Cincy Radio: 'The Big One' Isn't So Big

News/Talk WLW 700 AM, which once had a 10-year streak at No. 1, nearly fell to fourth in the March radio ratings released a few weeks ago, according to longtime media writer John Kiesewetter.

For the past two years, Cumulus Media's Classic Hits WGRR 103.5 FM has won most of the monthly radio ratings with all listeners. WGRR-FM's 10.4 percent audience share was the highest in station history in March, when it won weekday mornings, midday and afternoons, according to radio analyst Tom Taylor. Country WUBE 105.1 FM won nights while the Reds were at spring training.

Following  WGRR-FM were WUBE-FM, WLW-AM, with WKRQ-FM one-tenth of a point behind WLW-AM. In February, WLW-AM was second to WGRR-FM.

Mike McConnell

Three weeks ago, WLW-AM made a change in Mike McConnell's 5-9 a.m. morning show, which is packed with fixed features (traffic, weather, ABC News interviews, Jay Ratliff's aviation reports, Bloomberg business news, a Business Courier update).  The fixed features were dropped from the 8-9 a.m. hour so McConnell could do general interest talk, as he did for years.

McConnell has never seemed comfortable with all the morning show's fixed features. Every day he asks "What do we got? What do we got?," before listing the fixed features coming in the next half hour – which long-time Jim Scott listeners already knew were coming.

According to Kiesewetter, bankrupt iHeartMedia's financial woes have had its impact on the station. A year ago, iHM laid off Chuck Fredrick, market manager, and Bo Matthews, senior vice president for programming. Programming for all six stations – WLW-AM, WEBN-FM, KISS 107.1, WKRC-AM, WSAI-AM and WCKY-AM – fell into the lap of Scott Reinhart.

Fredrick wasn't replaced until October by D.J. Hodge, the senior vice president for sales. Last month he rehired Tony Bender from oldies WDJO. Bender was a former producer and program director at WKRC-AM, WSAI-FM and WCKY-AM 1989-2012.