According to the Tribune, ESPN 1000 edged out WSCR 670 in the latest books:
The Cubs' charge to the playoffs may have ended in more heartbreak for fans, but it lifted WGN-AM 720 to another first-place finish in the Arbitron radio ratings released Monday.
The station's 6.6 share among listeners 12 and older put it almost two full points ahead of second-place WBBM-AM 780 (4.7) for the summer period from June 28 to Sept. 19.
WGN program director Bob Shomper noted that time slots outside Cubs programming showed continued growth, including mornings and middays, but he was happy for the assist.
"That helped quite a bit, there's no question about it," he said. "Not only the Cubs being in first but, as exciting as the pennant race was, not knowing who's going to be on top from day to day."
WGN and the Cubs, like this newspaper, are owned by Tribune Co.
Other stations flexing some muscle included WOJO-FM 105.1 and WVAZ-FM 102.7. Rafael "El Pistolero" Pulido, the WOJO morning man who won a coveted Marconi award from the National Association of Broadcasters last month (as did WGN), has essentially doubled his station's 6-10 a.m. audience over the last year among listeners 12 and older (2.6 to 5.0), 18 to 34 (5.0 to 10.6) and men 25-54 (3.9 to 7.
.
"I don't think it's a secret that the more he gets connected to the audience, the more their loyalty evolves and multiplies," said Cesar Canales, operations manager for Univision Radio's Chicago stations. "Radio is a cultural vehicle to the Hispanic community, not just an entertainment vehicle."
Overall, Spanish-language WOJO finished third, with a 4.6 share. Just behind was WVAZ (4.5), which tied its Clear Channel sister station WGCI-FM 107.5 for 4th place (4.5) but showed signs of pulling away from WGCI as Chicago's most popular urban-music station.
WVAZ not only knocked WGCI out of first among the age 25-54 demo but also pulled a full point ahead (5.7 to 4.6) in the category. The gulf was greater among women 25-54 (8.0 to 5.5).
"It's been a long time coming," said WVAZ program director Derrick Brown, who took over in July. "We are absolutely focused on 25-54 like a laser beam. 'GCI was always the cradle-to-grave urban station but now, as in all media, we have to be specialists in certain demographics, and that's where 'VAZ comes in."
WGCI's ouster of Crazy Howard McGee was felt among morning listeners 12 and older (down to 3.5 from 4.2). Another recent radio casualty, John Landecker, finished up his afternoon-drive stint at WZZN-FM 94.7 with a 12th-place finish overall (2.
, about the same as his last three books.
Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart continued to dominate mornings among women 25-54 (1st, 9.5) for WTMX-FM 101.9. Steve Dahl kept propping up WCKG-FM 105.9 (2nd, 5.2 among men 25-54). WKQX-FM 101.1 still is paying for dismissing morning-man Mancow Muller (27th, 1.0 among morning listeners 12 and older). Sports-talk WMVP-AM 1000 bounced back from a poor spring book to edge rival WSCR-AM 670 among men 25-54 (3.2 to 2.9). And bosses at WLS-AM 890 have to be concerned about a big drop to 14th place from 7th as its share of 12 and older listeners plummeted to 2.7 from 3.6.
Rounding out the top 10 were WNUA-FM 95.5 (6th, 4.2), WKSC-FM 103.5 (7th, 3.5), WBBM-FM 96.3 (8th, 3.2), WUSN-FM 99.5 (9th, 3.1) and WPPN-FM 106.7 (10th, 3.0).