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According
to Nielsen Audio PPM ratings for March 2019, NPR News/Talk station KERA has
increased its lead as the number one radio news source in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Longtime market leaders, Cumulus’ WBAP and Entercom’s KRLD trail KERA in both
AQH share and estimated weekly listeners.
Gordon McClendon would probably
rollover in his grave if he KLIF’s pitiful performance.
KLIF was once one of
the nation’s leading commercial news stations. (Scroll down the read more about
KLIF.)
In
Chicago, WBEZ had one of its best “books” in recent memory.
WBEZ still trails
perpetual commercial news station WBBM.
‘BEZ now leads both WGM and WLS in
both AQH share and weekly listeners.
Another
Chicago note: EMF’s K-LOVE repeater
WCKL continues to loose listeners.
When
this station was The Loop, it frequently had more than a million weekly listeners.
In
the Bay Area, KQED continues to have the top AQH all rated stations in the
market, regardless of format.
KCBS now leads KQED in estimated weekly
listeners.
Speaking
of KQED-FM, best wishes to retiring GM Joanne Wallace, one of public radio’s Greatest Generation.
Wallace has been
influential in format focusing, improving NPR News’ relations with member stations
and a friend to many in the biz including us.
Rhode
Island Public Radio is still neck-and-neck with WGBH in Providence with
estimated weekly listeners but has the advantage in AQH share.
Boston
stations are factors in Providence because of the proximity and shared values. Witness
WBZ’s presence in Rhode Island.
BRAD MESSER, NEWS
REPORTER FOR KMET, DIES AT 79
Sometimes
when we hear of the passing of person who was involved with a great age of
commercial radio – back when the content was as important as the money – we
think the person would have loved to work in public radio.
Such is true of Brad Messer.
Messer
was involved in at least two eras of radio that influenced folks who currently work in public radio news.
 |
| KMET's subtle logo |
Messer
was News Director of progressive rock KMET, Los Angeles during and just after
the Vietnam War. A veteran of Vietnam, Messer had unique sources and contacts. He broke several national stories about
discrepancies in the official “body counts” provided by the Defense Department
that falsely tried to show the US was winning the war.
In
the 1960s Messer worked with legendary programmer Gordon McLendon as News
Director at KILT in Houston abd KLIF in Dallas. KLIF was one of the nation’s
first all-news stations. Messer perfected McLendon’s style of quick, fact-based
reporting, ample use of live reports and thoughtful, but brief, commentaries.
 |
| image from Messer's website |
The
wonderful blog LARadio.com was the
first to report on Messer’s death. The site reports that Messer worked in radio
for more than 37 years as a reporter, News Director and talk show host. He also
wrote a column about radio news for Radio & Records in the late 1980s and
early 1990s.
TALKERS publisher Michael
Harrison said of Messer:
“Brad Messer was the
quintessential radio newsperson of the modern era, the greatest of his
generation – not to mention a superb talk show host – and one of the finest
human beings I have had the privilege of knowing in the broadcasting business.”
Later
in his career, Messer was a talk show host at KTSA in San Antonio. One day in
1992 his topic was reinstating the draft. Messer seldom mentioned his service
in Vietnam, but on this particular day he did.
The
next caller stunned Messer by saying
“Thanks for going over there.” Then there was silence.
Messer
reappeared with a choked up voice and said "That's
the first time anyone has ever said thank you."
The
story made national news because the incident signaled changing views by the public about Vietnam vets.
If
you want to learn more about the life and times of Brad Messer, check out his
personal website here.
Much as love hearing that RIPR is trouncing WGBH, the ratings information I have for March 2019 is that WGBH's AQH is 1.6 and cume is 71,500. Whereas RIPR (listed as WELH) is 1.6 and 80,000.
ReplyDeleteBoth stations dropped from February when they had a 1.9.
Also, while our parent organization is "Rhode Island Public Radio, Inc", the branding of our stations is "The Public's Radio." Has been since last October.