This was posted on Monday, August 14, 2017 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
July was a great month for the two big country stations in Atlanta.
Kicks 101.5 jumped into the top 5 for the first time in seven years with a 4.8 rating. Rival 94.9/The Bull had its best ratings in a year with a 4.5.
News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB remained at the top for the seventh month in a row. V-103 swapped spots with Kiss and came in second. Kiss tied with The River for third, the fifth month in a row the rock station finished in the top three.
The mid-day hosts of Shannon Burke and Kim "The Kimmer" Peterson on NewsRadio 106.7 for the second month in a row was in the top 5 among 25 to 54 year olds. And Bailey and Southside on Rock 100.5 have had a super strong summer so far, finishing third among 25 to 54 year olds for the second month in a row. It also finished fourth among 18 to 34 year olds. The show in its three years of existence has never had better numbers.
Ryan Cameron on V-103, who has lost Wanda Smith for a few weeks after she had a medical procedure, saw his numbers fall alarmingly to a 4.9 rating among 25 to 54 year olds, his worst ratings ever in that demo. V-103 as a whole still held the top spot among 25 to 54 year olds. Cameron was at 6.9 and third place as recently as March.
For the fifth time in seven months this year, Hot 107.9 was No. 1 among 18 to 34 year olds. The Bert Show on Q100 returned to the top spot in that demo in the mornings for the fifth time in seven months with a 7.9. Jeff and Jenn on Star 94.1 finished in the top 10 among 25 to 54 year olds for the first time this year with a 4.2.
In the final month before football got underway, sports talk station 92.9/The Game had its worst ratings of the year with a 2.4 while the Fan improved slightly to a 1.6.
WSB, the River, Kiss 104.1 and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution are all part of Cox Media Group.
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Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Ashley Elzinga, known on air as Ashley Z, has left Q100 nights after a mere seven months on the air with no explanation.
Sean Shannon, who oversees programming, said she left "to pursue other ventures."
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Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
CBS46 reporter Will Frampton is leaving the station after six years. His last day is September 5.
Frampton, an Atlanta native, is moving to Boston where his wife Sarah hopes to pursue a PhD. He already has a video and film production company McLeod Media and he will focus his full-time energy on that. (It's why he can be a one-man videographer/reporter/editor for the station.)
"This has been awhile in the making," said Frampton, who has been in broadcast journalism for 15 years. "The churn and burn nature of the local news was really wearing me out especially when I had kids. The pace of this business was not sustainable for myself and my family. Something had to change. I love telling stories. I would love to be able to do it for clients who need great story telling. I can spend weeks on a project."
Reporter Julian Johnson, after just two years, is leaving as well.
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Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Melissa Carter, who decided not to renew her contact with B98.5 earlier this year, provided some details on her departure from the station in a column for the Georgia Voice. She wrote it as a letter to her son. It's clear she is seeking new climes outside of radio.
Funny, the only thing that teenage version of your mother wanted when she first walked into a radio station was to be a celebrity. I'm glad I get to say, despite the odds of being a nobody from a small Southern town, I did it. And so much more. With no regrets.
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Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Atlanta-based Cumulus Media, for the first time in three years, reported an increase in EBIDTA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization –an approximation of cash flow). The company said second quarter net revenue rose to $290.5 million, a 1.2 percent increase over the same period in 2016, according to Inside Radio.
Westwood One revenues increased 6.1 percent to $81.2 million. Billings at the company’s radio station group slipped slightly, down 0.7 percent to $208.6 million.
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