KFI continues to lead radio ratings

Talk station KFI-AM (640) retained the top spot in the local radio ratings in February, while its co-leader in January, soft-rock outlet KOST-FM (103.5), slipped to second.

KFI averaged 4.9% of the listening audience in Los Angeles and Orange County age 6 and older, according to figures released Monday by the Arbitron ratings service.

KOST slipped from 4.8% in January to 4.5%, based on the survey of listeners from Feb. 3 to March 2. By comparison, KOST held an impressive 8.5% of the audience at the end of last year, when — as it does every Christmas season — it switched to a playlist featuring only holiday music.

KFI last sat alone at No. 1 in October and November, when it had beaten out longtime ratings leader KIIS-FM (102.7), the pop-music station that had been first in the market for most of the previous two years. In the February ratings, KIIS finished third, at 4.4%, but still claimed the largest audience in the market, by far — with an average of 3.47 million people tuning in for at least five minutes a week.

Though KFI had a smaller cumulative audience — 1.46 million per week in February — those listeners tuned in for much longer spans, an equation that gave the station its ratings-share lead over its rivals.

“It’s an interesting time,” said KFI program director Robin Bertolucci. “People are interested in the news, in the world, the budget, the economy. We’re doing all of that and, hopefully, most of all, entertaining people.”

Adult-contemporary station KBIG-FM (104.3) placed fourth, with a 4.2% share of the audience, and the top Spanish-language station was pop-music outlet KLVE-FM (107.5), which tied for fifth place with hip-hop KPWR-FM (105.9) at 3.8%.

KFI maintained its top ranking in morning drive, the 6-10 a.m. weekday slot in which it airs local host Bill Handel and the first hour of Rush Limbaugh’s nationally syndicated show. The station garnered a 6.9% audience share during that crucial part of the day, when broadcasters hope to grab and retain listeners, up from 6.6% in January.

In second was KLVE, with its team of Omar Velasco and Argelia Atilano at 4.8%, followed by Ryan Seacrest on KIIS at 4%.

This ratings period included the seven-show suspension for KFI’s afternoon hosts, John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou.

Station management kept the duo off the air Feb. 16-27 because of derogatory comments Kobylt made about Whitney Houston. But their listeners seemed unfazed by the pair’s absence: The average weekly audience for “The John and Ken Show” in January was 741,400; in February it was 741,100. Their show placed third in the weekday 3-7 p.m. time slot, behind KOST and KIIS, which tied for first.

“If they hadn’t been suspended, their ratings would probably be higher,” Bertolucci said.

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