Clear Channel radio moves up dial in last ratings cycle

By Yvonne Teems

The first half of the year has been a smooth ride for Clear Channel Dayton. The biggest radio conglomerate in town saw a nearly 6 percent revenue increase while the rest of the Dayton market experienced a 2 percent drop.

As a result, the seven Clear Channel stations may have gained a leg-up over other Dayton stations, including those owned by Cox Radio and Radio One.

But in spite of Clear Channel nosing ahead of the pack, Cox Radio said it has a firm handle on the market with a blossoming new station and the rising popularity of country music.

Clear Channel Dayton’s rise is largely due to the addition of radio veteran Chuck Fredrick, who was hired as Dayton’s market manager in January, said Rob Riggsbee, president of Cincinnati-based media buyer Inside Media Inc.

The radio group also launched seven stations in digital high-definition format in February in response to the gaining popularity of satellite radio operators Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and XM Satellite Radio.

Cox Radio’s Dayton stations have plans for rolling out at least one HD station for each of its regular stations within the next year, said Nick Roberts, operations manager for Cox Radio.

While a rise in revenue doesn’t mean an uptick in ratings, Clear Channel’s Dayton stations are enjoying both. The battle for the top spot is habitually between Clear Channel’s WMMX-FM 107.7, a Top 40 station, and Cox’s WHKO-FM 99.1, a country station, Riggsbee said.

This spring, WMMX-FM beat out the country station for the No. 1 spot, according to Arbitron ratings released in late July. The ratings are for adults between 25 and 54, a key demographic for advertisers, Riggsbee said.

And better ratings translate into more advertising dollars.

The cost for radio spots vary, but on average, 30-second commercials on Dayton radio stations cost between $70 and $100 while 60-second spots cost between $170 and $200, local media watchers report.

Clear Channel’s WTUE-FM 104.7, a classic rock station with a popular morning talk show Bob & Tom, dropped to third place in the market from first last spring, but its morning show remains No. 1 in adult male demographic categories. The show has likely helped to pus Cox’s WHIO-AM 1290 talk show out of the top 10, Riggsbee said.

While WHIO has local talk in the morning, it has national programs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., including Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. Many listeners can podcast, or download, the national programs onto their computers and listen to them any of the day, Riggsbee said.

The syndicated programming led to a fall at WHIO, one of the most drastic in this ratings period. The station tumbled out of the top 10 this spring from its seat at No. 6 last spring, he said.

In spite of some losses, Roberts said he’s proud of some Cox stations’ performances. Country station WHKO-FM remained a strong station with its share rating.

And Cox also had success changing its former classic rock station WZLR-FM 95.3 into a female-targeted 1960s and 1970s oldies/classic rock station in March, which bumped it into the top 10 at No. 9.

While the rankings feature three Clear Channel stations in the top five, current events can change ratings and rankings.

As November elections approach, news/talk stations such as WHIO may see ratings spike as listeners tune in to hear Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity’s opinions on the political climate.