Skip Cheatham and the Playground propel K104 back to the top of DFW radio ratings

by Shawn Williams of of Dallas South

DALLAS — In the latest Arbitron ratings, K104/KKDA-FM appeared in a familiar place: #1. The move to the top comes after the station had fallen to fifth in the spring book. Kid Kraddick and KISS-FM dropped from 1st to 3rd.

Skip Cheatham, who serves as the station's program director, basically hired himself to recreate the morning drive time slot. That meant breaking up Skip Murphy and the Morning team, or what was left of it after Nannette Lee and the Wig had been dismissed.

Now Cheatham, along with Lady Jade, Mozan; Murphy holdovers Chris Arnold and Sam Putney, along with like 100 other people make up "The Playground."

(KBFB-FM) The Beat finished the summer ratings period ranked #4. This is up from #6 in the spring. 97.9 is home to The Ricky Smiley Morning Show. 105.7 and Steve Harvey rose to 9th from 18th in the summer ratings.

The Playground has apparently found their audience, taking little time to get back on top. While Murphy and the crew had a loyal following, Cheatham is probably bringing new listeners to the station. The show appeals to the much younger demographic that advertisers covet.

Smiley and 97.9 continue to gain ground and move up the charts. His mix of comedy and consciousness seems to appeal to some of K104's former listeners. The fall numbers should be really interesting.