Arbitron Ratings Find Same Stations at Top of the List

The listening habits of the Southland’s radio audience appear to have solidified, with little change among the top group of stations in the fall ratings released Tuesday by Arbitron.

For the fifth consecutive quarter, Spanish-language music station KLVE-FM (107.5) finished first in the Los Angeles and Orange County market, averaging a 6.9% share of listeners 12 and over during the period between Sept. 19 and Dec. 11, 1996.

Meanwhile, urban station KKBT-FM (92.3) was second with a 4.9% share and hip-hop station KPWR-FM (106.9) came in third with 4.6%. In the previous three months covering last summer, those two stations had tied for second with a 5% share.

KFI-AM (640) again came in fourth, remaining the top-ranked talk station in the market with a 4.3% share. Of the top four stations overall, it was the only one to show an increase in the fall, up from 4% in the summer.

More movement occurred further down the line. Country/country rock station KZLA-FM (93.9) jumped from 19th last summer to 11th place in the fall, as its share climbed from 2.1% to 2.9%. And talk outlet KLSX-FM (97.1) went from 1.7% and 22nd place last summer to 2.5% and 13th this fall--the biggest numbers it has generated since adopting the talk format.

KLSX Program Director Jay Clark said: “The format takes a little bit of time to catch on, and now people are becoming familiar with our personalities. It’s real simple. Driven by Howard Stern, [they’re] the Regular Guys, Jim Daniels and Riki Rachtman.”

John Sebastian, KZLA’s operations manager and program director, who came to the station nine months ago, attributed the ratings rise there to the incorporation of “the great country rock Los Angeles grew up on” into its standard country format. “We are a completely different animal with the Eagles, Bob Seger, Jim Croce and Jackson Browne.”

In the key 6-10 a.m. morning-drive block, KLVE’s Pepe Baretto once again hit the top slot, this time with a 7.6% share, followed by KLSX’s Stern at 5.6%. KKBT’s “House Party,” which tends to flip-flop with Stern in the rankings, was third with 5.5%.

There wasn’t much change at KABC, where longtime morning broadcaster Roger Barkley was fired last September, provoking much fan discontent. But with the younger, more frenetically funny Peter Tilden replacing him as co-host with Ken Minyard, the station still ranked fifth in morning drive, up a tick from 4.1% to 4.2%.

Syndicated mouth-er Don Imus at KLAC-AM (570) was too low to be ranked in the Top 25.

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Radio Ratings

The area’s Top 25 stations and their Arbitron ratings for the fall months compared with the summer quarter of 1996:

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CURRENT LAST QUARTER 1. KLVE-FM 6.9 7.1 2. KKBT-FM 4.9 5.0 3. KPWR-FM 4.6 5.0 4. KFI-AM 4.3 4.0 5. KLAX-FM 4.0 3.4 6. KOST-FM 3.9 3.2 7. KRTH-FM 3.7 3.8 8. KTWV-FM 3.6 3.5 9. KABC-AM 3.2 3.3 -- KIIS-FM/AM 3.2 3.4 11. KROQ-FM 2.9 3.1 -- KZLA-FM 2.9 2.1 13. KLSX-FM 2.5 1.7 -- KBIG-FM 2.5 2.9 -- KNX-AM 2.5 2.1 16. KYSR-FM 2.3 2.6 17. KLAC-AM 2.2 2.4 18. KKGO-FM 2.1 1.5 -- KTNQ-AM 2.1 2.8 20. KLOS-FM 2.0 2.5 21. KCBS-FM 1.9 2.3 -- KFWB-AM 1.9 1.9 23. KWKW-AM 1.7 1.6 --KBUE-FM 1.7 2.2 25. KRLA-AM 1.3 1.2

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The ratings survey covers people 12 and older listening between 6 a.m. and midnight, from Sept. 19 through Dec. 11, 1996.