Sunday, April 12, 2009 - 11:00 am
This from Radio and Records-
BIAFn Top 10 Billing Radio Stations - 2008
KIIS/Los Angeles $66.3 million Clear Channel Communications
KROQ/Los Angeles $56.1 million CBS Radio
KFI/Los Angeles $54.4 million Clear Channel Communications
WLTW/New York $52.6 million Clear Channel Communications
WINS/New York $51.8 million CBS Radio
WTOP/Washington $51.75 million Bonneville International
WHTZ/New York $49.6 million Clear Channel Communications
WCBS/New York $46.7 million CBS Radio
KPWR/Los Angeles $46.3 million Emmis Communications
KOST/Los Angeles $45.7 million Clear Channel Communications
Sunday, April 12, 2009 - 11:28 am
Top billing in a dying economy.
"L.A. CHR/top 40 KIIS topped the list, billing $66.3 million in 2008, a slight improvement from the $65.9 million it generated in 2007 when it was second behind CBS Radio’s alternative KROQ, which topped the 2007 BIA list with $67.6 million but fell last year $11.5 million to $56.1 million in 2008 revenues for second place.
Clear Channel’s hard-charging news/talk KFI was third with $54.4 million, a drop from $61.1 million and fourth place in 2007. KFI stepped a head of its New York sister-station, AC WLTW, which generated $52.6 million in revenues last year, a decrease of $10.2 million from the $62.8 million billed in 2007.
CBS Radio’s news station in the Big Apple, WINS, held on to the No. 5 spot with $51.8 million in revenues in 2008, a fall from the $57.7 million generated the year before, while Bonneville International’s news WTOP in the nation’s capital was the fastest gainer on the chart, moving to No. 6 from No. 10 in 2007 with $51.750 million in revenues, up only slightly from 2007’s $51.475 million.
Don Imus’ April 2007 satirical utterance of “nappy-headed hoes” to describe girls on the Rutgers University basketball team may have been the most expensive words used in the history of radio. His then-employer, CBS Radio's sports/talk WFAN/New York was for years among the top billing stations in the nation, often No. 1, but had slipped to No. 9 with $50.6 million on the 2006 BIA list and was missing entirely from the 2007 and 2008 charts. "Imus In the Morning" is currently based from Citadel’s WABC in New York"
http://www.radioandrecords.com/RRWebsite20/members/ShowHeadline.aspx?FormatId=0& ContentID=48572
Sunday, April 12, 2009 - 2:07 pm
I remember that in the late 90s, WFAN was number one nationwide for billing. It is fascinating how losing one show (Imus) could start a precipitous fall like that!
Sunday, April 12, 2009 - 2:35 pm
Those numbers still represent a lot of coin. The thing is they just don't support their OWN operations. The five LA stations are billing a quarter of a BILLION DOLLARS!!!!! The four NY stations, over 200 million!!! So revenues down in a soft economy and the major markets are comfortable. Big nuts to crack or not, they have to feel comfortable with the direction they are going.
This is what kills me about staff cuts across the board. They've built an empire where, for the most part no station has to depend on it's own revenues to survive, So each station contributes to the overall profits of the company, but the people that do the work are the one who get the axe. Cut loose not to be profitable, but to MAINTAIN the MARGIN! That is what sucks.
When you hear about the government wanting to keep a strong viable middle class, and you realize the importance of the "middle class" carrying the biggest burden, the wholesale loss of jobs within this group is unacceptable.
If the corporate world can live with cutting loose these profit sucking working class leeches, Well by all means cut away. Send the manufacturing jobs overseas, Radio run coast to coast syndication, and incorporate wholesale voicetracking. While many people would LOVE to remain viable and productive, it won't take much to create a whole new class of government dependents.
If you weren't willing to provide a living wage to a fully staffed company that made comfortable profits and provided a quality of life for its workers, I hope you will be happy running an investor-centric company and happily pay the 90 percent tax rate to support the people you didn't want on the payroll.
It really seems simple... you pay people to work to produce and deliver your product/service, OR you pay the govenment to support them. Either way it costs you. I don't want to hear you bitch about your TAX BURDEN. It's your choice. You want all the money, be prepared to pay ALL the bills. You thinks sharing health care costs was a big pill. Wait till you see YOUR SHARE when it's Govenment run and provided. Thought those payments in to the UI funds took a bite? You won't be off the hook for WPA type jobs. Bet those increased corporate tax rates will help fund it. Pay the worker directly, or let the Govenrment be the middleman between corporation and working stiff. the middle man always gets a nice piece of the pie..... just ask a farmer.
Sunday, April 12, 2009 - 4:04 pm
turn off the HD Noises now!!!!1180 and 1200!!
Sunday, April 12, 2009 - 4:40 pm
Kenneth, What is the Frequency?
Monday, April 13, 2009 - 5:22 pm
KFI is the real success story here.
A conservative news talker with a great mix of local personalities who are just controversial enough to get the ratings but not hurt revenue, and the top national shows.
This is the mix that WILL make money in any market. Oh, except, Portland, Oregon and San Francisco.
Monday, April 13, 2009 - 5:48 pm
quote:turn off the HD Noises now!!!!1180 and 1200!!
I think that HD is a conspiracy to get higher billings. See, by running HD, KEX can charge three times its normal rate, as they are on 1180 and 1200, as well as 1190.
