Monday, August 08, 2005

KTTS SLIPS, BUT REMAINS #1 IN SPRINGFIELD

The local radio ratings were released on Monday. That sound you heard was the din of exploding heads in programming offices across Springfield, as bigshots try to figure out what it all means, Stimpy.

The local signals are rated twice a year in Springfield, so it's never a surprise when the numbers do big shifts. But definite trends are easy to spot, and they don't bode well for some longtime big-shot signals.

Examples:

•KTTS-FM, owned by Journal, slipped from a 15.5 in last fall's book to an 11.7. Still good enough for No. 1, but still a significant drop.

•KSPW -- another Journal station -- pushed its Power to a 9.7, good enough for second place. Power had boasted a 5.1 last fall.

•KGBX, the sleepy adult-contemporary station owned by Clear Channel, snoozed its way into third place with a 7.1 -- down from an 8.8 last fall.

Rounding out the Top 5: KOSP, the station also known as Oldies 105.1 (6.9, up a point from last fall); and KOMG (5.5).

The KOMG story is this book's talker. The station flipped formats from hits to '80s country; listeners did a lot of sampling, driving the station to a 5.5 from a 1.3 last fall.

KXUS -- home of Spankmeister -- increased audience to come in sixth place with a 5.3 (up from a 4.0). Then come the talker stations: KSGF increased to a 5.1, beating KWTO-AM (4.8).

It's all downhill from there. Congrats to the winners.

No comments: