Power 105.1 takes a big lead over Hot 97 in January ratings

New York Daily News reports, One of New York’s hottest radio rivalries has taken a tilt.

WQHT (97.1 FM, Hot 97) and WWPR (105.1 FM, Power 105.1) have battled over the last decade for hip-hop fans and come out about even.

In the January Nielsen ratings, though, Power was averaging 3.9% of the audience to 2.8% for Hot. Power also had a big lead in the mornings and among the 25- to 54-year-olds advertisers want.

This follows Angie Martinez jumping from Hot to Power last year. Hot has since made several other changes, including bringing in Pio Ferro as program director and installing Nessa in Martinez’s old slot.

Hot still has Funkmaster Flex and a name that matters. But it would clearly like to make local hip-hop radio a closer race again.