Fresno Ratings and Updates


from fmqb.com
February 1, 2005

Infinity's KKDG/Fresno Flips Spanish

Infinity's KKDG/Fresno flipped to Spanish Top 40 yesterday following the conclusion of The Howard Stern Show, marking the station's return to the Spanish language CHR format as Viva 106. The Stern Show will continue to air in the 3 a.m - 11 a.m time slot. Guillermo Prince, Program Director for Infinity's KOQO will return as PD for the new Viva 106. Prince previously programmed the station from November 2002 through July 2004, prior to its change to a Talk format.

"Viva 106 is an important station to the rapidly growing Central Valley Hispanic community and we are excited to bring Spanish Top 40 back to Fresno," said Chris Pacheco, GM for Fresno's KKDG, KOOR, KOQO and KWYE. "This niche format will provide listeners the opportunity to hear the best in Spanish contemporary programming, contributing to the long-term growth of the station."

KKDG employees and Fresno radio vets Chris Daniel and Nikki Thomas will remain with the company in another capacity.

*****

from RadioandRecords.com
January 31, 2005

'Viva' Is Back On KKDG/Fresno

Infinity's KKDG flipped back to Spanish as CHR "Viva" today at 10am, dropping the Talk format anchored by Howard Stern in mornings that began airing in July 2004. PD Guillermo Prince is looking for the station's new on-air staff, and the station is currently running all music and promos. Prince also confirmed that Viva will continue to carry The Howard Stern Show for a couple of weeks, due to legal considerations. About why the station flipped back to Spanish, Prince tells R&R, "The numbers showed that the station lost a lot of revenue from July until now. They couldn't make the [new] format work. Viva's last book was great, and the station had great sales."


from the Fresno Bee

Seńor Stern to return on Spanish radio

By Rick Bentley
The Fresno Bee
July 1, 2004

Howard Stern's morning show is returning to the Fresno radio market.

Fans of the New York-based shock jock will be able to hear Stern's weekday program starting July 12 on Spanish-language radio station KRNC, FM 105.9.

Information on whether KRNC will change formats was not available Wednesday from KRNC management.

The move should give KRNC a boost. It ranked 20th among local radio stations in the Arbitron radio ratings covering the period from Jan. 8 to March 31. The ratings were for listeners 12 years old and up.

Stern has been off local airwaves since April 2001 when KFRR, FM 104.1, dropped the show. Local Stern fans have asked since the show left local airwaves when the program would return to this market. A flurry of e-mails and telephone calls to me followed Stern's announcement Wednesday morning. Each wanted to know if Stern really was coming back to the Fresno market.

Stern's syndicated show also is being added to radio stations in Houston; San Diego; Tampa, Fla.; Pittsburgh; Orlando, Fla.; Austin, Texas; West Palm Beach, Fla; and Rochester, N.Y. All of the stations are owned by Infinity Broadcasting.

Stern's show now will be available in 45 markets.

In February, the nation's largest radio chain, Clear Channel Communications, dropped Stern in six markets after complaints from federal regulators, The Associated Press reported.

In early June, Clear Channel agreed to a record $1.75 million settlement with the Federal Communications Commission to resolve indecency complaints against Stern and other radio personalities.

Wednesday, the AP reported that Infinity Broadcasting sued Clear Channel in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, contending that Clear Channel violated its license agreements when it suspended Stern's program on six stations. It sought at least $10 million in damages.

*****

from viva106.com
July 1, 2004

**Press Release**

“THE HOWARD STERN SHOW” LAUNCHES ON 105.9 FM BEGINNING ON MONDAY, JULY 19

“King Of All Media” Returns to Fresno Market As Viva 106 Becomes 105.9 FM Talk

THE HOWARD STERN SHOW, radio’s most popular morning program, will debut on 105.9 FM beginning on Monday, July 19.

As the “King Of All Media” marks his return to the Fresno market later this month after a three year hiatus, Infinity Broadcasting’s KRNC-FM (Viva 106) will change formats and languages. The nearly seven year old Spanish language station will make the switch to an English language entertainment/talk format, 105.9 FM Talk.

“Howard has dominated morning radio for many years and has millions of listeners who listen to his show on a daily basis…there has been a void in the Fresno market ever since his top-rated morning show left the airwaves,” said Chris Pacheco, general manager of KRNC. “There is a definite niche for this brand of entertainment/talk in the Central Valley, and Stern’s presence will give 105.9 FM Talk an immediate audience and fan base we can grow upon.”

105.9 FM Talk will begin broadcasting THE HOWARD STERN SHOW live on Monday, July 19 from 3am-11am. Additional programming on 105.9 FM Talk will include a variety of male-focused syndicated talk shows.

*****

from RadioandRecords.com
June 30, 2004

Howard Stern Adds Nine Infinity Stations

Infinity President/COO Joel Hollander announced this morning that the WXRK/New York syndicated morning host is returning to five markets where he was taken off the air by Clear Channel on Feb. 26. He will return to the air in Pittsburgh (WBZZ-FM), San Diego (KPLN-FM), West Palm Beach (WPBZ-FM), Rochester (WZNE-FM) and Orlando (WOCL-FM), while adding markets in Tampa (WQYK-AM), Austin (KQBT-FM), Fresno (KRNC-FM) and Houston (KIKK-AM). The Howard Stern Show will debut on the aforementioned stations on Monday, July 19. "Howard has dominated the radio landscape for more than 20 years," said Hollander. "The millions of listeners who tune into the Howard Stern Show on a daily basis is unmatched in the industry. He delivers one of the most loyal audiences in radio who will no doubt embrace his return." Adds Stern, "I can't wait to get back into the markets where we were taken off. I've missed my fans and judging from the countless emails and calls I've received, they've missed the show. Now we have the opportunity to be together again. It will be great." Stern also added praise for Viacom Chairman/CEO Sumner Redstone, newly-minted co-COO Les Moonves and Joel Hollander for their support of him, especially in the wake of former President/COO Mel Karmazin's recent departure.


from The Fresno Bee
March 14, 2002

Stern fans shouldn't hold their breath

By Rick Bentley

Howard Stern is gone, but he's not forgotten by local fans. KFRR, FM 104.1, dropped Stern's weekday morning show April 27. Since then, the bland team of Kevin and Bean have kept the time slot warm. The Pasadena-based team is to morning radio what Jell-O is to fine dining.

Maybe that's why Stern fans keep asking if there's a chance the New York-based radio program once again will fill the local airwaves with discussions of strippers, game shows featuring the homeless and more than 2,000 ways to describe human reproduction.

Even if Kevin and Bean lost every listener in the Fresno market, the odds Stern would return are as small as "The Sopranos" moving to the Pax Channel.

Radio is a competitive business in Fresno with more than 30 stations battling for advertising dollars and listeners. Stern would have immediately returned to local airwaves if any local radio station executive thought Stern would give that station an edge in selling commercials or attracting listeners.

There was no edge for KFRR when Stern was dropped. The fall 2000 Arbitron ratings showed Stern's listenership here had dropped to a 4.2 rating from a summer 2000 number of 5.3. That's the percentage of listeners 12 years old and older who tuned in to the show. The ratings numbers made Stern the eighth-ranked morning show in the local market.

Those kinds of ratings numbers don't support the cost of buying an expensive syndicated show like Stern's; his show costs thousands of dollars. KFRR was the first station to air the "Kevin and Bean Show" outside Los Angeles. New shows traditionally cost less than established programs, and some air free just to establish an audience. Details of contracts for Stern and Kevin and Bean are unavailable.

The original deal between KFRR for the "Kevin and Bean Show" is through the end of 2002. Ratings in the winter 2001 Arbitron book showed Kevin and Bean with a 4.6 rating, good enough to tie for fifth place among local morning radio shows. The morning show's best ratings are with listeners 18-34 years old, where it gets a 10.0 share to rank second behind KRZR, FM 103.7.

--snips--


Summer 2001

from the Fresno Bee
November, 1, 2001

Rick Bentley

Radio KMJ returns to ratings dominance

The just-released summer 2001 Arbitron ratings covering July through September show KMJ, AM 580, has regained its dominance over other local radio stations.

The talk and news format station posted a 10.1 share of the local audience with listeners who are 12 and older. The ratings cover 6 a.m.-midnight seven days a week.

In the spring 2001 Arbitron ratings, KMJ had dropped to an 8.3 rating, just ahead of KBOS, FM 94.9, which had a 6.6 share.

While KMJ's numbers improved, KBOS dropped to a 5.5 rating this summer.

KLBN, FM 105.1, moved into second place with a 6.0 rating. The Spanish-language station finished third in the spring Arbitron ratings book.

Another Spanish-language station also did well in the summer ratings. KOQO, FM 101.9, ranked third with a 5.6 share; the spring ratings placed the station 10th.

Despite their good showings, don't look for KLBN or KOQO -- or any other local radio station -- to threaten KMJ in the winter ratings book.

KMJ's coverage of the U.S. war on terrorism likely will increase the station's listenership.

The summer ratings book also shows that KMJ remains tops in the morning with a 13.2 rating. Second place for the 6-10 a.m. slot went to KOQO, which features Rafael Pulido, who goes by the name "Pistolero."

The decision by KFRR, FM 104.1, to drop Howard Stern's syndicated morning show continues to hurt the station. In April, KFRR replaced Stern with the Los Angeles-based Kevin and Bean show. The spring Arbitron ratings, the first complete book for KFRR without Stern, showed a drop from a 4.6 rating to a 2.7. Summer ratings showed a drop to a 1.9 share, or 18th place among local morning shows.

--snips--


Spring 2001

from the Fresno Bee
August 9, 2001

Spring shrinks KMJ's ratings lead

By Rick Bentley

The spring 2001 Arbitron ratings covering March 29 to June 20 show KMJ, AM 580, remains tops in local radio. But the talk and news format station saw its lead over the second-place station shrink.

The winter 2001 Arbitron ratings showed KMJ with a 10.9 share of the audience 12 years and older. The number covers 6 a.m.-midnight Monday through Sunday. KSKS, AM 93.7, was second with a 6.7 mark.

KMJ dropped to an 8.3 rating in the most recent ratings, just ahead of KBOS, FM 94.9, with a 6.6 share. KBOS ranked fourth in the winter ratings.

Success, according to KBOS program director E. Curtis Johnson, has been just a matter of setting a game plan in motion and sticking to it for two-and-a-half years.

The ratings battle gets tight after the top two places with only two ratings shares separating the third through 12th place local stations.

Spring 2001 Arbitron ratings are the first complete book for KFRR, FM 104.1, without Howard Stern's morning show. The New York-based syndicated show posted a 4.6 share in the winter ratings with listeners 12 and older. Morning ratings for KFRR dropped to a 2.7 in the spring. That puts the new syndicated Kevin and Bean show in 15th place among local radio stations.

KMJ remains tops in the morning with an 11.9 ratings share. KBOS and KSKS tied for second with a 5.5.

KLBN, FM 105.1, made a huge leap to top local Spanish-language radio stations. Ratings shares went from 3.8 in the winter to 5.4 in the spring.

Dan Crotty, KLBN general manager, credits the ratings increase to the work of his promotions department, which created more awareness for the Spanish-language station.

--snips--


Winter 2001

from the Fresno Bee
May 17, 2001

TV & Radio - Rick Bentley

Ratings in the wake of firings mystify

--snips--

Stern warning

Local fans of Howard Stern continue to seek an answer to why KFRR, FM 104.1, dropped the nationally syndicated radio show.

The winter 2001 Arbitron ratings offer no help unless the numbers are put into financial perspective. Stern earned a 4.6 rating with listeners 12 and up. That number was an increase from the fall 2000 ratings, when Stern posted a 4.2. In the summer 2000 ratings, Stern earned a 5.3 rating. The numbers did not change that dramatically. But Stern's show, reportedly one of the more expensive shows in syndication, needed to attract larger numbers to justify the cost. While ratings are made public, contracts aren't.

--snips--


April 27, 2001

FRESNO's losing Stern...are You next?

please write:

Bruce Wayne
1981 N. Gateway BL
Fresno CA  93727

(559)255-1041

WE need our morning fix of HOWIE, its been 5 years of great radio, now a CEO somewhere has taken Howie off the air. Today (FRIDAY 4-27-01) is Howies last show unless we can change 'their' minds....

CALL, WRITE, MAKE SIGN-UP SHEETS AND SEND TO BRUCE...

FRESNO WAKE-UP!

NO STERN-NO PEACE!

THANX....verywhitetrash


from the Fresno Bee
April 19, 2001

By Rick Bentley - TV & Radio

Howard Stern fails to conquer Fresno

KFRR, FM 104.1, will drop Howard Stern from its morning time slot after Tuesday's show. The local radio station's contract with the syndicated shock jock expires that day. The Stern show will be replaced by the Kevin and Bean show, which is based in Pasadena.

KFRR general manager Steve Miller says Kevin and Bean collect higher ratings numbers in the Los Angeles market than Howard Stern. The agreement to air Kevin and Bean here makes KFRR the first radio station in the country to air the morning duo outside Los Angeles. The deal will keep Kevin and Bean on in Fresno through 2002.

Station management would not comment on why Stern's contract will not be renewed.

Reports that KFRR would not renew its contract with Stern surfaced a month ago. At that time, Miller denied the station would be making such a move despite signs Stern was not a big hit in this radio market.

According to the fall 2000 Arbitron ratings, Stern's listernership here had dropped to a 4.2 rating from a summer number of 5.3. That's the percentage of listeners 12 years old and older who tuned in to the show. The ratings numbers made Stern the eighth-ranked morning show in the local market.

That ratings number leaped to 7.9 with listeners ages 12-24, good enough for sixth place. Radio listeners 18-34 made up the biggest percentage of Stern listeners with an 8.9 rating.

Stern's weekday morning radio show launched in Fresno on April 29, 1996. KFRR was the 26th radio station to broadcast the New York-based weekday morning show. Today, the syndicated radio show is broadcast in 46 markets, including San Francisco and Los Angeles.

When Stern went on the air here, he said Fresno was "just part of me conquering the country."

--snips--

*****

from FMQB
April 17, 2001

Are Kevin & Bean Now Available for Syndication?

Are KROQ/Los Angeles morning studs Kevin & Bean headed for syndication?

It would look that way, as KFRR/Fresno issued a press release on Friday (4/13) saying Kevin & Bean would enter the syndicated world and replace the station's current morning show, The Howard Stern Show, starting on Wednesday, April 25, the day after Stern's contract with KFRR expires.

But, hold on. KROQ GM Trip Reeb tells fmqb he was "dismayed at the adventurous behavior" by KFRR in issuing a press release and it is "not a done deal yet," but they are "hoping to have it done soon."

Seems like this is a case of the press release being issued before all the i's and t's were dotted and crossed on the contract.

Stay tuned to fmqb.com for details when (and if) the deal becomes official.

*****

April 16, 2001

The rumors are true, Howard will be leaving Fresno's airwaves April 24th! His replacements? That morning team of Howard imitators, Kevin and Bean.

*****

In correspondence I've had with people in the know, this rumor has been denied by the station manager. Is the station manager lying? Time will tell.

from All Access
NET NEWS as of THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2001
Updated at 10:41a (PT)

--snips--

Reports from FRESNO indicate that MONDOSPHERE Alternative KFRR will drop HOWARD STERN's syndicated morning show after 5 years.

--snips--


Fall 2000

from the Fresno Bee

KVSR morning DJ is fired despite his show's higher rating

By Rick Bentley
February 15, 2001

Radio is a cold business. Charlee Simons, the male half of the KVSR (101.1) FM morning team of Charlee Simons and Athena Matsikas, found that out Friday. He was fired.

It's an accepted part of the business that on-air talent changes jobs every three years on average, which is the time Simons and Athena were together.

The cold part is the morning team was called back to Fresno a day early from broadcasting live from the new California Adventure theme park in Anaheim to get the news.

"It was a complete surprise to me," Simons said.

"They fired me without cause. It was just a personality conflict with general manager Chris Pacheco."

Pacheco explains it is the policy of Infinity Broadcasting, owners of KVSR, not to comment on personnel matters, including Simons' charge.

The just-released Fall 2000 Arbitron book, the chief national radio ratings monitor, shows the KVSR morning team ranks fourth locally with listeners 12-24 among morning programs.

The 8.7 rating in that age group is up from 5.1 in the Summer 2000 Arbitron book. Charlee Simons and Athena also rank fourth (7.4 rating) with listeners 18-34.

Athena remains. She'll team with The Nameless DJ, who had been the station's afternoon drive host, as the new morning team.

Simons says he and Athena agreed if one ever got fired the other would quit. Athena did not return telephone calls to comment. Simons, who had two years left on his contract, got a three-month severance package.

Part of the financial deal is that Simons can't take a job with another local radio station until May 10.

"I would love to stay here in Fresno but I have to go where the job is. I grew up here. I started my radio career here.

"After coming back from the Bay Area, it felt great to be home. I have never enjoyed an audience more in my entire career than the one here. I'll be back," Simons says.

New ratings

KMJ (580) AM remains the top-rated radio station in the Fresno market. That's according to the Fall 2000 Arbitron (Sept. 21-Dec. 13) survey.

The talk/news station collected a 9.8 average quarter-hour share of the 630,000 local listeners 12 years and older in the Fresno market.

An average quarter-hour share point reflects the percentage of local viewers who tune to a local radio station for more than five minutes during different parts of the day.

Equally good news for KMJ is the numbers went up from a 6.4 rating during the summer of 2000. The Fall 2000 Arbitron ratings are the first full period since KMJ dropped "The Dr. Laura Schlessinger Show" in July.

The combination of the two-hour talk shows hosted by Bill Manders at 2 and 6 p.m. weekdays with a two-hour news block at 4 p.m. almost doubled ratings from what Dr. Laura was getting. Manders and the news attracted an 8.1 share in the fall ratings period compared to a 4.6 share during the summer with Dr. Laura.

Arbitron breaks down listenership by gender and age. The 12-and-older numbers are used as a common measurement for all local stations.

Here's some more about ratings:

KPQO (101.9) FM is the top-rated Spanish language radio station in the market with a 5.7 rating. That is up from a 3.5 rating in the summer.

Men age 25-54 spend more time between 6 a.m. and midnight daily listening to the radio. Arbitron shows that group listens an average of 23 hours a week. Women age 18-34 listen the least. They average 19 hours, 45 minutes a week.

KMJ is the overwhelming winner with a 13.8 share in people 12 and older who listen 6-10 a.m. weekdays. People age 12-24 pick KBOS (94.9) FM as their favorite morning show with a 12.8 rating. The station, better known as B95, beat nationally syndicated programs such as Howard Stern on KFRR (104.1) FM, which posted a 7.9 share, and Bob & Tom on KJFX (95.7) FM, which had a 2.9 share.

The top local radio station with teens (age 12-17) is KBOS with an 18.6 share. Tulare's KSEQ (97.1) FM is not in the Fresno market for rating purposes but it also attracted a 18.6 share with Fresno teens.


Summer 2000

from THE FRESNO BEE
October 28, 2000

FRESNO RADIO RATINGS RACE IS TIGHT, BUT KMJ HOLDS ITS LEAD

Rick Bentley - THE FRESNO BEE

The radio-ratings race has gotten tighter.

Summer radio ratings numbers, taken June 29 to Sept. 20 and released by the Arbitron Company, show less than two average quarter-hour share points separate the market's top six stations. A year ago there were more than three share points between the No. 1 and No. 6 radio stations.

An average quarter-hour share point reflects the percentage of local viewers who tune to a local radio station for more than five minutes during different parts of the day. These numbers are based on all listeners 12 and older in Fresno's radio market population of 629,000.

Most stations use a variety of different demographics -- ages 12-24, 18-34, 35-64, etc. -- that best match their format. The 12-plus numbers are a general reflection of listeners for all stations.

Local radio talk and news station KMJ (580) AM continues to hold the top spot. Measurement of listeners 6 a.m. to midnight Monday through Sunday show KMJ with a 6.4 rating.

The big difference from a year ago is the KMJ hold on the top spot is down to .3 of a share point over KBOS (94.9) FM. The 6.1 rating for KBOS is up from the 5.8 it posted a year ago.

E. Curtis Johnson, KBOS program director, explains that while the station tends to look more at the demographic of listeners 18-34, he is extremely happy with the station's ranking in the broad 12-plus category.

He credits the consistently high ranking by KBOS to the fact the station "works like crazy every single day."

KMJ helped the race get tighter. The station dropped from a 7.7 rating in the summer of 1999 to this year's 6.4.

KSKS (93.7) FM proves country music remains popular in the Valley with a third-place finish while KMGV (97.9) FM finished fourth.

The continued growth of the number of Spanish-language radio stations in the Valley has taken a toll on KOQO (101.9) FM. The station fell from third place a year ago to 11th place in the summer 2000 ratings. Despite the drop of its share from 5.8 to 3.5, KOQO remains the top-rated Spanish-language station in the market.

The reporter can be reached at rbentley@fresnobee.com or 441-6355.

INFOBOX - STATION RATINGS

Here is the list of local radio stations according to Arbitron's summer ratings:

 1. KMJ-AM 6.4
 2. KBOS-FM 6.1
 3. KSKS-FM 5.9
 4. KMGV-FM 5.4
 5. KRZR-FM 5.0
 6. KJWL-FM 4.7
 7. KSOF-FM 4.2
 8. KJFX-FM 3.9
 9. KFSO-FM 3.8
 9. KSEQ-FM 3.8
11. KOQO-FM 3.5
12. KFRR-FM 3.3    <----Howard's station
12. KVSR-FM 3.3
14. KLBN-FM 3.0
14. KALZ-FM 3.0
16. KEZL-FM 2.5
17. KRNC-FM 2.1
18. KMMM-FM 1.8
19. KMPH-FM 1.7
19. KKPW-FM 1.7
21. KOOR-FM 1.4
22. KBIF-AM 1.2
23. KCIV-FM 1.0
24. KWOL-FM 0.9
24. KWRU-AM 0.9
26. KFIG-AM 0.7
26. KZFO-FM 0.7
28. KYNO-AM 0.6
29. KLCZ-FM 0.5
29. KABX-FM 0.5
29. KNBR-AM 0.5
29. KUBB-FM 0.5
29. KGST-AM 0.5


Fall 1999

from The Fresno Bee
May 18, 2000

FIRING OF KSKS MORNING VOICE IS A SURPRISE

By Rick Bentley

To all of you who make a living in radio, I salute you.

Short of being a factory worker for Kathie Lee Gifford or the publicist for "Battlefield Earth," making a living as an on-air personality is the most uncertain job on the planet. Today's top morning personality can be on the unemployment line tomorrow if ratings don't go as some executive expected.

Here's the confusion on top of that world of chaos. The numbers don't even have to drop dramatically for the end to come. Just ask Sue Ryan, better known as Murphy, the former morning personality for KSKS, 93.7 FM.

After six years, the station decided not to continue her contract. Before she could even say farewell to her fans, Ryan was out the door. She had just finished a Friday shift when KSKS program director Ken Boesen stopped her in the hall.

"He asked me 'Do you have a minute?' I knew I was going to be fired," Ryan says.

Boesen explains that the reason Ryan was let go was that it was time to give the morning show a kick. The only real change in the past six years was that Ryan's partner -- Gnarly Charlie -- moved to Canada to host a video show.

"We wanted to make people excited about the station," Boesen says of the change.

They seemed excited enough to me. The fall 1999 Arbitron ratings showed that 6 to 10 a.m. weekdays, with listeners 12 years old and up, Murphy's show was attracting an average of 9,700 listeners a day, the highest ranking of any segment of the day. Even the self-proclaimed king of all media Howard Stern averaged only 6,300 listeners in the same fall 1999 rankings.

That number for the KSKS morning show was up from 9,200 in the summer 1999 ratings but a slight dip from 9,800 from spring 1999. The number shows a drop of 5,000 listeners from a year ago.

--snips--

*****

from the Fresno Bee
March 30, 2000

Imus is gone and Bell moves in tough market

By Rick Bentley - The Fresno Bee

The telephone calls continue about what happened to Don Imus. He's gone from the local market. He's gone. He's gone. Then there is the Art Bell mystery. As I have said repeatedly, he's now on KMJ 590 AM.

One person wanted to know why weekend radio news is so limited. It is a combination of smaller staffs and a reduced interest in everything from traffic reports to court activities. As for the all-important weather, you can stick your head out of a window Saturday morning. If you hair gets wet, it's raining.

All of this really comes down to numbers. Who listens. Which group listens. How long they listen.

Those numbers are supplied through some super-secret process used by the Arbitron radio ratings company. Stations pay big bucks to be able to brag they are the best. They pay the same price to find out that a homeless man on a street corner has more listeners.

Radio stations sell their commercials based on which age group listens. KJWL 99.3 FM has more interest in an older audience than the younger-skewing KVSR 101.1 FM. These numbers are dissected by age, sex and race. For this column, I will talk in the general numbers of listeners 12 years old and up. My apologies to those of you who talk in demographic terms.

The fall Arbitron ratings book, the most recent ratings available, shows that on the weekend, KMJ, the undisputed radio leader for news, attracted an average audience of 4,600 listeners who tuned in for at least 15 minutes. If you look at the entire weekend period -- 6 a.m. to midnight -- the maximum number of listeners the station attracted was 52,900. That is less than 10% of the potential audience as the survey shows that in the Fresno metropolitan area, there are 629,000 potential listeners.

KFRE 940 AM, the former talk/news station that is now Radio Unica, had a average weekend audience of 1,400 who tuned in per quarter hour with a total maximum of 13,900. Toss in the KMPH 107.5 FM with its average of 600 listeners on the weekend and it is obvious the appetite for news on the weekend is low.

It should be no surprise that 56% of listeners 18 and older listen to the radio at home on the weekend. In their autos was second with 28%. For the week, listening at home attracts 46% while in the car is second with 27%.

That lack of interest in news on the weekend is not the norm in radio. On the East Coast, radio news is very popular. Why there and not here? Even experts just dismiss it as just one of those traits peculiar to this area.

The best average quarter-hour totals were posted by KSKS 93.7 FM. The country station averaged 5,800 listeners per quarter hour with a weekend total of 49,700.

As for Bell's numbers on KFRE, they ended up a bigger mystery than UFOs. He attracted an average of 800 listeners for the week with a total sampling for seven days of 7,500. Please note that the ratings used were for seven days and Bell was only on weekdays.

The overnight favorite is KMJ with an average of 1,700 listeners per quarter hour with a total for Monday through Sunday of 22,300.

What does all this mean? This is a tough radio market. The numerous listening options have sliced and diced the potential base into tiny pieces. It is particularly a tough war for your listening attention on the weekends.

And, one more time, Imus is gone and Art Bell is on KMJ.

*****

from The Fresno Bee
March 6, 2000

TWO RADIO STATIONS CLOSE IN ON KMJ

by Rick Bentley

KMJ's years-long large ratings lead over Fresno radio stations has dwindled to the point two competitors are just a fraction of a share point from displacing the perennial market kingpin.

In Arbitron's fall ratings (for listening between Sept. 23 and Dec. 15), talk KMJ, AM 580, remained tops in the Fresno market with a 7.3 share of listeners 12 and older. Share is a percentage of the people listening to a station for at least five minutes in any 15-minute period. The Fresno radio market is the nation's 65th largest with 629,000 potential listeners.

The numbers for KMJ have gone down since the fall of 1998 when the news/talk station earned a 10.2 share.

Nipping at KMJ's heels are KSKS, FM 93.7, with a 6.9 share, and KJWL, FM 99.3, with a 6.7.

KSKS has seen only a slight increase since the fall of 1998 when it posted a 6.6, but that is good news considering the current trend with country music. "Country is obviously still huge in Fresno," says Ken Boesen, KSKS program director.

That makes this market different from most of the nation, where country music has seen a decline the past year.

The move toward the top for KJWL has been more dramatic. The station posted a 4.2 a year ago and 4.6 share in summer 1999 ratings.

"Hopefully we're reaping the harvest of our commitment to the community," says Jeff Negrete, general manager of the station marketed as "K-Jewel."

He explained that commitment includes everything from the support of nonprofit organizations to the Frank Sinatra tribute. Negrete added that the station's local features and unique format (pop songs from several decades) are catching on with the listening audience.

While KJWL was third in the overall share rankings, the station can claim the most-loyal listenership. Listeners stayed with KJWL an average of 12 1/2 minutes in a given day. KMJ listeners average 9 3/4 minutes.

In the battle for morning supremacy, which is prime time for radio, the ratings weren't even close. From 6-10 a.m., KMJ dominates the market with an 11.1 share for its news block anchored by afternoon talk-show host Ray Appleton and the first hour of Rush Limbaugh's national talk show. Second place in the mornings last fall went to KSKS with a 6.7 share, while KJWL was third with a 6.2.

In the Spanish-language showdown, the top-rated station was KOQO, FM 101.9, in fifth place overall with a 5.3 share. That is up from a 3.9 share of listeners during the fall 1998 rating period.

Following are the ranking, station and market share for Fresno.

1. KMJ-AM 7.3
2. KSKS-FM 6.9
3. KJWL-FM 6.7
4. KBOS-FM 5.5
5. KOQO-FM 5.3
6. KMGV-FM 5.0
7. KSOF-FM 4.6
8. KFRR-FM 3.9  <- Howard's station
9. KVSR-FM 3.8
10. KALZ-FM 3.6

--snips--


Fall 1996

Our first ratings for Fresno! Howard pulled a 3.5 share, good for 10th place in the 12+ demographic. Among men 18-34 he's #1, and is #4 with men aged 25-54.

The show started in Fresno on April 29, 1996.


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