THE KANSAS CITY STAR

BIG YEAR FOR KPRS CONTINUES WITH RATINGS WIN

Saturday, August 5, 2000
Section: FYI
Page: E4

By AARON BARNHART
THE KANSAS CITY STAR

Carter Broadcast Group, which owns KPRS-FM (103.3), just threw itself a huge black-tie party to celebrate 50 years in the business. Now the nation's oldest African-American-owned radio group gets to pop the champagne again.

"Hot Jamz 103" returned to No. 1 overall in Kansas City radio, registering its highest ratings since the fall of 1998. That's according to the spring 2000 ratings book just released by Arbitron Co.

"It was quite fitting considering it was our 50th anniversary," said Sam Weaver, program director and operations manager for Carter Broadcast Group. "It's the result of hard work, a few minor adjustments and, as I like to joke, the proper alignment of the planets."

Those "minor adjustments," which took place in February, reshuffled the Breakfast Brothers team and moved evening host Tony G to afternoons, J.T. Quick to evenings and Lauryn Nocole to overnights. Myron D, who formed the Breakfast Brothers tandem with Sonny Andre, is now the KPRS music director and assistant program director.

"I knew that people loved Myron on the air, but there are so many ways I can use Myron for the greater good of the radio station," Weaver said.

KMXV-FM (93.3), the leader of the winter ratings book, slipped to third. But operations manager Jon Zellner was perfectly happy with both "The Mix" and his other station, KSRC-FM (102.1, "Star 102"), which did well with its target audience of women ages 25-54.

Winning the overall race "means absolutely nothing," Zellner said. "But if we win in key demographics, that's where our sales department has a story."

KQRC-FM (98.9) finished second, while "The Rock's" morning team of Johnny Dare and Murphy Wells solidified their place atop the ratings. Though David Lawrence on WDAF-AM (610) still wins the 5-9 a.m. time period, Dare and Wells work from 6 to 10 a.m. and they win that 4-hour shift. Moreover, Dare and Wells are No. 1 with a whole raft of age groups coveted by advertisers.

Not that it really matters to Entercom Communications. The city's biggest radio group now owns both morning shows through its recent purchase of "The Rock." Dare and Wells will move into Entercom's bustling Westwood broadcast complex next week and will work about 100 feet from Lawrence and his "wake-up crew."

WDAF finished fourth overall, as it did in the winter book, and KMBZ-AM (980), another station on the same stretch of Entercom carpet, was fifth. KMBZ charged back from 14th place overall and scored its highest numbers in a year. Its increases were across the board, not just when the Royals were on.

The top 15 Kansas City stations overall:

KPRS, urban, 7.6 share; KQRC, album rock, 7.2; KMXV, contemporary hits, 6.9; WDAF, country, 6.4; KMBZ, news-talk, 5.6; KFKF-FM (94.1), country, 4.9; KBEQ-FM (104.3), young country, 4.6.

KCMO-FM (94.9), oldies, 4.4; KYYS-FM (99.7), album rock, 4.2; KCFX-FM (101.1), classic rock, 4.2; KXTR-FM (96.5), classical, 3.8; KCHZ-FM (95.7), hits, 3.8; KCIY-FM (106.5), 3.4; KNRX-FM (107.3), 3.3.

A share point equals 1 percent of those currently listening to radio. The overall rating is drawn from the station's average daylong share, Monday to Sunday, among all listeners 12 and older.

Next week I'll break down the city's top-rated morning radio programs.

And on Thursday, yours truly sits in for the vacationing Tom Becka on KMBZ from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Call in and let's talk TV.

To reach Aaron Barnhart, visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com