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EXPLOSIVE POPULATION GROWTH CONTINUES TO HAVE BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE effects on Atlanta. About two years ago, the steady exodus of residents from the city to the suburbs began an unusual reversal. Traffic gridlock on the main arteries had become so pervasive that many suburbanites started moving into the downtown area. The population shift back into Atlanta proper has helped spark a long-awaited redevelopment effort in the city. Many abandoned warehouses downtown have been converted to apartments and condos, and new office construction is also on the rise.
Atlanta, the largest market in the South, is home to several Fortune 500 companies ,including Delta Airlines, United Parcel Service, Coca-Cola and Home Depot.
The city is also the headquarters of Cox Communications, which dominates the local media via its ownership of the market's leading broadcast TV station, its largest radio group and Atlanta's only daily newspapers.
Cox Radio's five stations in Atlanta attracted a collective 25.6 share among listeners 12-plus in the Spring 2001 Arbitron report, nearly double the total share of its closest competitor, Clear Channel Communications. The Cox outlets took in $113 million in ad revenue in 2000, giving Cox a commanding share of nearly 32 percent of the country's 11th-largest radio market, according to BIA Financial Network (see Radio Ownership chart on page 18).
While most of Cox's stations attract solid listener shares, the company is led by News/ Talk powerhouse WSB-AM, the market's overall audience leader. WSB is also the top-- billing property in the market, with an estimated $41.6 million in 2000, according to BIA.
Clear Channel, which owns five stations in Atlanta, is led by two strong outlets that are in the top 10 overall in listener share. Soft Adult Contemporary WPCH-FM goes head-to-- head against Cox's Soft AC WSB-FM, which enjoys a slight edge in listenership. CC's Rock WKLS-FM competes against Infinity Broadcasting's Classic Rock WZGC-FM and Susquehanna's Modern Rock WNNX-FM.
Clear Channel, the country's largest radio group, is reportedly looking to expand its holdings in Atlanta by acquiring WYAI-FM, a Country station licensed out of Bowdon, Ga. Picking up WYAI would enable CC to challenge ABC Radio's lock on the Country format in Atlanta via its FMs WKHX and WYAY.
In other developments at Clear Channel, R&B station...