W GCI-FM 107.5 has leapfrogged WGN-AM 720 back into first place in the Arbitron rating of commercial radio stations in the Chicago area for the period from March 30 to June 21.
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The Gannett-owned urban contemporary station actually slipped in audience share by 6 percent, going from 6.4 last winter to 6.0 in the spring, but the Tribune-owned full-service station dropped more than 18 percent, going from a 7.1 to a 5.8.
WGCI had been in first place for more than a year until last fall, when WGN, on the strength of its Bears and midday programming, moved back into first place. This spring, with the afternoon drive-time combination of Ian Punnett and Cubs baseball falling out of the top 10, WGN slipped.
While country WUSN-FM 99.5, using a lot of cash giveaways, remained in third place with an increase from 4.3 to 4.7, all-news-but-some-sports WMAQ-AM jumped four spots into fourth with a 4.0 share, up from 3.6.
In the morning-drive competition, WGN’s Bob Collins remained on top with a 9.9 share, but that represented a 15 percent drop from the 11.7 share he had in the winter.
While Howard Stern has helped WCKG-FM 105.9 move up to 18th place with a 2.2 share, the syndicated talker still trails Mancow Muller at WRCX-FM 103.5, who holds the No. 5 morning spot with a 4.2 share, up from 3.8 in the winter.
In the sports-talk wars, WSCR-AM 820, with a 1.8 average share, maintained its lead over WMVP-AM 1000, with a 1.3. But WMVP’s Steve Dahl and Bruce Wolf increased their morning share from a 2.7 to a 3.0 and a tie for 12th. And in the morning 25-54 age demographic, Dahl and Wolf moved into third place with a 5.1 share.
There was more bad news in the advertiser-desired 25-54 demographic for WGN, where, despite a No. 1 finish by morning-drive boss Bob Collins, the station dropped to a tie for 11th while WGCI increased its No. 1 share.
Aribitron’s ranking of the top 39 commercial radio stations for spring and their average share of listeners age 12 and older from 6 a.m. to midnight Monday through Sunday:
1. WGCI-FM, 6.0; 2. WGN-AM, 5.8; 3. WUSN-FM, 4.7; 4. WMAQ-AM, 4.0; 5. (tie) WVAZ-FM, WBBM-FM and WLIT-FM, 3.9; 8. (tie) WJMK-FM, WKQX-FM and WBBM-AM, 3.8; 11. WNUA-FM, 3.5; 12. (tie) WRCX-FM, WXRT-FM and WLS-AM, 3.1; 15. WOJO-FM, 3.0; 16. WLUP-FM, 2.4; 17. WEJM-FM, 2.3; 18. (tie) WTMX-FM, WCKG-FM, WPNT-FM and WYSY-FM, 2.1; 22. (tie) WAIT-AM and WSCR-AM, 1.8; 24. WNIB-FM, 1.7; 25. WFMT-FM, 1.5; 26. WGCI-AM, 1.4; 27. WMVP-AM, 1.3; 28. WIND-AM, 1.2; 29. WJJD-AM, 1.0; 30. WTAQ-AM, 0.9; 31. (tie) WVON-AM, WLS-FM and WYCA-FM, 0.6; 34. (tie) WIIL-FM and WOPA-AM, 0.5; 36. (tie) WABT-FM and WCCQ-FM, 0.4; 38. WBUS-FM, 0.3; 39. WNIZ-FM, (no share).
Morning Drive Top 10: 1. WGN-AM, 9.9; 2. WBBM-AM, 5.7; 3. WGCI-FM, 4.7; 4. WUSN-FM, 4.3; 5. WRCX-FM, 4.2; 6. WMAQ-AM, 4.1; 7. WLIT-FM, 3.5; 8. WLS-AM, 3.4; 9. WJMK-FM, 3.3; 10. (tie) WKQX-FM and WVAZ-FM, 3.1.
Mid-day Top 10: 1. WUSN-FM, 5.3; 2. WLIT-FM, 5.2; 3. WGCI-FM, 4.9; 4. WGN-AM, 4.5; 5. WMAQ-AM, 4.4; 6. WLS-AM, 4.3; 7. WNUA-FM, 4.2; 8. WXRT-FM, 4.1; 9. WJMK-FM, 3.9; 10. (tie) WKQX-FM and WVAZ-FM, 3.6.
Afternoon Drive Top 10: 1. WGCI-FM, 6.2; 2. WUSN-FM, 5.3; 3. (tie) WBBM-FM and WKQX-FM, 4.5; 5. WJMK-FM, 4.2; 6. (tie) WMAQ-AM and WLIT-FM, 4.0; 8. WLUP-FM, 3.9; 9. WVAZ-FM, 3.8; 10. (tie) WNUA-FM and WOJO-FM, 3.5.
Evening Top 10: 1. WGCI-FM, 9.7; 2. WBBM-FM, 6.5; 3. WKQX-FM, 5.5; 4. WMAQ-AM, 4.9; 5. WVAZ-FM, 4.8; 6. WGN-AM, 4.7; 7. WEJM-FM, 4.1; 8. WUSN-FM, 3.7; 9. WNUA-FM, 3.5; 10. WBBM-AM, 3.4.
Other stuff: Officials at WTTW-Ch. 11 have received a request from the Federal Communications Commission to respond to a complaint filed on behalf of Libertarian Party of Illinois gubernatorial candidate David Kelley, who alleges he was illegally excluded from a “Candidate Free Time” program last fall. “We haven’t received the complaint yet,” said a WTTW spokeswoman. “We have to see the complaint first.” . . . Cubs first baseman Mark Grace, formerly of WGN-Ch. 9, makes his debut as a regular contributor to WFLD-Ch. 32’s “Final Word” at 9:30 p.m. Sunday. . . . Greg Brown, a 23-year veteran of the local radio scene, takes over the WJMK-FM 104.3 midday slot at 10 a.m. Monday. . . . WBBM-Ch. 2 takes a look at fatherhood this week with a series of special reports on the 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts starting Sunday night. In addition, news anchor Lester Holt hosts a half-hour special, “The Great Pop Quiz,” at 7 p.m. Monday.