'Local sound' helps propel KUMU to radio's top five
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor
KUMU-FM, a contemporary light-rock station that has added Island music to its mix, is the surprise winner in the just-out Arbitron radio ratings. And KDDB-FM ("Da Bomb"), with its Top 40 mix, is finally ticking.
"It's our best showing in 10 years, and I think we are finally seeing the results of three years of format changes," said Jeff Coelho, KUMU station manager and a radio veteran with a 16-year affiliation with the former "good music" station.
For years, KUMU was dubbed the "elevator music" station. Finally, the elevator is moving up, with KUMU — one of three Honolulu stations operated by Emerald City Radio Partners — landing in the top five: fourth overall, and fifth in morning drive-time ratings, with its Lee Kirk and Jessia Rich pairing.
"We did some guerrilla marketing, one-on-one promotions, but we had to go young," Coelho said, referring to programming changes made to target a younger audience after 28 years of "beautiful music" and modest ratings.
About 10 percent of KUMU's playlist is now devoted to Island music. "You have to have a local sound," Coelho said.
"We're the little station that could," Coelho said, referring to station owner Emerald City, which has moderate resources compared to dominant conglomerate Clear Channel (which owns the KSSK family of seven stations) and Cox Radio (which owns seven stations, including KCCN, KINE, KRTR). "It's the little guys against the giants." Emerald operates KUMU-AM and KAHA-FM on O'ahu, and four Big Island stations — three FM, KKBG, KLEO and KKOA, and one AM, KHLO.
Elsewhere, New Wave Broadcasting's hope for the future appears to be KDDB-FM (Da Bomb). The Top 40 station features Paul Ogata and "Kid Leo" Baldwin in morning drive time. The duo posted the largest burst of listeners (up 2.3 shares), leaping to seventh place in the mornings from No. 13, and figure in the station's new place as seventh overall (up from No. 15).
"I'm getting married this Saturday, but I've already received the best wedding gift this morning," said an elated Ogata about his ratings.
Other highlights:
• KSSK-FM remains the No. 1 station, though its numbers slipped slightly since summer.
• Michael W. Perry & Larry Price are the Joe Moore of morning drive — topping the list, the lone personalities with double-digit rating numbers. Morning drive is particularly important in radio, since it's the period that generally fuels listenership throughout the day, so Clear Channel's KSSK banks on Perry & Price.
• Overall, Hawaiian music continues to be a big winner. Seven of the Top 10 finishers program some form of Island sounds.
• The events of Sept. 11 failed to produce higher numbers for news leader KSSK; the fall survey covered the period between Sept. 20 and Dec. 12.
"9-11 may have hurt radio," said Coelho. A likely theory is that after the terrorism in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, radio listeners turned to conventional and cable TV as their primary source for updates, with at least a dozen sources airing 24/7 reports.
• Venerable New Wave's powerhouses from the past — KQMQ FM and K-POI FM — have vanished from the Top 10 rankings.
• KDNN FM's Lanai & Augie T, previously in the top half of the Top 10, are in the bottom half now.
Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com, 525-8067 or fax 525-8055.
