Research Director, Inc.: Exclusive January PPM Analysis For Detroit, Miami, Seattle, Phoenix And Minneapolis

Markets #11-15

So far, the story line has been about the success of News and News/Talk outlets and the “re-set” of markets with the departure of the man in the big red suit. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC., along with the math majors from XTRENDS, bring you yet another thrilling installment of the JANUARY survey. For those keeping score at home, the month went 1/5 through 2/1. Let’s proceed.

DETROIT: This Just In

This was a market that featured two mainstream stations duking it out over the ratings version of figgy pudding. We’ll get to them in a second. The real 6+ winner this time was CBS RADIO News WWJ-A, which moved up two slots thanks to its highest score since FEBRUARY (5.8-6.6). CBS RADIO Classic Hits WOMC was one of the carolers of the bells and the return to normalcy actually helped the station. It remained at #2 but with a slight increase (6.2-6.4). CUMULUS Talk WJR-A was up to #3 (5.5-5.9) where it was joined by BEASLEY Active Rock WRIF. That station also had its best book since FEBRUARY as it moved up four places (4.5-5.9). BEASLEY Classic Rock WCSX remained at #5 as it rebounded from last survey’s dip (4.9-5.3). The holiday leader was iHEARTMEDIA AC WNIC. It took the expected loss (13.7-5.2) and fell to #6. Last year it resided at #5 with a 5.7 share. A couple of other stations appeared to benefit from the lack of holiday cheer. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKQI (CHANNEL 955) had its best outing since JUNE (4.3-4.9) to move up to #7. CBS RADIO Country WYCD rebounded from last survey and also ended up at #7 (4.1-4.9).

It has been said that RIF ROCKS! And that was certainly true 25-54. The station had its best outing since NOVEMBER to move back to #1. It has been an interesting ride for BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WMGC (THE BOUNCE). It took the market by storm in AUGUST but steadily – and dramatically – declined until the HOLIDAY book. This time, it was up again and moved up from a tie at #6 to #2. WKQI was just behind at #3 as it ended a two-book slide. WCSX remained at #4 with a slight loss. WNIC dropped to #5. Last year it ended up at #4 with a somewhat larger share. CBS RADIO Sports WXYT-F (THE TICKET) had its lowest score in over a year as it fell to #6. Not to worry, pitchers and catchers have already reported, so help is on the way. iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WMXD (MIX) fell six places to #10 with its lowest total since AUGUST.

For the sixth book in a row, WRIF passed the double-digit barrier 18-34 and took sole possession of the demo lead. WMGC moved up three places to #2 with a big gain. WKQI took a step forward to #3 with its best outing since JUNE. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WJLB was up slightly but still dropped back to #4. CBS RADIO Top 40/M WDZH (AMP) had its highest share since APRIL, which moved the station up to #5. As recently as NOVEMBER, RADIO ONE Urban AC WDMK (KISS) was tied at #18 in this demo. However, it has been on a roll and moved up to #6 this time with its highest total since FEBRUARY. CUMULUS Hot AC WDVD ended a precipitous three-book slide and jumped six places to a tie at #7. WNIC dropped from a tie at #1 to #11 (it was #7 a year ago).

WRIF was back to #1 18-49 and hit the double-digit mark for the first time in exactly a year. WKQI moved up two places to #2 with a solid increase while WMGC was up to #3. WJLB was flat and slipped back to #4. WDZH was up four slots to #5 with its highest score since JUNE. WOMC was off a bit but remained at #6. It was joined by cluster mate WYCD, which advanced from #11 as it continued its post-holiday recovery. Speaking of which, WNIC fell from the lead to #11. Last year it only fell to a tie at #5.

MIAMI-FT.LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD: Amor Is In The Air

There was a new regime in charge of the 6+ demo. After three consecutive surveys at #1, COX RADIO AC WFEZ (EASY) took a step back thanks to its lowest share since SEPTEMBER (7.0-6.6). Moving into the breach was UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary WAMR (AMOR), which landed its best book in over a year (6.8-7.0). ENTERCOM AC WLYF (LITE) inched up to #3 (6.2-6.3) while COX RADIO Urban AC WHQT (HOT) dropped to #4 with its lowest total in over a year (6.8-6.1). SBS Tropical WCMQ (ZETA) edged up to #5 (5.1-5.2) while ENTERCOM Classic Hits WMXJ (THE BEACH) advanced three spaces to #6 with its highest share in over a year (4.1-4.6). COX RADIO Urban WEDR (99JAMZ) had its lowest score in over a year (5.8-4.3) and slid to a tie at #7.

WAMR rebounded from last book’s down performance to recapture the 25-54 lead. It was a tight race as WLYF moved up to #2 and was less than a half share behind. Close on LITE’s heels was WHQT, which did slip back to #3. Last survey WEDR was #1 with its highest share in over a year. This time the station slid to #4 with its lowest total in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Spanish Contemporary WZTU (TU 94.9) ended a two-book slide to move back up to #5. WMXJ again had its highest share in over a year and advanced five places to #6.
It sort of doesn’t matter if WEDR reaches a high point in 18-34 share (last survey) or a relative low one (this time). The station is consistently #1. And, WEDR continued to lead #2 iHEARTMEDIA Urban WMIB (THE BEAT) by over two shares. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHYI (Y100) scored its best book in over a year to move up to #3 where it was tied with WLYF, which regained most of last survey’s big loss. WZTU took two steps up to #5 as it got back all of what it gave away last book. CBS RADIO Top 40/R WPOW (POWER) slipped to #6 with a slight decrease.

Though WEDR and WLYF were #1 and #2, respectively, 18-49 – that does not tell the whole story. Last survey the gap betwixt them was over three shares. This time it was less than half a share. WZTU jumped to #3 with its best performance in over a year. There was still a tie at #4 but with a slightly different arrangement. WAMR remained in place with a slight increase while WHYI moved up from a tie at #6 as it ended a two-book slide. The previous occupant of that position was WMIB and it dropped to #6 even though it was flat. WHQT dropped five spots to #8 with its lowest share in over a year.

SEATTLE-TACOMA: Movin’ On Up

Now that the jolly dude has left the premises, things have returned to a more normal state. HUBBARD Top 40/M KQMV (MOVIN) was back to #1 (6.8-7.1). Over the last year or so, the only thing preventing KQMV from leading the market was the dreaded specter of BURL IVES and his minions. The post Inauguration buzz may have had an effect on UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON N/T KUOW. The station had its highest share in over a year as it advanced four spaces to #2 (4.4-5.8). Speaking of speaking, BONNEVILLE Talk KIRO-F moved up to #3 as it rebounded from last book’s fall from grace (4.9-5.7). There were two holiday hit makers in this market. The main one was HUBBARD AC KRWM (WARM). It fell to #4 (10.9-5.6). Last year’s story was almost identical, as it sat at #4 with a 5.5 share. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KJR-F (THE JET) remained at #5 but with its highest score since JULY (4.6-5.1). CBS RADIO Classic Rock KZOK had its best performance since AUGUST to move up to #6 (4.1-5.0). SINCLAIR Hot AC KPLZ (STAR) returned unopened most of last survey’s big increase (5.5-3.7) and fell six places to a tie at #9. The other purveyor of yule tidings was CRISTA Christian Contemporary KCMS (SPIRIT). The station fell nine slots to #17 (3.6-2.8).

With the demise of holiday playlists, KQMV moved back to #1 25-54 with only a small increase. ENTERCOM Active Rock KISW had a much bigger gain as it advanced to #2 though it was still close to two shares behind. KRWM fell to #3 – which is exactly where it was a year ago – and was joined by KJR-F, which moved up from #5 as it got back all of last survey’s loss. KIRO-F moved up to #5 with its highest total in over a year and was partnered with iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBKS (KISS), which leapt six places as it ended a two-book slide. KUOW was up five slots to #7 with its best book in over a year. KPLZ fell from #3 to a tie at #10 as it lost a noticeable large chunk of share. KCMS dropped seven places to #16.

Oddly enough, the absence of holiday tunes did not help KQMV’s 18-34 share as it was off slightly. However, it did allow the station to move back to #1 with a bullet. ENTERCOM Alternative KNDD (THE END) inched up to a distant #2 with a slight loss. ENTERCOM Rhythmic AC KHTP (HOT) slid forward to #3 with its best outing since SEPTEMBER. KBKS jumped up five spots to #4 on the basis of its best book in over a year. KISW took two steps forward to #5 as it added a large piece of share. KRWM dropped to #6, which was off from last year’s tied at #3 position. KPLZ returned the unused portion of last book’s big increase and dropped from #5 to #14. KCMS dropped six places to #16.

KQMV ended a two-book 18-49 slide (wonder what caused that?) to return to the top spot. KISW had its highest share since JUNE to slide into the #2 position. KRWM fell into a tie at #3 with KBKS, which advanced from #9 as it completely rebounded from last survey’s big dump. KHTP was up to #5, ending a two-book slide while KNDD dropped to #6 as it gave back most of last survey’s big increase. KPLZ and KCMS both fell six slots – to a tie at #9 and #16, respectively.

PHOENIX: It’s So Easy

It must be nice. Shed almost ten shares of holiday baggage and yet still claim the #1 position 6+. That is what happened to iHEARTMEDIA AC KESZ (99.9KEZ) (16.5-6.6). Last year the station was also #1 but with a loftier 7.9 share. HUBBARD Classic Rock KSLX ended a three-book slide (5.1-5.4) to remain at #2 while CBS RADIO Country KMLE held on to its #3 ranking with its highest share since JUNE (4.2-4.9). HUBBARD Active Rock KUPD edged up to #4 with its first up book since SEPTEMBER (4.0-4.4) and was joined by BONNEVILLE Talk KTAR, which advanced from a tie at #9 with its best outing in over a year (3.4-4.4). iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KMXP (MIX) recovered from the holiday blues to remain at #6 (3.6-4.3) as did iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KZZP (KISS), which jumped five slots to a tie at #7 (3.0-4.1). UNIVISION Regional Mexican KHOT (QUE BUENA) was off slightly (4.1-3.9) but due to market compression fell five places to a tie at #9.

Though KESZ lost more than half its 25-54 share thanks to the cessation of holiday festivities, the station was still #1 – last year it came in at #2. Speaking of #2, last book there were three stations knotted at that position. That was not the case this time. KUPD remained in place as it ended a four-book slide. KSLX dropped back to #3 with a flat performance while KHOT dropped to #4 with a slight decrease. KMLE held firm at #5 but with its highest share since JUNE. KMXP remained at #6 but got back all of last book’s loss. CBS RADIO Classic Hits KOOL also bounced back from last survey’s decrease to return to #7.

After the elves left, we ended up with a tie on top of the 18-34 leaderboard. RIVIERA Top 40/R KKFR (POWER) moved up from #2 with its best book since APRIL while KZZP advanced from #5 with its largest share since JUNE. KMLE moved up five places to #3 with its highest score in over a year. KUPD slid back to #4 with a small decrease while KESZ ended up at #5. It stopped at #2 last year. KHOT gave back most of last survey’s gain to slide four places to #8.

Numbers are funny things. KESZ loses more than half its 18-49 share yet remains #1. Last year, it came in from the cold with a larger share but ranked #2. KUPD remained at #2 with a slight increase. KHOT slid back to #3 with a flat performance while KSLX was off slightly to hold on to its #4 ranking. KMXP moved up to #5 with its best book since SEPTEMBER. This bumped CBS RADIO Top 40/M KALV (LIVE 101.5) back to #6.

MINNEAPOLIS-ST.PAUL: KS Is OK

Hey, it’s winter. What’s one less large man dressed in red clothing going to do? Well, for one thing, it helped HUBBARD Hot AC KSTP (KS95) get back to where it once belonged at #1 6+ (6.4-7.7). The station had its best book since SEPTEMBER. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KDWB ended a four-book slide and moved up to #2 (6.1-6.5) where it was paired with iHEARTMEDIA Sports KFXN (KFAN), which moved up from a tie at #4 as it ended a three-book losing streak (6.0-6.5). CUMULUS Classic Rock KQRS remained at #4 (6.0-6.4). Meanwhile, MPR N/T KNOW had its best book in over a year (4.6-6.0) to move up to #5. Wonder what they were talking about? The sleigh bell station was iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KQQL (KOOL). Like many others we have seen, it lost over ten shares (15.9-5.6) and fell to #6. A year ago it had a 6.6 share and was #4.

KFXN ended its two-book slide and moved up to #1 25-54. It was not alone. KSTP was also on top after posting its best score since JULY. KQRS ended a three-book slide and moved up to #3. KDWB took its cue from KQRS but upped that station by one, ending a four-book slide and moving up to #4. CBS RADIO Adult Hits KZJK (JACK) was up slightly but fell back to #5 where it was tied with CUMULUS Active Rock KXXR (93X). The rocker was up from #7 as it ended a two-book slide. KQQL dropped from #1 to a tie at #10, losing over ten shares in the process. Last year it landed at #8.

Last survey KDWB fell to #2 18-34 but managed to keep its double-digit streak alive despite the efforts of ELMO AND PATSY. This time the station returned to #1 and landed its largest share since OCTOBER. KSTP was up three places to #2 with its best performance in over a year. Close behind was KXXR, which remained at #3 but regained most of last book’s loss. KFXN was up a bit but remained in fourth place. iHEARTMEDIA Country KEEY (K102) edged up to #5 despite a slight loss. KQQL fell all the way to #9, which was better than last year’s #11 finish.

After a one-book break, KDWB once again hit double digits 18-49 and recaptured the #1 position. KSTP was less than a share behind as it moved up two places to #2. KFXN remained in third place with a small gain while KXXR did not move from the #4 position even though it had a solid increase. KZJK moved up to #5 though with its lowest number since JUNE. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KTCZ (CITIES 97) ended a two-book slide to move up three places to #6. KQQL dropped to #8, which beat last year’s #10 finish.

Thank you for taking the time to peruse these analyses. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. stand ready to help you with your ratings needs. Really. That’s what we do. Oh, and this every month, but it’s only our side gig. That and driving an Uber.

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