One Hot Throwdown

KPRS officials wrote off the bad book as a sampling error. "A lot of times, these guys just don't turn in their diaries," Carter explains. Sure enough, the Arbitron survey released January 23 shows that KPRS has made up much of the ground last year. The fall ratings book returns Hot 103 Jamz to first place, with a 7.1 share.

But even as the station was recovering, another challenge emerged. On November 4, the Top 40 station KCHZ 95.7 revealed its new identity. In its first few hours in the new format, KCHZ played 50 Cent, Missy Elliott and the gangsta classic "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thing."

Now known as the Vibe, corporate-owned 95.7 planted both feet on 103.3's turf.

It's after 8 p.m., which means J.T. Quick is on the air, counting down the most requested jams of the day. Quick's delivery is such that many listeners who meet him are surprised to learn that he's white. "We jumping off into that No. 5 jam, so let's find out what's really good on Hot 103. What up?"

"Hi, my name is Lisa, and I would like to give shout-outs to my family, my son Deante, my baby Big Mike, Olajuwon, Rob, my girl Sonya, Kwanzaa and Monique. The No. 5 song is DFL, 'Laffy Taffy.'"

The intros make The Hot 8 at 8 a highly entertaining segment. The callers tend to talk quickly in order to send the maximum number of shout-outs (apologies, Lisa, for any mangled names). Most sound thrilled to be on the radio. Quick, 30, says the excitement of the callers, who are often teenagers, helps him forget his adult problems. "It's really kind of endearing," he says.

Quick's show airs from 6 to 10 p.m. His hours changed slightly in December when station management shook up the schedule to make room for The Steve Harvey Show. The show marks the first time KPRS has turned over an important part of the day to a syndicate. Carter thinks Harvey will do well, suggesting that he might take listeners from Tom Joyner, the national morning host carried on KMJK 107.3. The 50-year-old Harvey had a sitcom on the WB network and appeared in the film The Original Kings of Comedy. His radio show is standard morning-show fare, a mix of music, pranks, celebrity interviews with a hint of sermonizing. "If you don't believe in God, you a fool," Harvey said on a recent show.

With Harvey the new Hot 103 Jamz headliner, Tyler and Jonez were split up. Jonez moved to late mornings and Tyler to afternoon drive. Tony G moved from afternoon drive to the noon-3 p.m. shift, and Chris King, a 37-year veteran of KPRS, went to the gospel station. King says he welcomed the chance to get away from the Hot 103 Jamz music, which he found increasingly objectionable. "I just didn't want to play another 50 Cent song, another 'Laffy Taffy,'" he says. "I just couldn't do it."

Carter says he made the recent changes to stay competitive. Ratings of the morning show hosted by Tyler and Jonez, he says, had slid. "Morning drive is where the money is. If you're not getting it in morning drive, you're not going to get it, per se."

The switch to an urban-style format by KCHZ seemed to take a page from former KPRS star Weaver's game plan of including white listeners. KCHZ spins white pop artists such as Gwen Stefani, whereas KPRS rarely does. KCHZ also plays hits more frequently than does KPRS. (A smash hit airs on Hot 103 Jamz "only" six or seven times a day.)

KCHZ owner Cumulus Media of Atlanta is the second-largest radio company in the United States and owns or is in the process of acquiring 343 stations. In Kansas City, Cumulus operates KCHZ and KMJK and plans to purchase KCMO 94.9 and three other Kansas City stations from Susquehanna Radio. Mike Payne, the general manager of Cumulus in Kansas City, says KPRS is a well-run station that benefits from the popularity of its music genre. "It's broadly appealing beyond certain ages as well as certain ethnicities." Translation: A lot of white folks like hip-hop.

With the change, Cumulus is now in a position to wound KPRS from two points. Cumulus' other station, the "urban adult contemporary" KMJK, targets an older demographic by playing many of the same artists KPRS does (Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige) with less rap and more of the likes of Gerald Levert. (The full effect of KCHZ's format switch won't be evident in the ratings for another three months.)

KPRS personality Sean Tyler says he welcomes the challenge of a new rival. "You need someone to remind you that you have to get out and earn it. Sometimes competition is a good thing." Tyler sounds confident that KPRS will prevail (he calls the Vibe "suburban hip-hop"), but not everyone at the station shares his optimism. "Some people are shitting their pants while they're walking, but I'm not," he says.

The arrival of the Vibe has caused Hot 103 Jamz jocks to tighten their deliveries, says J.T. Quick. "The days of the four-minute spiel about nothing are over," he says. Attention has also turned to the quality of commercials. KPRS is notorious for ads consuming as many as 16 minutes an hour. Quick says well-crafted spots reduce the likelihood that a listener will reach for the dashboard tuner. "That time needs to be taken care of even more than the music."