A share is the percentage of the radio listening audience age 12 and older. Tucson ranks 61st nationally with a credited 12-plus population of 824,400. Beyond that, ratings are broken into a series of demographic categories; generally, all stations can find some spin to convince advertisers that things are going well.
For the sake of this report, we'll just use the overall 12-plus number.
Citadel-owned KIIM FM 99.5 placed second with an 8.8. The country station has been among the ratings leaders for more than a decade, and has generated numbers around 9 for sometime--although the 8.8 is nearly 2 percentage points off its 10.7 rating from the fall 2006 book.
Clear Channel Top 40 station KRQQ FM 93.7 jumped to third with an 8.2. It's KRQ's best book of the year, and a big rebound from its disappointing 6.0 in the summer.
The rest of the Top 10:
4. Lotus-owned KCMT FM 102.1 La Caliente (Mexican regional format; 6.1, down from 6.4).
5. Clear Channel-owned KNST AM 790 (news/talk, highest-rated AM; 5.5, up from 4.8, its best book in a year).
6. Lotus-owned KLPX FM 96.1 (classic rock; 4.6, up from 4.3).
7. Journal-owned KGMG FM 106.3 (rhythmic oldies; 4.1, up from 3.0, the biggest improvement in the market and the best book at that station with that format).
8. Clear Channel-owned KOHT FM 98.3 (rhythmic; 4.1, down from 4.4).
9. Lotus-owned KFMA FM 92.1 (alternative; 3.4, down from 4.4, its worst ratings in a year).
10. Clear Channel-owned KWMT FM 92.9, The Mountain (adult alternative; 3.3, up from 3.1).
Noteworthies: Among rock stations, KLPX separated the gap significantly. While it took a .3 jump, Citadel's KHYT FM 107.5 tumbled from a 3.8 to 2.3, the largest slip in the market.
Among adult standards, Slone-owned KCEE AM 1030 and Citadel-owned KTUC AM 1400 each registered 1.8 market shares. However, KCEE improved by .6, while KTUC dropped by .8.
As the political campaigns heat up, expect news/talk to continue upward trends. KNST continues to dominate the market, but Journal FM talker KQTH FM 104.1 The Truth, had a 1.6 market share, up .7, and its best book with that format. KVOI AM 690 had a 1.1 share, while KJLL AM 1330 notched a .5.
Journal-owned sports station KFFN AM 1490 bested Citadel's KCUB AM 1290--my part-time employer--1.2 to 1.0, although KCUB did improve by .4 compared to the previous book.
PORTILLO, NEGRI LATEST 'STAR' CHANGES
Columnist Ernesto Portillo Jr. has been reassigned to the Arizona Daily Star metro desk, where he will handle reporting duties. Portillo arrived at the Star as a columnist almost eight years ago.Furthermore, editorial writer Sam Negri split with the Star after a 7 1/2-year stint. He is now working as an executive assistant to the Pima County administrator.
Portillo and Negri did not want to discuss the changes, nor did the Star.
JOURNAL TAKES ROSE TO COURT
Journal Broadcast Group has filed a $2,000 small-claims complaint against Jenny Rose.Rose worked as a reporter at Journal's KGUN Channel 9 until accepting a public-relations job with the Humane Society of Southern Arizona. The claim alleges that Rose breached her August 2007 contract. Journal is suing for damages including wages paid to employees who worked to cover Rose's absence, as well as legal-consultation fees.
KGUN has banned Rose from participating in its weekly pet-adoption segments. Rose makes regular appearances doing similar segments at KVOA Channel 4.
KLPX USES KLPX TO ADVERTISE OPENING
So I'm toodling around in the car listening to KLPX FM 96.1, hoping against hope that if I hold out for another 12 minutes, I can hear "Comfortably Numb" just one more time, when the station runs a promo that catches my attention.Seems that KLPX is advertising for a morning co-host--on its own airwaves.
There's a part of me that would expect a position like this to be advertised solely in the trade publications. Who needs experience? Why not give someone off the street a flier? And who knows? Maybe that newbie could be the market's next rising star. And maybe said newbie will be willing to do it at just a fraction of what morning talent once made in this market.
'THE DAILY MALE' MAKES KNST DEBUT
Dave Sitton has launched a weekly show on KNST AM 790 called The Daily Male. The program, which airs Sunday afternoons from 12:30 to 2 p.m., focuses on life lessons for males 18 to 24."The point of the show is that most messages to 18-to-24-year-old males are not in their best interests," said Sitton, who--among a plethora of duties--handles television play-by-play for Arizona men's basketball and football for Fox Sports Net and coaches rugby at the UA. "That's coming from a culture that tells them to spend every dime they've got. That ruins them. (Society wants) them to have sex with everything that moves. In general, that does not do well for them. We think a lot of fundamental truths that guided American males have been abandoned, just because they're unpopular in the popular culture."
Sean Mooney co-hosts the program. If it catches on, Sitton would like to pursue syndication.
"We tell people that if you're an 18-to-24-year-old male, you should listen. If you're going to be an 18-24-year-old male, you should certainly listen. If you're the parent of one, you should listen. If you're dating one, you should listen," Sitton said. "The 18-to-24-year-old male is misunderstood. They're the next generation of leaders of men."
