KEGL-FM leaves former host Russ Martin on roster

By AL BRUMLEY / The Dallas Morning News
08/15/2000

Russ Martin began his new job as morning man at KYNG-FM (105.3) on April 3, four days after the start of Arbitron's spring ratings period. But for nearly four months after that, anyone who might have written his name in an Arbitron diary would have registered in the ratings of both KYNG and Mr. Martin's former station, "The Eagle" KEGL-FM (97.1).

In late July, KYNG program director Bob McNeill discovered that KEGL had not removed Mr. Martin's name from its station information profile, an Arbitron tool stations use to ensure they get credit for all their listeners. KEGL has since taken Mr. Martin off its profile.

KEGL officials said Monday that it was simply an oversight and that it made no difference in the outcome of the ratings. Arbitron confirmed that the incorrect listing affected only two diaries, totaling 31 quarter hours. "If the point is being made that somehow that led to them getting less credit than they should, that's a stretch," said KEGL general manager Tom Schurr. "If it didn't make any difference in the ratings, what ... did he care?"

"Why do I care?" Mr. McNeill responded. "Because it could hurt me. This time, it was 31 quarter hours, but if I don't watch what they're doing, next time it might be 1,000."

Stations submit the profiles, also known as SIPs, to Arbitron in case a diary keeper doesn't enter the station's call letters or frequency. The profiles include names of disc jockeys, show names, contests - anything officials can think of that a listener might enter other than the station name.

Thom Mocarsky, vice president of communications for Arbitron, said that if a diary entry turns up in two SIPs, the stations split the ratings.

Arbitron recently began listing the SIPs on its Web site, which is where Mr. McNeill said he discovered the error. He said he believes that if Arbitron had not put the data on the Web, the errors might have gone undetected much longer.

Records show that KEGL made some changes to its spring SIP. When asked why Mr. Martin's name wasn't removed then, Mr. Schurr said, "I guess I would answer that question by saying it doesn't matter."

Mr. Martin's move to KYNG has been contentious from the start. KEGL claimed intellectual property rights to many of the show's bits, and Mr. Martin has claimed on the air that KEGL still owes him two weeks' pay.

When asked about the SIP listing, Mr. Martin said, "They haven't acted professionally since I told them I was leaving, so why would they start now?"

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