June Ratings

KOST (103.5 FM) was down almost a full point from May, but remained the top dog in the LA Ratings race, according to Nielsen Ratings, which released the June report last week. The soft-rock station earned a 5.8 share of the audience aged 6 and over compared with the 6.6 it had in May and 6.5 in February and April.

Right behind was all-oldies KRTH (101.1 FM) at 5.4 … about what it has averaged over the past six months but down from the 5.8 peak it saw in May, and KTWV The Wave (94.7 FM) at 5.0 … slightly above its 6-month average but down from May’s 5.2. KBIG (103.5 FM) was 4th at 4.6, while KFI (640 AM) singlehandedly proved that people can and do tune in to the AM band if the right programming is there by coming in 5th with a 4.5 share.

That KFI came in 5th is significant: in an era when few even tune to the band at all, being on the band and in the top-5 is huge. The next-highest-rated AM station was KNX at 14th (2.7 share); others were way down the list.

KLOS (95.5 FM) is thriving under local Meruelo Media ownership … its 8th place 3.3 is the highest the station has seen in years, perhaps since I started writing this column in 1987, though I admit I didn’t look back to verify. The station had a 2.6 share in the last ratings period in which it was owned by Cumulus. It’s still a half point under primary competition Jack (KCBS, 93.1 FM), but finally within striking distance.

Alternative is still struggling, with both KROQ (106.7 FM) and Alt 98.7 (KYSR) in the low 2s: 2.0 and 2.2, respectively. I still believe that playing and breaking new music would help both, but they will more likely just stay the course and find themselves irrelevant in the next few years. For its part, Alt still calls itself “LA’s New Alternative” years after adopting the format, perhaps an indicator of some of the problems facing the station.

OK, I’m being harsh, but the I do think both stations need to reset and stop relying so much on one sound and too many songs that are years old. They are both holding much untapped potential!

KSUR (1260 AM, 105.1 HD2) still manages to amaze by earning a 0.5 share. Sounds not-too-impressive until you realize that the main AM signal doesn’t even reach the entire city. On the other hand, KABC (790 AM), which does reach the entire city, was at 0.4. Adult-album formatted KCSN (88.5 FM) — which seems to reach everywhere except wherever I am — earned a 0.5.

KIIS-FM continues to surprise … for the wrong reasons. The once-dominant station has settled in the high 3s and low 4s; in the latest it was 7th place at 3.7. Not bad in and of itself, but you can bet if the station was not owned by a huge company that owns seven others in town — as was the rule before consolidation — heads would roll. Now mediocrity is not only accepted, it is expected. No wonder radio ad revenues are down.

The full story: 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, and are printed with the permission of Nielsen.

1. KOST (5.8) 2. KRTH (5.4) 3. KTWV (5.0) 4. KBIG (4.6) 5. KFI (4.5) 6. Jack-FM (3.8) 7. KIIS-FM (3.7) 8. KLOS (3.3) 9. KLAX (3.2) 10. Power 106 (3.1)

11. KLVE (3.0) 12. Real 92.3, KXOL (2.9) 14. KNX (2.7) 15. KRCD (2.6) 16. Amp Radio (2.4) 17. Go Country 105 (2.3) 18. KLYY, Alt 98.7 (2.2) 20. KROQ (2.0)

21. KSCA, KUSC (1.9) 23. KPCC (1.8) 24. KBUE, KKLQ (1.7) 26. KJLH (1.6) 27. KLAC, KSPN (1.4) 29. KCRW (1.3) 30. KDAY, KXOS (1.2)

32. KEIB, KKJZ (0.9) 34. KFSH The Fish (0.7) 35. KFWB, KRLA, KWIZ (9.6) 38. KCSN, KDLD, K-Surf (0.5)

41. KABC, KKLA, KWKW (0.4) 44. KIRN, KTNQ (0.3) 46. KYLA (0.2) 47. KHJ, KPFK, KSPN Online Stream (0.1)

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