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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, May 4, 2002

Perry and Price widen ratings lead

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor

The morning drive radio slot still belongs to KSSK's Michael W. Perry and Larry Price, according to the winter Arbitron ratings.

Perry and Price's numbers regularly seesaw, dipping and then climbing again, though they've been No. 1 for years. This time, it's a whopping four-rating-point increase, and they remain the lone morning jocks with double-digits.

Frank B. Shaner and Brickwood Galuteria, the one-two punch at KINE-FM, maintain their second-place position, but Lanai and Augie T, the KDNN comedy duo, reclaimed third place (they were tied for ninth the last time at bat).

The elevator ride down and up and down again hit folks such as Billy Von Osdol and Charley Espina of KCCN-FM and "Kid" Leo Baldwin and Paul Ogata of KDDB-FM, who slipped a bit. As Ogata said, "Although we're not No. 7 as we were three months ago, we're still in the Top 10." He said the station's cumulative ranking is on target, probably third behind KINE and KSSK, and strong in its age-18-to-34 demographics in the morning.

Because morning ratings can keep listeners throughout the day and dictate advertising rates, morning drive always has been closely watched in the Arbitrons.

Since the last survey, one station has launched a new music policy of programming traditional and contemporary Island music. KORL has been replaced by KHUI (99.5 FM) and may become a player in the next quarter's ratings.

"Hawaiian music is the winner," said Mike Kelly, general manager at KINE-KCCN-FM, which programs Island music (including reggae) on the former, and contemporary Hawaiian on the latter. "Ho-nolulu now has four stations programming local music." The other one is KDNN-FM; KRTR-FM, KSSK-FM, KUMU-FM and KQMQ-FM are among other stations that tap the Hawaiian song bag.