November 3, 2006
By Sandy Wells
Talk radio takes dive in latest ratings
It looks like a lot of people hit the collective mute button on LA’s talk stations this summer – and that’s not a good thing in radio.
Talk commentators – many of whom have been pressing the illegal immigration issue since the huge rallies and demonstrations in the spring – may discover that the “hot button” is more like an “eject button” when it comes to LA listeners, despite the inherent drama in the topic and its profound relevance to everyday life in Southern California.
National Public Radio claimed last month that its audience nationally has grown about 1 percent while commercial news/talk formats have seen their audiences decline by about 2 percent.
It’s possible that some radio listeners may be gravitating to the cable news channels, which have become increasingly similar to talk radio both in substance and style.
In overall ratings measured by Arbitron, four of the top six stations in LA are broadcasting in Spanish:
1. KLVE-FM 107.5 Spanish Popular “K-Love”
2. KSCA-FM 101.9 Mexican Regional “La Nueve”
3. KIIS-FM 102.7 Top 40 “Kiss FM”
4. KLAX-FM 97.9 Mexican Regional “La Raza”
5. KBUE-FM 105.5/KBUA-FM 94.3 “Que Buena” (tie)
5. KROQ-FM 106.7 Alternative Rock “K-Rock” (tie)
Talk station KFI-AM 640, which tied for No. 1 in the spring with KLVE-FM 107.5, dropped to No. 8, in a tie with bilingual KXOL-FM “Latino 96.3” a reggaeton-based format beginning its broadcast day with a program pointedly dubbed, “The Morning Invasion.” Talk Radio KABC-AM 790 maintained at No. 17, even as it lost two-tenths of a rating point. News/talk KRLA-AM 870, KLSX-FM 97.1 and Progressive Talk KTLK-AM 1150 also modest declines in overall listening.
Traditional oldies radio didn’t fare too well, K-Earth 101 (KRTH-FM 101.1) slipped with its 70s-focused format, dropping from a tie at 13 to a tie at No. 15. Spanish oldies “Recuerdo” KRCD-FM 103.9/KRCV-FM 98.3 plunged from No. 9 to No. 14.
In morning radio, “Piolín por la Mañana” on KSCA-FM was No. 1 again, ahead of Renan Armendarez Coello on KLAX-FM and Omar and Algeria on KLVE-FM who shared the No. 2 spot. KROQ’s Kevin and Bean were at No. 4, Bill Handel dropped from No. 2 in the spring to No. 5, followed by Ryan Seacrest on KIIS-FM at No. 6. Ricardo "El Mandril" (The Baboon) Sanchez moved up to No. 7 from No. 11 in the spring, and tied with Big Boy on KPWR-FM 105.9 “Power 106.” No. 9 was shared by Mark and Brian who play no music on classic rock KLOS-FM 95.5 and Jack FM KCBS-FM 93.1, which offers lots of classic rock hits without a DJ.
KNX-AM 1070, which has been evolving from a news station - it still calls itself “news radio” - to a combination of talk shows and news blocks presented in an informal manner. In morning drive, anchors Dave Williams and Vicky Moore moved from a tie at No. 18 to No. 14, ahead of KABC’s topical McIntyre in the Morning, which slipped from No. 15 to a tie at No. 16.
Country music revived on 540 AM
Missing the country music since KZLA-FM 93.9 became “Movin’ 93.9” with Rick Dees? The signal’s not too great for LA County listeners, but AM 540 flipped from adult standards to contemporary country a couple of weeks ago. The station’s strongest reception areas are in Orange County and San Diego.
Ex-KZLA evening host Brian Douglas is now morning man, followed by ex-KNX weather reporter and San Antonio country personality Adrienne Brooks in middays. Other highlights: Big Time Saturday Night with Whitney Allen tomorrow from 7 p.m. to Midnight and Paul Freeman, Sunday afternoon from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. followed by The Grand Ole Opry Weekend Special from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The adult standards and old time radio dramas remain on KKGO-AM 1260.
Alfred Molina stars in Oscar Wilde play
When actor Alfred Molina lent his voice to Oscar Wilde’s famous play, “An Ideal Husband” in 1997, he was not quite the major film star he is today. LA Theatre Works’s “The Play’s the Thing” presents a broadcast of the witty English comedy from 1895 tomorrow night (Saturday) on KPCC-FM 89.3 at 10 p.m. Jacqueline Bisset, Martin Jarvis, Rosalind Ayres, Yeardley Smith, and Miriam Margolyes are also in the cast. Wilde explores the plight of a promising politician desperate to hide a secret in his past. The broadcast includes an interview with the director, UCLA Professor of Theatre Michael Hackett.
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