October L.A. Radio Arbitrons: KBIG Back On Top

Clear Channel's hot AC KBIG-FM "My FM" dropped to a 5.3% share of the Los Angeles market listening audience (12+) in October, from a 5.6% in September. But it was still good enough to lead the market, as KBIG has been in the No. 1 or No. 2 spot for the entire year. Not bad.

In second was top 40 KIIS (5.2%, down from 5.8% in September), followed by a surging oldies KRTH "K-Earth" (4.3%, up from 4.1%), then AC KOST-FM (4.2%, unchanged) and top 40 KAMP-FM "Amp Radio" (4.1%, down from 4.2).

KBIG was also tops with adults 25-54 (6.0%), followed by KIIS (5.2%); KIIS led with adults 18-34 (8.2%), followed by KPWR "Power 106" (8.0%).

Among public radio stations, classical KUSC (2.2%) edged out KPCC (2.1%) for the first time this year.

In the morning drive race, KLAX-FM's El Mandril continued his streak at No. 1 for the fifth month in a row (5.6%), although he was down from September (6.9%). In second was KFI's Bill Handel/Rush Limbaugh combo (5.0%, up from 4.1%), with KROQ's Kevin & Bean in third (4.8%), then KIIS' Ryan Seacrest (4.4%) and KRTH's Gary Bryan (4.0%).

El Mandril also led listeners 18-34 (9.8%) and 25-54 (6.6%). Kevin & Bean were second in 25-54 (6.4%), while Seacrest was second with 18-34 (7.0%).

August Arbitron Ratings: Big Month for KIIS-FM and Kevin & Bean

The summer of KIIS-FM continues, as the top 40 powerhouse ended August once again in first place, according to Arbitron portable people meter data. Among persons 12+, KIIS posted a 5.5 share of the Los Angeles market audience, unchanged from July and June. Hot AC KBIG ("My 104.3") was in second, with a 4.9 share, followed closely by talker KFI-AM (4.8) and AC KOST-FM (4.3). All four top stations are owned by Clear Channel.

Rounding out the top ten: Hip-hop KPWR (Power 106), classic hits KRTH "K-Earth 101" (3.9), top 40 KAMP-FM "Amp Radio" (3.8), oldies KHHT "Hot 92.3" (3.6, a big jump from 3.0), Spanish KLVE (3.3) and alternative KROQ (3.3).

Among the public stations, KPCC dipped to a 1.6, while KUSC (1.1, up from 0.9) and KCRW (1.0, up from 0.7) saw gains.

In morning drive, KROQ's Kevin & Bean dominate in every demo, garnering an 8.9 share with persons 18-34, a dominant first place win over No. 2, KPWR's Big Boy (6.2). KIIS' Ryan Seacrest is third (5.2). (By the way, among listeners 18-34, the race has gotten tight between rival top 40 morning show hosts -- and rival TV singing competition hosts -- Seacrest and Carson Daly.)

Kevin & Bean are also a clear No. 1 with adults 25-54 (7.5), ahead of KFI's Bill Handel (4.9). Handel's older audience is big enough that KFI wins overall with persons 12+ in the morning.

July 2012 Radio Ratings: KIIS Leads and KBIG Soars

It continues to be top 40 radio's time to shine, and Clear Channel's KIIS-FM is riding the wave -- once again leading the Los Angeles market for the month of July 2012, with a 5.5 share (unchanged from June).

But hot on KIIS' tail is sister Clear Channel adult contemporary KBIG ("My FM") 104.3, which continues its amazing rise to second place, with a 5.2 share. Then there's Clear Channel talker KFI-AM in third (4.7 share) and surging KPWR ("Power 106"), up to a 4.3 share.

Other stations enjoying a good July were KOST (4.1) and KAMP ("Amp Radio") (4.0). KROQ led the alternative fight (thanks in part to Kevin & Bean in the mornings), averaging a 3.1 share (up from 2.7) vs. KYSR "98.7 FM" (2.4). Among public broadcasters, KPCC-FM led with a 1.7 share, but that was a dip from 2.0.

Check out the full Arbitron rankings over at Radio-Info, but keep in mind, as always, that these total listener numbers aren't used to sell the stations' ad time, but are pretty much just for bragging rights.

Former L.A. Times Editor Russ Stanton Joins KPCC

L.A. public radio leader KPCC has just made another big hire, tapping former Los Angeles Times editor Russ Stanton to serve as its vice president of content.

KPCC has been expanding its staff for sometime, something Stanton -- who had to oversee a drastic downsize at the L.A. Times -- couldn't help bit note. "I am very excited to be joining the staff of my favorite radio station and in particular a newsroom that's growing and an organization that's fairly down the path of developing a sustainable business model to produce high-quality" journalism, Stanton said in an interview posted on KPCC operator Southern California Public Radio's website.

More info:

In his new role, Stanton will work to ensure the KPCC newsroom works in synergy along broadcast, digital and live-event platforms, said SCPR president and CEO Bill Davis. One of Stanton’s first tasks will be to select an executive editor, who will supervise the day-to-day operations of the newsroom on both the broadcast and digital platform, Davis said.

Stanton, 53, stepped down as editor and executive vice president of Times on Dec. 23. The veteran newsman joined the paper in 1997 as an Orange County business reporter. Stanton was selected in a national search from more than 100 applicants; his first day at the station is Feb. 6.

In the just-released holiday 2011 Arbitron ratings, KPCC led all public radio stations in the Los Angeles market with a 2.0 share of the audience (and a weekly cume of 617,100 listeners).

Also: KPCC "Air Talk" host Larry Mantle says he predicted Stanton's hire.

L.A. Radio October Arbitron Ratings: KFI Jumps to No. 1

All-talk KFI-AM enjoyed a stellar October, leaping over KIIS-FM to land the No. 1 spot in L.A. radio among listeners 6 and older. The station averaged a 5.6 share in the market, up from a 5.3 share in September and 4.9 in August.

KFI is owned by Clear Channel, as is top 40 KIIS, which dipped to a 5.3 share, from 5.6 in September, moving to second place. Upstart rival KAMP "Amp Radio," owned by CBS Radio, was in third, with a 4.1 share. In the battle of the AC-ish stations, CBS' KRTH (3.9) now leads KOST (3.5) -- but get ready, once KOST brings back the Christmas music it will shoot to No. 1.

In other ratings, CBS Radio's all-news KNX-AM had a strong October, with a 3.3 share -- its best result in recent memory. KPCC was tops in public radio (2.2 share). And a slumping KABC-AM (0.9) tied the lesser-known KTLK.

August Arbitron Ratings: AMP Radio Pulls Closer to KIIS-FM

No surprise here: Top 40 KIIS-FM (102.7) continues to maintain its dominance of the Los Angeles radio market. The Clear Channel-owned radio station pulled an average 5.3% of the listeners 6+ during the month of August, according to the latest Arbitron ratings.

That was good enough for first place again. But the top 40 battle in L.A. continues to heat up, as CBS Radio-owned rival KAMP-FM "Amp Radio" (97.1) rose to a 4.4 share, winding up in third place. Talk radio KFI was second (4.9).

It was also a good book for Spanish Contemporary KLVE-FM, which jumped to fourth place with a 4.1 share.

In the market's other competitive battle, the adult contemporary game, KOST-FM (which just dropped longtime afternoon host Bryan Simmons) fell to a 4.0 share, trying it with rival classic hits KRTH "K-Earth," which also posted a 4.0 share.

KPCC was once again the market-leading public radio station, with a 2.2 share. KCRW continues its slide, to a 0.6.

Despite What You've Read, Zooey Deschanel Loves Los Angeles

KPCC's Patt Morrison thinks Zooey Deschanel is a "snobby cow" for what she believes was an attack on Downtown Los Angeles. Deschanel, in her retort, says Morrison got it all wrong -- the actress says she doesn't even live in the Westside, despite Morrison's crack about her "Westside home."

Of course, Deschanel starred in that love letter to Downtown L.A., "(500) Days of Summer." Above, she and co-star Joseph Gordon-Levitt talk about our city (they're both life-long Angelenos).

Radio Ratings: Big Holiday for KOST; KPCC Sees Huge Gains

Los Angeles listeners decked their halls with even more Christmas music this year.

According to the holiday 2010 Arbitron radio ratings, KOST-FM's all-Christmas music format averaged a 9.3 share of the L.A. listening audience, up from an 8.1 share during the 2009 holiday season. (Arbitron breaks out the holidays into a separate report, presumably because stations like KOST stunt with special holiday programming, plus radio habits are altered during those weeks).

The holiday tunes, which begin pre-Thanksgiving and last all the way through Christmas, are so popular that they also fueled KOST's No. 1 finish in the previous December 2010 book as well.

At No. 2 was normal market leader KIIS (5.4 share), then KRTH "K-Earth" (4.3), which also goes heavy with the Christmas music during the holidays, but didn't get a KOST-like bump. KAMP "Amp Radio" (4.0) and KPWR "Power 106" (3.6) round out the top five.

Among more notable standings: KFI took a steep drop during the holidays -- perhaps people don't want to mix politics with presents -- averaging a 3.4 share, down from 4.0 in December and 4.2 in November.

And public radio KPCC saw a huge bump, going from a 1.4 share in December to a 2.3 share during the holidays. Were they doing something big during the last few weeks of the year that I didn't know about?

Check out the full Arbitron rankings over at Radio-Info, but keep in mind, as always, that these total listener numbers aren't used to sell the stations' ad time, but are pretty much just for bragging rights.

Haunting Memories of One Man's Ultimate Sacrifice in the Los Angeles River

In 1980, 10-year-old James Ventrillo was riding his bike close to the L.A. River in Atwater Village. The river was filled with fast-moving water following heavy rains -- and James somehow fell in. Atwater Village resident Earl Higgins, who had been walking nearby with his fiancee, Nancy Rigg, raced down to rescue young James.

With the rapids traveling 30 miles per hour or faster, Earl did somehow save James -- but was then swept away. His body was found several months later.

KPCC's Madeleine Brand met with both Ventrillo, now 40, and Rigg for this radio piece. Both James and Nancy are still haunted over what happened that day -- and the fact that Earl should have lived. KPCC has posted the first part of the Madeleine Brand piece; hopefully they'll post the entire segment soon.

(Hat tip to the Atwater Village Newbie for pointing us to the story.)

Los Angeles Radio October Arbitrons: KIIS Still on Top

Not a lot of movement in the October radio rankings: Top 40 KIIS-FM remains No. 1, even with a slight dip. And while KRTH "K-Earth" is a solid No. 2, rival AC KOST is picking up the slack. Just wait until the holidays, when KOST's all-Christmas format drives it back to No. 1.

In other radio battles, KROQ once again won the alternative music battle over KYSR, while KPCC remains the city's top ranked radio station.

Speaking of KOST, anyone want to venture a guess when the adult contemporary station goes all-Christmas? It's gotta be just a matter of days. Several stations around the country have already gone full-blown holidays.

August 2010 Arbitron Ratings: KIIS Still On Top

KIIS-FM remains the dominant force in Los Angeles radio, topping the August 2010 Arbitron survey with 6.3% of the 6+ audience, far ahead of second-place KRTH (4.7). Meanwhile, KAMP "Amp Radio" jumps to a 4.2 share, landing in third. L.A. apparently loves its top 40.

The real interesting contest appears to be on the public radio side: KPCC-FM had one of its best books in recent memory, landing a 2.2 share -- right below KNX-AM and a full share point ahead of KABC-AM. The news isn't as strong for KCRW, which slipped to a 0.8 share. (That dip can be partly blamed on KCRW's August on-air fundraising drive, although the station did cut it down this year.)

In the battle of the alternative rockers, KYSR 98.7 still has a slight advantage over heritage KROQ.

June Arbitrons: KIIS Remains On Top, While KAMP Gains

Market leader KIIS-FM remained in the top spot this June, according to Los Angeles Arbitron rankings. KIIS led with a 5.9% share of the audience, down slightly from 6.1% in May.

KRTH (K-Earth 101) also slipped but was still good for second place, while KIIS rival top 40 KAMP-FM (Amp 97.1) jumped over KFI-AM to take the third spot.

Among alt rockers, KROQ managed to improve to a 3.5 share, tying it with KYSR (98.7) – which had been beating KROQ as of late in the overall 6+ ratings.

KPCC-FM once again led among public broadcasters, with a 2.0 share; KUSC was next, with 1.7.

March Arbitron Ratings: KIIS Still Dominates; KAMP Back on the Rise

It's still not exactly a contest in the 6+ radio popularity race, as KIIS still dominated the Los Angeles market in the month of March. The top 40 station's 5.7 share is a full percentage point ahead of any other station.

Rival KAMP "Amp Radio" is back in the hunt, re-entering the top five -- and once again gunning for its bigger competish.

Interestingly, Spanish radio -- which ruled the L.A. Arbitrons for much of the 1990s and into the 2000s -- continues to shrink down the list. The top-rated Spanish-lingo station, KLVE-FM (3.1 share), is in 13th place. Some broadcast companies have blamed the switch to personal people meter ratings methodology (which has hit several different genres hard), while others point to competition (with many more Spanish-language stations these days).

KPCC-FM managed to squeak ahead of KUSC to earn the top-rated public radio honors this time out (1.8 vs. 1.7).

KUSC: L.A.'s Public Radio Champ

Ever wonder how many people listen to L.A.'s public radio stations? We know pretty much the commercial station leaders, starting with KIIS 102.7 FM. But Arbitron's new Personal People Meter (PPM) service is finally including pubcasters among its tally, and the results are interesting.

Several of L.A.'s public stations outperform their commercial counterparts. Pasadena City College's KPCC 89.3 FM, for example, has more listeners than CBS-owned FM talk station KLSX 97.1 FM. And KCRW 89.9 FM far out paces KDLD "Indie 103.1" FM. Cal State Long Beach's KKJZ "K-Jazz" 88.1 FM, meanwhile, outperforms Stevie Wonder's KJLH 102.3 FM.

The champ, however, among local public radio outlets is classical KUSC 91.5 FM, which I'm sure benefitted from the elimination of KMZT "K-Mozart" a few years ago.

Here's how they do, with September average week cume numbers:

KUSC-FM 756,400
KPCC-FM 557,900
KKJZ-FM 400,900
KCRW-FM 322,100
KPFK-FM 187,900

L.A.'s other public stations didn't amass a big enough audience to be reported.

KPCC Comes To the Coachella Valley

The Palm Springs area is about to get another L.A.-based public radio outlet. As Radio-Info reports, KPCC-FM 89.3 operators American Public Media and Southern California Public Radio have purchased KBXO-FM 90.3 in Coachella. Station had previously been religious. I assume the new owners plan to use the signal to pipe KPCC into the area, just as KCRW now does with KCRI-FM in the area.