Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 17, 1993 TAG: 9308170614
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RICK LINDQUIST STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
"We're pretty happy with it, to say the least," operations manager and afternoon disk jockey Rusty Clark said of the recent ratings "book," which showed the station outdistancing the nearest competitor by more than 2-to-1.
The listener survey showed that 26.4 percent of New River Valley radio listeners ages 12 and older were likely to be tuned in to WPSK during an average quarter-hour period.
The No. 2 station in the survey, Roanoke's WSLQ (99.1 FM) - which calls itself Q-99 - had a 12.7 share. Q-99 plays a combination of oldies and contemporary music.
The survey also showed a preponderance of FM radio listeners in the New River Valley; only two AM stations were among the top 10 list.
Last year, WPSK was No. 1 among New River Valley listeners 18 and older, but Clark said this year that it topped all age groups, including the 25-54 "core group" that most stations target.
Station officials credit listener loyalty and the continuing popularity of country music for its success.
"I just think it's a lot to do with the type of music we play," Clark added.
Station Manager Mike Gummer said the survey numbers also showed that WPSK's listeners tend to stay tuned in for long periods throughout the day.
"We're very gratified our listeners stay with us," he said.
New River Media, which owns the station, recently contracted to buy Blacksburg-Christiansburg stations WVVV (104.9 FM) and WJJJ (1260 AM).
Rounding out the list of stations included in the survey:
WPVR 94.9 FM "Lite 95" (light adult contemporary), 9.0
WXLK 92.3 FM "K-92" (top 40), 8.0
WYYD 107.5 FM (country), 5.2
WFNR 710 AM (bluegrass), 4.2
WRIQ 101.7 FM "CD Country 101.7" (country), 3.3
WVVV 104.9 FM "Rock 105" (classic rock), 2.4
WRAD 1460 AM (country), 1.4
WROV-FM 96.3 FM (classic rock), 1.4
The survey was taken April through June in Pulaski, Montgomery and Giles counties and the city of Radford.
by CNB