By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Friday, April 17, 2015
R&B station Kiss 104.1 last week added a supplemental signal at 93.5 to simulcast its music.
Tony Kidd, who runs programming for the radio division of Cox Radio Atlanta, said the additional signal should help fill in gaps in Gwinnett County, where Kiss's 104.1 signal is relatively weak. Kiss has been one of the popular stations in Atlanta for many years, ranking No. 5 last month with a 5.4 share in Nielsen Audio ratings.
Cox Radio recently purchased the 93.5 translator signal, along with one at 97.7, which is also a signal that skews northeast. 97.7 is currently playing an alternative rock version of 97.1/The River called The Other Side of the River.
(Cox Media Group runs Kiss 104.1 and the Atlanta Journal Constitution.)
Translators, created by the Federal Communications Commission six years ago, are retransmitted signals from another station that can air on open FM dial spots but are generally weaker in power than regular radio stations. Radio owners who own regular FM signals also have multiple HD channels for each station, some of which they use themselves, some which they lease to others.
For example, IHeartMedia's 94.9/The Bull is leasing its HD-3 channel to Steve Hegwood's Old School 99.3 translator. He had previously been using an AM 1010 simulcast. AM 680/The Fan uses a translator at 93.7 so it has a presence on the more popular FM side of the dial.
Cumulus Media uses two of its translators for stand-alone stations: 97.9 is classic hip hop (OG) and 98.9 is NASH Icon, a mix of older and current country music. Radio One uses its 102.9 translator for its classic hip hop (Boom) as well. IHeartMedia provides a Hispanic version of ESPN at its 92.3 translator.
Lincoln Financial's Star 94 gives Hegwood 94.5 for his hip-hop station Streetz, by far the most successful of all the stand-alone translators in Atlanta. It ranked No. 9 among 18 to 34 year olds last month.
***
March was very much a status quo month in the radio ratings.
V-103 held the top spot for the second month in a row and continued to be the top station in two key demographic age groups: 18 to 34 and 25 to 54.
News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB's Scott Slade morning show remained No. 1 overall.
Bert Weiss' surprise divorce announcement in late January continued to fuel Q100's Bert Show ratings into March. The syndicated show (even with Weiss on vacation for part of the month) landed the show at No. 1 among 18 to 34 year olds and 25 to 54 year olds, pulling in its best ever ratings in that demographic.
Fish 104.7 is enjoying an impressive after glow since landing No. 1 over Christmas, ranking No. 4 for the second time in three months.
As noted, trends from earlier this year haven't shifted to any degree. The three classic hip hop stations are still duking it out, with OG 97.9 on top, followed by Boom 102.9 and Old School 99.3. Combined among 25-54 year olds, the three stations pull in an impressive 3.5 share on three relatively weak signals.
B98.5 stays on top among pop stations overall, followed by Power 96.1 (edging ahead of Q100), then Star 94 lagging behind.
The Bull has been beating Kicks 101.5 in the country race for 20 months but had its worst month since September, 2013 with a 4.4 share vs. 3.3 for Kicks.
Praise 102.5, the gospel station, had its best month since April 2012 with a 4.6 share while Majic 107.5/97.5 - clearly hurt by arrival of the classic hip-hop stations - tied its worst performance in several years with a 4.3 share. (Two years ago, Majic peaked at a 7.7).
Among sports talk stations, 92.9/The Game slipped back a bit in overall ratings (a 2.4 share, down from its station best 3.0 in January) but its 25-54 share is up to a 3.3, best ever in that demo. It has been beating 680/The Fan soundly for the past six months though I can't reveal the Fan's ratings because the station doesn't subscribe to Nielsen Audio.
90.1/WABE-FM, which added news/talk during the day in January, is holding its own against 88.5/WRAS-FM, with a 3.2 share vs. 0.5 share, more or less the same as the prior month.
It's too early to judge the new/revised morning shows on Star 94 (Drex, Cassiday and Tingle) and Rock 100.5 (with Jason Bailey replacing Larry Wachs). Steve McCoy's first month on 106.7? Ratings fell but again, it's just one month's data. Come back in six months and we'll have a somewhat better grasp of how the shows are doing. Even then, it usually takes at least a year for a successful morning show to take root and grow.
Case in point? Power 96.1's year-old Scotty K and Riley Couture morning show is giving the station a big lift since they joined the station a year ago. Among 25 to 54 year olds in March, 2014, Power had a 2.5 share. Last month, it had a 4.3 share, up 72 percent. Among 18 to 34 year olds, the show has grown from a 4.4 share to a 5.8 share, up 32 percent.
B98.5's morning show with Melissa Carter and Jeff Elliott, who have been on air since August, 2013, are doing significantly better than they did their first few months on the air, especially among younger listeners. With 18 to 34 year olds, the show had a 3.6 share in September, 2013. Last month? a 5.1 share, up 42 percent. The 25-54 ratings were already strong at a 5.1 share in the fall of 2013 but is up to a 5.8 this past month, good for fourth place.
The top 20 stations in March, 2015, according to Nielsen Audio:
1. V-103
2. WSB (95.5/ 750)
3. B98.5
4. Fish 104.7
5. Kiss 104.1
6. Power 96.1
7. 97.1/The River
8. Q100
9. Praise 102.5
10. 94.9/The Bull
11. Majic 107.5/979.5
12. Hot 107.9
13. Kicks 101.5
14. 90.1/WABE
15. Star 94
16. 92.9/The Game
17. Radio 105.7
18. Rock 100.5
19. Streetz 94.5
20. El Patron 105.3
21. NewsRadio 106.7
22. A sports talk station I'm not allowed to reference since they don't subscribe to Nielsen Audio is tied with OG 97.9
24. Jazz 91.9
25. Joy 93.3
Top 10 overall morning shows
1. Scott Slade, WSB
2. Bert Show, Q100
3. Ryan Cameron & Wanda Smith, V-103
4. Kevin & Taylor, Fish
5. Morning Edition, WABE
6. Melissa and Jeff, B98.5
7. Tom Joyner, Kiss
8. Steve Harvey, Majic
9. Yolanda Adams, Praise
10. Scotty K and Riley Couture, Power
Top 10 morning shows, 25-54 year olds
1. Bert Show, Q100
2. Ryan Cameron and Wanda Smith, V-103
3. Scott Slade, WSB
4. Melissa and Jeff, B98.5
5. Steve Harvey, Majic
6. Kevin & Taylor, Fish
7. Morning Edition, WABE
8. Scotty K and Riley Couture, Power
9. Kaedy Kiely, The River
10. (tie) Rickey Smiley, Hot/ Cadillac and Dallas, Kicks
Top 10, morning shows, 18-34
1. Bert Show, Q100
2. Ryan Cameron and Wanda Smith, V-103
3. Patrones de la Manana, El Patron
4. Kevin & Taylor, Fish
5. Scotty K and Riley Couture, Power
6 (tie) Rickey Smiley, Hot/ Melissa and Jeff, B98.5
8. Morning Edition, WABE
9. Rock 100.5 Morning Show
10. Yolanda Adams, Praise
About the Author
