Not to be redundant, but it’s another winning month for WLTW/Lite-FM.

The Clear Channel number one mainstay kept residence in its familiar spot with a 7.6 in the overall Arbitron ratings. That’s a .4 boost from January.

By contrast, WCBS-FM slipped to a 6.2 in the current PPM.

• Related: FishbowlNY, Radio Ratings Status Quo: WLTW Remains Number One Overall

WBLS also dropped by .2 to 5.5, while WHTZ/Z100 lost .3 to 5.1.

WINS was next with 4.7, a .2 gain. Sister station WCBS 880 also saw a .2 upgrade to 3.8.

The big news is tracking NASH-FM/WNSH, the city’s first Country station in more than 15 years. NASH in its first full ratings survey notched a 1.6. Just below NASH was ESPN’s WEPN-FM at 1.3, a drop from 1.6. More dramatically, ESPN has lost a point since November.

• Related: FishbowlNY, NASH-FM 94.7 Welcomes First Air Personalities

WFAN-FM kept its distance from its rival. But the ‘FAN, which simulcasts on 660 AM and 101.9 FM, had an uncharacteristic drop of 1.2 to 2.5 for February.

There’s more from the monthly ratings after the jump.

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Alan Colmes is still a busy guy. He is heard nationally on his eponymous Fox News Radio show. He also does guest spots on Fox News Channel, his former prime time TV home with Sean Hannity.

FishbowlNY caught up with Colmes at the recent reunion for WHN, a station that he was part of in the 1970s.

Although his radio show is available live online, including New York, where Colmes remains sidelined. Colmes says rejoining the top market is always a goal, but not something on his radar these days.

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The tree is now mulch and the lights are back in the attic. But the holidays aren’t over until Arbitron releases its seasonal ratings… and it has!.

Lite-FM/WLTW got a big boost from its annual Christmas programming. The Clear Channel perennial number one had an 11.3 for the holidays, up from an 8.4 in December.

By contrast, number two remains WCBS-FM, which slipped .2 to 6.6.

WBLS is still a powerhouse with new YMF owners. The Urban station stands at number three with a 5.9, although losing .2 for the book.

But Z100/WHTZ had a .5 drop to 4.6.

Spanish station WSKQ was next at 4.5, off .3 from December’s figures. Rival WXNY was also on the negative side of the ledger (.1) at 4.2.

WINS saw gains, jumping .5 to 4.2. WCBS 880 slipped .1 to 3.5.

In the sports on FM battle, WFAN is the clear winner! The original all-sports station registered a 3.1, off .1, while WEPN (ESPN)/98.7, is still trying to find its footing on FM. It scored no gains at 1.8.

Also of note, the final rating for WOR under the ownership of Buckley Radio, was 1.1, down .4.

Cumulus made waves this week with the flip to Country at 94.7. That station hasn’t made the survey yet, but the company’s WPLJ was 2.3, off .3. WABC dropped .6 to 2.2.

There are dozens of radio traffic reporters in the New York market. Many of them could be deemed “interchangable” with a cookie cutter sound. Only a select few in the last 20 years have been able to make a career, and be known to a large number of listeners. And then there’s Jeff McKay!

McKay is clearly the most engaging traffic reporter in the business. Therefore, his stock is constantly on the rise. After many years as a full-time gridlock guy on 1010 WINS, mainly nights and weekends, McKay landed as the morning traffic anchor with a managerial role at Merlin Media’s ill-conceived, FM News. But McKay has never been ill-conceived. His reports stay true every 10 minutes, never crossing into gimmicky. He straddles a line effortlessly from entertaining to informing like few in the traffic world have ever done.

Once the writing was on the wall at Merlin last year, and Merlin fired the majority of its staff, McKay began his quest for the next radio home.

“I was looking at a number of scenarios, in radio, television and outside of broadcasting, and had received several offers I liked,” McKay admits. “However, the possibilities with Radiate Media and Cumulus was the best position for me and my family.”

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Changes are afoot at Clear Channel’s newest property. With the ownership of WOR Radio officially transferred from Buckley Broadcasting, Clear Channel is moving quickly to put its fingerprint on the venerable talk station.

Longtime WABC host Mark Simone has jumped ship, having been named the weekday 10 a.m. to noon host, effective immediately.

After more than a dozen years at 770 on the AM dial, Simone tells FishbowlNY, a move to 710 is not easy.

“I’ve never had an unpleasant moment with the management there, they were wonderful to me from the beginning to the end,” Simone says. “I’ll miss WABC and never thought I’d want to leave, but this is probably how some people at Microsoft felt years ago when they left to go to Apple.”

Neccessitating the professional address change for Simone is the fact that ex-WABC president and GM Steve Borneman is assuming a management role at Clear Channel and WOR. Simone says working for Borneman at WABC was a pleasurable experience.

“He’s a great leader and the best GM we ever had on the 17th floor at WABC and everyone on the air there would tell you that they would follow him anywhere,” Simone admits. “So, while I hate leaving the best coworkers in radio, it may not be long before many of them decide to join me [at WOR].”

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Don Imus, the legendary morning man, has extended his relationship with Cumulus Media through 2015. The I-Man has inked a deal keeping him anchored to the 77 WABC 6 a.m. to 10 a.m shift for another three years. Imus in the Morning is syndicated to all 50 states.

“I am delighted that our listeners and advertisers have the certainty of knowing Don and his amazing team at ‘Imus in the Morning’ will remain on 77 WABC for at least three more years,” said John Dickey, co-chief operating officer at Cumulus. “Don’s a radio legend and is an important part of our team.”

• Related: TVNewser/Imus Staying Put on FBN

Following a stint in Cleveland, Imus headed to New York’s WNBC in 1971. After being fired by that station in 1977, Imus was back at 660 in 1979. From 1982 to 1985, Imus formed a one-two punch with afternoon personality Howard Stern that led to famous ad campaign with the radio stars,”If we weren’t so bad, we wouldn’t be so good.”

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Cumulus has added a third station to its New York stable. WFME, the Religion station part of evangelist Harold Camping‘s Family Stations, covers much of the New York area from a West Orange, New Jersey tower.

WFME, a Newark based station, joins WPLJ and WABC under the Cumulus ownership.

All Access reports the deal is for an undisclosed price.

“This strategic acquisition of our second FM in the nation’s largest market will enable us to provide compelling new programming for our listeners and a powerful marketing vehicle for our advertising partners,” said Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey said in a statement.

The acquistion is expected to be completed by the end of the year, with format plans to be released at that time.

Bob Grant, the talk show host who recently celebrated 40 years in New York radio, apparently doesn’t know how to say goodbye. Grant, 83, is doing an awkward about face in a posting on his Web site, bobgrantonline.

Now he writes under the headline, Got Your Attention! that he isn’t leaving his Sunday afternoon show on WABC–yet.

“Yesterday I wrote a column that made it appear this was to be my last Sunday on WABC. It was a mistake. It was not my last show.”

Grant added that the ploy was to “get your attention since last week so many of you didn’t know I was only one hour. I got your attention but I upset a lot of people. I have had a lot of practice upsetting people. But, enough about me and that erroneous message.”

As Grant pointed out, yesterday he wrote, with the less-than-subtle headline, My Final Broadcast at WABC, “I will end the one-hour show next Sunday… I am tired of certain people who, were it not for me, would not be where they are now. I have been the victim of a cruel conspiracy.”

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It’s been a remarkable ride for cantankerous and controversial Bob Grant. The influential talk show host will leave his one-hour Sunday show this weekend, his third stint at WABC. Grant, 83, rejoined the station in September 2009.

He wrote today on his Web site, bobgrantonline.com: ”I am not sick, I am just a tired of life member of the chorus.”

Grant, who had a highly successful 12-year stint as afternoon WABC host, added: “I will miss you as much as you say you miss me.”

In 1970, Grant made his splash in New York when he arrived at WMCA. For the next seven years he was the station’s ”house conservative.” Grant also worked at WOR twice. Most recently, he was on the air at the Buckley family-owned company from 1996 to 2006.

As Grant writes on his site: “There are other things I want to do with the rest of my life. For one thing, I may have time to write the book we have talked about.”

Grant wrote only one book, the 1996 Let’s Be Heard.

WABC operations manager Tony Mascaro refused to comment.

Photo: wabcradio.com

The big news of the August PPM is all about WBLS. The Urban Adult Contemporary station is finding new life since the ESPN/KISS FM deal in April. WBLS, now the only game in town for that format, jumped to number two, up .4 to 6.3.

Despite the great WBLS showing, WLTW continues to rule the radio roost. The Clear Channel heavyweight added a .1 to 7.0, but Lite-FM lost a chunk of its lead to ‘BLS in the latest Arbition figures.

WBLS’ good fortune means a backtracking for perennial number two, WCBS-FM. The Classic Hits station slipped into a third-place tie with WHTZ/Z100. However, the two stations got there in slightly different scenarios. CBS-FM gained .2, while Z100 lost .2 for the month.

The homecoming of WRXP to Merlin Media’s Alternative Rocker at 101.9 reaped the rewards. The station shot up a full ratings point to a 1.6.

More from the Top 10 after the jump

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