Atlanta Radio: 3 Christian Stations Jockeying For Ratings

Atlanta has suddenly become a hotbed of Christian radio competition now that K-Love entered the fray in June on WAKL 106.7 FM, buying out what had been Cumulus’ talk station WYAY.

Atlanta media watcher Rodney Ho at ajc.com writes WAKL faces two very well-established rivals.

Sale Media Group'd commercial station WFSH Fish 104.7, which covers most of metro Atlanta, skews a bit east and debuted in 2000. Then there’s non-commercial WVFJ Joy 93.3, which favors the south side, but over the years has expanded its reach with additional signals in places such as Duluth with 92.5 in Duluth and Carrollton on 101.9.

All three stations are simultaneously running aggressive billboard campaigns. “Be Encouraged,” says one K-Love billboard on I-85. “Stay positive,” says another not too far way. Joy keeps it simple and to the point: “Helping you find joy.” The cheekiest of the campaigns is Fish’s “LOVE Happens Here,” a not-so-subtle response to K-Love’s entry into the market in June.

The Fish has obvious home-grown advantages over K-Love, despite comparable signals. Over its nearly two-decade run in Atlanta, the Fish has consistently drawn big ratings in town, attracting anywhere from 400,000 listeners a month to 1 million during Christmas season. The station had an unprecedented run earlier this year, landing at the top of the Nielsen ratings charts for four months before falling back to more normal ratings numbers in August and September.

Fish program director Mike Blakemore said he is concerned less with month-to-month ratings, preferably watching a 14-month tracking average. He noted that among its target audience of women 25 to 54, Fish is currently in the top five.

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