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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It’s WLTW in familiar territory. Clear Channel’s Lite FM is number one in the July PPM ratings, released yesterday by Arbitron.

But in a rare spot for the A/C station, WLTW lost .8 from June. Thus, opening the door for sister station WHTZ. Z100 actually gave back .2, but finds just a .6 deficit from being the city’s top station.

Then there’s WCBS-FM, which commemorated it’s 40th anniversary in July. Overall, there’s not as much to celebrate at the home of Classic Hits. The usual number two to Lite-FM slipped .3 to 5.9. WCBS-FM, which officially ended its association with veteran jock Bob Shannon, tied for third.

The station joining WCBS-FM in third place is WBLS. The Urban station saw a .3 jump to 5.9. WBLS added KISS FM programming in late April, after the mega deal brought ESPN to 98.7.

As for ESPN/WEPN, it was a less promising month. The overall rating dropped .3 to a 21st-place showing of 1.3.

Rival WFAN, which started July with its 25th anniversary, fell slightly to 3.2.

The month’s big winner, WKTU. The Rhythmic A/C made a .7 leap to 5.5 in fifth place.

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It’s a weekend four decades in the making. WCBS-FM, the venerable Oldies turned Classic Hits station, is marking a milestone, after launching the vintage Top 40 tunes on July 7, 1972. To commemorate the occasion, the station is welcoming back, or playing vintage clips of, CBS-FM’s most popular DJs.

The call letters were created in the 1940s. In those nascent days of radio, WCBS-FM was simply a simulcast for the WCBS-AM’s programming.

Finally in 1966, CBS-FM started its own format. The Easy Listening, “Young Sound” was born. A year later, a plane crash into the transmitter, forced WCBS-AM to debut its all-news format on the FM tower.

In 1969, WCBS-FM, still seeking an identity, opted for a freeform rock genre, molded in the WOR-FM and WNEW-FM style.

But it was until 1972 that CBS-FM had its niche in New York–Oldies.

Bill Brown, longtime midday jock, and late night DJ Don K. Reed were CBS-FM “originals” from the freeform days.

The station wasn’t just the greatest oldies or greatest hits of the last 40 years. It showcased some of greatest jocks in history. Dan Ingram, Ron Lundy, Harry Harrison, “Triple D” Dandy Dan Daniel, Bob Shannon, Dan Taylor, and “Broadway” Bill Lee are just a select few that could be inducted into the CBS-FM “Hall of Fame.”

Ironically, as the audience got “older,” the music got younger. In the last several years, the original feel has been slightly altered to focus on the 1970s and 1980s, while putting the 1950s “Oldies” into “semi-retirement.”

The weekend lineup after the jump.

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WCBS/Channel 2, WCBS 880, Hot 97/WQHT each walked away with trio of awards last night at the Awards for Excellence in Broadcasting. The awards, given by the New York State Broadcasters Association, annually recognize top performers in radio and TV statewide.

Competing against TV and radio stations from the New York City market, WCBS-TV was singled out for “Outstanding Public Affairs Program or Series” (Tunnel to Towers Run), “Outstanding Spot News” (East River Chopper Crash/Rescue) and “Outstanding Sportscast” (Road to Glory: The Rematch).

On the radio dial, WCBS-AM collected awards for “Outstanding Local Newscast” (Hurricane Irene), “Outstanding Feature Story” (The Sock Lady-10 Years Later) and “Outstanding Local Sporting Event” (The New York City Marathon).

In addition, Emmis-owned WQHT-FM won for “Outstanding Commercial” (Scullcandy Rocnation Headphones), “Outstanding Public Affairs Program or Series” (Hot 97 Street Soldiers) and “Outstanding On-Air Broadcast Personality or Team” (The Angie Martinez Show).

The 46th annual honors were handed out at The Sagamore Resort Hotel in Bolton Landing.

The winners have been chosen for the 2012 New York State Associated Press Broadcasters Association. WINS and WCBS 880 were among radio stations securing at least two first-place wins.

On the TV side, Cablevision’s News 12 Westchester and News 12 Long Island each led the way with three, first-place awards.

WNBC/Channel 4 took home two, first-place trophies.

The awards were handed out over the weekend in Saratoga Springs.

Chalk up another victory for WLTW/Lite FM. The Adult Contemporary powerhouse ranked first again in the monthly PPM Arbitron ratings.

WLTW kept its huge audience with a 7.5 rating, a .2 increase from the previous month.

Top competitor WCBS-FM remained a consistent number two in the overall ratings for March. The Classic Hits station, though, lost .3 for the month to 6.3.

Clear Channel’s Z100/WHTZ held third place, and maintained a 5.2 rating for the second straight survey. Sister station WKTU got a .3 boost to 4.7 for March.

Popular Tropical station WSKQ has a slight increase to 3.9. The city’s other Spanish formatted station, WXNY, registered a 3.5 again.

WRKS/KISS FM made a slight gain to 3.8, while Classic Rocker WAXQ slipped to a 3.8.

More from the monthly ratings after the jump

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The Radio Television Digital News Association has announced its Edward R. Murrow Award winners. The Murrows, presented since 1971, recognize achievements in electronic journalism.

In the large market, radio division, for the region covering New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, 1010 WINS was a winner in the Audio Continuing Coverage category for Hurricane Irene.

WINS is honored for its Use of Sound during the Death of Osama bin Laden.

Sister station WCBS 880 also takes home a plaque. WCBS was selected in the category of Best Audio Newscast for its coverage of Irene last August.

Bloomberg Radio/WBBR won in the Audio News Documentary category for its Stalking a Silent Killer story.

WNYC-AM/FM was the recipient of three awards, including Best Writing.

In large market television division, WNBC/Channel 4 was the only, over-the-air winner. WNBC picked up three Murrows this year: Video Feature Reporting, Video Reporting: Hard News, and Michael DelGuidice for the Use of Video category.

Cablevision’s News 12 Long Island was singled out twice. Reporter Viriginia Huie won for Writing, while the cable channel also was named Best Video News Documentary — Search for a Serial Killer.

The new year produces more of the same atop the Arbitron leaderboard.

WLTW/Lite FM holds on to number one in the latest PPM figures.

The Clear Channel Soft Adult Contemporary dropped from the Holiday book bonanza (11.5) to a 7.1.

WCBS-FM registered substantial gains, but remains number two with a 6.5. The gap closes from December, when WLTW had an 8.2, while CBS-FM trailed with a 5.9.

Back to January, WHTZ/z100 kept pace in third with a 4.9.

Another Top 5 mainstay, WKTU had a 4.4, even with the Holiday survey, but down .4 from December.

Tropical WSKQ was fifth with a 4.2, while Classic Rocker WAXQ was next with a steady 3.8.

As for the news stations, WINS led the way, scoring a 3.7, up .5 from the Holiday book.

WCBS-AM edged ahead .1 to 2.9.

And upstart FM News/WEMP saw a slight improvement to .7.

More ratings analysis after the jump

WBLS, involved in a bankruptcy, had a good month—jumping .5 to a 3.5.

Sports talk is dominated by WFAN with a 3.4, up from 3.1 during the Holiday period. WEPN/ESPN 1050 trailed with a 1.3.

Updating a story we reported yesterday, Dom Theodore stepped down as program director of WXRK/92.3 Now. With his departure, Internet rumors have surfaced. The online chatter involved the FM frequency flipping to simulcast one of the CBS Radio AM stations: WCBS 880, WINS, or WFAN.

However, a CBS Radio spokeswoman squelched that rumor, in saying “We will be hiring a program director to replace Dom Theodore at 92.3 Now.”

Along with running the day-to-day operation at the former K Rock, Theodore was VP of Top 40 Programming at CBS Radio. He decided to spend more time with his consulting firm and family radio business.

First, we had the poll showing Chuck Scarborough and Sue Simmons were the all-time number one anchor team in your hearts. Now,  it’s time to choose the best radio team in New York City. Whether in news (several tandems from Newsradio 880), sports (Mike and the Mad Dog), or morning teams (Dr. Dre´ and Ed Lover; Scott and Todd) 

As always, you can add any additional selections below. The poll closes Thursday at 6 p.m. We’ll have the results on Friday.