AM drives
radio ratings

By Burl Burlingame
Star-Bulletin

When it comes to ratings, on television, it's the local news in the evening that matters. In radio, it's the morning "drive time" that sets the audience for the rest of the day. Unlike television, however, chains can own several radio stations in a market and can "simulcast" to combine ratings.

For example, the top-rated "Perry and Price" morning radio show is available on both KSSK-AM and KSSK-FM. The latest radio ratings available from the Arbitron ratings service show that KSSK rules the morning slot, particularly if the AM and FM audiences are added together, with more than a quarter of all morning listeners tuned in.

But the numbers become more critical for other stations. For example, in the audiences older than 12, in the 6 a.m. to midnight rankings KGMZ scored 6.6 percent of the audience. But if you add the 0.2 percent from the simulcast on KULA, the number increases to 6.8 percent -- moving KGMZ from fifth to fourth place.

Advertising rates are established by such rankings. "The 25- to 54-year-old is the most coveted group, the 'money demo(graphic),' because these are the adults who have houses and cars and buy things," said KSSK program manager Jeff Silvers.

KSSK's morning team of Larry Price and Michael W. Perry has one of the highest audience percentages in the country, said Silvers.

Even so, at KGMZ, "we're very pleased with the latest 'book,'" said program director Jonny Ozone. The previous ranking had KGMZ in ninth place. "With Uncle Tom (Moffatt) anchoring the morning and increased ratings in other time slots, we're doing very well."

Hawaiian music in the mornings on KCCN-FM and KINE-FM held firmly on to second and third place. KCCN-AM changed to a talk format last year and has not cracked the top 10 morning stations.

KGMZ-FM's biggest gain was in the older demographic in the evenings, moving into first place with more than 10 percent of the audience.

Ozone attributes the increase to the station's playlist of pop hits from the '50s, '60s and '70s. "For the first time in radio history, kids are listening to the same thing their parents are," said Ozone. "This resurgeance in 'oldies' is without a doubt due to that. And it's good music."

The top five shows in the morning slot for the 25- to 54-year-old "money demo" were Perry and Price at KSSK-AM & FM with 24.2 percent of the audience, Moffatt at KGMZ-FM and KULA-FM with 8.2 percent, Bill Van Osdel and Charly Espina at KCCN-FM with 7.6 percent, and a tie between Frank B. Shaner and Brickwood Galuteria at KINE-FM and Kari Steele at KRTR-FM with 7.2 percent.