Columbia SC Ratings

[StormKlowdz]

Latest ratings has WLTY 96.7 Steve FM down to a 1.8. I believe this is the lowest ratings this station has had as adult hits since the flip from AC in 2005. Could iheart possibly be changing formats? WZMJ 93.1 as a Lexington station ranks higher than them at a 2.5.

Over at Cumulus Kiss 103.1, they have seen a steady increase in their ratings. Kiss has hired some talent from crosstown WWDM but their signal isnt as strong as 101.3. Would Cumulus take the chance and switch 103.1 to 107.5's big signal? It makes sense from a competition standpoint. But that would mean sports station The Game wouldn't be on a flamethrower signal.

 

[Kent]

Would Cumulus take the chance and switch 103.1 to 107.5's big signal? It makes sense from a competition standpoint. But that would mean sports station The Game wouldn't be on a flamethrower signal.

Your guess is as good as mine, but my guess would be no. Sports talk typically outbills its ratings significantly. I suppose you can run sports talk without stereo and get a little bit more out of your signal, but most operations don't dare mess with their sports talk stations. There’s one operator who is also a former employer who took over some stations a little less than three hours from me, but that company is a rare exception. Plus, despite covering more area than 103.1, 107.5 may not be a better signal. A lot of the area it covers is well outside of the market. When it comes to Columbia and the area around it, 103.1 could very well provide more bang for the buck.

Also, keep in mind that Citadel already moved WLXC once. It was on 98.5 until about a dozen years ago. The idea was to put that stick on the signal located right smack in the middle of Columbia rather than the Lexington station with a tower halfway between the two cities. As you might remember, prior to the signal swap, 103.1 had been oldies/classic hits since either ‘88 or ‘89.