A tidal wave of changes hit Atlanta radio earlier this year, prompting Atlanta radio listeners to seek the comfort of familiar voices.

Frank and Wanda, Cindy and Ray, the "A" team, Rush Limbaugh. These are shows Atlantans glommed onto during the winter.

In the meantime, new morning shows struggled, which is typical as fans of previous shows disappear quicker than new ones can replace them.

Here are some notable trends from the winter Arbitron ratings covering Jan. 10 to April 2:

They're baaaack! The third incarnation of the Regular Guys, fired twice on the now defunct 96rock, was given a new lease on life in late January at Rock 100.5. Old fans scrambled back as the male-oriented show debuted at No. 4 among 18- to 34-year-olds and No. 10 among 25- to 54-year-olds.

Swapping signals: Atlanta-based Cumulus Media took its weakened rock station 99X off the FM airwaves in January and moved its top 40 station Q100 at 100.5 to the stronger signal at 99.7, mostly to help its already hot Bert Show. With a campaign using Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" ("to the left, to the left"), listeners adjusted quickly and kept Q100 No. 3 among 18- to 34-year-olds and No. 5 among 25- to 54-year-olds.

A messy opening: For the first time in local radio history, Star 94 lost to Q100 in overall ratings, as well as key demographics. Star's new Morning Mess replaced veteran morning show Steve & Vikki, ranking 13th in the winter with 25- to 54-year-olds and 15th with 18- to 34-year-olds. Steve & Vikki, which returns to the FM airwaves July 1 on B98.5, was top 10 in both age groups in its final full quarter last summer.

A "Ray" of light: Star 94's saving grace is its five-year afternoon show Cindy & Ray. The pair has been able to stay in the top 5 among 25- to 54-year-olds, the only show to do so at the station.

Give them an A! Hot 107.9's "A" Team, which took over for powerhouse Ryan Cameron three years ago, had its highest ratings ever, finishing No. 2 among 18- to 34-year-olds and propelling the station to an overall No. 4 finish, its best in years.

The Eagle has flown away: A new True Oldies format replaced country station Eagle in March, but fans of the Beatles, Beach Boys and Supremes didn't immediately flock to the station: Ratings at 106.7 over the three months were its worst ever. The station ranked 22nd overall compared to 12th in the fall.

Fanning the flames: For more than a year, 680/The Fan has been soundly beating its rival 790/The Zone in the ratings and that didn't change. The Fan's Christopher Rude and Buck & Kincade trounced the Zone's revamped Mayhem in the AM and new Afternoon Saloon show, respectively.

WGST sees signs of life: News/talk station WGST-AM had its best ratings period since its revamp in late 2006 thanks in part to the presidential campaign fueling interest in Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh. The station ranked seventh among 25- to 54-year-olds at mid-day.

Rocky beginnings: Three new morning shows —- Zakk Tyler on Dave FM, Giant Brian and Shaffee at Project 9-6-1 and Cletus T. Judd at 94.9/The Bull —- didn't break out in their opening stanzas. But then again, they weren't expected to. Of these three shows, only Judd is getting heavy promotion on TV and billboards.

TOP MORNING SHOWS

Show..................Station.....Format.......Fall rank

Among ages 18-34

1. Frank & Wanda......V-103.......R&B/hip-hop.....1

2. The "A" Team.......Hot 107.9...R&B/hip-hop.....3

3. Bert Show..........Q100........Top 40..........2

4. Regular Guys.......Rock 100.5..Rock............new

5. Scott Slade........WSB-AM......News/talk.......6

Among ages 25-54

1. Frank & Wanda......V-103..............R&B/hip-hop.....1

2. Scott Slade........WSB-AM.............News/talk.......2

3. Tom Joyner.........Kiss 104.1.........R&B.............3-tie

4. Steve Harvey.......Grown Folks 102.5..R&B/talk........3-tie

5. Bert Show..........Q100...............Top 40..........5

Source: Arbitron ratings, covering Jan. 10 to April 2, 2008

For more ratings info, check out Rodney Ho's Radio/TV talk blog