Post by musicradio77 on Oct 18, 2005 16:31:31 GMT -5
Kiss, Power are on top
By DAVID HINCKLEY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Red-hot Kiss-FM broke Lite-FM's six-year run as the city's top-rated adult radio station this summer, while Power-105 used Star power to edge ahead of rival Hot-97 for the first time ever in the hip-hop wars.
WLTW (106.7 FM) was still the top-rated overall station in the Arbitron ratings released yesterday, while Howard Stern of WXRK (92.3 FM) was tied with all-news WINS (1010 AM) for No. 1 in morning drive.
But for the first time since spring 1999, WLTW wasn't first among 25- to 54-year-olds. WRKS (98.7 FM) took that spot, thanks largely to Jeff Foxx's morning show and Michael Baisden's racy "Love, Lust and Lies" in the afternoon.
"Baisden's show has been wildly successful," says program director Jim Ryan of WLTW. "Kiss put it all together. We'll just get 'em next time."
In the close battle for the ever-growing hip-hop audience, WWPR (105.1 FM) edged out WQHT (97.1 FM), with 4.6% of all listeners to Hot's 4.5%.
Hot-97 remains slightly ahead among 18- to 34-year-olds, but the difference is that morning host Star, who kept Hot ahead when he was there, is now doing the same for Power. His morning show averages 4.2% of the audience - seventh place overall - to 3.5% for Hot-97.
"Star is doing exactly what we hoped he'd do when we hired him," says Tom Poleman, regional vice president for WWPR's parent, Clear Channel. "He's soundly beating Hot-97."
Poleman also called Power's growth "a team effort" and credited Michael Saunders, the long-time program director who left last week in the wake of an internal payola investigation.
Summer ratings generally smiled on youth- and party-style stations, including WHTZ (100.3 FM), reggaeton WCAA (105.9 FM) and WNEW (102.7 FM), whose classic-dance mix is close to the top 10 among adults.
"It takes time for a station like WNEW, which has always had a mostly male audience, to establish a new identity," says program director Rick Martini. "But I think now we've done it."
Dance veteran WKTU (103.5 FM) isn't falling, however, and Martini suggests WNEW has slipped into "the hole between WKTU and WLTW."
Talk stations WABC (770 AM) and Air America (WLIB, 1190 AM) both ticked up slightly, while WINS, which celebrated its 40th anniversary, had an unusually strong summer.
WSKQ (97.9 FM), WBLS (107.5 FM) and WQXR (96.3 FM) all dipped. So did WCBS-FM (101.1), whose Jack format averaged 1.5% of the audience, compared with 3.6% last summer, when WCBS-FM was an oldies station.
"We're obviously not satisfied now," said Les Hollander, senior vice president of WCBS-FM's parent, Infinity. "But in the last 30 days, we saw the decline stop and some growth begin. That gives us something to build on."
By DAVID HINCKLEY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Red-hot Kiss-FM broke Lite-FM's six-year run as the city's top-rated adult radio station this summer, while Power-105 used Star power to edge ahead of rival Hot-97 for the first time ever in the hip-hop wars.
WLTW (106.7 FM) was still the top-rated overall station in the Arbitron ratings released yesterday, while Howard Stern of WXRK (92.3 FM) was tied with all-news WINS (1010 AM) for No. 1 in morning drive.
But for the first time since spring 1999, WLTW wasn't first among 25- to 54-year-olds. WRKS (98.7 FM) took that spot, thanks largely to Jeff Foxx's morning show and Michael Baisden's racy "Love, Lust and Lies" in the afternoon.
"Baisden's show has been wildly successful," says program director Jim Ryan of WLTW. "Kiss put it all together. We'll just get 'em next time."
In the close battle for the ever-growing hip-hop audience, WWPR (105.1 FM) edged out WQHT (97.1 FM), with 4.6% of all listeners to Hot's 4.5%.
Hot-97 remains slightly ahead among 18- to 34-year-olds, but the difference is that morning host Star, who kept Hot ahead when he was there, is now doing the same for Power. His morning show averages 4.2% of the audience - seventh place overall - to 3.5% for Hot-97.
"Star is doing exactly what we hoped he'd do when we hired him," says Tom Poleman, regional vice president for WWPR's parent, Clear Channel. "He's soundly beating Hot-97."
Poleman also called Power's growth "a team effort" and credited Michael Saunders, the long-time program director who left last week in the wake of an internal payola investigation.
Summer ratings generally smiled on youth- and party-style stations, including WHTZ (100.3 FM), reggaeton WCAA (105.9 FM) and WNEW (102.7 FM), whose classic-dance mix is close to the top 10 among adults.
"It takes time for a station like WNEW, which has always had a mostly male audience, to establish a new identity," says program director Rick Martini. "But I think now we've done it."
Dance veteran WKTU (103.5 FM) isn't falling, however, and Martini suggests WNEW has slipped into "the hole between WKTU and WLTW."
Talk stations WABC (770 AM) and Air America (WLIB, 1190 AM) both ticked up slightly, while WINS, which celebrated its 40th anniversary, had an unusually strong summer.
WSKQ (97.9 FM), WBLS (107.5 FM) and WQXR (96.3 FM) all dipped. So did WCBS-FM (101.1), whose Jack format averaged 1.5% of the audience, compared with 3.6% last summer, when WCBS-FM was an oldies station.
"We're obviously not satisfied now," said Les Hollander, senior vice president of WCBS-FM's parent, Infinity. "But in the last 30 days, we saw the decline stop and some growth begin. That gives us something to build on."