1 FEB 06: THE FOX ESCAPES AGAIN

The morning hosts at WFXE-FM "Foxie 105" were all smiles when they appeared on WRBL's 5:00 p.m. news Tuesday. "We're the number-one morning show," they said - as opposed to the radio station which simulcasts WRBL's morning newscast....

The Foxie 105 "Breakfast Jam" had good reason to make that statement. New radio ratings released late Tuesday showed their entire station bounced back in the fall, and increased its lead over rival WBFA-FM "101.3 Da Beat." So did anyone dare rub it in by playing Michael Jackson's "Beat It"?!

In fact, the "Breakfast Jam" team claimed its morning ratings doubled during the fall. I couldn't find any numbers online to verify that - and since these announcers probably had been up since 4:00 a.m., they might have been tired and giddy.

The last time Columbus radio ratings came out, we noted Foxie 105 had lost half its audience in two years. That trend stopped in the fall, with the station's numbers jumping 40 percent from the spring. The Davis Broadcasting office can expect a call today from President Bush's handlers....

"Urban music" rival 101.3 Da Beat gained slightly in the fall ratings, but actually has lost some listeners in the last year. The change may have come after "Street TV" on TV-66 declared it the "crunkest" radio station - and viewers weren't sure whether that's a good or bad thing.

WGSY-FM "Sunny 100" remains a strong second, among Columbus radio listeners. In fact, one Columbus sports bar has the station on its speakers during the evening - and NOT the sports-talk station. Is this for the dates the guys bring, while they watch the big game?

The local radio rivalries break down this way, in the fall ratings report:

+ WKZJ-FM "K-92.7" gained listeners again, and almost caught WAGH-FM "Magic 98.3." Is it because of that afternoon show called "Love, Lust and Lies" - which sounds like it belongs on SoapNet?

+ WKCN-FM "Kissin' 99.3" reclaimed the lead among country music listeners, as WSTH-FM "Rooster 106" took a big drop. It may be time for Bear O'Brien to fight back, and offer a "one-minute guarantee" to beat their two.

+ WDAK had twice the AM talk-radio listeners of WRCG - but the big story to me is that WRCG's ratings held steady, despite all its signal problems. It may prove the managers were smart to add Antonio Carter as co-host of "TalkLine." Or it may prove Neal Boortz talks so loud that the signal strength doesn't matter.

+ Gospel station WHAL-AM still trails WEAM-FM, but it recovered all the listeners it lost in the spring book. Perhaps those listeners were on the floor during the spring, knocked unconscious by the Holy Spirit.

At the bottom of the radio ladder, WEAM-AM "1580 The Zone" gained a few sports-talk listeners during the fall. As strange as it seems, maybe I'm not the only person in Columbus who listens to Atlanta Hawks basketball games.

And one commercial radio station in Columbus didn't show up on the chart at all - WSHE-AM 1270. So it's no wonder "Duke and the Doctor" are doing those suspicious-looking infomercials....

We also like to keep you updated on the noncommercial side of the radio dial. The President of WFRC-FM has a new book on sale, declaring the world will end in the fall of 2011. Of course, he also thought it would end in 1994 [true] - and he doesn't sound like a Democrat at all.

BLOG UPDATE: Civil rights activist and widow Coretta Scott King died Tuesday at age 78. Our condolences to the family - and it's our sincere hope some smart alecks in South Georgia don't try to start a new Internet comedy called "Jim Crow and Mrs. King."

Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue ordered flags at all state buildings lowered to half-staff, in honor of Coretta Scott King. But a Tuesday afternoon drive found the U.S. flag still at the top of the pole outside the Columbus Civic Center - which will only reinforce the false idea that all hockey players are white.

State Rep. Calvin Smyre of Columbus remembered Coretta Scott King, in a speech on the Georgia House floor. He recalled how she went to the Capitol years ago, lobbying to make Martin Luther King's birthday a state holiday. And down the hallway, I imagine Lester Maddox was lobbying to honor Stonewall Jackson instead.

(BLOGGER'S NOTE: We'll post e-mail reaction to our "Down With the King" item about Martin Luther King Day this weekend.)

In a bizarre side note, CNN anchor Tony Harris spoke at a dinner in Atlanta LAST week - and stated Andrew Young had spoken at Coretta Scott King's funeral. Either Harris confused Mrs. King with Rosa Parks, or he should be named the network's official resident psychic.

Now for other interesting items from the Tuesday news:

+ Columbus Council approved an "intelligent transportation system" for the city. As long as drivers have to stop for at least one red light on Veterans Parkway or Macon Road, this will be declared a failure.

(The intelligent traffic system will include the installation of message boards on well-traveled roads, to warn drivers of problems. And imagine how much money the city can make on weekends, selling that space to Bill Heard Chevrolet.)

+ Columbus Councilors held a joint meeting with the Muscogee County School Board, beginning an attempt to work together and talk with each other. Or as some cynical school board members quietly call it, "No Councilor Left Behind...."

+ Columbus 911 was called to Phillips Street, after a private helicopter landed next to an industrial building. It turned out to be nothing serious - and the pilot was smart enough not to fly over Fort Benning, to reveal the Army's invasion response secrets.

+ The Georgia House voted 136-25 for a bill guaranteeing the words "Merry Christmas" can be said in all public workplaces. Well, OK - as long as I can say in response that the word Christmas isn't in the Bible.

(Critics of this proposal say it loosens speech rules in public places so much, students will be able to wear T-shirts with controversial language at school. I didn't know Abercrombie and Fitch had lobbyists at the state legislature.)

+ Former Brookstone head football coach Chico Lynch was surprised at a school assembly, with tickets to this weekend's Super Bowl. He'll be able to see former Brookstone running back Mack Strong play for Seattle - as long as the Seahawks don't have any more car wrecks in Detroit.

+ Instant Message to Club Antifreeze on Buena Vista Road: Did I hear it right - you're having a "$400 shakeoff contest" for women this weekend? Is someone actually going to measure the dandruff?

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