The radio ratings are out, and chalk up a narrow victory for 790 The Ticket, which now boasts a 3-1-1 record against WQAM (560) in the last five Arbitron ratings books in the key demographic group of men ages 25 to 54.In the period covering Jan. 10 through April 2, The Ticket finished 15th in the market, with a 2.8 share, in that demo group. WQAM closed 16th, with a 2.6.
Some of the head-to-head battles, using numbers from that coveted demo group:
• The most notable development was longtime WQAM ratings king Neil Rogers losing to 790 (mostly Jorge Sedano, but also an hour of former 790 host Jon Sciambi). During Rogers' hours (10 a.m.-2 p.m.,), he was 13th in the market, with a 3.3 share, while the Ticket was 10th with a 3.7. During Sedano's hours specifically (10 a.m.-1 p.m.), The Ticket was eighth with a 3.9; WQAM 12th with a 3.3. (Since that ratings book, Sedano moved to the noon-3 p.m. slot.)• WQAM won in the early and mid-mornings, with Orlando Alzugaray (who starts at 5 a.m.) beating 790's Sid Rosenberg 3.8 to 3.2 during the 90 minutes when they directly compete. Between 7 and 10 a.m., WQAM's Joe Rose was sixth in the market with a 3.8 share, beating Rosenberg, who was 17th with a 2.5 at that time.
• Besides beating Rogers, The Ticket -- which has a marketing partnership with the Miami Herald -- also won head-to-head battles with WQAM throughout the afternoon and evening. In direct competition between WQAM's Jim Mandich and The Ticket's Dan Le Batard and Jon Weiner, The Ticket had a 3.1 share, ranking 11th in the market, compared with WQAM's 2.8 (15th).
In his first book since shifting from the morning show, Jason Jackson's 2-4 p.m. show on WQAM ranked 23rd with a 1.7 share, compared with the Ticket's 2.4 (17th), which included one hour of Sciambi and one of Le Batard.
• WQAM hosts have complained about the Dolphins not providing guests for its weeknight Dolphins show, and the ratings remain disappointing. During ''Dolphins All Access'' -- or as Mandich would say, ''Dolphins No Access'' -- WQAM had a 1.6 share, ranking 22nd, from 7 to 9 p.m., compared with the Ticket's 2.6, ranking 16th, which included Panthers games and Kevin Rogers, who is now on from 10 a.m. to noon.
• The Ticket dominated its rival from 9 p.m. to midnight, with a 3.8 share to WQAM's 0.4. That included Rogers, the Dos Amigos show and Panthers games on The Ticket, and mostly Damon Amendolara on WQAM.
AROUND THE DIAL
• All-sports WFTL (640), trying to challenge WQAM and 790, hired Channel 7's Mike DiPasquale to do a Tuesday morning show with Jeff DeForrest, who is hosting on the station six mornings a week, including his longtime trivia challenge show at 9 a.m. Saturdays. CBS' Lesley Visser pairs with DeForrest once a week, usually Fridays.
• Visser and her husband, Fox/TNT announcer Dick Stockton, recounted how they met while being honored at longtime CBS director Bob Fishman's Sports Legends Golf Classic banquet Sunday night in Boca Raton, where they live.
Before announcing the memorable Game 6 of the 1975 World Series for NBC, Stockton went into the writer's press box at Fenway Park, where Tony Kubek introduced him to Visser, who was a Boston Globe intern at the time.
''I called her the next week and took her to a great Hungarian restaurant in Boston,'' Stockton said.
But Visser noted her college roommate said, ''Why are you bringing this old man?'' (At 65, Stockton is 11 years older than Visser.)
And somebody left a note in Visser's typewriter at the Globe saying, ''This was the third night this week he went to Cafe Budapest'' -- with three different women. Stockton told the audience he feels ``blessed being married to someone who is smart, funny and knows sports.''
• If Visser was a pioneer for women sportscasters, Doris Burke, 43, is breaking more barriers this week by working second-round NBA playoff games as an analyst for ESPN.
Burke, a former All-Big East player and assistant coach at Providence, has done commentary on men's and women's college games for years, but didn't get to do analysis on an NBA game for ESPN until April 2007. Now, ESPN is using Burke -- a former baby-sitter for Rick Pitino's children -- as its No. 3 NBA game analyst instead of Jon Barry, who is now being used on game nights in studio, Greg Anthony and Tim Legler.
''Doris is passionate, knowledgeable and has committed herself to the sport of basketball,'' said Tim Corrigan, ESPN's senior coordinating producer. ``She has had a terrific year.''
• NBA TV carousel: ESPN's Rick Carlisle reportedly will be named the Dallas Mavericks' coach as early as today. . . . Some speculated that Suns executive Steve Kerr might pursue former TNT colleague Doug Collins to replace Mike D'Antoni if D'Antoni leaves for the Knicks or Bulls. But Collins told espn.com he has no interest in coaching again. . . .
ABC/ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy, who has become a first-rate analyst, is expected to spend at least one more year in television, though broadcast partner Mark Jackson remains a candidate for the Knicks coaching job. . . . TNT's Kenny Smith interviewed for the Knicks general manager job last Saturday, though he is a huge long shot. . . . Phoenix TV analyst and former Heat player Dan Majerle reportedly met with Kerr about an assistant coaching position with the Suns.
• Colorful analyst Don Cherry of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada joins ESPN's SportsCenter as an NHL playoff analyst -- paired with Barry Melrose -- beginning Friday.
