WFAN holding its own in ratings-Neil Best

Neil Best Watchdog: "There is no question 1050 ESPN suffers from its less reliable signal. ESPN has flirted with acquiring an FM station, which could be a game-changer, but until it does it must live with the reality of not being a "clear channel."...

The station does many things well, including sports news reporting, aided by ESPN's trove of journalists and personalities,

• none of whom are allowed to appear on WFAN.

Still, the numbers are stuck. One particularly interesting period was January, when the

• Jets didn't make their players available to WFAN's Mike Francesa,

• yet he handily beat the team's flagship radio station.

The addition of Bonnie Bernstein to Michael Kay's afternoon show hasn't helped, and has created some awkward verbal traffic jams involving Kay, Bernstein and Don La Greca.

• I asked Dave Roberts, 1050's new general manager, about the chemistry on the Kay show. He said this:

"Overall we are pleased with the Michael Kay show, and the reason why we're pleased with it is when you have someone the strength of Michael Kay, it's pretty easy to build a team around him."...

• Here are some ratings numbers, which measure the percentage of the audience among men ages 25 to 54 for each station in mornings, midday and afternoons in recent months:

Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.:

• WFAN: 5.7 percent in February, 7.4 in January, 6.4 in December.
• WEPN (1050's official call letters): 1.7, 2.5, 2.5

Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.:

• WFAN: 5.5 percent in February, 6.6 in January, 6.2 in December
• WEPN: 1.5, 2.0, 2.1

Monday through Friday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.:

• WFAN: 5.7 percent in February, 7.1 in January, 6.4 in December
• WEPN: 2.3, 2.8, 3.1

"WFAN still rules ratings race," Neil Best Watchdog, Newsday, 3/26/10

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