Research Director, Inc. Presents Exclusive November PPM Analysis For New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, S.F., Dallas

Top-5 Markets

Like sands of time through the hourglass, these are the ratings books of our lives. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC, in a relationship with the numerical wizards from XTRENDS, bring you the NIELSEN-rated month of NOVEMBER.  This one is a little odd on several fronts. First, it is not exactly NOVEMBER as the four-week span was 10/12 through 11/8. Second, the annual Radio War On CHRISTMAS had yet to commence. And, finally, this is the last full ratings book for any stations sporting the CBS RADIO moniker. Though only the name on the paychecks has changed, it is truly the end of an era.

NEW YORK: Got A Lite?

As they were dragging the holiday decorations out of the storage closet, the folks at iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (LITE) received an early holiday present in the form of their best book since FEBRUARY (6.6-7.0). As a result, the station was #1 6+ for the third straight survey. The second- and third-place stations remained the same though each posted their largest share in over a year. They were ENTERCOM News WINS-A (5.9-6.3) and EMMIS Urban AC WBLS (5.6-5.8). ENTERCOM Classic Hits WCBS-F finished fourth again with its second flat book in a row (5.5-5.5). The YANKEES ill-fated playoff run continued to buoy ENTERCOM Sports WFAN as the station nudged its way to fifth place (5.2-5.2). We’re fairly certain the GIANTS were not the cause (insert inept joke here). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3) landed at #6 (4.8-4.7) while SBS Tropical WSKQ (LA MEGA) fell to #7 as it ended a strong two-book surge (5.3-4.6). In its final full book under the old format, ENTERCOM Alternative WBMP (ALT 92.3) moved up to a tie at #17 (2.0-2.2).

WLTW had its best non-holiday-aided 25-54 book in over a year to remain #1 by a full two shares over a pair of stations at #2. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHTZ (Z100) remained in place as it returned most of last month’s big increase while WCBS-F inched up a spot with a slight increase. The two previous occupants of the #5 position dissolved their arrangement. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WWPR (POWER) moved up to #4 with a flat performance while WBLS remained at #5 with a slight decrease. WSKQ dropped to #6 with its lowest score in over a year. It was a pretty good month for CUMULUS Hot AC WPLJ. The station was up to #12 but with its best mark in over a year.

Despite its apparent woes in the two previous demos, WSKQ remained #1 18-34 though it was down for the third book in a row. WWPR was flat again but moved up to #2 and was this close to unseating the leader. WHTZ slid back to #3 with its lowest score in over a year while EMMIS Top 40/R WQHT (HOT) remained at #4 with its smallest share since FEBRUARY. WLTW held on to its #5 ranking with its best outing since MARCH. You can close the (ahem) book on WBMP, which remained at #7 with a slight increase.

For the third straight survey, WLTW was up 18-49 and this latest increase propelled the station to #1. WWPR regained some of last month’s loss to move up two slots to #2 while WHTZ remained at #3 as it returned most of last survey’s increase. WSKQ dropped from the lead to #4 with its lowest share since DECEMBER. WHQT remained at #5 though it did end a three-book slide. WCBS-F also remained in place – at #6 – though it posted its largest share in over a year.

LOS ANGELES: They Did It My Way

Yes, iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (MY FM) was #1 6+ for the tenth consecutive survey. However, the station posted its lowest share since JUNE (6.4-5.9) and saw its lead over the rest of the market shrink to a measly share and change. The three-way confab at #2 from last survey was no more. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KIIS (KISS) assumed command of that rank with its first up book since JUNE (4.5-4.8). The other two members of that #2 trio became a duo as they landed at #3. ENTERCOM Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH) had its lowest share since JANUARY (4.5-4.4) while iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST was off slightly (4.5-4.4). ENTERCOM Urban AC KTWV (THE WAVE) remained at #5 (4.3-4.2). iHEARTMEDIA Talk KFI-A held firm at #6 but with its best book in over a year (3.9-4.1). In its last full book as a Classic Rock station, EDUCATIONAL MEDIA FOUNDATION Christian AC KKLQ (K-LOVE) – formerly KSWD (THE SOUND) – moved up to #12 with its best book since MAY (2.2-2.8).

The last four books have been a roller coaster for KBIG as the station has alternated up and down books 25-54. It was down this time but remained a solid #1. KIIS was up slightly at #2 but remained almost two shares off the lead. KRTH held steady at #3 with a slight increase but was joined in that space by SBS Regional Mexican KLAX (LA RAZA), which moved up thanks to a slight increase. ENTERCOM Adult Hits KCBS-F (JACK) was flat but moved up to #5 as UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KLVE (K-LOVE) slid to #6 with its lowest total in over a year.

The 18-34 leaderboard became quite compressed this survey. The two stations previously tied at the top moved down the chart. They were replaced by KIIS, which ended a rather dramatic three-book slide. KBIG dropped back to #2 with its lowest share since APRIL. The next eight – count ‘em – stations were separated by a half share. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KSYR (ALT 98.7) moved up to #3 with a slight increase. The other previous co-leader – iHEARTMEDIA Urban KRRL (REAL 92.3) – dropped to #4 as it lost an alarmingly large chunk of share. MERUELO Top 40/R KPWR (POWER) moved up to #5 with a slight increase and was inches ahead of CUMULUS Classic Rock KLOS, which was flat and steady at #6. Four stations were a heartbeat behind at #7. KLVE slid back from a tie at #4 while SBS Spanish AC KXOL (MEGA) moved up from #8. KCBS-F advanced from a tie at #13 with its best book since DECEMBER while ENTERCOM Top 40/M KAMP (AMP) moved up from a tie at #10 as it rebounded from last month’s down book.

#2 KIIS managed to cut KBIG’s 18-49 lead in half this month. KISS was up slightly while MY FM had its lowest score since MAY. KRTH was off slightly at #3 and was forced to share with KYSR, which bolted from a tie at #7 with its best performance since JUNE. KLVE slipped to #5 as it was off slightly.

CHICAGO: Mix Master

In the final book before the CHRISTMAS onslaught, HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (THE MIX) remained #1 6+ with its highest share in over a year (5.8-6.3). iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WVAZ (V103) remained at #2 as it regained a portion of what it lost last month (5.6-5.9). ENTERCOM News WBBM-A was flat and stable at #3 (5.0-5.0) while the two stations previously tied at #5 remained an item but moved up to #4 as both were flat. They were ENTERCOM Country WUSN (US 99) (3.9-3.9) and UNIVISION Regional Mexican WOJO (QUE BUENA) (3.9-3.9). As the CUBS faded from the playoffs, so did the ratings fortunes of ENTERCOM Sports WSCR-A (THE SCORE). The station dropped to #6 with its lowest run total since MARCH (4.9-3.6). HUBBARD Classic Rock WDRV (THE DRIVE) had its lowest share since saying “Yule” was a thing (3.9-3.2) and fell five places to #10.

WTMX was #1 25-54 for the fourth straight survey and, as with the previous demo, the station landed its best book in over a year. WVAZ bounced back and moved up to #2 but was a full three shares off the pace. WOJO slipped back to #3 with a slight decrease while two stations moved up and into a tie at #4. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKSC (KISS) took two steps forward despite suffering its third straight down book. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WGCI advanced from #7 with a slight decrease. WDRV dropped from #4 to a tie at #7 with its lowest total since MAY while WSCR-A dropped five places to #10 as it returned all of last month’s big increase.

There was a changing of the guard in the 18-34 ranks. WGCI had its best book in over a year to move up to #1. It just edged out WTMX, which fell back to #2 with a slight decrease. WOJO remained at #3 but with its third up book in a row. ENTERCOM Top 40/M WBBM-F (B96) held steady at #4 with a modest increase while CUMULUS Alternative WKQX ended a two-book slide to move up to #5. WKSC slid to #6 with its fourth straight down book.

This was the fourth straight 18-49 win for WTMX and – once again – the station posted its largest share in over a year. WOJO remained at #2 with a slight increase but was over two shares behind the leader. WGCI moved up a slot to #3 with its highest share in exactly a year. This pushed WKSC back to #4 as it was down for the third straight survey. WBBM-F moved up to #5 as it ended a three-book slide while WDRV fell four places to a tie at #9 as it returned all of last month’s huge increase.

SAN FRANCISCO: Here And Now

As is the norm, the spoken word dominated the 6+ ratings. This time KQED INC. N/T KQED captured its eleventh straight win but with its highest share in over a year (7.3-8.6). ENTERCOM News KCBS-A was in its customary #2 position (6.8-6.7). ENTERCOM AC KOIT was again the leading station that plays songs for a living. It remained #3 (4.6-4.5) and remained just ahead of iHEARTMEDIA AC KISQ (THE BREEZE), which moved up to #4 as it ended a two-book slide (3.9-4.3). iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KIOI (STAR) dropped back to #5 (4.1-4.2). Add another verbose station to the mix. CUMULUS Talk KSFO-A was up to #7 with its best book in over a year (2.9-3.4).

KQED went from being merely ahead of the 25-54 pack to being a speck on the horizon. The station was #1 again but with – again – its largest share in over a year. ENTERCOM Hot AC KLLC (ALICE) remained at #2. However, despite posting its largest share in over a year, the station trailed the leader by over two points. KIOI remained at #3 with a flat performance while KISQ moved forward four spaces to #4 with its best outing in over a year. KOIT remained at #5 with a slight decrease and was tied with ENTERCOM Top 40/M KMVQ (NOW), which moved up as it ended a three-book slide. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KYLD (WILD) dropped three places to #7 with its smallest share since MAY.

There WAS quite a bit of upheaval atop the 18-34 chart. The previous leader – KYLD – dropped to #3 as its six-book up streak came to an end. It was replaced by a pair of stations. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KMEL had its best book since JANUARY and KOIT had its best book since the last time we heard from the Grinch. KMVQ remained at #4 with a slight increase while UNIVISION Regional Mexican KSOL (QUE BUENA) did the same at #5.

KQED notched its sixth straight 18-49 win with its best showing in over a year. KLLC was up slightly to advance to #2 but saw the gap between it and the leader almost triple. KIOI stepped up to #3 with a slight increase while KOIT moved up to #4 with a flat performance. KMVQ also took one step forward – to #5 – as it ended a three-book slide. KYLD dropped from #2 to #6 with its lowest score in over a year.

DALLAS-FT.WORTH: The Lone Star

To begin with, CUMULUS Country KPLX (THE WOLF) was #1 6+ for the eleventh straight survey. However, the station posted its lowest number in over a year (5.3-5.0). As a result, it was forced to share the title with iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZPS (LONESTAR), which moved up from #3 (4.8-5.0). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KHKS (KISS) took two steps forward to #3 as it ended a four-book slide (4.4-4.7). CUMULUS Country KSCS was also up two slots – to #4 – as it regained most of last month’s loss (4.3-4.6). UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLNO (QUE BUENA) dropped three slots to #5 (4.9-4.5) and was just ahead of the stationary iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KDMX (NOW) at #6 (4.3-4.4). ENTERCOM Classic Hits KLUV (K-LOVE) dropped to #7 with its lowest share in over a year (4.7-4.2). Not to worry – winter is coming.

In the 25-54 arena, we had a new market leader. KHKS had its first up book since JULY and that was enough to propel the station to #1. It was a mere rounding error ahead of KLNO, which was up to #2 with a slight increase. KZPS took two steps forward to #3 with its best outing since JUNE while CUMULUS Sports KTCK-A (THE TICKET) remained at #4 with a slight increase. ENTERCOM Adult Hits KJKK (JACK) ended a severe three-book slide to move up five spots to #5. A mere half share separated the top station from the #5 station. And, what of last month’s leader, KPLX? It fell to #6 with its lowest total since JANUARY.

The beat goes on 18-34 as URBAN ONE Top 40/R KBFB (THE BEAT) topped the demo for the second straight survey. The station was flat but that matched its largest number in the last year. KHKS became the lone #2 station as it ended its four-book slide. SERVICE Urban KKDA (K104) slipped back to #3 with a flat book. KLNO had its best outing since MAY to remain at #4 and was joined by KDMX, which moved up a spot with a solid increase. KSCS got back all of last month’s huge loss, which drove the station from a tie at #11 to #6. UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KDXX (LATINO MIX) fell to #8 as it ended a strong two-book surge.

The 18-49 demo was decided by the slimmest of margins. Last month KHKS and KLNO were tied for the lead. This time KISS was the one left standing thanks to a slight increase while KLNO stepped back to #2 with a flat feeling. KBFB was up for the third book in a row to advance to #3 while two stations were involved in something at #4. KDMX was there last time and remained with a small increase while iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KEGL (THE EAGLE) dropped back from #3 with a slight decrease. KTCK-A fell five places to #9 despite a very small share loss.

The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. thank you for your patience. However, we do believe there is still some leftover turkey and stuffing in the fridge, and we’re feeling a bit peckish. Once sated, we will return with more ratings storytelling. The next round features HOUSTON, WASHINGTON, DC, PHILADELPHIA, ATLANTA, and BOSTON. Bon appetit.

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