Research Director, Inc. Presents Exclusive May PPM Analysis For New York, L.A, Chicago, S.F., Dallas

Markets #1-5

The merry, merry month of MAY has raised its hand and requested to be counted. NIELSEN already did that. It now falls to The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. and the algorithm artistes from XTRENDS to make sense of all this data. For accounting purposes, this encompassed the period of 4/26 through 5/23. What that time hath wrought is about to be revealed.

NEW YORK: Four For Four

There was not a lot of action atop the 6+ leaderboard last month as the top four stations remained unchanged. iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (LITE) was #1 for the tenth straight survey but did post its lowest number since NOVEMBER (8.5-7.7). #2 ENTERCOM Classic Hits WCBS-F crept a little closer to the leader (6.1-6.3) while EMMIS Urban AC WBLS was solid yet stagnant at #3 (5.7-5.7). ENTERCOM News WINS-A reported its lowest total since AUGUST (5.5-5.0) as it held steady at #4. The words “all rise” had deep meaning for ENTERCOM Sports WFAN as the station moved up three places in the standings to #5 with its best outing since NOVEMBER (3.9-4.7). This pushed iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHTZ (Z100) down to #6 and out of the top five for the first time this year (4.9-4.6).

WLTW’s 25-54 light was a bit dimmer this go around. The station was #1 – as is usually the case – but landed its lowest share since NOVEMBER once again. WCBS-F moved up to a distant #2 as it rebounded from a down book. WHTZ slipped back to #3 with its lowest score since the stockings were carefully hung by a fire (which is likely a code violation). EMMIS Top 40/R WQHT (HOT) had its best book since JULY but could not move out of the #4 position. WBLS was also rock steady – at #5 – with a slight increase. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WWPR (POWER) was just a beat behind at #6 thanks to its highest share since DECEMBER.

The Urban battle raged anew in the 18-34 arena. WWPR roared from #5 to #1 with a huge increase that yielded its best share in over a year. WQHT remained extremely close behind at #2 with its highest score since SEPTEMBER. Last month’s leader WHTZ slid to #3 as it lost a noticeably large chunk of share. SBS Tropical WSKQ (MEGA) stepped back to #4 with its lowest mark in over a year while WLTW slid to #5 with its smallest share since AUGUST.  A couple of other stations showed some positive gains. ENTERCOM Alternative WBMP (ALT 92.3) was up to #7 as it ended a three-book slide. CUMULUS Hot AC WPLJ turned in its best performance in over a year as it rose from a tie at #16 to #9.

It was another big moment for WLTW 18-49 as it lit up the scoreboard with its eighth straight demo win … even though it had a down book. WQHT moved up to #2 with its best share since JULY, which pushed WHTZ back to #3. The two stations formerly known as #5 went their separate ways. WWPR moved up to #4 with its best outing since DECEMBER while WCBS-F remained in place despite a slight increase. WSKQ fell to #6 with its lowest total in over a year.

LOS ANGELES: The My’s Have It

By now you are likely familiar with the re-configured numbers for this market so we are not going to dive into that. We will confine ourselves to sticking to our usual style and going with the basic “that was, this is” procedure. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (MY FM) was #2 last survey but became the market leader just by being flat (5.7-5.7). iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST saw its two-book run in the top spot come to an end as it stepped back to #2 (6.0-5.6). ENTERCOM Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH) and ENTERCOM Rhythmic AC KTWV (THE WAVE) were tied at #3 last time. This survey the K-EARTH moved (4.8-5.0) to remain in place while THE WAVE receded to #4 (4.8-4.8). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KIIS (KISS) held steady at #5 (4.5-4.5) and was just ahead of iHEARTMEDIA Talk KFI-A, which moved up to #6 with its best showing since JANUARY (4.1-4.4). 

For the second straight survey, KBIG was #1 25-54 as the station was up slightly. KOST had its lowest score since NOVEMBER to remain at #2 but was forced to share the spotlight with ENTERCOM Adult Hits KCBS-F, which moved up a slot with a flat performance. The three stations previously conjoined at #4 were split asunder. KRTH remained in place with a slight increase while a flat UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KLVE (K-LOVE) slipped back to #5. KIIS dropped to #6 with a slight decrease.

The 18-34 demo was all about broken promises, uh, we mean ties. KBIG and KOST were both #1 last month but that pact was broken. KBIG remained in place with a flat book while KOST slipped back to #2 with a rather substantial loss. The two former #4s went in opposite directions. MERUELO Top 40/R KPWR (POWER) moved up to #3 with a slight increase while iHEARTMEDIA Urban KRRL (REAL 92.3) slipped to #5 with a slight decrease. In between at #4 was KIIS, which had its lowest share since OCTOBER. Three other stations had books worth noting. KLVE was up to #6 with a solid increase while two former #10 players had solid outings. KRTH moved up to #7 with its highest share in over a year while iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KYSR (ALT 98.7) stepped up to #8 with its best performance since DECEMBER.

KBIG completed the demo sweep as it captured the 18-49 cell for the fifth book in a row. The station was flat. KIIS was off slightly as it moved up to a distant #2 while KCBS-F advanced one square to #3 with its best outing in over a year. KOST dropped two places to #4 with its lowest share since NOVEMBER. KLVE remained at #5 with a slight increase and had a new partner in KRTH, which moved up from #7. KTWV dropped out of last month’s tie at #5 to #8 as it suffered a modest loss.

CHICAGO: V Does Mean 5

Just in case you forgot your Roman numerals … iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WVAZ (V103) was #1 6+ for the fifth book in a row despite having its lowest share since we were simply having a wonderful … well, you know (6.1-5.9). That being said, the station was well clear of the rest of the field. ENTERCOM News WBBM-A moved up to #2 (4.9-4.9) while HUBBARD Classic Hits WDRV (THE DRIVE) continued to reap the benefits of the LOOP-less airwaves as it settled in at #3 (4.6-4.8). The two previous occupants of the #2 position saw their collective fortunes wane a bit. HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (THE MIX) slipped to #4 with its lowest non-Santa-influenced share since JULY (5.0-4.7). UNIVISION Regional Mexican WOJO (QUE BUENA) dropped to #5 as it ended a four-book surge (5.0-4.6). Though it remained at #6, CUMULUS Classic Hits WLS-F was up for the fifth straight survey (3.8-4.3).

Though WOJO saw its 25-54 “up” book streak end at four, the station remained in first place. WVAZ moved up to #2 and cut the gap between the two stations to under a half share. WTMX slipped back to #3 with a small decrease while WDRV moved up to #4 just by being flat. ENTERCOM Rhythmic AC WBMX (JAMS) had its lowest total since the format change to fall back to #5 where it was just ahead of a flat CUMULUS Alternative WKQX at #6.

There was all sorts of movement in the 18-34 ranks. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKSC (KISS) had what was easily its best book in over a year to jump from #3 to #1. WKQX also had its highest share in over a year to climb two places to #2. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WGCI moved up to #3 with its best outing since NOVEMBER and was tied with last month’s leader WOJO, which ended its four-book surge. WBMX fell three spots to #5. The station has lost about half its share since the HOLIDAY book.

WOJO has yet to have a down 18-49 book this year. The station was flat this time but remained on top for the second straight survey. WKSC advanced to #2 with its third up book in a row. The two previous occupants of that position dissolved their arrangement. WTMX stepped back to #3 with a slight decrease while WBMX dropped to #4 with its lowest share since the format flipped. WDRV remained at #5 and was tied with WKQX, which moved up a spot. Both stations had down books. Close behind that duo was WGCI, at #7, which was up slightly.

SAN FRANCISCO: Are ALL Things Really Considered?

Really? Like, everything? Interesting. Well, The Ratings Experts only consider one thing – radio ratings. For KQED INC. N/T KQED that usually means a #1 6+ ranking. Yep, happened again (8.4-8.1). ENTERCOM News KCBS-A found itself in its customary distant #2 position (5.4-5.4). Then there were all those stations that played songs for a living. iHEARTMEDIA AC KISQ (THE BREEZE) remained at #3 with its best outing in over a year (4.6-4.9). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KMEL held steady at #4 (4.1-3.9) and was tied with BONNEVILLE AC KOIT, which moved up a spot (3.8-3.9). CUMULUS Sports KNBR-A slipped back to #6 (3.8-3.7). 

As we gaze longingly back over the previous 14 surveys, we see that the only time KQED was not #1 25-54 was when a certain man in the red suit was hogging the airwaves. KQED bounced back from a down book and led a slightly down #2 ENTERCOM Hot AC KLLC (ALICE) by over two shares. KISQ moved up three slots to #3 with -– again -– its best book in over a year. KMEL was off slightly at #4 and was forced to share the spot with iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KYLD (WILD), which moved up from #5 with its second flat book in a row. BONNEVILLE Top 40/M KMVQ (NOW) fell three places to #6 with a small decrease. KOIT moved up to #7 with its best Frosty-free share since NOVEMBER. 

There was a big surprise in the 18-34 contest. No, it wasn’t that KMEL was #1. That’s been going on for eight books in a row. The big news was that ENTERCOM Rhythmic AC KRBQ (Q102) moved up to #2 with its highest share in over a year. This pushed KYLD back to #3 as it landed its lowest share in over a year. KMVQ stepped back to #4, thus ending a three-book surge while iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KIOI (STAR) remained at #5 with a slight increase. KOIT was not far behind at #6 thanks to a small increase. The mover of the month was iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KOSF, which jumped from a tie at #15 to #7, almost doubling its previous share in the process.

After taking the last two months off, KQED returned to the top spot 18-49 as it ended a two-book slide. KMEL ended a three-book up swing as it dropped back to #2. KLLC was alone at #3 despite posting its lowest number since AUGUST. KISQ moved up to #4 with a slight increase while two stations moving in opposite directions ended up at #5. KMVQ dropped back from a tie at #3 thanks to its smallest share in over a year while KRBQ turned it up from #11 as it regained almost all of last month’s big loss. KYLD fell to #7 with a slight decrease and was tied with KIOI, which moved up from a tie at #9 with a slight increase.

DALLAS-FT.WORTH: One Kiss To Rule Them All

There was not much 6+ drama this survey as the top five stations were unchanged from last month. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KHKS (KISS) had its best book in over a year (6.7-6.9) to become an even more dominant #1. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZPS (LONE STAR) was #2 for the third book in a row (5.5-5.5). CUMULUS Country KSCS had its best outing since NOVEMBER (4.5-4.6) to remain #3. ENTERCOM Classic Hits KLUV (K-LOVE) repeated at #4 as it ended a two-book slide (4.4-4.5). CUMULUS Country KPLX (THE WOLF) continued to stalk the #5 position (4.3-4.2). Coming up on the outside was CUMULUS Sports KTCK-A (THE TICKET), which had its highest score in over a year (3.3-4.1) as it moved from #12 to #6.

KHKS was up 25-54 for the fifth book in a row and won the demo for the fifth straight survey. Second-place KTCK-A had its best book in over a year as it closed to within a share of the lead. (Normally we would make some comment here about baseball or some other local team but that does not seem to be what is contributing to the station’s recent and dramatic increase.) iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KEGL (THE EAGLE) hopped up three places to #3 with its highest share in over a year. It was tied with KSCS, which took one small step forward as it, too, posted its largest share in over a year. KZPS fell three slots to #5 with a slight decrease and was just inches ahead of UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLNO (QUE BUENA) at #6. ENTERCOM Adult Hits KJKK (JACK) dropped to #7 with its lowest total since OCTOBER.

For the third book in a row, KHKS was #1 18-34 and again threw down its best number in over a year. KEGL moved up to #2 with its best outing in over a year but was still over two shares off the lead. KSCS stepped up to #3 with its third up book in a row. SERVICE Urban KKDA (K104) slipped back to #4 with a small decrease and was tied with ENTERCOM Regional Mexican KMVK (LA GRANDE), which moved up from a tie at #7 with its highest share in exactly a year. URBAN ONE Top 40/R KBFB (THE BEAT) was not far behind at #6 as it got back a portion of last month’s big loss. The two former #5 stations went further down the list. KLNO ended up at #7 while iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KDMX (MIX) fell to #9.

Once again KHKS was up 18-49 and posted its largest share in over a year. Naturally, the station was #1. KEGL remained at #2 with its fourth up book in a row. KTCK-A advanced six places to #3 with its best outing in over a year. KDMX repeated at #4 with a flat performance while KSCS was again the #5 station with a slight increase. KZPS fell from #3 to a tie at #9 as it ended a four-book surge.

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Oh, we’ll back shortly with HOUSTON, WASHINGTON, D.C., PHILADELPHIA, ATLANTA and BOSTON. 

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