Franklin Avenue

Hip-Hop Nation vs. An Alternative World
Just a tenth of an audience share point separates No. 1 KPWR ("Power 106") from No. 2 KROQ in the Summer 2003 Los Angeles Arbitrons, according to Radio and Records, which reports the ratings on its site.

Both stations have dominated the local ratings for over a year. That's quite a change from the majority of the 1990s, when Spanish-language stations ruled the roost. Either the Spanish stations started cannibalizing each other, or a change in Arbitron methodology continues to have impact.

And here's your odd statistic of the summer: Despite the fanfare and intrigue surrounding the recall election -- particularly Schwarzenegger's entry -- talk radio leaders KFI and KABC were actually down versus their performance in spring, before recallmania erupted. (KFI was down only slightly, but KABC dropped more.)

Also, listeners have for some reason rediscovered classic rock. Both KCBS-FM ("Arrow 93") and KLOS-FM saw healthy gains from spring.