Urban Contemporary

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.

Sitting in Mariah's restaurant in Catonsville, Gabriel Marcel Thornton tells the story behind the act that some have called courageous and noble, and that got him suspended from his job as a disc jockey at a popular urban contemporary radio station.Gregory P. Kane's column appears Wednesdays and Saturdays.

WERQ-FM (92.3), the urban contemporary station better known by the nickname 92Q, retained its spot as Baltimore's most-listened-to radio station for the fourth quarter of 2007, pulling in an average of 387,300 listeners who spend at least five minutes a week tuned in. The latest Arbitron numbers released this week show country station WPOC-FM (93.1) in second place for total listeners, with an average of 370,200, followed by WLIF-FM (101.9) and its adult contemporary format, with an average of 345,700.

Summit Communications Inc., owner of WXYV-FM and WCAO-AM radio, has agreed to sell the stations to New York-based Granum Communications Inc.The sale of V-103 FM and Heaven 600 AM, in addition to four other stations in Atlanta and Dallas, is expected to generate $200 million for Summit, which is headquartered in Atlanta.The sale will not change the format of either station, according to General Manager Roy Deutschman. V-103 FM has been Baltimore's top urban contemporary station since 1978, and Heaven 600 AM has ranked first in the gospel format since 1991, he says.

Riding a strong climate of local news stories and a surprising performance by Orioles baseball, radio station WBAL-AM added 55,000 viewers to its weekly audience, according to figures released yesterday by the Arbitron ratings service. The station's surge -- the most dynamic development in the survey that measured listenership from March to June -- moved the 50,000-watt news and talk station from fifth to third in overall audience size among viewers 12 years and older. Urban-contemporary WERQ-FM and country-themed WPOC-FM remained the top two stations.

HAVING recently attended the nightclub debut of an exciting local talent, we now can better appreciate what all the fuss was about last year when she abruptly quit one of the world's top music conservatories.Last November, an article in the Sunday Sun Magazine detailed the career of a budding East Baltimore opera diva named Keyontia Hawkins (pronounced "Key-ON-ta").Ms. Hawkins graduated from Baltimore's School for the Arts in 1992 and won a full scholarship to the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City, which she attended for two years.

Silky-voiced jazz singer/guitarist George Benson is talking long distance from somewhere in New Jersey. Just don't ask what city."No, no, no," he said, laughing, "don't print where I live. Charities will be after me to play benefits, and I'll end up with thousands of letters from people wanting me to make them a star."If the longtime star is reticent about divulging details concerning his offstage life, he says he compensates on stage by giving his fans what they want to hear -- his hits.

To its staffers, the station is known simply and affectionately known as "The V."V as in WXYV-FM; V as in V-103.Lately, however, the letter has come to take on an added meaning: V as in Victory.Indeed, the urban contemporary station, 102.7 on the dial, has emerged over the last year as a clear-cut winner in the local radio ratings wars.By any reckoning, V-103, a consistent top-five finisher over the past decade, has become the No. 1 station in the Baltimore market.It has finished first in three out of the last four quarterly Arbitron radio ratings reports.

One has gone up in a hot air balloon. Another has hopped a ride on a jet ski. Still others have manned a fast-food drive-in window waiting for the reappearance of Elvis, given away lottery tickets in the rain -- even ambushed new fathers outside a hospital delivery room.Thrill-seekers? Voyeurs? Just plain crazies?In fact, they are none of the above -- or maybe all three. They're Baltimore radio disc jockeys, taking their shows out of the studio and onto the road, on the seas or into the air.In radio parlance, the shows are "remotes" -- made possible by sophisticated portable transmitting equipment and the zany imaginations of promotion-minded executives and air personalities.

With the holiday entertaining season in full swing, you may find yourself lacking a dedicated space for mixing up and serving the latest cocktail. For some, a box of spirits and a six-pack in the fridge might be enough, but for large-scale entertaining, a home bar may be the answer — particularly if you are trying to get your guests out of the kitchen. Bar styles and options are as varied as those for sofas. Victorian, deco, urban contemporary, rustic, wood, metal, glass — whatever look you're trying to achieve, a custom cabinetry specialist can build you a bar to the dimensions and specifications you desire.