Research Director, Inc.: Exclusive Holiday PPM Analysis For New York, L.A., Chicago, San Francisco & Dallas

Top-5 Markets

And so it begins. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR INC., in a joint operating agreement with the elves of math from XTRENDS, bring you the HOLIDAY 2016 book results. That the sounds of the season dominated the ratings is a foregone conclusion. However, two non-alternative facts separate this particular HOLIDAY survey from previous incarnations. First, it was five weeks long. A full 25% larger than previous incarnations (and, at no extra charge!). Second, the last ten days of the book were no longer the domain of that right jolly old elf. So, one thing that piqued our curiosity is how this will affect the holiday hit makers. The other item of interest – at least for us – is which stations seemed to be hurt by all this revelry.

NEW YORK: The Lite Touch

iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (LITE) easily dominated the 6+ field (8.3-13.3). It was in the same position last year, albeit with a slightly lower share (12.8). SBS Tropical WSKQ (MEGA) found a nicely wrapped gift under its tree as the station had its best book since JULY (4.6-5.5) to move up four places to #2. EMMIS Urban AC WBLS was unaffected by all the holiday hoopla as it remained at #3 (5.5-5.4). CBS RADIO Classic Hits WCBS-F was off a bit (5.7-5.3) and dropped back to #4. It was iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHTZ (Z100) that seemed to be affected by the reindeer games. The station had its lowest share in exactly a year (5.3-4.6) as it slid back to #5. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3) also took a hit (5.0-4.4) to drop back into a tie at #6 with CBS RADIO News WINS-A, which remained in place (4.6-4.4). On the surface it appeared that LITE’s gains may have come from its cluster brethren. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKTU had its lowest total since MAY (4.0-3.5) to take a step back to #9.

WLTW added almost five shares to their robust 25-54 DECEMBER number to lead the market by a wide margin. The station was also a half share ahead of last year’s pace. WSKQ jumped three spaces to #2 as it regained almost all of last month’s big loss. WHTZ fell back to #3 with its lowest score since MARCH. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WWPR (POWER) held steady at #4 with a slight increase. It was joined by WBLS, which took a step back with a slight decrease.

Santa and his minions took control of the 18-34 demo as WLTW vaulted to first place with the exact same share it had a year ago. WHTZ dropped back to #2 as its four-book winning streak came to an end. WSKQ was up four places to #3 with its best share since JULY. This pushed WWPR back to #4 as it was off slightly. EMMIS Top 40/R WQHT (HOT) had its lowest total in over a year as it slipped back to #5. WKTU dropped to #6 with its smallest output since OCTOBER while WAXQ ended up at #8 with its least productive outing since JANUARY.

The 18-49 demo resembled the previous three as WLTW captured the flag for the second book in a row. It eclipsed last year’s number by less than half a share. It continued to be a great survey for WSKQ as the station moved up to #2 with a huge increase. WHTZ had its lowest number since FEBRUARY as it fell back to #3. WWPR was flat but still took one step back to #4. The previous occupants of the #5 position were no longer considered an item. WQHT remained in place but with its smallest share in over a year. Meanwhile, WKTU slid back to #6 after losing a chunk of share.

LOS ANGELES: Happy Kostmas

It’s not like iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST needs the performance-enhancing qualities of holiday music as the station is usually #1 6+. However, a healthy dose of holly didn’t hurt (6.4-10.7). Though, it should be pointed out that this was lower than last year’s 12.3 share. The next two stations in line were down yet tied at #2. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (MY FM) gave back all of last month’s big gain (5.6-4.7) to remain in place. CBS RADIO Rhythmic AC KTWV (THE WAVE) ended a four-book run but moved up from #3 (4.9-4.7). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KIIS (KISS) was unaffected by the jingling bells as it moved back up to #4 (4.4-4.6). CBS RADIO Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH), on the other hand, had its lowest share in over a year (4.8-4.1) to step back to #5. The post-election blues were in full effect for a couple of stations that traded in information. iHEARTMEDIA Talk KFI-A ended a three-book surge as it dropped three places to #10 (3.8-3.1). CBS RADIO News KNX-A reported its smallest share in over a year as it fell to a tie at #15 (3.1-2.7).

KOST came dangerously close to doubling its 25-54 DECEMBER share. It moved up to #1, naturally, but was a full share off last year’s pace. KBIG dropped back to #2 after returning all of last month’s increase. KIIS inched up to #3 with a small increase. CBS RADIO Adult Hits KCBS-F (JACK) dropped a slot to #4 with its lowest score since APRIL. UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KLVE (K-LOVE) remained in place at #5 but with its smallest share since JUNE. KRTH was down but still managed to move up to #6. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KYSR (ALT 98.7) dropped to #7 with its least productive outing since FEBRUARY.

Never underestimate the power of the Claus with the young folk. Visions of sugar plums drove KOST to #1 18-34 though it was almost a share off last year’s haul. EMMIS Top 40/R KPWR (POWER) had its best book in over a year and was rewarded with a rise to second place. The two-month run at #1 for KYSR skidded to a halt as the station dropped back to #3. It was joined in that space by KIIS, which took a step backward with its lowest score in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Urban KRRL (REAL 92.3) recovered from a couple of down books to move up a slot to #5. KBIG dropped two places to #6 thus ending a nice two-book run.

As a shock to no one, KOST rose to #1 18-49. However, this year’s total was almost two shares lighter than 2015’s. KBIG was pushed back to #2 while KIIS became the sole proprietor of the #3 position just by being flat. KLVE had its lowest share since JUNE yet managed to take two steps forward to #4. KYSR fell to #5 with its lowest total since JANUARY. KCBS-F dropped back to #6 as it saw a strong two-book run come to an end.

CHICAGO: It’s MY Christmas

The sounds of the season worked their magic on iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC WLIT (MY FM) as the station more than doubled its previous 6+ share (6.3-13.7) to move into first place. This was just shy of last year’s 13.9 but pretty far ahead of NOVEMBER when the station clocked in with a 2.9. CBS RADIO News WBBM-A saw its six-book winning streak come to an end. It fell back to #2 with its lowest share since SEPTEMBER (6.4-6.1). iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WVAZ (V103) remained at #3 as it returned some of last survey’s increase (6.2-5.9). The usual victim of Santa’s dirty tricks is HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (THE MIX) and this year was no different. Though the station held steady at #4, it posted its lowest number since – you guessed it – last HOLIDAY (5.4-4.4). TRIBUNE N/T WGN-A was in at #5 for the fourth book in a row but with its lowest share since SEPTEMBER (4.2-3.7).

The story behind the song in the 25-54 demo was no different than the previous one. WLIT more than doubled its share in moving to #1 but was a little over a share off last year’s pace. The last time #2 WTMX was not #1 and had a share this low was also the last time BURL IVES was getting spins. WVAZ was off a little but stable at #3. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKSC (KISS) held firm at #4 though it was down for the fourth straight survey. WBBM-A was resolute at #5 but with its lowest total in exactly a year.

We’re sensing the beginning of a pattern here. Once again, WLIT more than doubled its share – this time 18-34. It remained at #1 but was also a little over a share lighter in the load than last year. CBS RADIO Top 40/M WBBM-F (B96) had a slight increase to move up to #2 – its highest rank in this demo in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WGCI posted its lowest mark in over a year yet still moved up two places to #3. WKSC also advanced two squares – to #4 – with a flat performance. WTMX dropped to #5 thanks to its lowest score in exactly a year. We’re pretty sure Santa’s milk-stained fingers are all over this one.

WLIT completed the demo grand slam. It remained at #1 18-49 with more than double its previous number. It was also only slightly off from last year’s pace. The next four stations all had down books. WTMX remained at #2 but with its lowest share in over a year. WKSC was stable at #3 even though it, too, had its smallest number since Santa’s last visit. WVAZ took one step forward to #4 while WGCI dropped back to #5 with – yup – its least productive outing in over a year.

SAN FRANCISCO: A Holiday Two-fer

Though they apparently built this city on rock and roll (sorry), the 6+ arena is usually dominated by the spoken word. That changes during Santa’s reign when two stations start playing the hell out of MARIAH CAREY. The biggest beneficiary of this formatic alteration is ENTERCOM AC KOIT. The station moved up to #1 as it almost doubled its previous share (4.8-9.2). By comparison, last year it logged in with a 10.4. KQED INC. N/T KQED had its first down book since MAY (7.1-6.4) to drop back to #2. CBS RADIO News KCBS-A was down for the first time since SEPTEMBER (6.7-5.9) to step back to #3. There was a chasm between this trio and the rest of the market. iHEARTMEDIA AC KISQ (THE BREEZE) remained as a distant #4 (4.3-4.1) while CBS RADIO Top 40/M KMVQ (NOW) was stationary at #5 but with its lowest score since JUNE (4.1-3.7). And, what of that other pine-scented station? That would be ALPHA AC KBAY (BAY). It moved up seven slots to a tie at #11 (2.0-2.8) and was in a slightly better position than last year’s 2.6.

KOIT jumped three places to #1 and nearly doubled its previous share. Still, it was close to two shares behind last year. KQED lost a large chunk of share for the second straight survey as it fell from the lead and into a tie at #2 with iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KYLD (WILD), which was motionless after returning most of last month’s big gain. KMVQ took a step back to #4 with its lowest total since AUGUST while CBS RADIO Hot AC KLLC (ALICE) remained at #5 with its lowest total in over a year. KBAY advanced from a tie at #20 to #14. Last year it ended its seasonal run in a tie at #16.

Missed it by that much. KOIT was ever so close to doubling its 18-34 number. Not to worry, the station moved from #6 to #1 with a number that was almost two shares lower than last year. KYLD ended its three-book run at the top and fell into a tie at #2 with cluster mate iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KMEL. WILD was off slightly while KMEL had its best book since SEPTEMBER. KMVQ was down for the fourth straight survey but continued to hold on to the #4 position. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KIOI (STAR) was also stationary – at #5 – with a slight decrease. KQED fell three places to #6 with its smallest share since SEPTEMBER. KBAY moved up four places to #13, which was not quite as high as last year when it reached #11.

The 18-49 demo was not immune to Santa’s touch as KOIT advanced from #4 to #1. The station was about a share and a half under last year’s mark. KYLD had its second-best book out of the last fourteen but still had to step back to #2. KMVQ also moved down a slot – to #3 – with its lowest total since AUGUST. KMEL inched up to #4 with a slight increase while KQED dropped to #5 after losing a noticeable chunk of share. KBAY moved up eight slots to #15, which was just short of last year’s tie at #13 finish.

DALLAS-FT.WORTH: The War Of Christmas

There was a lot of drama in the Metroplex as the holiday spirit influenced the playlists of three – count ‘em – stations this time. There was a battle royal between two of them. CBS RADIO Classic Hits KLUV (K-LUV) has been the incumbent for the last couple of years and reaped the appropriate rewards. However, this time it faced a head-on attack from the station formerly known as THE EDGE – iHEARTMEDIA Modern AC KDGE (STAR). Both stations flipped to Frosty on the same day. By the end, it was the newbie that captured the 6+ crown. STAR more than doubled its share (3.3-7.7) as it jumped from #10 to #1. K-LUV remained at #2 (5.4-6.8) but was well off last year’s number when it was #1 with a 10.6 share. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KHKS (KISS) dropped back to #3 with its lowest score in over a year (5.7-4.8). CUMULUS Country KPLX (THE WOLF) slid to #4 with its smallest share since JUNE (5.2-4.7) and was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZPS (LONE STAR), which remained in place (4.9-4.7). UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLNO (QUE BUENA) dropped back to #6 with its lowest mark since JUNE (4.7-4.4). We did mention that there was a third holiday player. That was SALEM Christian Contemporary KLTY. The station made the same flip last year but with more success. This time it moved up to #12 (3.1-2.8), which was not quite as nice as last year when it was #3 with a 4.4 share.

Santa copped the first two places 25-54. The winner was – once again – KDGE, which more than doubled last month’s number as it went click, click, click from #9 to #1. KLUV was up three places to #2 but was almost three shares off last year’s pace when it was #1. KHKS had its lowest share since last year’s holiday hysteria. It fell from the lead to #3. iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KEGL (THE EAGLE) seemed to benefit from THE EDGE’s demise as it ascended three places to #4 with its best book in over a year. KLNO dropped three spots to #5 with its second straight down book. KZPS took the TEXAS two-step back to #6 as it ended a strong three-book surge. CBS RADIO Adult Hits KJKK (JACK) also ended a three-book run as it fell from #3 to #7. KLTY slipped to a tie at #11, which was well behind last year’s tie at #7 ranking.

KDGE certainly shook up the 18-34 demo. Though the station did not quite double its previous effort, it did manage to jump from #7 to #1. KEGL was up for the fourth book in a row as it moved up to #2. KLUV advanced three squares to #3. Last year BURL IVES helped the station to #1 with a number that was a share and a half larger. KLNO dropped to #4 with its lowest total since AUGUST while KHKS dropped from the top spot to #5 – its lowest share and rank in over a year. SERVICE Urban KKDA (K104) moved up three places to #6 with its best outing since JULY. Meanwhile, iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KDMX (NOW) fell to a tie at #7 with its lowest total since MARCH. KPLX fell five places to a tie at #10 – its first time out of the top five since MAY. KLTY was up a spot to a tie at #18, which was pretty close to last year when it landed in a tie at #16.

Make it four for four for KDGE as the station swept to #1 18-49 (from #9) and more than doubled last book’s number. KHKS abdicated the throne and dropped back into a tie at #2 with KLNO, which did not move. Last month four stations were tied at #5. The only one to advance was KLUV and it only rose to #4. Last year’s holiday gift had the station at #1 and over two and a half shares stronger. KEGL slid back to #5 despite posting its best mark in over a year. KJKK slid three places to #6 as it ended a three-book run. Two of the previous occupants of the crowded #5 position remained together but were bedding down at #7. KZPS gave back almost all of last month’s gain while KDMX had its lowest total since MARCH. The final #5 finalist was CUMULUS Sports KTCK-A (THE TICKET). It landed at #11 with its lowest scoring output since FEBRUARY. KLTY dropped two places to #17 and was well off last year’s pace when it ended up at #11.

Had enough of the post-holiday cheer yet? Of course you haven’t. That’s why you’re sure to join The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. next time as we comb through the files from HOUSTON-GALVESTON, WASHINGTON, DC, PHILADELPHIA, ATLANTA, and BOSTON. Watch this space.

E-mail: sallan@researchdirectorinc.com
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