UTICA-ROME -- Townsquare Media's quartet of stations finished #1-2-3-4 in the Fall 2011 audience estimates just released by Eastlan Ratings. With it's 100,000-watt powerhouse signal, it's no surprise to see country Big Frog 104 (WFRG) leading the pack once again.
The Townsquare domination continues with AC Lite 98.7 (WLZW)'s 11.8 share, a full two-point rebound from the Spring, and more than four points up, fall-to-fall. News/talk WIBX posted its best book out of the last four, with a solid 10.0. That's the first time WIBX has been in the "double digit club" since the Fall 2009 survey. Oldiez 96.1 (WODZ) wraps up the sweep with a 7.2, slightly better than the spring survey.
Galaxy's heritage classic rocker 96.9 WOUR rounds out the top five, posting a 6.1 share, flat with the spring book, but down two points compared to both 2010 surveys. Nipping at WOUR's heels, former sister stations (back in the Clear Channel days) WSKS and WSKU; the Kiss-FM CHR simulcast now owned by Roser Communications Network nets a 5.9 share, ranking #6 overall in the market.
The Utica-Rome version of Galaxy's K-Rock (WKLL; very similar to, but not officially a simulcast of K-Rock Syracuse) and WRVN (which is a simulcast of NPR affiliate WRVO/Oswego) tied for 7th place, each posting a 5.2 share.
It drops off sharply from there, with WUNY (a simulcast of Syracuse's WCNY-FM) earning a 2.8 share. Arjuna's 92.7 The Drive (WXUR) checks in a #10 with a 2.4 share, rebounding from the first "post-Keeler" book in the Spring, and doing even a little better than last fall, when Keeler still hosted mornings. Galaxy's Hot AC Mix 102.5 (WUMX) just barely misses the top 10 with a 2.3 share.
Leatherstocking's WUTI 1150 makes the survey for the first time, posting a 1.4 share with its simulcast of the CNY Talk Radio also heard on WFBL/Baldwinsville and WMCR-AM/Oneida.
Roser's WUTQ 95.5 (which consists of WUTQ and WADR on the AM dial, plus a 95.5FM translator) took a 2.2-point hit, ending up with a 1.2 for the book. That ties it with the Christian music on WRCK-FM, which Roser is in the process of buying from Educational Media Foundation... while Roser hasn't announced its plans for WRCK, many observers we've checked with say they wouldn't be surprised to see Roser add WRCK to the WUTQ trimulcast when the deal closes.
Galaxy's ESPN Radio continues to improve, though slowly: the station posted a 1.3 share for the Fall 2011 survey, its best out of the past five Eastlan books.
Please note that the estimates released by Eastlan Ratings represent an "overall" look at ratings. The numbers here reflect listening habits for all listeners ages 12+, seven days a week, 6am to midnight. These ratings do NOT reflect any station's performance within a specific target demographic. (For example, a station which appears to be "middle of the pack" in this report might be only concerned with targeting men ages 25-54, and it could be doing extremely well in that particular demographic.)
Click here to see the full Persons 12+ report provided to CNYRadio.com by Eastlan Ratings.
I suspect the ratings listed for "WRCK" are actually for 107.3, which EMF is keeping, rather than for 100.7, which is being sold.