Radio Waves Podcast #161

Radio February 3, 2017

In what is the strangest ratings period of the year due to changes in listening habits brought on by the holiday season, KOST (103.5 FM) once again dominated the City of Angels, coming in with a 10.7 share of the audience ... more than twice the 4.7 ratings share earned by KBIG (104.3 FM) and KTWV (94.7 FM) which tied for second. Right behind was KIIS (102.7 FM) with 4.6; rounding out the top-5 was KRTH (101.1 FM) with 4.1.

The holidays have been good to KOST for many years. The station started playing holiday music during the season years ago and is now known as the place to hear holiday tunes. This year country formatted KKGO (105.1 FM) got into the fray and, while not nearly as high as KOST, managed to earn its highest rating in at least six months: 2.8. 

Indeed, Go Country may have hurt KOST’s holiday party just a bit ... last year KOST had a 12.3 rating -- still more than twice the 4.7 KBIG had during the holiday, 2015 ratings period. A 1.6 drop from 2015 is significant.

The season was not as kind to a few local stations. Alt 98.7 (KYSR) was down just slightly more than half a point to 2.8 from a 3.4 share the month before. The Sound (KSWD 100.3 FM) moved below a 2 share to 1.9 from 2.2 (and 2.4 the month prior). KLOS (95.5 FM) even declined slightly to 2.0 from 2.2. 

But while I am sure the staffers are disappointed, there is little reason to worry ... one month does not make a trend, and as I said before, the weeks leading up to Christmas make for ratings anomalies that don’t necessarily carry over to the rest of the year. In the case of The Sound, they are done with the holidays and the Rams, so things should be looking up.

Old news: KFI (640 AM) dominated talk. Seems like I’ve written that for most of the past 30 years. 20 at least. This time KFI was in 10th place overall with a 3.1 share; the next highest AM station was as usual, KNX (1070 AM) in a two-way tie with Power 106 (KPWR) for 15th and a 2.7 share. KFI’s closest competitor? KPCC (89.3 FM) tied for 24th with KBUE and KLYY with a 1.5 rating. Closest commercial competitor? KRLA (870 AM) at 33rd with a 0.8 share, or KABC (790 AM) a couple slots below at 0.6.

And even though they don’t care about ratings directly, being a listener-funded station, it’s still fun to type the legendary call-letters KHJ (930 AM), which earned a 0.2 share ... low, but still on the list.

Each rating is an estimate of the percentage of listeners aged 6 and over tuned to a station between the hours of 6 a.m. and 12 midnight, as determined by Nielsen:

1. KOST (10.7) 2. KBIG, KTWV (4.7) 4. KIIS (4.6) 5. KRTH (4.1) 6. KLVE (3.6) 7. KCBS-FM (Jack), KRCD, KSCA (3.2) 10. KFI (3.1)

11. KAMP, KRRL (2.9) 13. KKGO, KYSR (2.8) 15. KNX, KPWR (2.7) 17. KLAX, KXOS (2.1) 19. KLOS (2.0) 20. KJLH, KSWD (1.9)

22. KROQ, KXOL (1.8) 24. KBUE, KLYY, KPCC (1.5) 27. KDAY (1.4) 28. KCRW (1.3) 29. KUSC (1.2) 30. KSPN, KSSE, KWIZ (1.0)

33. KRLA (0.8) 34. KFSH, KLAC (0.7) 36. KABC, KEIB, KKJZ (0.6) 39. KTNQ, KWKW (0.4) 41. KFWB (0.3) 42. KHJ (0.2) 43. KKLA, KLAA (0.1)