Spanish-Language Stations Capture No. 1 and 2 Spots

For the first time in local radio history, Spanish-language stations captured first and second place in the quarterly Arbitron ratings, it was reported Thursday. Together, adult contemporary music outlet KLVE-FM (107.5) and Mexican regional music station KSCA-FM (101.9) account for a considerable 11% chunk of the audience in the 80-plus-station Los Angeles and Orange counties market.

This is the ninth quarter in a row that KLVE has led the field, while relative newcomer KSCA--which switched to a Spanish format from English-language music just last February--moved into second place.

Overall, KLVE attracted 6.1% of the audience 12 years and older during the survey period from Sept. 18 to Dec. 10, and KSCA took 4.9%, jumping from the previous quarter’s 4.5% and third place.

So dominant are KLVE and KSCA among Spanish listeners that only two other Spanish stations show up in the Top 20--and they are tied for 19th: KLAX-FM (97.9) and KTNQ-AM (1020), with 2.1% each. That means that among the Top 20 stations in this market, Spanish stations account for 15.2% of the audience.

Taking third place--and top spot among English-language stations in the key fall numbers, which advertisers and station managements particularly look at--is urban station KKBT-FM (92.3) with 4.5%, a nice bump up from 4% and a fifth-place tie last quarter. Meanwhile, hip-hop station KPWR-FM (105.9) dropped from second to fourth place with a 4.2% share.

Oldies station KRTH-FM (101.1) was tied for the fifth spot at 4% with talk station KFI-AM (640) and KIIS-FM (102.7), a Top 40 music station. Talk station KABC-AM (790) essentially stayed in place with 3% of the audience and a 10th-place tie, compared to 3.1% and 11th place in the previous quarter.

The station that made the most significant jump was classic rock station KCBS-FM (93.1), moving up nearly a percentage point to 2.7% and a 13th-place tie with adult contemporary station KBIG-FM (104.3). It brings the station up to the position it had last spring.

And KLOS-FM (95.5) jumped from 2% to 2.6%. Under Maureen Lesourd, the former embattled general manager of a trio of Disney-owned stations, KLOS had moved away from a heavy-metal rock format to a more female-accessible rock format.

In the crucial morning drive competition from 6 to 10 a.m., KSCA’s Renan Almendarez Coello retained first place for the second quarter in a row, though dropping back from 7% to 6.7% of the audience.

Howard Stern at KLSX-FM (97.1) made a substantial leap into second place, jumping nearly two percentage points from 4.8% and third place to 6.4%.

“This is the highest 12-plus [rating] Howard ever had on 97.1,” said KLSX Program Director Jack Silver. “His is the best morning program, bar none. He’s the king.” Stern’s performance helped KLSX’s overall market share, with the station moving from 2% to 2.5%.

In morning drive’s third place was KLVE’s Pepe Barreto with a 5.9% share. Barreto had finished second in the previous quarter with a 6.4% share and prior to that had been first.

In afternoon drive (3-7 p.m.), KLVE ranked first with 5.3%, KKBT was second with 4.8% and KPWR was third with 4.7%. KFI talkers John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou were in eighth place with 3.3%. KABC--which divided Larry Elder’s show in two on Nov. 10, giving Elder 3-5 p.m. and Ed Tyll, a newcomer to the market, the more desired 5-7 p.m. berth--moved up a notch from 2.9% to 3.1%.

In the key demographic of listeners 25 to 54 years old, which radio advertisers target, KLVE and KSCA led with 7.7% and 5.8% shares, respectively. In the previous quarter, KSCA ranked second in this demographic with 5.4% while KLVE had been at 7%. KRTH was in third place at 5.1%, up from 4.3% and a fourth-place tie last quarter.

With 1.6 million listeners, KIIS for the second quarter in a row ranked first in cumulative listening, which measures the number of different people who tune to the station for at least five continuous minutes during an average week of the Arbitron survey. KPWR was second in this category with 1.5 million listeners.

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Radio Ratings

The area’s Top 25 stations and their Arbitron ratings for fall 1997 compared with the previous summer:

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CURRENT LAST QUARTER 1. KLVE-FM 6.1 6.0 2. KSCA-FM 4.9 4.5 3. KKBT-FM 4.5 4.0 4. KPWR-FM 4.2 4.6 5. KRTH-FM 4.0 4.0 KFI-AM 4.0 4.1 KIIS-FM 4.0 3.9 8. KOST-FM 3.8 3.9 9. KTWV-FM 3.4 3.6 10. KABC-AM 3.0 3.1 KROQ-FM 3.0 3.6 12. KYSR-FM 2.8 2.5 13. KZLA-FM 2.7 2.5 KBIG-FM 2.7 2.6 KCBS-FM 2.7 1.9 16. KLOS-FM 2.6 2.0 17. KLSX-FM 2.5 2.0 18. KLAC-AM 2.3 2.6 19. KLAX-FM 2.1 2.3 KTNQ-AM 2.1 2.0 KFWB-AM 2.1 1.8 22. KNX-AM 2.0 1.7 23. KKGO-FM 1.7 1.5 24. KBUE-FM 1.6 1.4 25. KIBB-FM 1.4 1.7 KJLH-FM 1.4 1.0

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The ratings survey covers people 12 and older listening between 6 a.m. and midnight, from Sept. 18 to Dec. 10, 1997.