Urban Contemporary

Despite a morning-show shake-up that might suggest otherwise, WERQ-FM (92.3) and its urban contemporary format remain firmly atop Baltimore's ratings heap, more than 12,000 listeners ahead of the competition.Just two weeks after the station fired long-time second-banana Tony Boston from its morning show, Arbitron ratings for the first three months of 1999 place 92-Q 3.5 ratings points ahead of second-place WPOC-FM (93.1). Each point represents about 3,600 listeners in an average quarter-hour.

AM stations WCAO 600 Gospel music. WCBM 680 News, talk, information, business, sports. WBMD 750 Religious programming. WYRE 810 Classic country. WBGR 860 Gospel music. WAMD 970 Oldies rock, adult contemporary. WOLB 1010 Talk, information, news. WBAL 1090 News, talk, personalities, Orioles games and University of Maryland sports events. WBIS 1190 Financial news. WITH 1230 Religious programming. WJFK 1300 Personality talk, weekend sports. WJSS 1330 Gospel, religious programming.

With its share of the urban radio market steadily being eaten away, WXYV-FM (102.7) -- billed until yesterday as V-103 -- has decided to change its tune and move into a niche without any competition at all.At noon yesterday, the station threw out its Urban Contemporary music in favor of Contemporary Hit Radio, a '90s version of the Top-40 format that's been missing from Baltimore radio since the demise of B-104 in 1990.The Contemporary Hit format on "The New 102.7, XYV" kicked off with a montage of heavy-beat dance music, followed by La Bouche's "Be My Lover."

Despite a morning-show shake-up that might suggest otherwise, WERQ-FM (92.3) and its urban contemporary format remain firmly atop Baltimore's ratings heap, more than 12,000 listeners ahead of the competition.Just two weeks after the station fired long-time second-banana Tony Boston from its morning show, Arbitron ratings for the first three months of 1999 place 92-Q 3.5 ratings points ahead of second-place WPOC-FM (93.1). Each point represents about 3,600 listeners in an average quarter-hour.

AM stations WCAO 600 Gospel music. WCBM 680 News, talk, information, business, sports. WBMD 750 Religious programming. WYRE 810 Classic country. WBGR 860 Gospel music. WAMD 970 Oldies rock, adult contemporary. WOLB 1010 Talk, information, news. WBAL 1090 News, talk, personalities, Orioles games and University of Maryland sports events. WBIS 1190 Financial news. WITH 1230 Religious programming. WJFK 1300 Personality talk, weekend sports. WJSS 1330 Gospel, religious programming.

In response to moves across the country this week to censor airplay of gangsta rap, programmers at Baltimore radio stations that play rap music reaffirmed that they routinely edit offensive language, or do not play certain songs because of offensive material.In Los Angeles Wednesday, KPWR-FM announced it would not allow three offensive words used to describe blacks and women to be heard on its airwaves. And in New York Tuesday, WBLS-FM said it would ban songs that advocate violence or have lyrics profane or hateful toward women and gays.

Radio station WEBB-AM (1360) has been sold by Baltimore businesswoman Dorothy E. Brunson to a newly created Vermont company.Ms. Brunson sold WEBB -- an urban contemporary station she has owned for the last 10 years -- and Atlanta radio station WIGO-AM to Allied Media Inc. of Woodstock, Vt. for $3.6 million. She also sold a third station, WBMS-FM in Wilmington, N.C., to a businessman there for $168,000.Allied President Roger Amato, who confirmed the sale yesterday, said he and a partner created the company to purchase the two stations from Ms. Brunson.

DISK JOCKEY Johnny Dark, an institution on Baltimore radio for more than 30 years, got his pink slip yesterday from WCAO Radio 60 as the station prepared to switch from country music to an all-gospel format Monday morning.Today was Dark's last day on the air.The changeover, dictated by fading ratings, according to station officials, has also cashiered on-air personalities Ron Matz, R.C. Allen, Brenda Bissett, Tom Conroy and Danny Reese.They will finish their work for the station with their final shows today or this weekend.

Tip your Stetson and pop the top on a can of Lone Star beer. For the first time in its 18-year history, country station WPOC-FM (93.1) is the No. 1-ranked radio outlet in the Baltimore market.WPOC got an 8.9 share of listeners aged 12 and over in the Arbitron ratings for the winter, which were released yesterday, putting it comfortably ahead of second-place news/talk WBAL-AM (1090), which finished with a 7.2 share.WPOC's winter audience showed a significant increase over last fall, when it finished in third place with a 6.9 share and an even greater increase over the winter 1991 ratings, when it registered a 5.8 share.

98 Rock fell like a stone in the Arbitron radio ratings for the fall released yesterday -- and WBSB-FM (B-104) dropped right along with it.Both stations changed their morning drive disc jockeys early in the ratings period, and both paid a steep price for the moves, registering the largest declines in listenership of any stations in the Top 10.WIYY-FM (98 Rock), which replaced its morning drive-time team of Chris Emry and Erika with program director Russ Mottla, dropped from a 6.5 share of listeners 12 and over in the summer to a 5.0 share for the fall in the 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. time slot, a decline of 19 percent.

Gooooooooooooooood morning, Baltimore!Four hours a morning, five mornings a week, their voices splash through shower radios, command beltway commutes and perk up offices around town with music and musings. At night, they ease our loneliness and coo us to sleep.Disc jockeys -- the aristocracy of the airwaves -- determine what, when and how we listen to music (not to mention the number of times we are subjected to Natalie Imbruglia's pop-whine about being "Torn").But like everyone else, DJs fiddle with their own radios in their off time.

With its share of the urban radio market steadily being eaten away, WXYV-FM (102.7) -- billed until yesterday as V-103 -- has decided to change its tune and move into a niche without any competition at all.At noon yesterday, the station threw out its Urban Contemporary music in favor of Contemporary Hit Radio, a '90s version of the Top-40 format that's been missing from Baltimore radio since the demise of B-104 in 1990.The Contemporary Hit format on "The New 102.7, XYV" kicked off with a montage of heavy-beat dance music, followed by La Bouche's "Be My Lover."

There's a new king of the hill on Baltimore radio, and the folks at WERQ-FM (92.3) are pretty thrilled with the view.The Arbitron ratings for fall 1996, released last week, have 92-Q atop the heap with a 7.7 rating, which translates to some 27,700 listeners in an average quarter-hour -- roughly 1,100 more listeners than second-place WBAL-AM (1090) and 4,300 more than WPOC-FM (93.1) and WQSR-FM (105.7), which were tied for third.92-Q's prominence marks the first time in more than five years that either WBAL or WPOC has not topped the ratings.

In response to moves across the country this week to censor airplay of gangsta rap, programmers at Baltimore radio stations that play rap music reaffirmed that they routinely edit offensive language, or do not play certain songs because of offensive material.In Los Angeles Wednesday, KPWR-FM announced it would not allow three offensive words used to describe blacks and women to be heard on its airwaves. And in New York Tuesday, WBLS-FM said it would ban songs that advocate violence or have lyrics profane or hateful toward women and gays.

Tip your Stetson and pop the top on a can of Lone Star beer. For the first time in its 18-year history, country station WPOC-FM (93.1) is the No. 1-ranked radio outlet in the Baltimore market.WPOC got an 8.9 share of listeners aged 12 and over in the Arbitron ratings for the winter, which were released yesterday, putting it comfortably ahead of second-place news/talk WBAL-AM (1090), which finished with a 7.2 share.WPOC's winter audience showed a significant increase over last fall, when it finished in third place with a 6.9 share and an even greater increase over the winter 1991 ratings, when it registered a 5.8 share.

98 Rock fell like a stone in the Arbitron radio ratings for the fall released yesterday -- and WBSB-FM (B-104) dropped right along with it.Both stations changed their morning drive disc jockeys early in the ratings period, and both paid a steep price for the moves, registering the largest declines in listenership of any stations in the Top 10.WIYY-FM (98 Rock), which replaced its morning drive-time team of Chris Emry and Erika with program director Russ Mottla, dropped from a 6.5 share of listeners 12 and over in the summer to a 5.0 share for the fall in the 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. time slot, a decline of 19 percent.

Gooooooooooooooood morning, Baltimore!Four hours a morning, five mornings a week, their voices splash through shower radios, command beltway commutes and perk up offices around town with music and musings. At night, they ease our loneliness and coo us to sleep.Disc jockeys -- the aristocracy of the airwaves -- determine what, when and how we listen to music (not to mention the number of times we are subjected to Natalie Imbruglia's pop-whine about being "Torn").But like everyone else, DJs fiddle with their own radios in their off time.

WCAO Radio 60, an award-winning country music station with veteran Baltimore on-air personalities, announced this morning that it will change to an all-gospel format on Monday.Disk jockey Johnny Dark, an institution on Baltimore radio for more than 30 years, got his pink slip yesterday, and today was Dark's last day on the air. He planned his last show, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., as a goodbye for his fans and listeners."I'm more concerned about the people listening to us than about myself," he said this morning.

WCAO Radio 60, an award-winning country music station with veteran Baltimore on-air personalities, announced this morning that it will change to an all-gospel format on Monday.Disk jockey Johnny Dark, an institution on Baltimore radio for more than 30 years, got his pink slip yesterday, and today was Dark's last day on the air. He planned his last show, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., as a goodbye for his fans and listeners."I'm more concerned about the people listening to us than about myself," he said this morning.

DISK JOCKEY Johnny Dark, an institution on Baltimore radio for more than 30 years, got his pink slip yesterday from WCAO Radio 60 as the station prepared to switch from country music to an all-gospel format Monday morning.Today was Dark's last day on the air.The changeover, dictated by fading ratings, according to station officials, has also cashiered on-air personalities Ron Matz, R.C. Allen, Brenda Bissett, Tom Conroy and Danny Reese.They will finish their work for the station with their final shows today or this weekend.