For six weeks of the past three-month Arbitron rating period KSSK-FM 92.3 was operating at significantly reduced power brought on by technical troubles. Despite the reduced reach of the station, it ended the rating period at No. 1 among listeners age 12 and older. Radio stations
The rankings
shuffle in top 10By Erika Engle
But three stations dropped out of the top 10 rankings, which cover June 28-Sept. 19, as part of a sizable ratings upheaval.
The most precipitous fall was suffered by modern rocker KPOI-FM at 97.5, plummeting from No. 9 to No. 17 with the loss of nearly half its overall audience.
Top 40 KXME-FM 104.3, ranked No. 7 last summer, dropped to No. 13 this time. The other station to lose its top-10 ranking was KGMZ-FM 107.9, which plays oldies.
Historically, stations which cater to younger audiences draw larger ratings during the summer months when their listeners are not in school. That does not appear to have weighed in favor of KPOI or KXME.
Three stations moved up into the top tier, including KHUI-FM 99.5 which rocketed from No. 16 to a three-way tie for No. 8 by changing format from soft rock to traditional and contemporary Hawaiian music.
Formerly 14th-ranked KUCD-FM, a modern rock station at 101.9, leaped to No. 7 while 93.1 KQMQ-FM's "80s and more" format rose from No. 12 to a three-way tie for No. 8 with KHUI "The Breeze" and adult-contemporary KSSK-AM 590.
Two new format choices during the summer rating period in KHUI and KAHA, which flipped from alternative to classic rock, altered the rankings for adult listeners age 25 to 54.
KHUI's ratings increased from 2.5 to 4.7 in the demographic; its rank from a tie for 14th place to a solid No. 10. KAHA doubled its adult audience and jumped from its 17th place tie to No. 11.
A dramatic change is that among 25-to-54-year olds KSSK tied for No. 1 with KCCN-FM 100.3, each station garnering 10.3 percent of the audience. KCCN was No. 3 last summer, with 8.7 percent of listeners compared to KSSK-FM's 11.6.
KSSK's morning show featuring Michael W. Perry and Larry Price, who is also a MidWeek columnist, is simulcast on its AM and FM frequencies, an advantage the show has over other stations in Honolulu; KSSK-FM ranked No. 1 while KSSK-AM came in at No. 3. With the combined frequencies Perry and Price can boast more than 22 percent of the morning radio audience.
Second-ranked KCCN-FM jumped from fifth to second place in the morning with Bill Van Osdol and Charly Espina pulling in 8.4 percent of listeners' attention.
Rounding out the top five, KINE-FM's Frank B. Shaner and Brickwood Galuteria went from No. 2 to No. 4 and KUMU-FM at 94.7 went from No. 9 to No. 5.
Honolulu's top 10 radio stations
Station Summer 2001 Summer 2002 Share (rank) Share(Rank) KSSK-FM 92.3 10.6 (1) 9.2 (1) KCCN-FM 100.3 8.5 (3) 8.6 (2) KINE-FM 105.1 9.8 (2) 7.8 (3) KUMU-FM 94.7 4.8 (6) 6.3 (4) KRTR-FM 96.3 6.5 (4) 5.6 (5) KDNN-FM 98.5 5.1 (5) 5.3 (6) KUCD-FM 101.9 5.2 (6) 4.7 (7) KHUI-FM 99.5 3.1 (16) 4.6 (8t) KSSK-AM 590 4.6 (8) 4.6 (8t) KQMQ-FM 93.1 3.8 (12t) 4.6 (8t) Share reflects the percentage of radio listeners age 12 and older who are tuned to a particular station.
Source: Arbitron Inc.