Research Director, Inc. Exclusive January PPM Analysis For Houston-Galveston, Washington DC, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston

ALL ACCESS RECAPS JANUARY 2020 DAY TWO

The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC., along with the math mavens from XTRENDS, are here, once again, to regale you with tales from the NIELSEN universe. Not to be confused with the MARVEL universe, this story revolves around the JANUARY survey. The time warp began on 1/2 and concluded on 1/29. It featured a holiday weekend, lots of football, the impeachment imbroglio, and the end of the CHRISTMAS conflict. Every holiday-themed station lost share – that is expected. What we will be interested in learning is whether said stations were in better shape than before the incessant crooning of BURL IVES began. Let’s do this …

HOUSTON-GALVESTON: A Bit Less Sunny

Santa’s main squeeze is always iHEARTMEDIA AC KODA (SUNNY 99.1). Even with his abrupt departure, the station remained #1 6+ (11.6-7.0). Way back in NOVEMBER the station was #3 with a 5.8 share. UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLTN (QUE BUENA 102.9) got back most of the share it lost last survey (5.7-6.6) as it moved up to #2. COX MEDIA GROUP Classic Rock KGLK (THE EAGLE) also bounced back (5.6-6.1) as it was up to #3. URBAN ONE Urban AC KMJQ (MAJIC 102.1) had its lowest share in over a year (6.1-5.5) as it slid to #4. iHEARTMEDIA N/T KTRH-A was up to #5 with its best book in over a year (4.6-5.4). As recently as SEPTEMBER it was #14. ENTERCOM Adult Hits KKHH (95.1 THE SPOT) ended a five-book slide (4.4-5.1) as it landed at #6. COX MEDIA GROUP Country KKBQ (93Q) moved up to #7 with its best outing since SEPTEMBER (3.5-4.6). CUMULUS Top 40/M KRBE slid to #8 (4.7-4.3) while the other holiday-tinged station – KSBJ EDUCATIONAL Christian Contemporary KSBJ – remained at #10 (3.9-4.1).

After a two-month hiatus, KLTN was back to #1 25-54 with a slight increase. Last survey KKHH and KGLK were tied at #5. Both stations had solid increases this time. KKHH was up to #2 while KGLK landed at #3. It was tied with KODA, which had been tied at #4 in NOVEMBER. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTBZ (94.5FM THE BUZZ) ended a two-book slide as it moved up to #5. KKBQ made the leap o’ the month as it advanced from a tie at #14 to #6 with its best performance since SEPTEMBER. URBAN ONE Top 40/R KBXX (97.9 THE BOX) slid to #7 with its lowest total in over a year while KMJQ fell to #8 with its smallest share since JUNE.

Though it experienced the expected share loss, KODA remained at #1 18-34 (it was #12 in NOVEMBER). However, it was forced to share as UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KAMA (LATINO MIX) also landed in first place thanks to its largest share in over a year. KTBZ was, well, buzzing as it jumped from #9 to #3 with its best book in over a year. ENTERCOM Spanish Contemporary KLOL (MEGA 101FM) had its best showing since SEPTEMBER as it improved its lot from #8 to #4. KKBQ had its best number in over a year as it leapt from #12 to #5. It was tied with KBXX, which dropped from #2. Last survey KLTN and KMJQ were tied at #5. They both had down books and ended up at #9 and #10, respectively.

KLTN was up slightly 18-49 as it returned to the #1 spot it had last seen in NOVEMBER. KODA lost about a third of its share but only fell to #2. It was #5 in NOVEMBER. KKBQ was on fire as it rose from #14 to #3 with its highest mark in over a year. KKHH stepped up to #4 with a strong increase while KTBZ advanced to #5 as it got back most of last survey’s rather large loss. KBXX slid to #6 with its lowest total in over a year while KRBE fell three places to #7.

WASHINGTON, DC: It’s Like Majic!

The results of the 6+ caucuses revealed a very tight contest. The top five stations were separated by six-tenths of a share. Settling into the top spot was URBAN ONE Urban AC WMMJ (MAJIC) (7.4-7.5). All the political jawboning was a boon for the talk-oriented stations. HUBBARD News WTOP ended a two-book slide (6.9-7.4) as it stepped up to #2. AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU accomplished the same feat as it rose to #3 (6.5-7.3). CUMULUS Talk WMAL advanced to #5 with its highest share in over a year (5.0-6.9). In between was ATLANTIC GATEWAY Christian Contemporary WGTS, which stepped up to #4 with its third up book in a row (6.2-7.2). And what became of Santa’s fave? iHEARTMEDIA AC WASH dropped from #1 to #6 (12.9-6.7). In NOVEMBER the station was tied at #5 with a 5.4 share.

WMMJ posted its largest 25-54 share since AUGUST to move up two places to #1. WASH slipped to #2 but was in far better shape than in NOVEMBER. Way back then the station was at #7 with a lot less share. WAMU stepped down to #3 with a slight increase while WTOP stepped up to #4 with its best outing in exactly a year. HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR slipped to #5 with a slight decrease. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIHT (HOT 99.5) inched up to #6 with its highest share since JUNE. WGTS slid to #7 despite a slight increase.

The 18-34 demo was witness to a rare sight, at least in this market. Not only did WGTS move up to #1, the station cracked the double-digit barrier. WASH slipped to #2. In NOVEMBER the station was tied at #1 but with a smaller share. Also at #2 was WIHT, which advanced thanks to its best score in exactly a year. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WWDC (DC101) remained at #4 with a slight loss while WAMU moved up to #5 with a modest increase. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WBIG slipped to #6 with its smallest share since JULY.

No Santa, no problem. WASH was #1 18-49 for the second book in a row. Before this streak began the station was sitting at #5. Both WGTS and WMMJ moved up to tie at #2. WGTS had its best total since OCTOBER while MAJIC scored its largest share in over a year. WAMU slipped to #4 despite a solid increase while WIHT held steady at #5 with its best book since JUNE. WWDC eased up to #6 with a small gain while WHUR slid to #7 with a slight loss.

ATLANTA: Double Talk

This was another market that had a double dose of holiday revelry. We’ll get to that in a minute. It would appear that all the impeachment chatter was in the wheelhouse of COX MEDIA GROUP Talk WSB-A. The station remained #1 6+ but hit double digits (8.0-10.0). Though it was off a bit, ENTERCOM Urban WVEE (V-103) moved up to #2 (6.3-6.0). COX MEDIA GROUP Classic Hits WSRV (97.1FM THE RIVER) ended a four-book slide (5.1-5.9) as it rose to #3. COX MEDIA GROUP Urban AC WALR (KISS 104.1FM) was steady at #4 (6.0-5.8) while URBAN ONE Urban AC WAMJ (MAJIC) took three steps forward to #5 (4.9-5.5). COX MEDIA GROUP AC WSB-F (B98.5) slipped to #6 with its lowest share since MAY (5.4-4.9). Now for holly-festooned stations. SALEM Christian Contemporary WFSH (104.7 THE FISH) dropped to #8 (6.7-4.5). It was also #8 in NOVEMBER but with a 3.9 share. ENTERCOM Hot AC WSTR (STAR 94.1) dropped back to #17 (4.3-2.6). It was also at #17 in NOVEMBER with a 2.7.

WVEE had its best 25-54 book in exactly a year to continue to lead the rest of the field by a wide margin. WAMJ repeated at #2. Though it bounced back nicely from a down book, it was still a share-and-a-half shy of the lead. WSB-A had its highest share in over a year to advance four squares to #3. WSRV washed

up to #4 as it ended a three-book slide. Three stations were in cahoots at #5. ENTERCOM Sports WZGC (THE GAME 92.9) slipped from #3 while URBAN ONE Urban WHTA (HOT 107.9) jumped from a tie at #9 with its best showing since MAY. CUMULUS Top 40/M WWWQ (Q99.7) had its highest share in exactly a year to leap from #13. WSB-F slid to #8 with a slight decrease. WFSH dropped eight slots to #12. It was #11 in NOVEMBER. WSTR fell to #15, which is exactly where it was in NOVEMBER.

On our last visit, WVEE and WZGC were tied atop the 18-34 leaderboard. V-103 remained there as it rebounded from a down book while THE GAME slid into second. WHTA repeated at #3 with a slight increase while WAMJ was up five places to #4 with a strong increase. Both WSB-F and WWWQ moved up and into a tie at #5. WALR had its smallest share since APRIL as it dropped six slots to #10. WSFH and WSTR dropped into a tie at #11. In NOVEMBER they were #16 (tied) and #12, respectively.

WVEE regained almost all the share it lost the previous survey to strengthen its #1 grip 18-49. WZGC was off but remained #2 while WAMJ was up six slots to #3 as it, too, got back most of its lost share. A flat WSB-F slipped to #4 and ran head first into WWWQ, which advanced from #13 with its best outing since JUNE. A flat WHTA slipped to #6 while WSB-A moved up to #7 with its best outing in over a year. WFSH dropped to #11 (#12 in NOVEMBER) and WSTR fell to #14 (#13 in NOVEMBER).

PHILADELPHIA: B Minus

Besides cheese steaks, this city is known for booing Santa. They were cheering his departure at ENTERCOM Sports WIP-F as the station moved back up to #1 6+ (7.3-7.8). iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS ended a four-book slide (5.5-6.6) as it stepped up to #2. BEASLEY Active Rock WMMR had its best showing since MAY (4.6-6.4) as it rose two places to #3. BEASLEY Classic Rock WMGK slipped to #4 but got back some of last survey’s big loss (5.5-6.2). The Santa station, otherwise known as ENTERCOM AC WBEB (B101.1), fell from first to fifth (18.6-6.1). It was #6 in NOVEMBER with a 5.4 share. BEASLEY Country WXTU ended its four-book slide (3.6-5.0) as it advanced to #6. ENTERCOM News KYW-A reported its best share in exactly a year (3.4-4.8) as it stepped up to #7. ENTERCOM Classic Hits WOGL was flat (4.6-4.6) and fell three places to #8.

Both WMMR and WIP-F posted their largest 25-54 shares in over a year. That largess propelled WMMR to #1 and kept WIP-F at #2. WBEB slipped to #3 but was a bit stronger than it was in NOVEMBER when it settled in at #5. Last survey WDAS and WMGK were tied at #4. Both stations had strong gains this time to end up at #4 and #5, respectively. WXTU had its best showing since JUNE to climb up to #6. Though it only moved up a slot to #9, WHYY INC. N/T WHYY had its best book in over a year. In SEPTEMBER it was sitting at #17.

WMMR had a massive 18-34 share increase – its best book since MARCH – as it moved from #5 to #1. WIP-F moved up two slots to #2 with a strong increase, as well. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WUSL (POWER 99FM) slipped to #3 despite a solid increase. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WRFF (RADIO 104.5) jumped seven places to #4 with its highest score since APRIL. It was joined by WXTU, which moved up from #10 as it regained all the share it lost last survey. ENTERCOM Top 40/M WTDY slipped from #3 to #6 just by being flat. WBEB fell from #1 to a tie at #9. It was #7 in NOVEMBER.

As with the previous demo, WMMR had a huge increase 18-49. The station moved up to #1 with its best performance since MARCH. WIP-F remained at #2 but posted its best score in over a year. WDAS was up to #3 with its highest mark in over a year. It was tied with WBEB, which fell from #1. The station was tied

at #5 in NOVEMBER. WXTU advanced to #5 as it ended a three-book slide. WMGK had a solid increase but still stepped back to #6 where it was joined by a flat WUSL.

BOSTON: RORing Back

From MARCH through DECEMBER, BEASLEY Classic Hits WROR was #1 6+. Santa broke that string but the station came back quickly after the big guy’s departure. It was back at #1 (6.2-8.1). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WXKS (KISS 108FM) moved up to #2 with its best outing since JULY (5.6-6.7). iHEARTMEDIA News WBZ-A remained at #3 (6.0-6.2) while BEASLEY Sports WBZ-F (98.5 THE SPORTS HUB) stepped up to #4 (5.5-5.8). The home of the holiday hits – ENTERCOM AC WMJX (MAGIC 106.7) – fell from first into a tie at #5 (15.2-5.7). That is about where the station was in NOVEMBER when it was #4 with a 5.8 share. It was partnered with iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WZLX, which moved up a spot with its highest mark since OCTOBER (5.0-5.7).

The end of the holiday season freed up a lot of listeners (and shares) 25-54. WROR came charging back to #1 with its best book in over a year. It was leading two stations that posted their best numbers since FEBRUARY. WXKS was up to #2 while WBZ-F slipped to #3. WMJX dropped to fourth place with the exact same share it had in NOVEMBER. WZLX remained at #5 but with a solid increase. It was not that far ahead of BEASLEY Classic Rock WBOS (BOSTON’S ROCK 92.9), which moved up to #6 with its highest score in over a year.

It is a rare sight, indeed, to see a Classic Hits station #1 18-34. However, WROR did it. It is rarer, still, to see that station in double-digits. WROR did that, too. What is even more remarkable is that the station accomplished the exact same feat in NOVEMBER. WXKS was up to #2 as it ended a two-book slide. BEASLEY Country WKLB stepped up to #3 as it regained all the shares Santa stole. WZLX advanced five spaces to #4 as it, too, was regifted from the previous survey. Four – count ‘em – four stations were close behind and in a tie at #5. WBZ-F remained in place with its best showing since OCTOBER while BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WBQT (HOT 96.9) slipped from #4 despite a solid increase. WBOS leapt from a tie at #11 with a huge increase while WMJX fell from first place (it was #8 in NOVEMBER). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R WJMN (JAM’N 94.5) was up slightly but because of math it slid to #9.

WXKS had its best 18-49 book since JULY as it returned to the top spot after a two-book absence. WBZ-F was up to #2 with its best offensive output since FEBRUARY. WROR stepped up to #3 as it regained the share Santa purloined. WMJX dropped to #4. That is where the station was in NOVEMBER but this time it had a larger share. WBOS and WZLX were tied at #6 last time. Both stations had strong increases but WBOS’s was a little heftier as it moved up to #5 while WZLX was close behind at #6. WBQT slid to #7 where it was tied with WKLB.

Round two of our monthly ratings ring-dang-do is now officially in the books. You may put your pencils down as we prepare for our third episode. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. will be back shortly with the results from MIAMI, SEATTLE, DETROIT, PHOENIX, and MINNEAPOLIS.

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