A Shake-Up at Top of L.A. Radio

Just one year after it entered the Spanish-language radio field, KSCA-FM (101.9), which plays Mexican regional music, jumped Tuesday to the top of the quarterly Arbitron ratings--displacing sister station KLVE-FM (107.5), which had been the champion for the previous 27 months.

KSCA drew 5.4% of the audience 12 and over in Los Angeles and Orange counties during the three-month survey period, compared to 5.3% for KLVE, a Spanish adult contemporary music station. Both stations are owned by Heftel Broadcasting.

Taking top honors among English-language stations was talk outlet KFI-AM (640), which climbed from a fifth-place tie last time to third place with a 4.4% share of audience.

The largest advances were made by two stations that made substantial changes in personnel or format: Spanish-language KLAX-FM (97.9) and KCMG-FM (100.3). Both increased their share by 1.3 points.

KLAX, which also plays Mexican regional music, went from a 19th-place tie to an eighth-place tie and a 3.4% share. KLAX had been the first Spanish station to go to No. 1 in L.A. in fall 1992, but over the past four years it had lost nearly two-thirds of its audience. In the past five months, its owners spent more than $1 million, hiring marketing directors, boosting the signal and bringing in new talent--particularly Martin Fabian, deejay and programming director.

And KCMG-FM (100.3), the former KIBB-FM, under its new “Mega 100” banner, rose from a 25th-place tie to 14th place with a 2.7% share. The station had switched last November from playing dance music to an oldies format aimed mainly at Latinas. The shift apparently took a bite out of longtime oldies king KRTH-FM (101.1), which fell from a 4% share to 3.4%.

At first glance, it might appear that KFI benefited from the swirl of allegations surrounding President Clinton that broke early in the survey period, which ran from Jan. 8 to April 1. But the evidence among other talk and news stations was mixed.

KABC-AM (790), for example, dropped from a 3% share and a 10th-place tie to 2.6% and 15th place. This is the lowest ranking the talk station has had in three years. Meanwhile, talk station KLSX-FM (97.1) stayed put--from 2.5% and 17th place in the previous quarter to 2.4% and a 17th-place tie this time.

News station KNX-AM (1070) rose from 2% and 22nd place to 2.4% and a 17th-place tie while rival news outlet KFWB-AM (980) stayed even at 2.1%.

The share is the percentage of the listening audience that tunes in for at least five minutes in any continuous 15-minute period.

In the key morning drive period, weekdays 6-10 a.m., KSCA’s Renan Almendarez Coello took first place for the third quarter in a row while increasing his audience share from 6.7% to 7.4. In second place was KLVE’s Pepe Barreto with 5.5%, down from 5.9% last quarter.

Howard Stern, who had made a dramatic jump to 6.4% last quarter on the strength of his movie “Private Parts,” fell a full percentage point to 5.4% and third place, though still first among English-language hosts.

It was uncertain what sort of impact the new morning team at KYSR-FM (98.7) was having, since the trio--Jamie White, Frosty Stillwell and Frank Kramer--began broadcasting Feb. 16, in mid-survey. In morning drive the station dropped from 2.3% and an 18th-place tie to 2% and 21st place.

In afternoon drive, 3-7 p.m., hip-hop station KPWR-FM (105.9) moved into first place from third place with a 4.6% share, while KLVE dropped substantially from 5.3% to 4.4% and finished second.

Among talk hosts, KFI’s afternoon team of John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou were tied for 12th place at 3.1%, dropping from 3.3% and eighth place in fall 1997. KABC took 2.9% of the audience--with Larry Elder getting the full four-hour shift back Feb. 9. Tom Leykis on KLSX moved from 1.3% to 1.8%.

Times staff writer Kevin Baxter contributed to this report.

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Radio Ratings

The area’s top 25 stations and their Arbitron ratings for the first three months of 1998, compared with how they fared in the final quarter of 1997:

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CURRENT LAST QUARTER 1. KSCA-FM 5.4 4.9 2. KLVE-FM 5.3 6.1 3. KFI-AM 4.4 4.0 4. KPWR-FM 4.0 4.2 5. KKBT-FM 3.9 4.5 6. KIIS-FM 3.8 4.0 KOST-FM 3.8 3.8 8. KRTH-FM 3.4 4.0 KLAX-FM 3.4 2.1 KROQ-FM 3.4 3.0 11. KTWV-FM 3.3 3.4 12. KBIG-FM 3.0 2.7 13. KYSR-FM 2.9 2.8 14. KCMG-FM 2.7 1.4 15. KABC-AM 2.6 3.0 16. KCBS-FM 2.5 2.7 17. KNX-AM 2.4 2.0 KLSX-FM 2.4 2.5 19. KZLA-FM 2.3 2.7 KLOS-FM 2.3 2.6 21. KLAC-AM 2.2 2.3 22. KFWB-AM 2.1 2.1 23. KKGO-FM 1.9 1.7 KTNQ-AM 1.9 2.1 25. KBUE-FM 1.7 1.6

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The ratings survey covers people 12 and older listening between 6 a.m. and midnight, from Jan. 8 through April 1.