP operations manager Bob Shomper says that while the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks probably had some effect on the ratings, the monthly ratings breakouts "don't show a huge spike in September." The station had a 6.0 share in July, a 5.3 in August, and a 5.5 in September.
Elsewhere in the ratings, WBAP-AM (820)'s Mark Davis remains king of the 9 a.m.-noon talk-show hosts. Mr. Davis earned a 6.0 share overall and a 5.1 share in the 25-54 market.
His competition ranked like this:
Overall, KTCK-AM (1310) earned a 4.2 share with the last hour of Dunham & Miller followed by Norm Hitzges' two-hour show; Ernie Brown at KRLD-AM (1080) earned a 4.0; Howard Stern and the first hour of Ron & Don earned a 2.6 share at KYNG-FM (105.3); and KLIF earned a 0.6 share.
Among the 25-54 crowd, KTCK earned a 5.0 share; KYNG a 3.4 share; KRLD a 2.4; and KLIF a 0.6.
As for Rush Limbaugh, he might be losing his hearing, but he didn't lose anything to Dr. Laura in the summer ratings. Mr. Limbaugh, who airs on WBAP, pulled in an 8.2 share overall, compared with 4.3 for Dr. Laura, who airs on KRLD.
Among older listeners, Mr. Limbaugh earned a 5.9 share, compared with Dr. Laura's 3.7. Both shows air from 1 to 4 p.m.
Also, as reported earlier, Clear Channel's decision to remove Bo & Jim from morning drive at KZPS-FM (92.5) has cost the station dearly. Listeners left in droves, dropping the station from a third-place 6.6 morning-drive share in the spring among older listeners to a 14th-place 3.1 share during the summer.
And, finally, Russ Martin continues to amaze and delight his bosses at KYNG, where his 3-7 p.m. show ranked No. 1 in nearly all of its target demographics, and sixth overall.
from the Dallas Morning News
August 12, 2001
--snips--
By the numbers
Time once again for our quarterly roundup of talk-show ratings, thanks to the recently released spring Arbitron book.
From 9 a.m. to noon among all listeners, Mark Davis at WBAP-AM (820) remains the man to beat with a 5.1 share. "The Ticket" KTCK-AM (1310) pulled in a 3.3 share with the last hour of Dunham & Miller and two hours of Norm Hitzges, and KYNG-FM (105.3) followed close behind with a 3.1 share made up of about two hours of Howard Stern and one of Ron & Don. At KRLD-AM (1080), Charley Jones (who has since returned to his old overnight shift) earned a 2.8 share. KLIF-AM (570) pulled up the rear at 0.5 with an hour of Jay and Hilarie and two hours of Scott Anderson.
In the same time slot among listeners between the ages 25 and 54 - one of the primary demographics that help pull in advertising bucks -- KTCK had a 4.1 share, KYNG a 3.9, WBAP a 3.8, KRLD a 2.0 and KLIF a 0.4.
Afternoon is also a little tricky because some shows are on at different times. Here's a breakdown of the shifts from 2-6 p.m. and 3-7 p.m.:
2-6 p.m., all listeners: WBAP, 5.0; KTCK, 4.0; KYNG, 3.3; KRLD, 2.9; KLIF, 0.7.
2-6 p.m., 25-54: KTCK, 5.2; KYNG, 4.3; WBAP, 3.3; KRLD, 2.6; KLIF, 0.4.
3-7 p.m., all listeners: KTCK, 4.5; WBAP, 4.2; KYNG, 3.7; KRLD, 2.8; KLIF, 0.6.
3-7 p.m., 25-54: KTCK, 5.9; KYNG, 4.9; WBAP, 3.2; KRLD, 2.7; KLIF, 0.4.
from the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
July 25, 2001
Other movers and shakers include oldies station KLUV, which made a healthy climb from No. 7 into a tie for fourth with news station WBAP, which dropped a spot from No. 3. Also, Kidd Kraddick held onto his morning-show crown, again snagging the No. 1 6-10 a.m. slot. Howard Stern isn't exactly hot on his trail, but his 6-10 a.m. show on KYNG/105.3 FM moved from 15 to 11.
Here are the Top 10 stations for listeners 12 and older for the April-June quarter: 1. KKDA/104.5 FM. 2. KPLX/99.5 FM. 3. KHKS/106.1 FM. 4. (tie) WBAP/820 AM; KLUV/98.7 FM. 6. KZPS/92.5 FM. 7. KSCS/96.3 FM. 8. KOAI/107.5 FM. 9. KEGL/97.1 FM. 10. (tie) KLNO/94.1 FM; KBFB/97.9 FM; KVIL/103.7 FM; KDMX/102.9 FM.
--snips--
from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
April 29, 2001
Ordinarily, I'd spend a lot more ink than this on the Arbitron ratings, but the dang things came in right on deadline, and a lot of other stuff happened last week. So let's do this quickly. Here's the Top 10 for listeners 12 and older for the January-March quarter:
1. KKDA/104.5 FM. 2. KPLX/99.5 FM. 3. WBAP/820 AM. 4. (tie) KSCS/96.3 FM; KHKS/106.1 FM. 6. KBFB/97.9 FM. 7. (tie) KZPS/92.5 FM; KLUV/98.7 FM. 9. (tie) KLNO/94.1 FM; KOAI/107.5 FM.
R&B/hip-hop station KKDA, better-known as K104, has held the top spot for more than a year, continuing to hold off upstart KBFB "The Beat," which increased its share, or percentage of the listening audience, from 3.5 percent to 4.2 percent (K104 had a 6 share).
Howard Stern's arrival at KYNG/105.3 FM "The Talk . . . That Rocks" appears to have helped that station considerably. Stern was only 15th in morning drive (the male-demographic figures that are so important to the station were unavailable), but the station had the best book of its year-long life, registering a 2.1 share overall for 19th place. That share equals 105.3's share for the Winter 2000 quarter, when it was still "Young Country."
Stern, as well as competition from new sports station KTRA/1190 AM, appears to have hurt sports/guy-talker KTCK/1310 AM "The Ticket," which dropped from a tie for seventh to 16th place with a 2.8 share -- its worst showing in more than a year. Ron Chapman's move last fall from KVIL/103.7 FM to KLUV/98.7 FM continues to work: He had a 4.7 share for sixth place in mornings (the station had a 1.7 for a tie for 19th a year ago). Meanwhile, KVIL's respectable 3.1 share for 11th in mornings was still a major drop from its 5.2, for fifth, a year ago.
Already running long here; I hope to have more next week.
--snips--
from the Dallas Morning News
April 28, 2001
Somebody out there likes classic rock. KZPS-FM (92.5), the Dallas area's home to everything from Steve Miller to Pink Floyd, burned up the winter Arbitron ratings.
The station ranked seventh overall but tied for first among listeners between the ages of 25 and 54 (known in radio jargon as "25-54") -- one of the demographics advertisers slobber over.
The station's morning team also pulled in some good numbers. Bo & Jim jumped from 10th to seventh place overall, 2.9 to 4.1, and from eighth to fourth place 25-54, 3.9 to 5.5.
The ratings, which were released Friday, also found "K104" KKDA-FM (104.5) at its usual No.1 spot overall and 25-54 (where it tied with KZPS). Its newest competitor, "The Beat" KBFB-FM (97.9), rose from seventh to sixth place overall, from a 3.5 to a 4.2 share.
And no doubt there were huge sighs of relief being released at "Kiss FM" KHKS-FM (106.1), where morning man Kidd Kraddick returned to his usual No.1 spot after having fallen to No.2 last fall for the first time in four years.
In country music, "The Wolf" KPLX-FM (99.5) and KSCS-FM (96.3) continue to wage a bloody war. KPLX ranked second overall with a 5.7 share; KSCS ranked fourth with a 5.0 share. But among the 25-54 crowd, KSCS pulled out a victory, landing in third place with a 5.5 share. KPLX ranked fourth at 5.3.
KTCK-AM (1310) fell from seventh to 16th place overall, dropping from a 3.5 to a 2.8 share, and from fifth to 12th among the older listeners, from a 4.8 share to a 3.5.
Elsewhere, Howard Stern made his presence felt, moving KYNG-FM (105.3) up in morning drive from 20th to 15th place overall, 1.6 to 2.8, and zooming into ninth place 25-54 with a 3.8 share, up from the station's previous 18th-place 1.7 share.
In news/talk, WBAP-AM (820) continues to lead the pack, ranking third among all stations with a 5.3 share and eighth 25-54 with a 4.5 share.
At KLIF-AM (570), the rant-and-rave approach to news/talk hasn't found an audience yet. The station ranked 28th overall with a 0.9 share, and 27th place among the older crowd, where it also earned a 0.9 share.
--snips--
from the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
March 5, 2001
I hate writing columns like this one, because inevitably, I'm gonna take fire from all sides. But here goes:
First off, let me 'fess up to something: I've never been much of a Howard Stern fan. I'm not much of a detractor, either. I have, on occasion, found Stern to be amusing; I have, on other occasions, found him to be boring. I have even, believe it or not, heard him give sensitive interviews when the situation called for it. But I'm not an addict; were it not for this job, I probably wouldn't listen to him. Truth be told, I don't listen to him that much anyway. Covering Fort Worth-Dallas radio involves paying attention to many things, and there are many other options out there.
I repeat: There are many other options out there. So if you don't care for Stern, you don't have to listen to him, either.
These musings are inspired by an upcoming anti-Stern campaign, led by the Dallas Association for Decency, which plans to appeal to Stern's advertisers to pull their spots from his 6-11 a.m. weekday show on KYNG/105.3 FM "The Talk . . . That Rocks."
When I first heard about this, my immediate reaction was: Stern was gone for 3½ years, and in the interim, many other local radio shows aired the kind of raunchy material for which Stern is notorious. If there were protests against any of those shows, I didn't hear about them. So why pick on Stern? Because he's a big name, and an easy target.
But as easy a target as he is, he's even easier to avoid. When Stern was on KEGL/97.1 FM "The Eagle," he was on a music station, and you could make the argument that you didn't want to hear Stern's content on your favorite music station, although it's unlikely you'd make that argument against a station that was heavy on White Zombie at the time. Now he's on an all-talk station -- a station where Stern's show is a comfortable fit. A station that you can easily avoid all day, if you don't care for its content.
One of the things that tends to bother me about campaigns such as this is the way they accentuate the negative. Why not, instead, throw your energies behind something you like? Fort Worth-Dallas has several talk stations, including a Christian-talk station. Why not promote one of them? Fort Worth-Dallas has nearly a half-dozen religious-oriented stations, including a lively alternative-Christian-rock station (KTPW/89.7 FM) and one that prides itself on having a clean-mouthed morning show (KLTY/94.9 FM). If you're looking for a secular, music-dominated alternative, you can find that, too.
Stern's content may be obnoxious stuff, but his fans enjoy it -- and if the earliest Arbitron "trend" reports are any indication, he'll be giving the station a big ratings boost. But if you don't enjoy it, you don't have to listen. And fighting it just provides Stern with free publicity.
--snips--
from the Fort Worth Star Telegram
March 1, 2001
DALLAS -- Howard Stern's return to the local airwaves in January was greeted with jubilation by fans, but the New York shock jock is receiving a much less cordial welcome from a local decency organization.
The Dallas Association for Decency, a nonprofit organization that fights pornography and similar material, is about to launch a letter-writing campaign urging advertisers to cancel their spots on Stern's program, which is airing on radio station KYNG/105.3 FM.
"From our perspective, everybody has a voice," said Dan Panetti, the association's executive director, who said his organization protested the program before it left the Metroplex in 1997. "If Howard Stern has a voice and can say something to offend people, then people have a voice to protest that."
Stern's fans criticize the effort, saying his detractors could be more effective by simply not listening.
"Our opinion is there's so many choices," said Cathy Calder, president of a group known as SOS, or Save Our Stern. "If you don't like Howard Stern, just turn the dial."
Stern's presence in the Metroplex has always stirred strong feelings. When rock station KEGL/97.1 FM "The Eagle" pulled the plug on his show, representatives for the station, then owned by Nationwide Insurance, said that although Stern had the No. 1 show in the market, leading advertisers avoided it because of its often politically incorrect and graphic sexual content.
During his five years on the Eagle, Stern was most notorious for remarks he made after the 1995 slaying of Tejano singer Selena, ridiculing not only the singer's music but also her largely Hispanic fan base. The comments outraged Mexican- American groups, and Stern later apologized.
Officials at KYNG, which began broadcasting Stern's show Jan. 2, said the letter- writing effort will have no effect. Stern's show, which airs weekdays from 6 to 11 a.m., is doing well and has had no trouble attracting advertisers, said Reid Reker, the station's general manager.
Because KYNG is owned by Infinity Broadcasting, the same company that has a five-year contract with Stern and owns the New York flagship station where he broadcasts, it's unlikely that he will be dropped, Reker said.
"Howard Stern will never go off the air on this radio station," Reker said. "Not only is there the company connection, but we also know he's going to be phenomenally successful. I'm afraid those people will have a long time to write letters."
Stern's representatives in New York did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Members of the Michigan- based American Decency Association, which has been writing companies that advertise on the Stern show since 1996, said that their efforts have been successful. Of the advertisers contacted, about 90 percent, or 12,000, have withdrawn their ads from Stern's show, said Lisa Van Houten, who coordinates the monitoring of the show. That 12,000 however, includes the same ads that may have been counted more than once in various markets. It also is a count accumulated over a four-year period.
"Many Stern fans have said, 'Well, you are trying to censor Howard Stern and take way his freedom of speech,' " Van Houten said. "We do not at all agree with that. We are trying to point out that this type of so- called entertainment is not healthy for our culture."
Burger King is one of the companies that no longer advertises on the show, but a company spokeswoman said she couldn't confirm if that was because of Stern's content.
"I will tell you that we do monitor all of the shows on which we advertise to ensure they meet widely accepted standards of taste," spokeswoman Kim Miller said.
Some Metroplex businesses said they weren't aware that their ads were aired during Stern's show and might reconsider if there were significant outcry.
"If there's enough people opposed, I don't want the general public angry with me," said Bill Adkins, owner of Trophy Nissan in Mesquite.
Town East Ford, another Mesquite car dealership whose ads air on the Stern show, also would probably take public sentiment into consideration even though Stern's show has lots of fans, said Jeff Jutte, vice president of Bedford Advertising.
"I agree that he definitely marches to a different drummer and offends a lot of people, but he also has a lot of listeners who tune him in on a regular basis," Jutte said.
You would not have found many of them at the National Religious Broadcasters convention held recently in Dallas. Several attendees praised the Dallas Association for Decency's effort to alert advertisers about the content of Stern's show.
Sue Bohlin of Probe Ministries, a local Christian group that analyzes and challenges contemporary culture, said of the Stern show, "I think it's revolting. There's nothing good. It panders to the prurient."
Panetti, who supported the push to get Internet filters installed in the Plano library and convinced 'D Magazine' to remove ads for topless clubs, said that it's not enough to turn Stern's show off.
"For you not to listen is one thing," Panetti said. "For him not to be on the air is a far better thing."
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