All Access Exclusive: Chicago And San Diego Arb Analysis

Exclusive Analysis From Anthony Acampora

As radio gets a peek into the first few pages of ARBITRON's FALL book, RADIOCRUNCH Pres. ANTHONY ACAMPORA continues to delve into the stories behind the numbers. TODAY, it's CHICAGO and SAN DIEGO.

CHICAGO: CLEAR CHANNEL Cleans Up With 25-54 Domination; 'Jack' Top CBS FM 25-54

The FALL book saw CLEAR CHANNEL Urban WGCI return to the top spot across all three major cells: 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 adults. WGCI rose from second place 18-34 and 18-49, and from third place 25-54. Sister AC WLIT, on the strength of the CHRISTMAS hit parade, soared in all demos. WLIT rose from 19th to 6th 18-49 and 14th to 3rd 25-54. It will be interesting to watch how much of that momentum WLIT can carry with new CBS competitor WCFS (FRESH 105.9) logging its first full book in WINTER 2008.

However, the big news was the huge book for CLEAR CHANNEL's cluster. WGCI succeeded sister Urban AC WVAZ as the 25-54 leader. WLIT was 3rd, Smooth AC WNUA moved from 5th to 4th, while 'VAZ slipped back to fifth. The only non-CC station in the top five was UNIVISION Regional Mexican WOJO, which held steady this book. WOJO's primary competitor, SBS Regional Mexican WLEY (LA LEY) scored a solid book. WLEY moved from 14th to 7th 25-54, 8th to 4th 18-49, 7th to 5th 18-34.

Other Highlights

* EMMIS Alternative WKQX (Q101.1), which has undergone personality and musical shifts this past book, moved back into the top 10 18-34 with a pretty healthy share increase in the cell.

* CBS Adult Hits WJMK (JACK-FM) continues its steady climb in the 25-54 cell. While it remained 11th in demo, it has seen growth of 25% in just the last three books. While taking some to build, "JACK-FM" is becoming a formidable competitor in the WINDY CITY. In reality, it beat sister AAA WXRT and Country WUSN among 25-54s, and was the highest rated CBS FM station.

SAN DIEGO Shocker:: 'Jack' Beats 'Jeff & Jer'; KSON Takes 25-54 Crown

In APRIL of 2005, shockwaves were sent through SAN DIEGO. With the possibility of losing then-morning stars JEFF & JER to another outlet in town, owner MIDWEST TV gambled and flipped highly rated KFMB-FM (STAR 100.7) from its Hot AC format to Adult Hits "Jack-FM." JEFF & JER eventually moved to CLEAR CHANNEL Hot AC rival KMYI (MY 94-1). In SEPTEMBER 2005, KMYI would pick up the "STAR" name. Just over two years later, not only has "JACK-FM" become a huge player overall, the station's morning show beat JEFF & JER in the 25-54 cell this book. Full week, KFMB-FM and KMYI-FM swapped places, with KFMB-FM moving from 7th to 2nd and KMYI-FM sliding from 2nd down to 7th. 

LINCOLN FINANCIAL Country KSON was also a big winner this book, moving from 6th to 1st 25-54. KSON was up 40% from the SUMMER book. KUSS has almost a 3-1 share lead over CLEAR CHANNEL rival KUSS.

UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLNV (LA NUEVA) held on to the top spot 18-34, while also moving from 3rd to 1st 18-49 and 8th to 4th 25-54. However, sister Spanish Oldies KLQV (RECUERDO) had an off book, dropping from 3rd to 11th 25-54.

While CBS heritage AC KYXY remains a solid #3 25-54, the news wasn't as good for Hot AC KSCF (SOPHIE @103.7). The outlet actually has slipped 31% from its final 25-54 numbers as FM Talk "FREE-FM" in the SPRING and now ranks 24th in demo. 

FINEST CITY has seen a resurgence with Alternative XTRA-FM (91X) surging from 9th to 5th 18-34 and 14th to 6th 18-49 -- beating LINCOLN FINANCIAL rival KBZT in those demos. However, KBZT did beat 91X among adults 25-54.

Posting huge growth this book was CLEAR CHANNEL Active Rock KIOZ, which surged from 6th to 3rd 18-34, 10th to 4th 18-49, and 15th to 7th 25-54. Another first-place finish for the SAN DIEGO CHARGERS was a contributing factor for the team's flagship.

The SAN DIEGO rhythmic battle saw FINEST CITY's XHTZ (Z90) double its 18-34 lead to 50% over MEC rival XMOR (BLAZIN' 98-9). Z90 was up in share, despite slipping from 3rd to 4th, while XMOR was flat in share, but moved up slightly in rank from 7th to 6th.

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