Research Director Inc., Exclusive July 2021 PPM Analysis For New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas 

July '21 PPM Ratings Out

Here’s your fun fact for the JULY survey. This is one that ran right through the dog days of summer. Where did that term originate? The ancient Romans made it up. Not because their pups were panting excessively. It had something to do with Sirius. No, not the satellite service. Sirius is the so-called “dog star.” Back to radio reality, this book ran from JUNE 24th through JULY 21st. It featured a famous federal holiday and plenty of vacation time. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC., along with the wizards of the algorithm from XTRENDS, are here to break it all down for you.

NEW YORK: A New Leader

For the last eight books iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (106.7 LITE FM) was the 6+ leader. That ended this survey as MEDIACO Urban AC WBLS landed in the top spot with its fourth straight up book (6.5-6.9). This forced WLTW to step down to #2 (6.6-6.6). SBS Tropical WSKQ (MEGA 97.9FM) repeated at #3 (5.7-5.4). Meanwhile, its cluster mate – SBS Spanish Contemporary WPAT (93.1 AMOR) – had its best outing in over a year (3.8-4.9) as it advanced three spaces to #4. AUDACY Classic Hits WCBS-F had its third down book in a row and dipped to #5 (5.5-4.7). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3 FM) slipped to #6 (4.7-4.5). AUDACY Hot AC WNEW (NEW 102.7) landed its largest share in over a year (3.6-4.4). This propelled the station to #7 where it was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHTZ (Z100) (4.6-4.4). WLTW remained the cume leader but was down 10.2% (3,555,700-3,193,000). The market decreased by 0.4%.

The 25-54 winning streak for WLTW was turned up to 11 as the station posted its best Frosty-free share in over a year. WBLS landed its best book in over a year as it moved up to #2, though it remained about a share off the lead. WSKQ slipped to #3 with its first down book since MARCH. WPAT has been on quite the roll over the last few books. In APRIL it was sitting at #12 but has been improving ever since. This time it moved up four slots to #4 with its best outing in over a year. WHTZ dipped to #5 as it returned about half of last month’s rather large increase. It was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Rhythmic AC WKTU, which moved up from a tie at #6 with its highest share in over a year. WCBS-F scored its lowest total since FEBRUARY as it slid three places to #8.

For the first time since we were trolling the Yuletide carol (whatever that means), WLTW was #1 18-34. The station did this by staying flat. This was largely due to the fact that WSKQ went from a double-digit share to its lowest mark since that whole trolling thing was a thing. WKTU and MEDIACO Top 40/R WQHT (HOT 97) had been tied at #4 but went in opposite directions. WKTU stepped up to #3 with its highest share in over a year. As recently as APRIL it was sitting at #10. A flat WQHT slipped to #5. In between those two stations sat WHTZ, which returned all of last month’s solid increase.

This was the ninth book in a row that had WLTW at #1 and WSKQ at #2 18-49. WLTW was up for the third straight survey, while WSKQ was off a bit. The gap between the two stations was over a share. WHTZ had a down book but remained at #3. However, it was forced to share the spotlight with WPAT, which advanced from a tie at #7 with – once again – its best book in over a year. WKTU stepped up to #5 with its third up book in a row. WBLS and WCBS-F had been tied at #4. WBLS dropped to #7 while WCBS-F fell to #8 and was tied with WQHT.

LOS ANGELES: As The World Turns

This was the sixth straight survey that saw AUDACY Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH 101) sitting on top of the 6+ world (5.5-5.9). It also had a strong lead over the two stations languishing at #2. iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST remained in place at that position but with its smallest share since OCTOBER (4.9-4.8). UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KLVE (K-LOVE 107.5) moved up from #4 with its best showing in over a year (4.2-4.8). AUDACY Urban AC KTWV (94.7 THE WAVE) moved from a tie at #6 up to #4 as it rebounded from a down book (3.9-4.3). SBS Regional Mexican KLAX (LA RAZA 97.9) advanced four squares to #5 with its largest share in over a year (3.6-4.1). Three stations were very close behind as they wrestled over the #6 position. AUDACY Adult Hits KCBS-F (93.1 JACK FM) remained in place (3.9-4.0) while iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (104.3 MY FM) dipped from #5 (4.1-4.0). iHEARTMEDIA Talk KFI-A slid from #3 (4.4-4.0). KRTH continued as the cume leader with a 2.6% increase (2,421,900-2,484,800). The market faded by 0.2%.

KLVE and KRTH finished #1 and #2, respectively, 25-54 for the second book in a row. Both stations were up the exact same amount and continued to be separated by the slimmest of possible margins. KLAX stepped up to #3. Its fourth up book in a row also yielded the station’s largest share in over a year. KCBS-F got back the share it lost last month and moved back up to #4 from #7. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KIIS (102.7 KIIS FM) repeated at #5 with a slight decrease. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KYSR (ALT 98.7) slipped five places to #8 with its lowest mark since the reindeer were bullying Rudolph. 

This was the sixth straight 18-34 win for KYSR. However, the station posted its lowest share of the run and was hearing footsteps from KLAX, which advanced three places to #2, thanks to a massive share increase. KIIS dipped to #3 even with a slight increase while two stations were jostling at #4. KRTH moved down from #3 despite a slight increase while KLVE moved up from a tie at #11 with its best outing in over a year. KCBS-F was close behind as it stepped up to #6 with a solid increase. KBIG fell three slots to #7 with only a slight decrease.

KLVE was up 18-49 for the fifth book in a row, the last three of which had the station in first place. It was about a half share in front of KLAX, which moved from #4 to #2 with its fourth up book in a row. KRTH and KYSR had been tied at #2 but that partnership was dissolved. KRTH slipped to #3 despite a solid increase, while KYSR fell to #7 with its first down book since FEBRUARY. A flat KIIS inched up to #4 while two stations that had been tied at #7 moved up the chart. KCBS-F and KBIG ended up at #5 and #6, respectively.

CHICAGO: It’s News To Us

For the first time since FEBRUARY, AUDACY News WBBM-A was the leading station 6+ (6.0-6.7). In the four books since that time iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WVAZ (V103) had been the market leader. However, the station dipped to #2 after landing its lowest share in exactly a year (6.5-5.8). iHEARTMEDIA AC WLIT (93.9 LITE FM) remained at #3 though with its lowest mark since JANUARY (5.6-5.2). HUBBARD Classic Rock WDRV (97.1FM THE DRIVE) was stuck in neutral (5.2-5.2) but still moved up to claim a share of that coveted #3 position. UNIVISION Regional Mexican WOJO (QUÉ BUENA 105.1) repeated at #5 but with its highest score in over a year (4.1-4.4). WLIT was back as the market’s cume leader (1,229,500-1,233,400) – an increase of 0.3%. The market was down by 0.5%.

Though WOJO was off a bit, it retained enough ratings mojo to remain #1 25-54 for the sixth straight survey. WDRV repeated at #2 with a slight decrease and was more than a half share off the pace. WLIT stepped up to #3 with its best Frosty-free share in over a year. It was a good book for CUMULUS Classic Hits WLS-F. The station rose from a tie at #11 to #4 with its best book since DECEMBER. WVAZ slipped to #5 with its lowest score since AUGUST. It was tied with HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (101.9 THE MIX), which advanced from a tie at #9 as it regained most of last month’s big share loss. HUBBARD AC WSHE (SHE 100.3) fell from #5 to #16 with its first down book since winter was snowing and blowing up bushels of fun. 

Much like the CUBS roster after the trading deadline, you’ll need a program to figure out what happened 18-34. WDRV shifted to a higher gear as it sped from #7 to #1 with its best book since AUGUST. AUDACY Rhythmic AC WBMX (104.3 JAMS) was one of three stations that had been tied at #4. It moved up to #2 with a slight increase and was tied with WOJO, which advanced from #8. A flat WVAZ stood alone at #4. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKSC (103.5 KISS FM) fell from #1 to #5 after landing its lowest share in over a year. Two stations came screaming up from the teens to land at #6. WTMX had been tied at #13 as it ended a steep two-book slide. iHEARTMEDIA Rock WCHI (ROCK 95.5) advanced  from #15 with its best performance in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WGCI returned all of last month’s solid increase as it dropped from #3 and into a tie at #8 with UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary WVIV (93.5 LATINO MIX). CUMULUS Alternative WKQX was the third member of that previous #4 trio. It dropped to #13 with its lowest score since FEBRUARY.

A flat WOJO repeated as the leading 18-49 station. WDRV was off slightly but stepped up to #2. It was more than a share and a half behind the leader. WVAZ slipped to #3 with its lowest total since SEPTEMBER. Four – count ‘em – four stations ended up at #4. Two had previously been tied at #15. That would be WTMX and WLS-F. WKSC had been there before and remained in place with a small decrease. UNIVISION Spanish AC WPPN (AMOR 106.7) moved up from #6, also with a slight decrease. WSHE returned all of last month’s big increase and dropped from #5 to #18.

SAN FRANCISCO: Song Free

As we saw last survey, the top three stations in the 6+ category do not have a play list. KQED INC N/T KQED was a strong #1 for the seventh straight survey, though the station did post its lowest share since AUGUST (8.7-7.9). AUDACY News KCBS-A moved back up to #2 (5.9-6.0) while CUMULUS Sports KNBR-A stepped back to #3 as it surrendered all of last month’s big share increase (6.3-5.1). For the second book in a row, the leading music station – at #4 – was iHEARTMEDIA AC KISQ (98.1 THE BREEZE), which landed its largest share since DECEMBER (4.6-4.7). BONNEVILLE AC KOIT moved up two slots to #5 (4.0-3.9). The previous occupant of that position – BONNEVILLE Urban AC KBLX – dropped to #15 with its smallest share since OCTOBER (4.5-2.4). KOIT remained the cume leader with a 1.5% increase (1,095,000-1,111,000). The market was up by 0.8%.

This was the sixth book in a row that KQED was down 25-54. However, it was the first time since APRIL that the station was #1. Numbers are funny. BONNEVILLE Top 40/M KMVQ (99.7 NOW) had been the market leader over the last two surveys but slipped to #2 after landing its lowest share since the pipers were piping. KOIT remained at #3 with its best showing since FEBRUARY. A flat AUDACY Hot AC KLLC (ALICE@97.3) repeated at #4 and was joined there by iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KYLD (WILD 94.9), which moved up from a tie at #6 with its biggest share since SEPTEMBER. CUMULUS Classic Rock KSAN (107.7 THE BONE) and iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KOSF (103.7 FM 80s+) had been tied at #12. KSAN had its best book since FEBRUARY while KOSF’s was its largest in over a year. The stations moved up to #6 and #7, respectively. KCBS-A dropped from #5 to #8.

That large sound you just heard was the explosion of 18-34 share that came KYLD’s way. The station went from #5 to #1 with its best book in over a year. It also went from trailing former #1 iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KMEL by over two shares to leading its cluster buddy by about a half share. KISQ dipped to #3 and KQED slipped to #4. Both stations had small decreases. KSAN jumped from a tie at #9 to #5. The station bottomed out at #17 in MAY but has more than doubled its share since then as it returned to the top five for the first time since MARCH. KOIT slipped to #6 and was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KIOI (STAR 101.3).

KMVQ posted its lowest 18-49 share since DECEMBER but that did not prevent it from landing at #1 for the seventh book in a row. KQED repeated at #2 but with a down book. In the end the stations were separated by the smallest possible margin. KYLD went from #8 to #3 with its best performance in over a year. KISQ slipped to #4 with a slight decrease and was paired with KMEL, which moved up from #6 with a small increase. KOIT slid two places to #6 with a slight decrease and was met there by KOSF, which advanced from #15 with its best book in over a year. KLLC slipped three places to #8 with a small decrease.

DALLAS-FT. WORTH: A (K)LUV-Fest

The top three 6+ stations are all library based. For the third straight survey AUDACY Classic Hits KLUV (98.7 K-LUV) was #1 (5.2-5.1). As recently as FEBRUARY it was ranked #13 in this demo. AUDACY Adult Hits KJKK (100.3 JACK FM) stepped up to #2 with its best book in over a year (4.4-4.7). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZPS (LONESTAR 92.5) dipped to #3 (4.7-4.6). iHEARTMEDIA AC KDGE (STAR 102.1) slipped to #4 (4.6-4.3). It was partnered with iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KHKS (106.1 KISS FM), which advanced from #8 (3.9-4.3). CUMULUS Country KSCS slipped to #6 (4.4-4.1). The market is currently very tight as these six stations were within a share of each other. KDGE remained the leading cume station despite a 2.4% decline (1,207,200-1,178,600). The market was up by 1.0%.

KJKK ended a small two-book slide as it remained #1 25-54 for the seventh straight survey. KLUV was #2 for the third book in a row with a slight increase. The two stations were about a share distant. KHKS repeated at #3 with a small increase, while KZPS stepped up to #4 with its best showing since SEPTEMBER. SERVICE Urban KKDA-F (K104) dipped to #5 with a flat performance. KDGE slid to #8 with a small decrease and was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KDMX (102.9 NOW).

KHKS was #1 18-34 for the sixth straight survey and expanded its lead over URBAN ONE Top 40/R KBFB (97.9 THE BEAT) in the process. What had been less than a half-share gap widened to a full share. A flat AUDACY Regional Mexican KMVK (LA GRANDE 107.5 FM) stepped up to #3 but was forced to share the moment with UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLNO (QUÉ BUENA 94.1), which moved up from a tie at #6 as it ended a three-book slide. UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KDXX (107.9 & 107.1 LATINO MIX) stepped up to #5 with its best outing since MARCH. Two stations fell out of the top five and landed in a heap at #6. KKDA-F slid from #3 with its lowest mark since DECEMBER while iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KEGL (97.1 THE EAGLE) dropped from a tie at #4 as it ended a robust three-book surge. 

Last month, KJKK and KLUV were tied atop the 18-49 leaderboard. KJKK had its best book since JANUARY as it remained in first place for the fourth book in a row. KLUV had a slight decrease as it dipped to #2 and into a tie with KHKS, which moved up from #4 with a slight increase. KKDA-F had a small decrease as it dipped to #4 and was just ahead of KZPS, which stepped up to #5 with a slight increase. It, in turn, was just ahead of KLNO, which went from a tie at #10 to #6 with a small increase. KBFB dropped from #5 to #9 as it returned most of last month’s big share increase.

The bell has sounded as we end round one of our ratings brouhaha. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. thank you for your patronage.  Our next episode drops tomorrow and will focus on the ratings fortunes of HOUSTON, WASHINGTON DC, ATLANTA, PHILADELPHIA, and BOSTON. Don’t miss it!

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