Radio, Radio

By Scott Smith in News on Oct 17, 2006 4:50PM

Ratings books are out for Chicago radio stations, but there are few surprises for those who’ve been paying attention.

The usual suspects are still on top: WGN, WBBM and WGCI. Feder and Rosenthal have the full breakdown.

The two big radio stories of the summer had more to do with who was off the air than on it. Q101 booted Mancow early in the summer (though he’s still syndicated around the country), and WCKG gave Shane “Rover” French similar treatment soon after. Opie and Anthony took over Rover’s daypart, while Q101 focused on music while preparing to launch its new morning show. Both stations suffered ratings losses as a result.

We’re not huge fans of Opie and Anthony’s schtick, but they’re capable of putting on a compelling show. Still, we think it’s going to take more than two months to convince radio listeners that they have a reason to return to 'CKG in the morning. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that the station’s great white hope, Steve Dahl, is helping much, as his ratings were down as well.

Then there’s Q101. With its new morning show (now called “The Morning Fix”) only a month old, it too is in a rebuilding quarter. At the outset, the show promised to mix news and entertainment a la “The Daily Show.” It’s fair to say The Morning Fix is still finding its rhythm. Some of their parodies are tired, but the Paris at the Disco, John Mayer and Topinka bits cracked us up. While they’re not snagging A-list interviews, we actually prefer hearing from Andy Summers, Louis CK, and “Hey It’s That Guy”s like Greg Grunberg and Daniel Dae Kim, than the same people we’ve heard on every other entertainment show.

Another move worth watching is the acquisition of the near-legendary John “Records” Landecker by the True Oldies Channel 94.7, which has lacked local flavor. Landecker’s presence in afternoon drive should make a noticeable impact in the fall book.