KSL (AM-1160), KENZ (FM-107.5) and KSFI (FM-100.3) are the top stations in the main three Arbitron ratings for the "fall book," which was released in the past week.
What is surprising, however, is that KISN (FM-97.1) jumped from 17th to fifth place in the age 12-plus listening category, improved from 12th to a tie for sixth-place in the age 18-34 group and leaped from 14th to third in the age 25-54 demographic.KISN had been steadily slipping in ratings estimates of the past year. In fact, Station General Manager Pat Reedy said the summer book was probably the station's worst ever. So, this is a big contrast -- from the worst to one of the best.
Reedy said KISN has made a conscious effort to focus on being a fun, contemporary-pop radio station, and it shows with these great ratings in the fall book.
A KISN sister station, KOSY (FM-106.5, FM-106.9), also improved in this ratings book, moving from 20th to 10th in the age 12-plus group. More and more, KOSY seems to be the choice of various offices and stores for background music.
Regarding the improvement of KOSY, Reedy said this was its second year of playing all-Christmas music during the holiday season, which helped the ratings substantially. It's a slow process to build a soft, easy-listening station, and now KOSY has turned the corner.
However, yet another KISN sister station, KCPX (FM-105.7), went down substantially, dropping from a 15th place, 3.0 percent audience share in the 12-plus category, to 22nd place and a 2.0 percent share.
For KCPX, Reedy said the lower ratings wasn't surprising. "It was well within our projections," he said.
KCPX is going for the niche audience between what KRSP and KODJ has, or essentially targeting all high school graduates between 1970 and 1979.
"There are no holes in this (radio) market, only opportunities," Reedy said, explaining that KCPX will have longevity as a station, yet it will never be a high numbers format. With its "honeymoon" period over, numbers dropped to what Reedy expected in the long run.
-- Arbitron radio estimates for listeners, ages 12-plus, Monday to Sunday, 6 a.m. to midnight, for the fall of 1999:
1. KSL-AM (7.1 percent share); 2. KSFI (6.8); 3. KZHT (5.8); 4. KUBL (4.5); 5. KISN (4.4); 6. (tie) KODJ and KBER (4.1); 8. KRSP (4.0); 9. KXRK (3.9); 10. KOSY (3.7).
11. (tie) KKAT and KENZ (3.5); 13. (tie) KSOP AM/FM and KQMB (3.4); 15. KDYL (3.2); 16. KURR (3.1); 17. KBZN (2.8); 18. (tie) KBEE and KNRS (2.7); 20. KUUU (2.6);
21. KALL-AM (2.2); 22. KCPX (2.0); 23. KFNZ -AM (1.9); 24. KWLW-AM (1.3); 25. KSGO (0.8); 26. KSVN -AM (0.6); 27. (tie) KTCE and KSRR-AM (0.5); 29. (tie) KLO-AM and KTKK-AM (0.4); 30. KRAR (0.2).
-- Arbitron radio estimates for listeners, ages 18-34, Monday-Sunday, 6 a.m.-midnight, for the fall of 1999:
1. KENZ (8.6 percent share); 2. KXRK (7.6); 3. KBER (7.3); 4. KZHT (6.3); 5. KUBL (6.0); 6. (tie) KISN and KURR (5.2); 8. KSFI (4.7); 9. KBEE (4.5); 10. (tie) KQMB and KRSP (4.3).
12. KKAT (3.7); 13. KUUU (3.2); 14. KSL-AM (2.8); 15. (tie) KSOP and KOSY (2.6); 17. KALL-AM (2.1); 18. (tie) KFNZ and KNRS-AM (1.7); 20. KODJ (1.5); 21. KCPX (1.3).
-- Arbitron radio estimates for listeners, ages 25-54 Monday to Sunday, 6 a.m. to midnight, for the fall of 1999:
1. KSFI (8.3 percent share); 2. KSL (6.2); 3. KISN (5.7); 4. KRSP (5.2); 5. KUBL (4.6); 6. KBER (4.4); 7. KODJ (4.3); 8. (tie) KURR and KENZ (4.2); 10. (tie) KZHT and KOSY (3.6).
12. (tie) KKAT and KSOP AM/FM (3.5); 14. KBZN (3.4); 15. KCPX (3.3); 16. (tie) KXRK and KNRS-AM (3.1); 18. KQMB (2.9); 19. KBEE (2.8); 20. KALL-AM (2.6); 21. KFNZ-AM (2.2).
NEXT WEEK: The morning show ratings.
KCPW (FM-88.3/105.1) will air "Contested Landscape: Wilderness Policy in Utah and the West," an address by Dan McCool, University of Utah professor, on Tuesday, Feb. 29, 10:45 a.m.
RADIO HAPPENINGS -- Greg Adams is the new newsman, replacing Andrew Peters on KRSP's Jon Carter morning show . . . "The Z-Morning Zoo" on KZHT spent a lot of time Tuesday talking to users of a "makeout" Web site . . . Ever wonder what happened to Joe Wren, of "Abby and Wren" fame on the former KUMT morning show? He's now a reporter for KSL radio. Abby Bonnel works for KNRS/KALL . . . "Johnson and Johnson" on KUBL Tuesday talked to "Jennifer," who was one of the finalists in the "Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire" show on FOX-TV. The woman said the event was fun, but she was glad she didn't win -- even right after the show -- before new allegations against the millionaire went public. Still, she told the DJs, "I am not one to judge" . . . What's "General Gridlock" on KUBL/KFNZ like without his military traffic reporting style? You can find out by hearing him do straightforward and "normal" traffic reporting on KIQN, AM-1010.