Highlights from the author’s week of (always decidedly random) listening and the week’s radio headlines, ending August 18, 2011. Stations I’ve worked with recently in my Edison Research (or any other) capacity are asterisked.*

Ratings Story

KLBJ Austin, Texas – It’s the highest-ever PPM share (6.5–6.9, tied for third, and with another two-tenths of a share from their online stream) for the heritage N/T outlet that just saw an FM competitor change format. Important to note at a moment when interpretation of PPM law has shifted the current land rush to all-sports and all-news formats, and away from FM talk.

Station (Online)

CC&D Legend Of Soul – You can always expect any Europe-based R&B Oldies programming to be a little different, based on the very different frame-of-reference for what crossed over there. But I’ve had this channel, part of a French 10-station suite that also includes a “Nu Soul” channel and a dedicated Motown channel, on for a half hour and only heard one American hit. Currently playing the MFSB version of Johnnie Taylor’s “Cheaper To Keep Her.”

Station (AM)

KXXJ Juneau, Alaska – Australian broadcaster-turned-American-station-owner Richard Burns teams up with MusicPulse’s Huw Drury for a new AM launch with the KHJ Los Angeles jingles and a different list than FM outlets.

Station (HD-2)

WHUR-HD-2 (WHUR World) Washington, D.C. – The station that updates WHUR’s Progressive R&B past becomes the first two-time winner of the National Assn. of Broadcasters’ HD Radio Multicast Award, having first done so in 2008.

Best New Station (Satellite)

Sirius XM 15: Studio 54 – They’re a day and a half old as I write this, and already I could fill up the “Oh Wow Oldies” section of this column for the rest of the year. They’re the disco equivalent of Sirius’ Deep Tracks early-AOR channel with songs that haven’t been on the radio since the heyday of the first WKTU New York and some that ran their course before ’KTU came along. That said, I wish they hadn’t taken the place of…

Missing Station (Satellite)

BBC Radio 1 – Radio-Info.com message board readers were unhappy to see it go. Colleagues were unhappy to see it go. Even the New York Times commented on the loss of a satellite radio channel, and subscribers who refused to be placated by having Radio 1 return as an online option. (As they rightly pointed out, they can stream it already.) It also kept international hits in front of programmers at a time when busy programmers are unlikely to seek them out by other methods.

Jock Lines

“It appears the equine revolution has started.” – The afternoon traffic reporter on WMKS (Hit Music Now) Greensboro, N.C., responds to reports that horses are running loose on a local roadway.

"So you were cleaning your stuffed cat by licking it. That’s actually pretty smart for a five-year-old to be doing." – The syndicated Ace & T.J., in a discussion about kissing toys.

Local Flavor

The Bojangles’ Fried Bologna Biscuit – Portrayed as a great taste of childhood in a spot on Top 40 WKZL Winston-Salem, N.C.

Promotions

KASE Austin’s Rain Dance – Country KASE Austin, Texas, teams up with the minor-league Round Rock Express on Aug. 23 to take on the Guinness Book record for “World’s Largest Rain Dance,” a response to the recent 100 degree weather.

Appointment Listening

“The only one for me is Vic Tripp’s ‘Atomic Cocktail’ on Luxuria Music. It’s the true torchbearer for the classic Top 40 tradition (with more adventurous music).” – Ken Barnes. Hear archived shows or hear it tonight (Thursday) at 8 p.m. E.T.

“No More” Recurrent

Taio Cruz, “Dynamite” – It finally happened. After 15 months, I have finally reached the point where I can no longer enjoy hearing it. It might have been pushed over the edge not just by multi-format airplay, but also by becoming this year’s “Unwritten,” the song most repurposed for school spirit, camp songs, etc. I’m expecting this to be only a blip—my “Rolling In The Deep” burnout was fixed around the time it went to recurrent at most Top 40s—but since it’s not going off the radio any time soon, we’ll see.

Oh Wow Oldie

TLC, “Unpretty” on Sirius XM ’90s On 9 – It hasn’t been missing from the radio all that long, but hearing it now for the first time in a while, one is struck that it was the rough sketch for “F**king Perfect,” label-mate Pink’s slightly more assertive take on the same subject.

Out Of Office Message

“I will be out of the office to work on my curve ball.” – Steve Dirksen, West Michigan Whitecaps (a former Grand Rapids area broadcaster).