Radio's Top Billers - WLTW Leads Again

Radio's 10 highest-billing radio stations are owned by four separate groups?with Clear Channel owning three of the 10 stations, CBS Radio owning five, and Emmis and Tribune each owning one. Tribune's news/talk WGN Chicago is that group's only radio outlet. The AM re-entered the top-10 ranks by outperforming Clear Channel's AC KOST Los Angeles in the tally of top billing stations.

The billing estimates were compiled by BIA Financial Networks (BIAfn).

Clear Channel's soft AC WLTW New York again topped the list of radio's highest-billing radio stations, according to BIAfin, but the gap between No. 1 and No. 2 was only $700,000 spendable, bendable dollars, or a margin of about 1% of No. 2's annual billing.

WLTW billed an estimated $68.3 million in 2005, a figure that was down 2.7% from the $70.2 million BIAfn said the station billed in 2004.

The No. 2 station was CBS Radio's rock KROQ Los Angeles, which boosted its revenues significantly last year, about 12%, to come in at $67.6 million; that's up from an estimated $60.3 million in 2004.

The No. 3 station was CBS Radio's all news WINS New York, which billed $60.8 million in 2005 and $60.6 million in 2004.

The remaining seven stations and their 2005 revenues, in descending order, are: Clear Channel KFI-AM Los Angeles, $59.3 million; Emmis top 40 KPWR L.A. $57.9 m; CBS Radio all news WCBS New York $57.2 m; CBS Radio sports WFAN-AM N.Y. $54.0 m; Clear Channel top 40 KIIS L.A. $52.8 m; CBS Radio talk WFNY N.Y. $52.5 m, and Tribune news/talk WGN Chicago $52.4 m.