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

Markets #11-15

We are desperately trying to get in the mood. No, not that. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. –- in a mixed doubles pairing with the mavens from XTRENDS –- are about to bring you the results of the JANUARY survey. However, as we write this, the temperature is hovering around 80 and the thoughts of CHRISTMAS past are difficult to conjure. This survey lasted from the fourth through the 31st so it truly represents the radio listening habits this month. Not this month, that month ... oh, the distraction ... carry on ...

DETROIT: A Tale Of Two Christmases

This market traditionally has two stations making the SANTA flip. In the smoky aftermath of his departure, they remained on top of the 6+ heap but not in the exact same spots. ENTERCOM Classic Hits WOMC moved up to #1 and actually posted its best book in over a year (6.1-6.7). Last year it was #2 with a 6.4. iHEARTMEDIA AC WNIC slid back to #2 (15.8-6.6). Last year it was #6 with a 5.2 share. Close on their heels was ENTERCOM News WWJ-A. The station remained #3 with its highest mark since APRIL (5.6-6.5). Also remaining steady – at #4 – was BEASLEY Classic Rock WCSX, which ended a three-book slide (5.4-5.9). ENTERCOM Sports WXYT-F (THE TICKET) improved to #5 as its four-book slide came to a grinding halt (4.1-5.1). The three stations just behind at #6 all had solid gains this month. BEASLEY Active Rock WRIF remained in place (4.3-4.9) while CUMULUS Hot AC WDVD took a step forward (4.1-4.9). ENTERCOM Country WYCD advanced four squares (3.8-4.9). Even though iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKQI (CHANNEL 955) did not move from the #9 position, it did have a good month (4.0-4.8). The one outlier was iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WMXD (MIX), which fell five places to #10 (4.6-4.5).

Some more natural order was returned to the 25-54 cell. WRIF was back at #1 after a two-book break while WXYT-F moved up to #2 with its highest score since OCTOBER. WKQI took four steps forward to #3 as it got back most of last survey’s big loss. WDVD inched up to #4 with its best book in over a year and was tied with WNIC, which fell from first. Last year it landed at #5. BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WMGC (THE BOUNCE) was slightly deflated as it dropped to #6. WCSX fell three places to a tie at #8 with its fourth down book in a row. WOMC fell one place to #12. It was tied at #8 last year.

When it comes to the 18-34 group, WRIF certainly rocks. The station was back at #1, ending a two-book slide. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WJLB moved up to #2 with its best showing since JUNE. WKQI stepped up to #3 as it got back all of last month’s loss – plus a little extra. WMGC remained at #4 with a small increase while WYCD was up three places to #5, ending a two-book slide. WNIC fell from #1 to #8 (#11 last year) while WOMC moved up five slots to a tie at #10 (#14 a year ago).

Before BURL IVES began poisoning the airwaves, WRIF had been #1 18-49 for nine books in a row.  The station was back in command with a solid increase. Two stations moved up and into a tie at a distant #2. WJLB advanced one square with its fourth up book in a row while WKQI took three steps upward with a solid gain. WMGC remained at #4 with a slight increase and was sharing the moment with WXYT-F, which leapt four spaces as it ended a four-book slide. Though WDVD could not get out of sixth place, the station did end its down book run at three. WNIC relinquished the lead and fell to #7, which was much better than last year’s #11 finish. WOMC moved up to a tie at #11, which paled in comparison with last year when it was tied at #6.

MIAMI-FT.LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD: Same Old, Same Old

This was just another month in SOUTH FLORIDA. There was no holiday hangover as there was no major Santa station. As a matter of fact, the top five stations were unchanged from last survey. ENTERCOM AC WLYF (LITE) won 6+ for the second book in a row and posted its largest share in over a year (6.9-7.4). COX RADIO AC WFEZ (EASY) returned as the #2 station (6.7-6.8) while COX RADIO Urban AC WHQT (HOT) repeated at #3 despite being down for the fourth book in a row (6.5-6.2). UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary WAMR (AMOR) had its first up book since OCTOBER (5.1-5.6) to remain fourth while SBS Tropical WCMQ (Z92.3) was again sitting at #5 (5.0-5.1). ENTERCOM Classic Hits WMXJ (THE BEACH) repeated at #6 (4.8-4.7) but was forced to share with iHEARTMEDIA Spanish Contemporary WZTU (TU 94.9), which moved up from a tie at #8 with its fourth straight up book (4.1-4.7).

There was a little less stability in the 25-54 contest as only the top two stations remained unchanged. WLYF again had its best book in over a year to win the demo while WHQT finished second for the third straight survey, this time with a flat performance. WZTU had its largest share in over a year to move up to #3. That pushed WFEZ -– which was off slightly –- back to #4. WAMR ended a three-book slide to advance four places to #5. It was tied with SBS Tropical WXDJ (EL ZOL), which moved up despite a slight decrease. COX RADIO Urban WEDR fell four slots to #7 and was in league with WMXJ, which moved up from #10 with its best showing since OCTOBER.

Stability was not the term to best describe the outcome of the 18-34 race. WEDR did move back to #1 after a brief hiatus but posted its lowest share in over a year while doing so. Last survey’s leader –- iHEARTMEDIA Urban WMIB (THE BEAT) -– gave back all of last book’s big gain to drop back to #2. WLYF remained in place at #3 with a slight decrease while COX RADIO Top 40/M WFLC (HITS) moved up to #4 as it ended a three-book slide. WZTU took three steps forward to #5 with its best performance in over a year while WFEZ jumped five spaces to #6 with its highest score since JUNE. Two stations dropped out of the top five and landed in a heap at #7. WHQT ended a three-book surge while ENTERCOM Top 40/R WPOW (POWER) had its smallest share in exactly a year.

There was a changing of the 18-49 guard as WLYF assumed command of the demo with – once again – its highest share in over a year. This dropped WEDR – which had its lowest total since AUGUST – back to #2. It was tied with WZTU, which moved up a spot with its sixth straight up book. WXDJ took two steps upward to #4 with its best showing in over a year while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHYI (Y100) slipped back to #5 with a small decrease. WMIB dropped three places to #8 with its lowest mark in over a year.

SEATTLE-TACOMA: Annnnnd ... We’re Back

There was a considerable amount of pixie dust that needed to settle after the holidays dissipated. There were four stations that made the Santa switch and several that went through a format metamorphosis afterward. In the end, it was UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON N/T KUOW that ended up back on top of the 6+ leaderboard. The station also had its highest share in over a year (6.4-7.9). HUBBARD Top 40/M KQMV (MOVIN) moved back up to #2 with its best outing since JULY (5.2-6.2). Santa’s main squeeze was HUBBARD AC KRWM (WARM). It dropped from the lead to #3 (11.8-5.5). Last year it finished at #4 with a 5.6 share. It was also tied with ENTERCOM Active Rock KISW, which moved up from #6 with its highest total in over a year (4.6-5.5). BONNEVILLE Talk KIRO-F dropped back to #5 (5.7-5.4). And, what of the other Frosty fellows? ENTERCOM AC KSWD (THE SOUND – formerly KMPS) moved up six places to #11 (2.8-3.9). SINCLAIR Hot AC KPLZ (STAR) dropped from a tie at #3 to a tie at #12 (5.7-3.6) while CRISTA Christian Contemporary KCMS (SPIRIT) slipped two slots to #16 (3.2-3.0).

There was a ton of 25-54 shares up for grabs with Santa’s demise. KISW moved up to #1 with its best book in over a year while KQMV advanced to #2 as it ended a two-book slide. ENTERCOM Adult Hits KJAQ (JACK) inched up to #3 with its highest score in over a year while ENTERCOM Alternative KNDD (THE END) stepped forward to #4 with its fourth up book in a row. KUOW was up four slots to #5 with its best performance in over a year. KRWM dropped from #1 to #7 (tied at #3 last year) and was joined by iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KJR-F (THE JET), which soared from a tie at #12 with a rather large increase.

The top five 18-34 stations remained the same, only the shares were changed to protect the innocent. KISW roared to #1 and cracked the double-digit barrier at the same time. KQMV ended a three-book slide to remain at #2. It was paired with KNDD, which moved up with its best book in over a year. These three stations were clearly separated from the rest of the field. ENTERCOM Rhythmic AC KHTP (HOT) inched up to #4 with a slight decrease. KRWM dropped from #1 to #5 – it finished #6 a year ago.

The 18-49 results were not too different from the previous two demos. KISW moved up to #1 while KQMV advanced to #2 as both stations had big increases. KNDD was up to #3 with its highest share in over a year. KJAQ stepped up a spot to #4 with its third up book in a row. KHTP stepped up to #5 despite a small loss. It was tied with KRWM, which fell from #1. It had landed in a tie at #3 a year ago.

PHOENIX: That Was Easy

No SANTA? No problem. iHEARTMEDIA AC KESZ (KEZ 99.9) jettisoned its old format to return to the older format and all it did was remain #1 6+ (16.4-7.3). Last year the station was also #1 but with a lower 6.6 share. HUBBARD Classic Rock KSLX held steady at #2 as it finally ended a five-book slide (5.5-5.8). iHEARTMEDIA Country KNIX moved up to #3 with its best book in over a year (4.1-5.2). iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KMXP (MIX) slipped back to #4 despite landing its largest share since AUGUST (4.6-5.1). HUBBARD Active Rock KUPD dropped to #5 despite a small increase (4.6-4.9). One of the interesting stories involves FARMWORKER Regional Mexican KNAI-A (CAMPASINA). Prior to OCTOBER, it did not even show up in the book. Since then it has been on quite the roll and, this time, moved up from #14 to #6 (3.1-4.7).

Though KUPD had its lowest 25-54 book since OCTOBER, the station did manage to move back into first place after a two-month layoff. KMXP advanced two squares to #2 with its highest mark since JULY. KESZ fell from #1 to #3 -– it finished first a year ago. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KZZP (KISS) moved up three places to #4 as it ended a three-book slide. KSLX dropped down to #5 with its fifth down book in a row. KNIX was up four slots to #6 with its best book in over a year and was just ahead of seventh-place KNAI-A, which continued its remarkable run. This was a good month for the country format as ENTERCOM Country KMLE was up five places to #9 with its highest score since JULY. It was tied with HUBBARD Alternative KDKB (ALT AZ), which fell from #5 with its lowest share since MAY. It was also tied with UNIVISION Regional Mexican KHOT (QUE BUENA), which rose two spots with its best score since FEBRUARY.

The 18-34 demo was both topsy AND turvy. KUPD moved up to #1 with its highest total since SEPTEMBER while KDKB remained at #2 with a slight decrease. KZZP was up to #3 with a huge increase while KNAI-A made the leap of the month as it moved from a tie at #13 to #4. KESZ dropped to #5 and was in the same position as a year ago. ENTERCOM Top 40/M KALV (LIVE 101.5) fell back to #6 with its lowest share since JULY. KMLE ended a three-book slide to move up to a tie at #7.

After a two-book hiatus, KUPD was back on top of the 18-49 demo. The sudden growth of KNAI-A really manifested itself here as the station jumped from a tie at #7 to #2. KESZ dropped back to #3. It was #1 a year ago. KMXP was the only station in the top five to remain in place. It held on at #4 and ended a seven-book slide. KDKB dropped back to #5 with a slight decrease while KZZP was up three places to #6 with its best outing since SEPTEMBER. KNIX was up five places to #7 with its highest share in over a year.

MINNEAPOLIS-ST.PAUL: The Racer’s Edge

The last time HUBBARD Hot AC KSTP (KS 95) was #1 6+ was in JULY. Well, the station not only returned to the top spot this time but matched that lofty summer share (5.8-7.6). iHEARTMEDIA Sports KFXN (K-FAN) continued to ride the VIKINGS wave as it remained #2 (6.9-7.2). The Santa station was iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KQQL (KOOL). It fell to #3 (14.2-6.4) -– it was #6 with a 5.6 last year –- and was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KDWB, which remained in place with its first up book since JULY (6.0-6.4). MPR N/T KNOW had its best book since MARCH (5.2-6.0) to move up to #5. Two cluster bro’s were tied at #6. CUMULUS Classic Rock KQRS fell back from #4 (5.9-5.9) and was partnered with its younger self in CUMULUS Active Rock KXXR (93X), which had its best outing since AUGUST (5.0-5.9).

KSTP shook off all the fake snow and roared to the #1 spot 25-54. It had fallen back to #7. KFXN remained at #2 with a slight increase but was going to overtime with KXXR, which stepped up from a tie at #4 with its highest share in over a year. KDWB slipped back to #4 despite a small increase while KQRS dropped back to #5 with a slight decrease. ENTERCOM Adult Hits KZJK (JACK) remained at #6 with a slight increase. KQQL fell from #1 to #7 but was in better shape than last year when it finished in a tie at #10.

Two stations cracked the double-digit barrier 18-34 but one of them was not KDWB. It remained at #3 with a slight decrease. KXXR rocketed to #1 with its highest score in over a year and was nearly three shares ahead of KFXN, which hit a double for the fourth time in the last five surveys. KSTP moved up a spot to #4 as it ended a three-book slide. iHEARTMEDIA Country KEEY (K102) advanced four places to #5 with its best performance since OCTOBER. It was tied with KZJK, which moved up despite a down book. KQRS appeared at #7 despite landing its largest share since FEBRUARY. KQQL dropped from #1 to a tie at #8. Last year it hit #9 with the exact same share.

Once again, KXXR had its best book in over a year. This one propelled the station to #1 18-49. KSTP moved up three places to #2 and was just ahead of the stationary KDWB, which was flat and happy at #3. KFXN remained the #4 station with a small increase while KZJK moved up to #5 despite a slight decrease. KQQL fell from first to #6, which was better than last year’s eighth-place finish.

Another book bites the dust … well, at least as far as The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. are concerned. We’ll be back at it in about twenty-eight days. In the meantime, if you’d like assistance in making sense of your numbers … drop us a line, give us a call … reach out and we’ll be there …

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