V-103 calls itself "The Big Station," a title it has earned thanks to its incredible legacy and dominant ratings over the years that once far exceeded its rivals across all major age groups.
But that dominance has faded over the past year.
In recent months, V-103 saw slippage from January to March among 25 to 54 year olds and overall viewers, according to Nielsen Audio numbers. The R&B/hip-hop station did hold as the top station among 25 to 54 year olds in the first quarter in March, but fell to third among all listeners behind News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB and Kiss 104.1. In March, among all listeners, V-103 fell to fourth place, its worst ranking in that category since I began covering radio in 2001.
V-103 was able to maintain its 18 to 34 year old listeners, averaging an 8.6 rating, good for second place. That's down by a third from the average 18-34 ratings a year ago, when the station pulled in a whopping 12.4 share among 18 to 34 year olds. Hot 107.9 just edged V-103 out in the first quarter in that younger demographic.
Ryan Cameron earlier this year rejiggered his morning show, bringing back Wanda Smith. The 25-54 ratings the past three months were about the same as they were in the fourth quarter of 2013. He is No. 1 among 25 to 54 year olds. The younger 18-34 numbers, which had fallen sharply last fall, rebounded. He is now No. 2 among 18 to 34 year olds behind Q100's The Bert Show.
Hot 107.9, V-103's closest rival, was No. 1 among 18 to 34 year olds for six consecutive months until V-103 returned to the top in March. Streetz 94.5, the upstart hip-hop station which just added a new syndicated show the Breakfast Club to its morning lineup, has seen steady growth, with listeners up about 30 percent year over year.
In other formats:
R&B
Kiss 104.1 had a strong first quarter. It was the second most popular station in Atlanta, averaging a 7 rating, up from 6.4 the first quarter of 2013. Majic 107.5/97.5 pulled in better numbers among younger listeners, ranking third among 25 to 54 year olds and second in the mornings with Steve Harvey behind only Ryan Cameron at V-103. Its overall ratings, though are down about 24 percent year over year.
Country
94.9/The Bull pulled away from its close competitor Kicks 101.5 with its strongest month ever in March, finishing with a 5.1 rating, good for seventh place. It averaged 4.8 in the first quarter compared to Kicks' 3.6. Kicks' ratings were actually pretty flat year over year. The Bull added about 33 percent more audience compared to first quarter 2013. South 107.1, which added an in-city signal in February, had a 0.8 in March, comparable to a 0.9 in first quarter 2013. WNGC in Athens saw a big boost in ratings year over, averaging a 1 rating vs. a 0.4 a year ago.
Pop
B98.5 remains the strongest pop station in town with a 6.5 rating, good for fourth overall. Its morning numbers with the new Melissa and Jeff show improved from sharply from January to March, finishing with a best-yet 5.5 rating among 25 to 54 year olds in March, good for seventh place.
Q100 was the strongest station among 18 to 34 year olds with all pop stations. The Bert Show was No. 1 in that demo but saw some slippage among older listeners year over year. (Q100's supplementary secondary signal that plays all music at 97.9 averaged a 0.5 rating.)
Power 96.1 saw its best ratings since its debut in the fall of 2012, with a 4.3 rating in March. It's too early to say what impact the change from Elivs Duran to the new local show Scotty K and Riley Couture will have.
Star 94 lagged behind, its first quarter rating of 3.5 down 27 percent from the same period a year ago.
True Oldies 98.9 averaged a 1.1 rating, not bad for such a weak signal. ( A year ago, it was a different format.)
Sports talk
680/The Fan was still the leader first quarter 2014, averaging a 1.3 rating. 92.9/The Game saw a peak of a 1.4 in January slip back to a 0.9 in March. 790/The Zone is now an also ran, averaging a 0.4 vs. 0.7 a year ago. Among individual shows, Chuck Oliver and Matt Chernoff have the most popular sports radio show overall. On the Game, Rick Kamla and Jamie Dukes pulled in the best numbers. The Zone's mid-day numbers are its best, with a mix of Colin Cowherd and the rotating trio of John Michaels, Dave Archer and Mike Bell.
News/talk
WSB Radio, with plenty of bad weather and traffic coverage over the winter, was the No. 1 station in overall listeners with a 7.4 rating, up from 6.5 a year ago.
WABE-FM, which mixes news/talk and classical music, drew a 3.5 rating, up from 3.1 a year ago. "Morning Edition" ranked No. 5 among 25 to 54 year olds with a 6.1 rating.
All News 106.7 averaged a 1.6 rating, up from 1.5 first quarter 2013. WAOK-AM had a 0.6, about the same as a year ago. And 640/WGST-AM, which didn't exist a year ago, drew a mere 0.1.
Rock
97.1/The River is the most popular rock station in town among all listeners with a 5.8 rating first quarter 2014, landing the station fifth overall. It's also the No. 1 station mid-days among 25 to 54 year olds and No. 2 overall in that key demographic.
Among younger listeners 18-34, Radio 105.7 is the top choice, averaging a 5.1 rating this past quarter compared to 4.2 for the older-skewing River.
Rock 100.5, which recently dropped all current music and emphasized classic rock, ranked 18th overall with a 2 rating. The Regular Guys' Justin Bieber hoax in February appeared to help boost the Regular Guys' numbers, with its best 25-54 numbers in March since last June and best 18-34 numbers in nearly four years with a 5.8 (tied for fifth).
Spanish
El Patron/105.3 averaged a 2.2 rating, down from a 2.4 a year ago. La Raza 102.3 is up, averaging a 0.6 from a 0.4 in first quarter 2013.
Christian
Praise 102.5 is flat from a year ago, averaging a 3.7 rating. Fish 104.7 also performed comparably year over year, averaging a 4.5 rating. Its 25-54 numbers were up. Joy 93.3 averaged a 0.8 rating.
The top 25 stations in March, 2014, according to Nielsen Audio numbers:
1. WSB
2. Kiss
3. B98.5
4. V-103
5. The River
6. Majic
7. The Bull
8. Fish
9. Power
10. Q100
11. Hot
12. Praise
13. WABE
14. (tie) Kicks, Star
16. Radio 105.7
17. El Patron
18. Rock 100.5
19. All News 106.7
20. Streetz 94.5
21. (tie) WNGC, True Oldies 98.9, 680/The Fan
24. 92.9/The Game
25. South 107
Top 10 morning shows overall in March, 2014:
1. Scott Slade, WSB
2. Tom Joyner, Kiss
3. Steve Harvey, Majic
4. Ryan Cameron with Wanda Smith, V-103
5. Morning Edition, WABE
6. Kaedy Kiely, 97.1/The River
7. Melissa and Jeff, B98.5
8. Kevin and Taylor, The Fish
9. Jason Pullman and Kristen Gates, the Bull
10. The Bert Show, Q100
Top 15 radio stations 25-54 year olds
1. V-103
2. The River
3. B98.5
4. Majic
5. The Bull
6. WSB, Q100 (tie)
8. Kiss
9. Fish
10. Hot
11. Power
12. Radio
13. Star
14. WABE
15. Praise
Top 10 morning shows 25-54
1. Ryan Cameron with Wanda Smith, V-103
2. Steve Harvey, Majic
3. Scott Slade, WSB
4. Morning Edition, WABE
5. The Bert Show, Q100
6. Kaedy Kiely, the River
7. Melissa and Jeff, B98.5
8. Kevin and Taylor, Fish
9. Tom Joyner Kiss
10. Jason Pullman and Kristen Gates, the Bull
Top 15 radio stations, 18-34
1. V-103
2. Hot
3. Q100
4. Power
5. Radio
6. (tie) Kiss, B98.5
8. Majic
9. River
10. Bull, El Patron (tie)
12. Rock 100.5
13. Streetz
14. Kicks, Star (tie)
Top 10 morning shows, 18-34
1. Bert Show, Q100
2. Ryan Cameron with Wanda Smith, V-103
3. Rickey Smiley, Hot
4. Aly, Radio 105.7
5. Regular Guys, Rock 100.5/ Morning Edition, WABE (tie)
7. Patrones de la Manana, El Patron
8. Steve Harvey, Magic
9. Scotty Kay and Haley Couture, Power 96.1
10. Kaedy Kiely, River
The River, B98.5, WSB and Kiss are all part of Cox Media Group, which also oversees the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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