Latest radio ratings show Magic on move
Charlotte Business Journal - by Erik Spanberg Senior Staff Writer
It was a magical spring for WWMG-FM and another sad song for country stations, according to the latest Arbitron rankings.
The rankings, based on listener diaries distributed in the area, show WWMG among the top five stations in weekly listeners aged 25 to 54, morning-drive listeners 25-54 and the broader 12-plus audience. The station, owned by The Dalton Group Inc., plays oldies.
"This is the biggest spring book we've ever had," says David O'Donnell, Magic general manager. "A lot of it comes from subtle changes that have added up."
Another strong performer was AMFM Inc.'s WLYT-FM, which ranked first among weekly listeners 25-54 and third among morning listeners 25-54. Familiar faces led the morning drive 25-54 and weekly listeners 12-plus: WRFX-FM's The John Boy & Billy Big Show and WPEG-FM, known as Power 98, respectively.
Despite winning morning drive again, John Boy & Billy's share fell to 10.5% from 14.5% last year. Macon Moye, general manager of the show, says the market has become more competitive. He also cites inconsistent Arbitron sampling for the audience loss.
"It's an aberration," Moye says. "But we're still No. 1, and we still have a strong franchise. We don't take audience loss lightly."
WBT-AM/FM received positive news with a win in mornings 12-plus and a stronger male 25-54 audience.
Country stations, which suffered poor ratings in the winter Arbitrons, fared poorly again. WKKT-FM and WSOC-FM both showed losses among morning and weekly listeners 25-54. In mornings, Kat fell to 11th from third a year earlier. WSOC dropped to 12th from eighth.
"It's not clear what the problem is, but country radio overall is struggling in this market," says Nancy Haynes, communications director at Collins, Haynes & Lully Inc.
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