LATEST ARBITRON RATINGS : KIIS-FM MOVES BACK TO THE TOP IN L.A. RADIO

After a three-month hiatus, KIIS-FM (102.7) has returned to the top of the radio ratings heap.

But the latest Arbitron Ratings Service rankings reveal that the venerable Gannett Broadcasting Co. rocker is no longer in the ratings stratosphere by itself. The battle for listeners has turned into a dead heat among KIIS, all-talk KABC-AM (790) and Top 40/rhythm & blues formatted KPWR-FM (105.9).

Just a year ago, KIIS was hovering near the 10-share rating mark all by itself.

According to Arbitron, those figures indicated that roughly one out of 10 radios in Los Angeles was tuned in to the Top 40 outlet. KABC was the station’s closest competitor, luring listeners with its exclusive broadcasts of Dodger baseball throughout the spring and summer months.

However, Indianapolis-based Emmis Broadcasting, which owns KPWR, risked a radical shift in its programming last January, switching from a rock-and-personality type format to black/urban contemporary pop. The station, then using the call letters KMGG-FM (Magic 106), fired veteran morning deejay Robert W. Morgan and changed to Power 106.

In less than three months, KPWR shot up in the Arbitrons to within three rating points of KIIS’s top position. Last summer, KPWR surpassed KIIS which had dominated the Arbitrons for more than three years.

In the newest Arbitron survey, which covers the last three months of radio listening in the Los Angeles market, the 16 most listened-to stations in descending order are:

KIIS-FM (102.7) 6.9

KABC-AM (790) 6.7

KPWR-FM (105.9) 6.6

KJOI-FM (99) 4.4

KOST-FM (103.5) 4.1

KRTH-FM (101.1) 4.0

KBIG-FM (104.3) 3.9

KLOS-FM (95.5) 3.7

KROQ-FM (106.7) 3.6

KNX-AM (1070) 3.5

KMPC-AM (710) 3.3

KFWB-AM (980) 3.3

KTNQ-AM (1020) 3.2

KIQQ-FM (100.3) 2.9

KLVE-FM (107.5) 2.2

KMET-FM (94.7) 2.0

Dan Perez contributed to this story.