Ratings Look Familiar, but Change Is in the Air

Spring swept in change around the radio dial, though the impact hasn’t yet migrated into the Arbitron ratings, as the just-released spring quarter analysis was a picture of relative stability. Spanish station KSCA-FM (101.9) remained in the No. 1 slot, followed by a tie for second between English-language pop station KIIS-FM (102.7) and Spanish KLVE-FM (107.5), with rocker KROQ-FM (106.7) and hip-hop-oriented KPWR-FM (105.9) not far behind.

But along with the ratings, news surfaced that urban music station KKBT-FM has fired its two key on-air teams--Dr. Dre & Ed Lover in the morning and the Baka Boyz in the afternoon. Both teams had come into the market with great fanfare--Dre and Lover imported from New York last year, and the Baka Boyz wooed from rival KPWR at the same time--but neither helped KKBT pick up the listeners it needed, as it continued its slide from a ninth-place stand last year to 14th place this spring.

Known as the Beat, KKBT also recently changed its dial location, moving to 100.3 from 92.3., part of a precursor to Maryland-based Radio One, the nation’s largest minority-owned radio group, assuming control of the station in a purchase predicated by the merger of former owner AMFM with Clear Channel.

KKBT General Manager Nancy Leichter said Tuesday that replacements for the two on-air teams would probably be announced within two or three weeks and noted that the Beat is undergoing programming changes to “balance” the hip-hop/R&B; mix a bit more toward the latter, giving the station more solid footing with an audience slightly older and more female than KPWR.

Meanwhile, KPWR owner Emmis Communications has just purchased the area’s only remaining country station, KZLA-FM (93.9), and is expected to change its format. Rumors are growing that Emmis management is exploring a possible “Spanglish” mix of Spanish and English pop music, aimed at providing a listenership that would be complementary to KPWR’s for packaging sales to advertisers.

Morning drive continued to be dominated by Spanish stations KSCA and KLVE. KISS-FM’s Rick Dees maintained his spot at No. 3 but as the top English-language deejay, followed by KROQ-FM’s Kevin & Bean. The once-vulnerable KPWR morning man Big Boy continued his string of strong showings holding onto the No. 5 spot--No. 3 among the English-language station hosts--with Howard Stern on KLSX-FM (97.1) at No. 6. The biggest move came as Star’s “Danny and Jamie” at KYSR-FM (98.7) jumped from 14th to 8th in the morning.

At the same time, KACD/KBCD-FM (103.1) is set to switch from the current adult alternative music format to Spanish-language any day with sale of the station by Clear Channel. The current format will continue--but off the radio dial, with the so-called Channel 103.1 moving fully to the brave new world of Internet radio.

The leading Spanish-language stations have yet to suffer much from the growing number of outlets targeting that audience. “KLVE ties KIIS. Wahoo! We were third last time,” said Gary Stone, general manager for KSCA and KLVE, both of which are owned by Dallas-based Hispanic Broadcasting Corp. “People have heard the Ricky Martin stuff on KIIS. [Martin’s hit song] ‘Livin’ La Vida Loca’ has run its course to some degree. People are coming back to KLVE--to the international romantic music.”

Stone attributed KSCA’s success to morning talk-show host Renan Almendarez Coello, known to listeners as El Cucuy (The Bogeyman). Coello, who picked up the afternoon slot for the station in the winter, is doing well there too, helping the station move from fourth to third in afternoon drive with a 4.8 share.

“He has this ability to talk to the Hispanic listener, helping them with their issues in life,” Stone said. “They laugh and cry, and he’s so connected to the community, he has a huge loyalty factor there.”

In the talk radio world, newly promoted KABC-AM (790) program director Erik Braverman benefited as the station, which had been losing ground to rival KFI-AM (640) over the past year, rebounded in the spring quarter to No. 13 with a 2.5 share after a dismal winter with just a 1.9. It still has a ways to go, though, with KFI staying at No. 7 with 3.1. The other key talk competitor, KRLA-AM (1110), shifted upward slightly moving to 31st place and a .8 share, up from .6 last quarter.

“In a business that changes month to month, it’s never good to get too elated or too upset, but we do feel a bit of optimism and we’re allowing ourselves to smile,” said Braverman. With events the fuel of talk radio, Braverman pointed to the Lakers championship, interest in the Elian Gonzalez custody battle and the roller-coaster stock market as the key drivers this spring.

Meanwhile, good weather was bad news for all news stations KNX-AM (1070) and KFWB-AM (980), with both stations seeing their ranking and listener numbers falling. As KNX’s news director Bob Sims put it, “the great engine that was missing in the last 90 days, was bad weather, bad weather pulls to all-news for a number of reasons--job related for people working outside, kids, how they’re dressed for school, and is traffic tied up.”

Top news station, KNX dropped to 20th and a 2.1 share of the market from last quarter’s 15th ranking. KFWB dropped to No. 23 from 18, and saw its share of listeners hit 1.8.

Times staff writer Dana Calvo contributed to this story.

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Radio Ratings

The area’s Top 25 stations and their average share of audience as measured by Arbitron for spring 2000, compared with the previous three-month period:

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CURRENT LAST QUARTER 1. KSCA-FM 5.9 6.1 2. KLVE-FM 5.0 5.1 KISS-FM 5.0 5.5 4. KROQ-FM 4.5 4.3 5. KPWR-FM 4.2 4.2 6. KRTH-FM 3.2 3.3 7. KFI-AM 3.1 3.5 KOST-FM 3.1 3.9 9. KTWV-FM 2.9 3.1 KYSR-FM 2.9 2.6 11. KBUE-FM 2.7 3.2 KBIG-FM 2.7 2.6 13. KABC-AM 2.5 1.9 14. KKBT-FM 2.4 2.6 15. KLAX-FM 2.3 2.5 KLOS-FM 2.3 2.2 KCMG-FM 2.3 2.3 KCBS-FM 2.3 2.0 19. KLAC-AM 2.2 2.0 20. KZLA-FM 2.1 2.0 KLSX-FM 2.1 1.9 KNX-AM 2.1 2.3 23. KTNQ-AM 1.8 1.4 KJLH-FM 1.8 1.6 KFWB-AM 1.8 2.1

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The ratings survey covers people 12 and older listening between 6 a.m. and midnight, from March 30 through June 21.