Ranting About San Diego Ratings 7-19-03!

Copyright 2001, Arbitron Inc.

Also discuss them here!

Highlights...

Is baseball really helping KOGO despite the Padres fifth consecutive losing record?
KIFM, KYXY and Star tumble while competetor "My" rise.
KFMB-AM rises with Savage and Roberts.
KSON loses while "Bob" rises.
91X sinks almost enough for 94.9 to pass it for the alternative rock sweepstakes. 94.9 also takes listeners from Premium 92.1, which posts its worst numbers in two years. 91X has the lowest ratings in six years.
Magic 92.5's old school has lost more magic than Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Sabrina the Teenage Witch combined.
KFI rises to a "Weird Al" Yankovicesque digital pair.
The Planet 103.7 needs a new format. I've been saying that since 1995. Classic rock still isn't the answer.
KPOP is pooping out.
Is a format change for Premium 92.1 eminent at this stage?
KSDO shows a combined rating composing half its old English talk and half its new Spanish religion format.
KSON-AM, formerly home of "Radio Disney" and ESPN Radio 800, gets something below a 0.4 but is not listed.
XTRA leads the new Mighty 1090 by only 33 percent, yet both are below a 1.0!

Ranting About Palm Springs Ratings 7-19-03!

Highlights:

Fewer stations to choose from in the Coachella valley. The top two radio stations broadcast in Espanol. KUNA-FM and KLOB-FM combine to a over a 25 rating! KKUU-FM "The U-Turn" rhythmic takes honors in #3 as the top English-language radio station in the area.
Rock is hot in the valley as KCLB 93.7 vaults back up to #4.
Easy listening's KWXY-FM 98.5 (reachable in some parts of the San Diego East County Outland) is #5.
With so few stations serving the area, and fewer stations to choose from, ratings tend to fluctuate more wildly in the wild wild western desert area.
New station playing the 80's KRCK-FM shows below the 2 rating level.
Among the stations west of Coachella, only KFI and KLOS from LA and KOCL from SD show up in the PS book. KOCL must be easy to pick up from there I guess.

Ranting About Los Angeles Ratings 7-19-03!

Highlights:

KIIS-FM sinks. K-Big not as big. Hot 92.3 is cold. KOST actually beats KIIS. XTRA and KXTA combo is a flop. Radio Disney on 1110 gets below a 0.2 rating and doesn't show. Disney's KABC-AM shows higher. KLOS-FM needs to get younger to beat popular KROQ.

And...why do these radio programmers up in LA keep programming all those super niche formats that just don't make a dent in the ratings? All sports all the time on three sticks are cannibalizing each other. KWKW-AM should go CNet tech talk. KTNQ Spanish oldies should switch to modern Spanish soft hits. KWIZ should go Christian MOR music. KSUR/XSUR should go all comedy. KRLA-AM (and 590 AM) should try simulcasting Hooked on Trivia from KCBQ-AM Saturday nights. KLAC-AM should get KXTA's sports format and 1150 be reprogrammed to play a new adult music format composed of several dozen genres. KDL needs a bigger dance library. Enough of these cellar dwelling formats in LA LA land. Give us some new ideas for us to listen to!

Letters: Clear Channel Taking Over The Internet 7-17-03

San Diego Radio Wires 7-15-03!

MOVIE MOM... Jeff and Jer's new movie reviewer will be on Thursday morning to talk about the weekend's new movie releases! Check out her last few reviews on the Jeff and Jer page of the Star web-site!

BE ON THE AIR... We would like to use your voice! Call: 858-614-4825 and leave a message introducing Jeff & Jer and you just might hear yourself on the air!

rronline
Clear Channel Helps Salem's KCBQ/San Diego Stay On The Air... The future of Salem Communications' Christian Talk & Teaching KCBQ was recently placed in peril when the company's request to relocate the station's broadcast tower to the Muth Valley area was denied by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. Now, in a good-faith act, Clear Channel has decided to help keep KCBQ on the air by allowing Salem to use the KPOP/San Diego tower for KCBQ's transmitter. Salem/San Diego VP/GM Judy Bowen calls Clear Channel's offer "a great solution to the problem weÆve been facing with our tower location challenges. This is an example of how business relationships can overcome natural competitive issues to better the entire industry." Salem purchased KCBQ, which was San Diego's Top 40 giant during the 1960s and 1970s, from Concord Media Group in August 2000 for $5 million. The station has seen several owners since 1989, including Jacor, Par Broadcasting, EXCL Communications and Compass Radio Group.

North County Times - Randy Dotinga
Conservative talk station KCBQ's battle for survival is finally over ---- at least for now. KCBQ, one of the oldest stations in San Diego, broadcasts from a transmitter in Santee, but the company that owns the property wants to build there. KCBQ planned to move to a site in Lakeside and received the required approvals but ran into a buzzsaw of resistance from local residents. An unlikely knight in shining armor, a little ol' company known as Clear Channel, has come to the rescue, just in the nick of time. Starting in September, the existing transmitter will go dark and KCBQ will pay to piggyback on KPOP's transmitter in the Spring Valley area. The deal will give the station more time to find a permanent transmitter site, said KCBQ/KPRZ general manager Judy Bowen. The station's new signal will do a better job of reaching listeners on North County's coast, and nighttime reception should improve. But listeners north of Escondido may have trouble picking up the station, Bowen said.