Do radio listeners only want oldies, or are they desperate for new music?

Los Angeles loves its oldies, as proven by the September ratings that were released last month.

Earning close to its highest rating ever, the all-oldies (sorry, all-classic hits) KRTH (101.1 FM) was on top with a full 7.3 share among listeners aged six and over, a point and a half higher than second-place My FM’s (KBIG, 104.3 FM) 5.8. KOST (103.1 FM) was right behind at 5.5, followed by The Wave (KTWV, 94.7 FM) at 4.8 and KNX (1070 AM, 97.1 FM) at 4.3.

Considering that KOST and My FM rely a lot on oldies and “re-currents,” or songs that are still popular but outside of what you would consider new, you really don’t get into current music until KIIS (102.7 FM) shows up in 6th place with a 3.7 share — its lowest in recent memory — which makes one wonder: do listeners really like oldies that much, or are we just in a new music slump?

Alternative rocker KROQ (106.7 FM) beat competitor Alt 98.7, but barely: 3.2 to 3.1. KFI (640 AM) was way down, something I did allude to a few weeks ago, at 2.9. I am reluctant to say that they are in a slump, though, because I know how the ratings work …  I’ll withhold judgment for now. The September 2.9 compares with a 3.6 in August.

After riding high for a few months, Go Country KKGO (105.1 FM) was down to a 2.1 in September again, something I would not be overly concerned with … yet. I think country is going through a period in which the popular songs are being overplayed, and some new hits and rare oldies need to be added. Jack FM (KCBS-FM, 93.1) tied with KLOS (95.5 FM), though both were down slightly from August, 3.6 from 3.8. This compares with June, when KLOS beat Jack 4.4 to 3.8.

Other interesting results: KLAC (570 AM), on the strength of the Dodgers, hit a 1.7 share, its highest in memory; Classical KUSC (91.5 FM) broke into the top-10, making the third part of a three-way tie with Jack and KLOS at 7th; and KROQ’s digital HD2 stream that plays the songs that made KROQ famous in the 1980s earned a 0.1 share. That may not sound like a lot, but all things considered, the fact that it has had this same rating for the past four months means there is a dedicated listenership willing to tune in.

Each rating is an estimate of the percentage of listeners, aged six and over, tuned to a station between the hours of 6 a.m. and 12 midnight as determined by Nielsen:

1. KRTH (7.3) 2. My FM KBIG (5.8) 3. KOST (5.5) 4. The Wave KTWV (4.8) 5. KNX AM/FM (4.3) 6. KIIS (3.7) 7. Jack KCBS-FM, KLOS, KUSC (3.6) 10. K-Love KLVE (3.5)

11. KROQ (3.2) 12. KLAX, Alt KYSR (3.1) 14. KFI, KPCC, KSCA (2.9) 17. KCRW (2.5) 18. Go Country KKGO (2.1) 19. K-Jazz KKJZ (2.0) 20. KXOL (1.9)

21. KBUE, KJLH, Real KRRL (1.8) 24. KKLQ, KLAC, Power 106 KPWR (1.7) 27. Cali KLLI (1.5) 28. KDAY, KRCD (1.3) 30. KLYY (1.1)

31. KFWB (1.0) 32. KRLA (0.7) 33. KAIA, KEIB (0.6) 35. SoCalSound KCSN (0.5) 36. KDLD, KKLA, KNX-AM/FM Stream, KTNQ, KTWV Stream, KWKW (0.2)

42. KCBS-FM Stream, KCRW HD2, KHJ, KKGO HD3, KKLQ HD2, KNX HD2, KROQ HD2, KTLW, K-Wave KWVE, KXOL Stream (0.1)

Ratings are courtesy of Nielsen Audio.

Short Song Followup

I got quite a few emails already regarding last week’s column on shortened “AM versions” of songs. I wanted to take some time to discuss the issue more, but wanted to also give you more time to write in if you are so inclined. I’ll compile the letters for next week.

And Then There Was One…

For many tears, there were actually two versions of online tributes to the original Mellow Sound KNX-FM. Now there is just one, as Michael Sheehy — one of the original air personalities and programmers of the legendary station — made the decision to turn off his stream. That is unfortunate, as one of his future projects was going to be presenting a version of how he thought the station would sound today, playing current music. Alas, I am told it was just too time-consuming.

That leaves the excellent competitor, themellowsound.net, as the lone tribute station. Luckily, it is well-programmed, well-promoted, and very popular. If you were a fan of the original KNX-FM, you owe it to yourself to tune in online and via apps. You’ll hear much of the same music, some of the original personalities, and my favorite: The Odyssey File, voiced by one-time station news director Christopher Ames.

Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance columnist covering radio in Southern California. Email rwagoner@socalradiowaves.com