WYBC, a division of the Yale Broadcasting Company, Inc., has announced that WYBC-FM is now -- for the first time ever -- the number-two station in the New Haven Metropolitan area, according to recent Arbitron figures.

Located at 94.3 on the dial, WYBC-FM now has a cumulative audience of 49,100 out of the 388,175 people in the New Haven Metro Area. The cumulative measure covers a time-span of 6 a.m.-midnight, Monday-Sunday.

This latest ratings release follows a general upward trend in ratings for WYBC-FM, according to Ephram Lustgarten, president and general manager of WYBC. "No other radio station in the market has shown as consistent a progression as WYBC has," he says. "This speaks to the efforts of the programming staff, students, and community members, and their effectiveness in reaching out to the community" to sponsor local activities.

Other statistics about WYBC-FM revealed in the Arbitron rankings include:

* The station beat KC101 by 15 percent, and WELI by 50 percent.

* It is number-one in New Haven 7 p.m.-midnight and 6-10 a.m.; and number-two 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and on the weekend.

* Both the jazz and gospel formats are number-one in their time slots. The latter outpaced competitors by a 50 percent margin.

WYBC is an independent, student-managed, nonprofit commercial radio station serving over 500 square miles of the Greater New Haven area on both the FM and AM dials.

WYBC-AM, 1340 on the dial, also made its first appearance on the charts, though Arbitron sources indicate that it takes three to four consecutive ratings periods before the station's ratings can accurately reflect its listening audience. WYBC-AM now attracts a base of roughly 5,000 non-students weekly as well. (Arbitron notes, however, that its current ratings system does not include college and university students in the ratings calculations.)

The mission statement of WYBC is "To serve as a communication link between the Yale community and the surrounding area, bringing the resources of the University to its neighbors, and fostering a closer contact between the two groups for the benefit of both."

For more information about WYBC, call 432-4118, or send email to wybc@yale.edu.