KOST-FM, Mark and Brian Still Lead Radio Pack

KOST-FM (103.5) continued to reign supreme over the radio airwaves last summer, the Arbitron ratings service reported Tuesday, while top-ranked morning duo Mark and Brian of KLOS-FM (95.5) demonstrated that radio success does not necessarily translate to television.

KLOS’ Mark Thompson and Brian Phelps finished No. 1 in the competitive morning drive-time period for the sixth consecutive three-month ratings period. They increased their share of the audience to nearly 9%, up from 7.5%.

But their new NBC show, “The Adventures of Mark and Brian,” which airs Sundays at 7 p.m. opposite the CBS institution “60 Minutes,” is taking a beating in the TV ratings, having finished 92nd out of 97 shows last week.

Still, KLOS program director Ken Anthony credited the television show for contributing to their ratings increase on radio.

“I think that the television show is obviously a great bit of promotion for the radio show,” Anthony said Tuesday. “It’s like a 30-minute commercial for your morning show on network TV. I suspect there are a number of people who are just discovering Mark and Brian through watching them on TV, saying ‘Hmmm. Let me check these guys out on the radio.’ ”

Runner up to the KLOS morning show was the KABC-AM (790) pair of Ken Minyard and Roger Barkley.

Meanwhile, the debut of New York “shock jock” Howard Stern at KLSX-FM (97.1) July 25 didn’t seem to affect its low morning ratings. The morning show had been No. 21 in the previous survey and remained in the 21st spot this time around. The latest quarterly Arbitron survey covers the period from June 20 to Sept. 11.

Here are the area’s top 15 stations, followed by their ratings for the most recent summer quarter and the preceding spring quarter, as measured by Arbitron.

SUMMER SPRING 1. KOST-FM 5.9 6.1 2. KIIS-FM 5.2 4.7 3. KKBT-FM 4.9 4.1 4. KABC-AM 4.7 5.1 5. KLOS-FM 4.5 4.5 6. KBIG-FM 3.8 4.1 6. KRTH-FM 3.8 3.6 8. KPWR-FM 3.5 3.4 8. KLVE-FM 3.5 2.8 10. KWKW-AM 3.1 3.4 10. KFWB-AM 3.1 3.1 12. KXEZ-FM 2.8 3.0 12. KLSX-FM 2.8 2.8 14. KROQ-FM 2.7 3.1 15. KZLA-FM 2.6 1.6