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Election struggle gave a lift to WFLABy PAMELA DAVIS © St. Petersburg Times, published January 23, 2001 The turmoil of the 2000 presidential election turned out to be a godsend for WFLA-AM 970. Coverage of the election and its aftermath vaulted the news/talk station into fifth place with listeners 25 to 54, a key demographic for advertisers. WFLA has been hurting since January 1999, when it overhauled its lineup. Clear Channel-owned WFLA hasn't posted numbers as strong as those just announced by Arbitron since last fall. The station came in 14th place with listeners 25 to 54 during the last ratings period. But the election crisis, with Florida at its epicenter, was just what WFLA needed. "Anytime you have a watershed event for news, in this format it's always a help to you. The trick is how much of this influx can you maintain," said Gabe Hobbs, national director of news/talk for Clear Channel Radio. WFLA's local 3 to 7 p.m. talk show, The Glenn Beck Show, came in No. 1 with listeners 25 to 54. Beck, who came to the Tampa Bay radio market one year ago, wasn't expecting his show to post such high numbers, even with the political mayhem on his side. "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time for the exposure," Beck said. "Now, my job is to keep as much of it as I can." WFLA's numbers went down only in the 7 p.m. to midnight slot, where the syndicated Phil Hendrie and Lionel shows air. "Maybe Hendrie is not a great fit for this radio station," Hobbs said. "It's too early to make that call for sure but it's something we'll have to take a look at. Maybe he's not the right fit for the audience." Rounding out the top five stations, Top 40 station WFLZ-FM 93.3 remained at No. 1 with listeners 25-54. Country station WQYK-FM 99.5 edged out rock station WXTB-FM 97.9 (98 Rock) for second place, WXTB was third and classic rock station WTBT-FM 103.5 (Thunder) came in fourth. Movement in the top three slots is rare in this market, the country's 22nd largest, so WQYK's move to second place is notable. Airing football games during a successful Buccaneers season doesn't hurt either, noted operations manager Eric Logan. The top three morning shows remained as they were during the last ratings period: WFLZ came in first place, WXTB second place and WQYK third place. WTBT moved up to fourth, and WFLA showed up at fifth.
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From the wire |
