THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 28, 1995 TAG: 9510270057
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CRAIG SHAPIRO, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
THE ARBITRONS do not lie. They're just open to interpretation.
Case 1: WROX-FM, with Henry Del Toro on board, made up major ground in morning drive among listeners ages 18 to 34, jumping to No. 3 in the summer ratings book.
Case 2: WNOR-FM, Del Toro's ex-employer, leapfrogged to No. 1 in morning drive among listeners 25 to 54 - the hottest timeslot in the most lucrative demographic.
There is only one way to read Case 3. WJCD-FM played softly and carried a bigger stick.
WJCD - Smooth Jazz CD 105.3 - which took the top spot among listeners 25 to 54 last spring, not only tightened its hold, grabbing a 10.6 audience share, but it also finished No. 2 with listeners 12 and up, right behind longtime leader WOWI-FM. Both are owned by the U.S. Radio Group, giving the company bragging rights in the country's 32nd-largest market.
``I have to say it was a total surprise,'' said Janet Armstead, vice president and general manager of WJCD. ``We had some research that led us to believe we'd finish in the Top 5 (12 and up), but to have the No. 1 and 2 places in the market is a dream come true.''
Following WJCD among all listeners 25 to 54 were WNOR (8.7), WOWI (8.6), WAFX-FM (6.5) and WLTY-FM (6.2). The Top 5 stations among audiences 12 and up were WOWI (10.7), WJCD (7.5), WCMS-FM (7.1), WNOR (7.0) and WGH-FM (5.4).
As for the rock wars, the honchos at both WNOR and WROX saw a silver lining in the summer Arbitrons, which cover June 22 to Sept. 13.
``The crown is 25-54. It's what everyone goes for if it's feasible,'' program director Harvey Kojan said of FM99's morning-drive finish. WNOR had a 10.9 share, followed by WJCD (8.8), WOWI (7.8), WWDE-FM (6.9) and WAFX (6.1).
He added that Del Toro's June 27 departure for 96X had little effect on the big picture.
``If you want to try and read something into the numbers,'' Kojan said, ``they tell you the younger audience is more fickle. A few went to check out Henry, but the bottom line is Henry left and our ratings went up. It didn't faze us for an instant.
``We have to be realistic,'' Kojan said. ``We don't expect to be No. 1 among teens. Ten years ago, it would have been different.''
In the spring book, 96X finished sixth with a 5.1 share of the 18-to-34 morning-drive audience. The Top 5 this summer were WOWI (16.7), WNOR (13.3), WROX (8.4), WNVZ-FM (7.0) and WAFX (6.5).
Bob Sinclair, vice president and general manager of WROX, said his station's performance jibes with its goal.
``We're focused on the young end of modern rock,'' he said. ``It's a decision we made to superserve the 18- to 34-year-olds, be patient and let those listeners grow into the 25-to-54 demographic. Every single day we have hundreds of listeners go into that demographic.
``The whole alternative scene is on a boom. People in their 20s and 30s, even their 40s, like it. I think we're positioned pretty well.''
While the dust has settled some, the winter Arbitrons, due out in January, will be even more telling.
FM99's new morning team of Tommy Griffiths and Rick Rumble will have a full book under its belt. And any day now, 96X will have its downtown transmitter operating atop Dominion Tower. The signal will be significantly stronger in downtown Norfolk and Portsmouth.
The final part of the equation is Howard Stern. WKOC-FM dumped its morning-drive program earlier this month to pick up Stern's syndicated talk show. The Coast finished the summer in a tie for 14th (2.5) among listeners 12 and up, 10th (3.7) among those 18-34 and 12th (3.3) with 25- to 54-year-olds.
Program director Mark Bradley already has his sights set.
``We're hoping that with Howard in the book, we'll skyrocket and be the No. 1 station,'' he said. ``If Howard brings in enough listeners, we can become competitive with WNOR on a side-by-side basis.''
Here are the ratings for the Top 20 stations among all listeners age 12 and up, Monday through Sunday from 6 a.m. to midnight. Listings include the rank, station and audience share.
1. WOWI-FM, 10.7
2. WJCD-FM, 7.5
3. WCMS-FM, 7.1
4. WNOR-FM, 7.0
5. WGH-FM, 5.4
6. WNVZ-FM, 5.1
7. WWDE-FM, 5.0
8. WLTY-FM, 4.8
9. WAFX-FM, 4.5
10. WFOG-FM, 4.2
11. WROX-FM, 4.0
12. WKOC-FM, 3.5
13. WNIS-AM, 3.2
14. WSVY-FM, 2.8
15. WJQI-FM, 2.7
16. (tie) WMYK-FM and WPCE-AM, 2.0
18. WXEZ-FM, 1.6
19. WSVY-AM, 1.4
20. WTAR-AM, 1.2 by CNB