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

Exclusive Analysis From Research Director, Inc.

Amid the eerie silence, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC., in somewhat close cooperation with the number crunchers from XTRENDS, bring you our third installment of FEBRUARY madness. In lieu of real MARCH madness, these brackets will have to suffice. This survey had several notable events – a long holiday weekend, the culmination of the NFL season, and a whole lotta impeachment talk. How did that affect radio listening? Let’s find out.

Miami-Ft.Lauderdale-Hollywood: Easy Listening

Well, there’s a format you don’t hear as much about anymore. However, COX MEDIA AC WFEZ (EASY 93.1) was the most listened-to 6+ station, once again (7.5-7.3). COX MEDIA Urban AC WHQT (HOT 105FM) repeated at #2 (7.2-6.8) while ENTERCOM AC WLYF (101.5 LITE FM) moved up to #3 (5.9-5.9). UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary WAMR (AMOR 107.5) stepped down to #4 (6.1-5.8) while ENTERCOM Classic Hits WMXJ (102.7 THE BEACH) held steady at #5 (5.6-5.0). Looming large in its rearview mirror was #6 SBS Tropical WCMQ (Z92.3) (4.7-4.8).

Things were not as straightforward in the 25-54 arena. Last month’s co-leaders were no longer on top. They were replaced by WLYF, which rose from #3 with its highest share since APRIL. WFEZ, which had a share of the lead, slipped to #2 as it surrendered all of last month’s gain. SBS Tropical WXDJ (EL ZOL 106.7), in turn, got back all of last survey’s loss, which allowed the station to rebound to #3. WHQT, the other previous co-leader, slipped to #4 with its lowest mark since OCTOBER. It was tied with a stationary WMXJ, which was off slightly. WAMR slipped to #6 with a small loss and was just ahead of iHEARTMEDIA Spanish Contemporary WZTU (TU 94.9), which advanced to #7 with its best outing since OCTOBER.

The 18-34 race suddenly got a lot more contested. COX MEDIA Urban WEDR (99 JAMZ) was #1 for the third book in a row but was feeling the heat from #2 iHEARTMEDIA Urban WMIB (103.5 THE BEAT), which closed to the smallest possible margin. WFEZ stepped down to #3 with its smallest share since AUGUST. Making the leap o’ the month was ENTERCOM Alternative WSFS (104.3 THE SHARK). The station landed its largest share in over a year as it swam from #14 to #4. ENTERCOM Top 40/R WPOW (POWER 96) bounced back from a down book and moved up to #5. WMXJ slipped to #6 as it returned all of last month’s increase. WLYF fell into a four-way tie at #7.

WLYF ended a two-book slide as it returned to the top spot 18-49. WXDJ advanced three places to #2 with its best book since MARCH. Last month’s leader, WFEZ, slid to #3 as it gave back all of last month’s gain. WEDR repeated at #4 with a slight loss while a flat WAMR moved up to #5. WHQT dropped four slots to #6 with its lowest score since OCTOBER. It was just ahead of WZTU, which climbed four spots to #7 with its best showing since OCTOBER.

Seattle-Tacoma: Movin Right Along

Nothin’ to see here, folks. HUBBARD Top 40/M KQMV (MOVIN 92.5) was – once again – the runaway 6+ leader (6.6-6.5). Its older cluster sister – HUBBARD AC KRWM (WARM 106.9) was up to #2 (5.3-5.3) while iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZOK advanced three spaces to #3 with its best performance since OCTOBER (4.5-5.1). UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON N/T KUOW slipped to #4 with its lowest share since SEPTEMBER (5.5-4.8). It was joined by BONNEVILLE Talk KIRO-F, which slipped from #2 with its least productive outing since JUNE (6.0-4.8). ENTERCOM Active Rock KISW stepped down to #6 (4.9-4.6). The leap o’ the month went to ENTERCOM AC KSWD (94.1 THE SOUND). It leapt from a tie at #14 to #7 as it got back most of its HOLIDAY share (3.2-4.5). It was tied with ENTERCOM Alternative KNDD (107.7 THE END) (4.3-4.5).

The top five 25-54 stations remained frozen in time. KQMV was up slightly at #1 while KISW was flat at #2. KUOW repeated at #3 though it gave up all of last month’s increase. KRWM was at #4 again but with its lowest mark since NOVEMBER. KNDD ended up at #5 again with a slight increase. It was a good month for the two Country stations. ENTERCOM Country KKWF (100.7 THE WOLF) was up three places to #6 with a slight increase. Close behind was HUBBARD Country KNUC (98.9 THE BULL), which had its best rodeo since SEPTEMBER as it charged up seven slots to a tie at #7.

KQMV just missed hitting double digits 18-34 for the second straight survey. That said, the station was still a dominant #1. KISW remained at #2 despite returning most of last month’s big increase. KNDD repeated at #3 with a small loss. KZOK stepped up to #4 with a slight increase while KUOW dipped to #5 with its lowest score since AUGUST. KRWM went from #10 to #6 as it got back a good portion of last month’s loss. ENTERCOM Rhythmic AC KHTP (HOT 103.7) slid to #7 as it returned most of last survey’s huge increase.

The top three 18-49 stations gave encore performances. KQMV was up slightly at #1 while KISW was off slightly at #2. KRWM came back as the #3 station again with a small loss. KNDD was up to #4 with a slight increase while KUOW slipped to #5 as it gave back all of last month’s increase. KHTP dropped to #7 with its smallest share since AUGUST.

Detroit: New Time, Same Channel

It was quite the breakout for iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKQI (CHANNEL 955). The station posted its largest 6+ share in over a year (5.9-6.5) as it moved up to #1. BEASLEY Classic Rock WCSX stepped up to #2 (5.8-6.0) while iHEARTMEDIA AC WNIC ended a four-book run at #1. It slipped to #3 with its lowest mark since SEPTEMBER (6.3-5.9). ENTERCOM Classic Hits WOMC slid to #4 (6.1-5.6) while iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WMXD (MIX 92.3) remained at #5 (5.2-5.4). The news was anything but fake for ENTERCOM News WWJ-A as the station leapt from a tie at #11 to #6 with its highest mark since OCTOBER (4.3-4.8).

WKQI surged into the 25-54 lead with its highest share in over a year. This pushed BEASLEY Active Rock WRIF down to #2 but the stations were less than half a share apart. A flat WCSX repeated at #3 while WNIC slipped to #4. BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WMGC (105.1 THE BOUNCE) had its highest share since MAY as it stepped up to #5. ENTERCOM Sports WXYT-F (97.1 THE TICKET) skidded four spaces to #9.

There was a lot of 18-34 share moving around this survey. WKQI remained #1 but cracked the double-digit barrier. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WJLB repeated at #2 though it fell farther off the pace as it ended a strong two-book surge. WRIF was #3 again as it lost some share. WCSX moved up to #4 with its best outing since SEPTEMBER. WOMC surged four places to #5. The station has almost doubled its share since HOLIDAY. WMGC dipped to #6 with a slight decrease. It was tied with CUMULUS Hot AC WDVD, which advanced from #8 with its best share since OCTOBER. WNIC fell four slots to #8.

Thanks to – once again – its best book in over a year, WKQI completed the demo sweep, capturing the 18-49 flag. WRIF was still #2 but returned most of last month’s increase. WMGC was up a couple of places to #3 with its highest mark since APRIL. WCSX was back at #4 with its best showing in exactly a year. WJLB slipped to #5 with a slight decrease while a flat WNIC stepped down to #6.

Phoenix: Easy A

The 6+ landscape did not change much but the top two stations drew a bit closer. iHEARTMEDIA AC KESZ (99.9 KEZ) was again #1 (8.2-7.9) while #2 ENTERCOM Classic Hits KOOL (94.5 KOOL FM) had its best book in over a year (6.4-7.1). iHEARTMEDIA Adult Hits KYOT (95.5 THE MOUNTAIN) remained at #3 (5.7-5.2) and was paired with HUBBARD Classic Rock KSLX, which stepped up from #4 (5.5-5.2). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KZZP (104.7 KISS FM) had its best outing since JULY (4.0-4.5) to move up to #5. iHEARTMEDIA Country KNIX stepped down to #6 (4.4-4.0). The leap o’ the month went to ENTRAVISION Regional Mexican KLNZ (LA TRICOLOR 103.5). The station had its highest share in over a year (2.4-3.8) as it jumped from a tie at #18 to a tie at #7.

KZZP was up for the third straight survey and had just enough mojo to land at #1 25-54. It was just ahead of KOOL, which stepped up to #2 with its best score since AUGUST. KSLX was up four slots to #3 with a small increase. KESZ fell from first into a three-way battle at #4 with its smallest share since SEPTEMBER. Also in that #4 mix were KYOT – which was down for the third book in a row – and KNIX, which moved up from a tie at #8 with its highest total since SEPTEMBER. KLNZ leapt from #14 to #7. HUBBARD Active Rock KUPD fell to #8 with its lowest share in over a year.

KZZP announced its 18-34 self with authority as it rose to #1 with its highest score since MAY. This left ENTERCOM Top 40/M KALV (LIVE 101.5) alone at #2 and almost two shares off the lead. KOOL made quite the leap as it advanced from #14 to #3 with – by far – its best book in over a year. RIVIERA Top 40/R KKFR (POWER) also scored its highest share in over a year as it advanced from #8 to a tie at #3 with KOOL. KYOT remained at #5 with a small increase and was joined by KESZ, which dropped from first place. KNIX was up three slots to #7 with its largest share since SEPTEMBER. KUPD dropped three spots to #8 while iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KMXP (MIX 96.9) dropped 8 places to a tie at #12.

The KZZP hot streak continued 18-49 as the station stepped up to #1 with its best showing since JULY. KESZ slipped to #2 and was tied with a surging KOOL, which moved up from #5 with its best book in over a year. KLNZ advanced from a tie at #12 to #4 – its highest rank in over a year. KYOT slid three places to #5 with its lowest mark in over a year. UNIVISION Regional Mexican KHOT (QUE BUENA 105.9) jumped five spaces to #6 as it, too, posted its largest number in over a year. KUPD fell from #4 to #10.

Minneapolis-St.Paul: A Change At The Top

With the end of the NFL season, iHEARTMEDIA Sports KFXN (K-FAN) released a lot of shares back into the market (8.4-6.8) as it slipped to #4 6+. This allowed three stations to move up in the rankings. HUBBARD Hot AC KSTP (KS95) was back at #1 for the first time since NOVEMBER (8.2-8.1). UNIVERSITY OF NORTHWESTERN-ST.PAUL Christian Contemporary KTIS stepped up to #2 (7.0-7.2). MPR N/T KNOW had its highest share in over a year (6.3-7.0) as it moved up to #3. CUMULUS Classic Rock KQRS dipped to #5 (6.3-6.2) while its younger, more pierced cluster bro CUMULUS Active Rock KXXR (93X) remained at #6 but with its best outing since AUGUST (5.7-6.0).

While KFXN remained #1 25-54, it did drop out of double-digit territory. Now, the top three stations were separated by less than a half share. Settling in at #2 were KSTP, with a slight increase, and KXXR, which was up for the fourth straight survey. KTIS held steady at #4 with its highest score in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KDWB came back at #5 though it did return most of last month’s large increase. It was forced to share with ENTERCOM Adult Hits KZJK (104.1 JACK FM), which stepped up thanks to a slight gain.

For the first time since OCTOBER, KXXR was both #1 18-34 and in double digits. KSTP was in double-digit territory for the second book in a row but had to step back to #2. KDWB was off slightly at #3 and trailed the leaders by more than two shares. KTIS repeated at #4 as it continued its seven-book surge. The station has more than twice the share it did in AUGUST when it was tied at #13. KZJK and KFXN had been tied at #5. KZJK remained while KFXN slid to #7. In between was iHEARTMEDIA Country KEEY (K102), which was up for the third book in a row.

KXXR had its best 18-49 book since SEPTEMBER as it moved up to #1. However, it was just barely ahead of KSTP, which stepped up to #2 with its best book in over a year. KFXN departed the double-digit world and slipped to #3. KTIS was up to #4 with its highest share in over a year. KDWB slipped to #5 with its smallest share in over a year and was tied with KZJK, which took one step upward with a slight increase.

Thank you for your indulgence. The ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. hope you stay safe. We will see you again next month. In the meantime, you could subscribe to our blog. 

RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. is based in ANNAPOLIS, MD. We help radio stations’ programming and sales departments maximize the value of their research. For more information, visit www.ResearchDirectorInc.com, call (410) 295-6619, or e-mail info@ResearchDirectorInc.com or sallan@ResearchDirectorInc.com. 

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