Tom Joyner, who helped put R&B station Kiss on the map in the mid 1990s, will remain there at least through 2011.

Tony Kidd, general manager for the station, said Kiss has given Joyner a new deal after his current five-year contract is up at the end of the year.

Kidd wouldn’t say how long Joyner’s new deal is except to say it’s longer than two years. Another five-year deal would be unusual though it’s possible. (Bert Weiss of Q100 has a deal that length.) He more likely has a contract lasting three or four years. At age 60, he’s nearing retirement age and in many markets, his ratings have taken a battering from the success of Steve Harvey (locally, on Majic 107.5).

Interestingly, Joyner is doing just fine in Atlanta despite very tough competition. The station now often ranks second among 25 to 54 year olds, behind only Frank & Wanda at V-103. He beats Harvey, who is on a somewhat inferior signal at 107.5.

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Joyner’s audience does skew older. Among 18 to 34 year olds, he is far behind Rickey Smiley at Hot, Frank & Wanda and Harvey.

Radio One, which operates competitors such as Majic, Hot 107.9 and Praise, actually bought out a majority stake in Joyner’s syndication operation in 2005. So it effectively competes against itself in Atlanta. But from a financial standpoint, Radio One realizes how valuable Joyner is in Atlanta on Kiss so Joyner stayed. “He’s loyal to us,” Kidd said. (I’ll try to get a reaction from Joyner and will update this.)

Joyner’s syndicated show joined what was then Kiss 104.7 in 1995. He quickly began taking on V-103’s Mike and Carol. By 1997, he briefly caught up to V-103. After Mike and Carol left in 1998, Frank Ski took over, building a large lead over Joyner. But Joyner, even after the station switched to 104.1 in 2000, has remained a consistently popular figure here in Atlanta, a solid No. 2 behind Ski. His annual Sky Shows (which ended a couple of years ago) at the Atlanta Civic Center would draw thousands, many who would camp out overnight to see the free shows at 6 a.m.