Posted by chicagomedia.org on April 24, 2009 at 14:46:31:
In Reply to: Chicago's Arbitron PPM Ratings For March 2009 Released posted by chicagomedia.org on April 23, 2009 at 09:32:00:
Giving listeners what they want pays off with top ratings
The March Arbitron radio ratings are out, and as many savvy observers suspected would be the case, the previously dominant news/talk WBBM-AM (780) has fallen from its No. 1 perch all the way to No. 4 in the key 25- to 54-year-old demo Monday through Sunday. Some attribute WBBM's drop to there being less political drama from the likes of Barack Obama and former Gov. Rod Blagojevich to draw people to the station.
Whatever the case, the cooling off of WBBM's ratings has proved a boon for two Bonneville International-owned stations, classic hits WDRV-FM (97.1) and adult-contemporary WTMX-FM (101.9), which wound up No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in the 25- to 54-year-old demo, the most sought after by advertisers.
WDRV inched up to No. 1 from second place in the February book, and WTMX surged to second from fifth. Why all the success for these Bonneville stations? It may have something to do with the fact that unlike most radio station operators in Chicago, Bonneville is debt-free and privately owned.
And unlike many stations which have spent the last few months slashing staff and forcing remaining employees to handle two or three jobs, Bonneville employs a full complement of staff at each of its stations. Plus we're told Bonneville spends amply on research and marketing to make sure it's giving audiences what they want, not what management thinks they want.
Meanwhile, Citadel Broadcasting's news/talk WLS-AM (890), which was tied for 10th in the March book in the 25 to 54 demo, continues to outshine its chief competitor, WGN-AM (720), which slumped from a tie for 21st in February to a tie for 24th. But baseball season is here, and WGN may get a little boost from its Cubs broadcasts.
(Lewis Lazare, Chicago Sun-Times)