Hip-hop station keeps showing its power

Hip-hop station KPWR-FM (105.9) continued its dominance in the local radio ratings for the first three months of 2004, retaining the top spot it has held since the beginning of 2002, while alternative rocker KROQ-FM (106.7) returned to second place, overtaking talk station KFI-AM (640), according to figures released Friday by the Arbitron ratings service.

Power 106, riding the popularity of the “blazin’ hip-hop and R&B;” it touts as its format, began its third year as the Southland’s No. 1 station by claiming 5% of local listeners ages 12 and older during the survey period from Jan. 8 to March 31. Though KPWR declined slightly from the previous quarter, when it claimed 5.1% of the audience, it still outpaced KROQ at 4.1% and KFI at 3.9%.

The key to KPWR’s success may be found in the fact that songs by Usher, Mario Winans, Beyonce and others lead both Billboard magazine’s Hot 100 singles chart and the station’s playlist.

KROQ moved back into second place even though it lost part of the 4.4% audience share it held in the autumn. The reason: KFI’s decline was even greater. It slipped from 4.7% in the fall -- an almost inevitable letup after a quarter that included the Southern California wildfires and the campaign to recall Gov. Gray Davis, events that stirred up KFI’s hosts and listeners alike.

Fellow talk station KABC-AM (790) also dropped from the fall, from a 12th place finish with 2.9% of the audience to 2.4% and a tie for 14th.

Among morning hosts, KFI’s Bill Handel maintained his No. 1 position, though he dropped back to Earth from the dizzying heights he too held last fall. Then he commanded 6.3% of the local audience; now he’s at 5% -- which was still enough to hold off Kevin & Bean at KROQ and Big Boy at KPWR, who tied for second at 4.7%. Howard Stern on KLSX-FM (97.1) moved up to fourth place from sixth.

News station KNX-AM (1070) gained a smidgen of audience share, from 2% to 2.1%, but remained in a tie for 20th place. Its sister news station, KFWB-AM (980), fell out of the Top 25 entirely, from No. 25 last summer and fall.

Smooth jazz station KTWV-FM (94.7) and pop station KIIS-FM (102.7) both saw significant gains from the previous survey. “The Wave” jumped from a seventh-place tie to fourth by increasing its audience share to 3.8% from 3.4%. KIIS went from ninth place, with 3.1% of the audience, to a fifth-place tie, with 3.6%.

KIIS also saw a ratings jump in the morning, where it replaced veteran host Rick Dees midway through the ratings period with Ryan Seacrest. The show, which had 2.9% of the audience last quarter, captured a 3.6% share this time.

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Radio Rankings

The area’s Top 20 stations and their average share of audience as measured by Arbitron for the winter months.

*--* Current Last Quarter 1 KPWR-FM 5.0 5.1 2 KROQ-FM 4.1 4.4 3 KFI-AM 3.9 4.7 4 KTWV-FM 3.8 3.4 5 KLVE-FM 3.6 3.5 KIIS-FM 3.6 3.1 7 KOST-FM 3.3 3.7 8 KRTH-FM 3.1 3.0 KKBT-FM 3.1 3.4 10 KLAX-FM 3.0 3.0 11 KSCA-FM 2.9 3.5 12 KHHT-FM 2.6 2.4 13 KLSX-FM 2.5 2.3 14 KABC-AM 2.4 2.9 KLOS-FM 2.4 2.2 16 KBUE-FM 2.3 2.2 KCBS-FM 2.3 2.1 18 KZLA-FM 2.2 2.6 KSSE-FM 2.2 2.1 20 KHLI-FM 2.1 1.5

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The survey is listeners 12 and older, 6 a.m. to midnight, Jan. 8 to March 31.