Galaxy Communications tells the Utica Observer-Dispatch it's had remarkable ratings improvements with WOUR and Mix 102.5, two of the stations it acquired from Clear Channel in 2007. The company also announced plans to bring its Gomez & Dave simulcast back to the Utica-Rome market.
In the article published Thursday, Galaxy's Ed Levine says heritage rocker WOUR 96.9 and AC Mix 102.5 (WUMX) saw ratings increases over the "last six weeks of the ratings period." But the article doesn't mention when that ratings period was -- so there's no telling if the numbers reflect Clear Channel ownership or Galaxy ownership.
Galaxy is known for using Eastlan ratings, a competitor to Arbitron. While the ratings periods for both services are similar (based on the four seasons of the year), Eastlan's website says its Spring 2008 survey will run April 3 until May 28. Arbitron's spring survey will run April 5 through June 27, which is 28 days longer than Eastlan.
The article reminds listeners that Gomez & Dave, longtime morning personalities on TK99/105 in Syracuse, had briefly been simulcast on WRCK, when it was owned by Galaxy as Rock 107 (that's 107.3, not 107.5 as the paper reported). When Galaxy purchased the Clear Channel cluster, it spun off WRCK, making WOUR the sole classic rocker in the market. WOUR had been running the nationally-syndicated Bob & Tom Show -- contractual obligations there are presumably the reason why Gomez & Dave hadn't moved to WOUR sooner.