Perry, Price still lead radio pack

Among adult radio listeners 25 to 54, the top five Honolulu stations posted mixed ratings in the spring 2006 Arbitron survey compared with spring 2005.

KSSK-FM 92.3 went up to a 14.3 from an 11.8; KRTR-FM 96.3 dipped to a 8.7 from a 10.4; KCCN-FM 100.3 saw an increase to a 6.2 from 5.7; KINE-FM 105.1 inched up to a 6.0 from a 5.6 and KGMZ-FM 107.9 was up to a 5.5 from a 3.6.

The morning radio landscape has been changing lately, with the departure of Leo Baldwin and Paul Ogata from "Da Bomb," KDDB-FM 102.7, and the return of "Sam the Man" to the same station. The also has been the departure of morning mainstay Brickwood Galuteria from KINE and his replacement by Bill "Billy V" Van Osdol, the longtime leader of the morning show at sister-station KCCN-FM. Also, comedian Augie Tulba has departed from "Island Rhythm" 98.5, KDNN-FM.

The result of all those changes will be tracked by the industry month to month, but the next full-on ratings survey, for June 29 through Sept. 20, won't be released until October.

In a shift locally, Arbitron has stopped releasing radio ratings to the media, which it had done in the past, and it is now releasing the information only to radio stations and ad agencies that are Arbitron subscribers. The Star-Bulletin obtained some of the spring ratings through the local radio industry.

Arbitron places an embargo in a market "in the best interests of our clients and because of the variable reasons, we don't make that public," said Jessica Benbow, Arbitron spokeswoman.

The quarterly "book," as it has been known for decades, is no longer available in printed form. The data is now delivered to subscribers only.

Of Honolulu's larger station-owning groups, Texas-based Clear Channel Communications Inc., Georgia-based Cox Radio Inc. and California-based Salem Communications Corp. are Arbitron subscribers. Maui-based Visionary Related Entertainment LLC, does not subscribe to the ratings service, "but we are in constant discussions with them," said President John Detz.