Seattle's KUBE FM is number one - Puget Sound Radio®

KUBE-FM hip-hops to No. 1
Friday, July 28, 2006

By BILL VIRGIN
P-I REPORTER

The introduction of a new country station in the Seattle-Tacoma market in December was good news, in an indirect way, for a station in a considerably different genre of music -- urban contemporary and hip-hop.

With KMPS-FM (94.1) and newcomer KKWF-FM (100.7) battling over the country market, urban-contemporary KUBE-FM (93.3) took over first place in the spring-quarter radio ratings released Thursday by The Arbitron Co.

KMPS has finished first in the market for several quarters, but it slipped to second behind KUBE. KOMO-AM (1000), riding the improvement of the Mariners (for which it is the flagship station), placed third in spring quarter, up from a tie for ninth in the winter ratings book. KKWF, marketed as "The Wolf," climbed from a tie for ninth in the winter ratings book to a tie for sixth in spring.

Placing fourth was KRWM-FM (106.9), followed by KIRO-AM (710); KKWF-FM, KCMS-FM (105.3), and KBSG-FM (97.3), tied for sixth; KWJZ-FM (98.9) and KISW-FM (99.9), tied for ninth; KZOK-FM (102.5); KJR-FM (95.7); KBKS-FM (106.1); KTTH-AM (770); KING-FM (98.1), KMTT-FM (103.7) and KJAQ-FM (96.5), tied for 15th; KVI-AM (570) and KPLZ-FM (101.5), tied for 18th; KNDD-FM (107.7); KIXI-AM (880); KQMV-FM (92.5); KPTK-AM (1090) and KJR-AM (950), tied for 23rd; KNBQ-FM (102.9); KDDS-FM (99.3); KXXO-FM (96.1); KCIS-AM (630) and KFNK-FM (104.9), tied for 28th; KWPZ-FM (106.5) and KGNW-AM (820), tied for 30th; and KISM-FM (92.9) and KFMY-FM (97.7), tied for 32nd.

The overall ratings reflect listeners 12 and older tuned in Monday through Sunday, 6 a.m. to midnight. They do not include non-commercial stations, although separate tabulations indicate that KUOW-FM (94.9) and KPLU-FM (88.5) would be among the top stations in the market if included on this list.

Radio station managers and advertisers also say they pay closer attention to performance within demographic target audiences; Arbitron sells that information to its clients.

KUBE and its T-Man show placed first in spring quarter 6-10 a.m. weekdays, followed by Ichabod Caine on KMPS, KIRO's morning news and Bob Rivers on KZOK-FM. KMPS reclaimed the top spot in the midday (10 a.m.-3 p.m.) segment, with KUBE leading in 3-7 p.m., 7 p.m.-midnight and weekends; KOMO, with baseball, placed second in all three segments.

Among the notable trends in the quarter, the "play what we want," no-announcers Jack format on KJAQ, after an initial flurry in the ratings, lost ground in terms of its share of listenership from winter to spring, although its ranking actually rose. KQMV, which dumped its adult contemporary format as KLSY in favor of rhythmic music midway through the quarter, showed a slight gain in audience share and ranking.

A trend to watch in the summer ratings book will be what happens to adult-standards-format KIXI, which dumped its local hosts for a syndicated service, prompting listener outrage.

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P-I reporter Bill Virgin can be reached at 206-448-8319 or billvirgin@seattlepi.com.