Radio briefs: Bert vs. Jeff and Jen ratings update, V-103 Car & Bike Show, Top 10 songs in Atlanta

I attended for the first time last year. There are hundreds of fancy, tricked up vehicles, shopping booths and a handful of celebrities, plus all the V-103 personalities. (Photo gallery here.)

And without V-103's "For Sisters Only" (ended in 2014 after 23 years) and Steve Harvey's Neighborhood Awards (back in Vegas), the Atlanta expo targeting ladies has already happened last month: the Ultimate Women's Expo. (Already set to return May 10-11, 2017.)

V-103 is still the top-ranked station among 25 to 54 year olds, landing in that slot every month this year. But it has had to settle for third place the past three months in overall ratings behind Kiss and News AM 750 and 95.5 WSB, which has been No. 1 all year. Hot 107.9 has beaten V-103 among 18 to 34 year olds the past two months.

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Credit: Rodney Ho

Credit: Rodney Ho

People have been asking me how the Jeff and Jenn vs. Bert Show battle has been going.

We now have three months of data from Nielsen Audio. It's way too early to draw any real conclusions but here's what I have, based on the limited data I receive:

Star 94 is doing better in March, April and May than it did the same three months in 2015. Overall, the station is averaging a 3.9 rating, good for 11th place. A year ago, they were at a 3.1, good for 14th place. That's a sizable 26 percent improvement.

The morning show a year ago - Drex, Cassiday & Tingle - averaged a 2.8 rating in the 25-54 demo, ranked 16th. Jeff and Jenn are averaging a 3.9 rating in the same demo these past three months, ranked eighth. That's a 39 percent improvement, fueled by a heavy marketing campaign and curiosity. Jeff and Jenn had  its best numbers to date in May, showing modest upward momentum.

How does this compare to the Bert Show? The Bert Show remains the engine that drives Q100.

Q100 averaged a 3.7 rating the past three months, good for 12th place, behind Star 94. This is down 18 percent from a 4.5 rating a year ago during the same time period.

The Bert Show, among 25 to 54 year olds, averaged a 9.7 rating a year ago over those three months, ranked No. 1 in the market. This year, the show pulled in a 6.1 in that demo.  That dropped Bert to fifth place with a 37 percent drop in that key demographic. In May, he did recover and land at No. 1 among 25 to 54 year olds. He has been No. 1 among 18 to 34 year olds four out of the first five months this year and still leads in women in various key demos: 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54.

Objectively, the Bert Show's numbers fell off after Jeff Dauler's departure in November and have yet to fully recover. Still, this is a marathon, not a sprint. Bottom line: Bert Weiss has been a top ranked show in this market for more than a decade and he isn't ready to relinquish his place just yet.

In the meantime, rival Power 96.1 has continued solid morning numbers without Scotty Kay , bolstering the argument that his presence or absence was not key to that music-heavy show's success. Riley Couture is now paired with a new guy PK. The station is now consistently ranked 3rd in the mornings among 18 to 34 year olds, its target audience. Power now beats the three other pop stations in overall ratings and 18 to 34 year olds and tied with Q100 among 25 to 54 year olds this past month.

B98.5, which has usually been the leader in overall listeners among the four pop stations, has taken a hit lately. It still averaged a respectable 4.5 rating the past three months vs. a 6.3 rating in the same period in 2015, falling from fourth to eighth place.

B98.5, WSB, Kiss and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are part of Cox Media Group. 

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Justin Timberlake remains a powerhouse pop draw 14 years after he became a solo artist. His newest single "Can't Stop the Feeling" has been a solid hit, leaping to No. 1 on the Hot 100 last month and is now the most spun song in Atlanta this past week.

It's heard on the four pop stations in town: Star 94 (73 spins), B98.5 (40), Q100 (118) and Power (63).

Timberlake bumped Zayn, whose "Pillowtalk" falls to No. 6.

Top 10 songs last week on Atlanta radio, according to Mediabase 24/7:

1- "Can't Stop the Feeling," Justin Timberlake

2. "Work From Home" Fifth Harmony

3. "One Dance" Drake

4. Ariana Grande "Dangerous Woman"

5. The Chainsmokers "Don't Let Me Down"

6. Zayn "Pillowtalk"

7. James Bay "Let It Go"

8. Lukas Graham "7 Years"

9. Dnce "Cake By the Ocean"

10. Zara Larsson & Mnek "Never Forget You"