I got a call from a friend asking if I knew that Dennis Prager was back on the air, via the KRLA (870 AM) airwaves, weekdays from 10-11 p.m. “Should be a great addition to the station, with all that is happening in the world right now,” my friend said.
The conservative commentator and talk show host was heard on the once mighty KABC (790 AM) from 1982 until 1999, first as a weekend host — remember the thoughtful program “Religion on the Line?” — eventually taking over the 9 p.m. to midnight shift in August 1992, replacing Ira Fistell. At the time, KABC desperately tried to attract a younger audience under the constant pressure of KFI (640 AM), which tended to skew younger with the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Tom Leykis leading the way.
He left KABC in 1999 when his show became nationally syndicated via Salem Media, and was heard on Salem’s KRLA (870 AM) until November of 2024, when he had a bad fall and suffered a serious spinal cord injury. He’s been off the air since then.
I was hoping that this new show meant that Prager was well enough to return for at least an hour a week. Alas, ’tis not true. The hourly programs — entitled “Timeless Wisdom” — are curated recordings of previously aired segments.
Also available as podcasts on all the various podcast players, “Timeless Wisdom” is basically an hour dedicated to trying to make your life better. Recent episodes include ways to be happier, the music of Frank Sinatra, the importance of maintaining a positive and supportive relationship with your spouse, the complexities of relationships, and the subtleties of revenge versus justice.
All fascinating, thought-provoking hours with lots of callers, but most definitely not live. Prager unfortunately remains paralyzed from the neck down and has difficulty speaking and at times breathing, though through specialized care has maintained his voice. Family reports given through his PragerU YouTube channel mention that he continues to keep his spirits up, continues with his strong faith, and loved watching the World Cup.
Ratings Followup
Nielsen allows newspapers to publish the ratings and rankings of a station using what is called “six plus,” meaning the percentage of listeners aged six and older tuned to a station between the hours of 6 a.m. and 12 midnight. But the ratings information includes far more: ratings of different time periods, listening based on demographics separated by age and sex, and if a station pays for it, they can even determine the breakdown of the race, ethnicity, and general location of the people carrying the meters that pick up the signals that generate the ratings.
Most of the latter data is not allowed to be published, but there are some exceptions. One is the general ranking of some of the breakdowns. For example, while I can’t write that station “KXXX has a 3.0 share of the audience for men aged 25-54,” I can say that “KXXX was the top station” in that demographic.
So, for your reading pleasure and inquisitive mind, here are the top stations in one of the “money demos” — “persons aged 25-54” — as determined by Nielsen (and Copyright © The Nielsen Company).
1. KBIG 2. KRTH 3. KOST 4. KCBS-FM 5. KROQ, KYSR 7. KLVE, KTWV 9. KIIS, KLAX 11. KLOS, KRRL, 13. KKGO 14. KPCC, KXOL 16. KBUE 17. KKLQ, KPWR 19. KJLH, KLYY.
There are, of course, other demographics that some stations may focus on. Some appeal to men of a certain age, some women, some go after a different target at different times of the day. Mornings and afternoons often differ from other times, with perhaps more personality or a slightly different music mix. When it was a top-40 giant, KHJ (930 AM) was legendary for playing music appealing to families in the morning, housewives in the mid-days, and teens after school and at night.
In 1979, as Chuck Martin took over as programmer to bring KHJ back, he and his staff figured out where the ratings diary holders (before the meters used now) lived, and super-served that audience to great success via music preferences and promotions.
You’ll note that many of the stations listed are in roughly the same position as the general six-plus numbers printed recently. For example, KFI is in the top-5 six plus, but isn’t in the top-10 25-54 (they are tied with KNX and KSCA at 22nd). KRRL, on the other hand, is 18th six plus, but tied for 11th here. It just goes to show that there is more to ratings than meets the eye, and there is far more that can make a station a “ratings success” than the basic six-plus listing.
Some time in the future I’ll have more on how ratings are gathered, along with the good and the bad in the current system.
Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance columnist covering radio in Southern California. Email rwagoner@socalradiowaves.com.