'Kat' ties WBAV in latest radio ratings

WKKT-FM makes a rare appearance at the top of the radio ratings, tying perennial leader WBAV-FM in the latest Arbitron rankings for Charlotte radio.

"Kat's" country rival WSOC-FM holds on to third place and powerhouse WPEG-FM stays steady at fourth, but WHQC-FM, which has been having a strong run, moves up a spot in the rankings to fifth, displacing WRFX-FM.

In the month that included the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, news station WBT-AM moved up one spot from last month. WFAE-FM, the NPR affiliate, also saw numbers rise from a month earlier.

Also continuing a strong run is WLKO-FM, which was rebranded "Lake" when it switched from its longtime "Lite" brand on July 2 and started playing  variety hits. In its last ranking as "Lite," the station was No. 15; this week it is No. 7 and has not been out of the top 10 since the format flip.

Not included in this month's survey is WNOW-FM (105.3), which has switched from a Mexican format to "Old School" hits after being taken over Aug. 26 by Radio One. Two other Radio One stations, WPZS-FM and WQNC-FM are simulcasting the "Praise" signal. If combined, they would have a 6.3% share of the radio audience, which would rank them at No. 5 in the region's Arbitron rankings.

Station                             Percent of audience
1. WBAV-FM ("V" 101.9)        7.9%
1. WKKT-FM ("Kat" 96.9)       7.9%
3. WSOC-FM (103.7)               6.7%
4. WPEG-FM ("Power" 97.9)    6.5%
5. WHQC-FM ("Channel" 96.1) 5.2%
5. WRFX-FM ("Fox" 99.7)         5.2%
7. WLKO-FM ("Lake" 102.9)      4.7%
8. WBT-AM (News-talk 1110)     4.5%
8. WLNK-FM ("Link" 107.9)       4.5%
10. WKQC-FM ("K" 104.7)         4.4%
11. WFAE-FM (NPR)                  4.0%
11. WPZS-FM ("Praise" 100.9)     4.0%
13. WEND-FM ("End" 106.5)       3.9%
13. WNKS-FM ("Kiss" 95.1)         3.9%
15. WRCM-FM ("New Life" 91.9) 2.7%
16. WQNC-FM ("Praise" 92.7)       2.3%
16. WMIT-FM ("Light" 106.9)        2.3%
18. WDAV-FM (Classical 89.9)      1.4%
18. WFNZ-AM ("Fan" 610)            1.4%
20. WZGV-AM ("ESPN" 730)        0.4%
20. WBCN-FM (Talk 1660)            0.4%
22. WNSC-FM (NPR 88.9)             0.3%
23. WSGE-FM (Gaston College 91.7) 0.2%


Rankings do not include WXRC-FM ("Ride" 95.7), which does not subscribe to Arbitron.