Research Director Inc., Exclusive July 2021 PPM Analysis For Houston-Galveston, Washington DC, Atlanta, Philadelphia & Boston

July '21 PPM Ratings Out

Before we get to the crux of the biscuit in this episode of how the ratings turn, we’d like to issue a clarification. In the last missive we stated that the JULY survey ran right through the dog days of summer. Alas, our fact checkers found out that the “official” dog days run from JULY 3rd through AUGUST 11th. The survey ran from JUNE 24th through JULY 21st. We apologize for any irrational emotional reactions this oversight may have caused you. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with the math mavens from XTRENDS – will now proceed with the regularly scheduled portion of this program.

HOUSTON-GALVESTON: It’s Still Sunny

This was the eighth time in the last nine surveys that iHEARTMEDIA AC KODA (SUNNY 99.1) was #1 6+ (7.5-7.3). UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLTN (QUÉ BUENA 102.9FM) moved up a couple of slots to take command of the distant #2 position (5.9-5.9). KSBJ EDUCATIONAL Christian Contemporary KSBJ repeated at #3 but with its lowest share since DECEMBER (6.3-5.8). COX MEDIA Classic Rock KGLK (THE EAGLE 106.9 & 107.5) slipped to #4 with its lowest mark since a shepherd boy was talking to his sheep (6.5-5.6). It was met there by AUDACY Adult Hits KKHH (95.7 THE SPOT), which stepped up from #5 (5.6-5.6). Staying close to the top five was URBAN ONE Urban AC KMJQ (MAJIC 102.1), which remained at #6 (5.5-5.3). KODA continued to reign supreme in the cume wars (1,743,600-1,658,700) despite a 4.9% decrease. The market fell by 1.6%.

After a one-book hiatus, iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTBZ (94.5 THE BUZZ) was back at #1 25-54. The station rose up from #3 as it ended a four-book slide. KODA slipped to #2 as it ended a strong two-book surge, while KLTN dipped to #3 with a slight increase. KSBJ emerged alone at #4 with a slight decrease, while KKHH moved up a couple of slots to #5 just by being flat. KGLK dropped from a tie at #4 as it ended a three-book surge. It landed at #7 along with CUMULUS Top 40/M KRBE.

KODA was dangerously close to hitting double digits 18-34. As it was, the station moved up to #1 with its third up book in a row. KTBZ moved up a spot to #2 with its best outing since MARCH but was over a share behind the leader. AUDACY Spanish Contemporary KLOL (MEGA 101 FM) ended a massive three-book surge and slid from first to third. iHEARTMEDIA Urban KQBT (93.7 THE BEAT) advanced three spaces to #4 with its third straight up book. URBAN ONE Top 40/R KBXX (97.9 THE BOX) was off a bit as it remained at #5. However, it was forced to share the moment with AUDACY Hot AC KHMX (MIX 96.5), which rose from #8 with its biggest share since MARCH. KRBE fell three places to #7 as it ended a strong five-book surge.

The 18-49 race had three stations within a half share of the lead. KODA was off a bit but retained enough grit to repeat as the leading station. KLTN remained at #2 with a slight increase and was paired with KTBZ, which advanced from #4 as it halted a three-book slide. KSBJ leapt from #8 to #4 as it bounced back from a down book. KBXX and KKHH had been tied at #5 but that no longer applied. KBXX remained in place with a slight decrease while KKHH stepped down to #6 with a slightly larger slight decrease. KLOL went from #3 to #8 as it saw its robust three-book surge grind to a halt.

WASHINGTON, DC: Back On (W)Top

In a news-hungry town, it would be fitting that a news-dispensing station would be #1 6+. However, this was the first time since NOVEMBER that HUBBARD News WTOP landed in the top spot. It helped that the station reported its largest share since MARCH (7.7-8.8). Last month’s ratings darling – HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR – returned most of the massive share increase it had been granted and dipped to #2 (9.0-7.9). AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU landed its lowest share since OCTOBER (7.9-7.5) as it stepped down to #3. URBAN ONE Urban AC WMMJ (MAJIC 102.3 & 92.7) had its best book in exactly a year (6.5-7.0) as it repeated at #4. iHEARTMEDIA AC WASH was up for the third straight survey (6.0-6.6) to remain at #5. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WWDC (DC101) stepped up to #6 with its best outing in over a year (5.2-5.7). WTOP was back in the cume lead for the first time since FEBRUARY (813,600-856,600) – an increase of 5.3%. The market was up slightly at 0.1%.

WWDC opened up a wide lead over the rest of the 25-54 brigade. The station also landed its largest share in over a year as it repeated at #1. WMMJ moved up to #2 with its best book in over a year but was still better than a share behind WWDC. WTOP advanced two places to #3 as it bounced back from a down book. WAMU slipped to #4, its lowest rank in this demo since SEPTEMBER. WHUR dipped to #5 as – again – it returned a large portion of last month’s big increase. WASH was just a tick behind at #6 after posting its best Frosty-free share since NOVEMBER.

Though WHUR was unable to duplicate last month’s double-digit 18-34 share, the station had plenty left in the tank to capture the demo again. WAMU remained at #2 with a solid increase and was joined by iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIHT (HOT 99.5), which stepped up from #3 with its highest mark in over a year. This second-place duo was about a half share off the lead. AUDACY Urban WPGC advanced four spaces to #4 with its third up book in a row. Just before this hot streak began, the station was sitting at #10. WWDC remained at #5 with a slight increase, while WASH was not far behind at #6 as it regained most of last month’s noticeable share loss. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WBIG (BIG 100) dropped from #4 to #9 with its smallest score since JANUARY.

WWDC was the 18-49 winner for the second book in a row and cracked double digits for the first time since FEBRUARY. WAMU moved up to #2 with a slight increase but was better than two shares off the pace. WHUR slipped to #3, while WTOP remained at #4 with a slight increase. Two stations moved up and into a relationship at #5. WIHT stepped up from #6 with its largest share since MARCH, while WASH advanced from #8 with its best Frosty-free share since NOVEMBER. WBIG fell from #5 to #11 as it ended a three-book surge.

ATLANTA: 6 For 6

The top six stations were in the same order 6+ for the second straight survey. COX MEDIA Talk WSB-A continued its long string of #1 books as it ended a two-book slide (8.1-8.3). COX MEDIA Classic Hits WSRV (97.1 THE RIVER) also ended a two-book slide as it repeated at #2 (6.7-6.9). COX MEDIA Urban AC WALR (KISS 104.1 FM) took home bronze again with its largest share since DECEMBER (6.4-6.6). AUDACY Urban WVEE (V-103) gave an encore presentation at #4 as it returned a good portion of last month’s solid increase (5.7-5.1). COX MEDIA AC WSB-F (B98.5) was at #5 again (4.8-5.0), while CUMULUS Top 40/M WWWQ (Q99.7) remained at #6 but with its highest score in over a year (4.6-4.9). WSB-F moved up to the lead cume position (802,400-824,700), thanks to a 2.8% increase. The market was down 1.5%.

For the first time since FEBRUARY and only the second time over the last 14 books, WSB-A was #1 25-54. The station moved up from #3 with a large increase and just edged out last month’s leader – WWWQ – which dipped to #2 despite posting its best number in over a year. Nipping at their collective heels was a flat WSRV, which ebbed to #3. WVEE remained a somewhat distant #4 with a slight increase, while WALR stood alone at #5 with a flat performance. Its former partner in that space – AUDACY Sports WZGC (92.9 THE GAME) dropped to #9 as it returned all of last month’s huge increase plus a little extra. 

WWWQ crushed the 18-34 competition for the second book in a row. Though it was off slightly from last month, it still posted a huge number. SALEM Christian Contemporary WFSH (104.7 THE FISH) swam from a tie at #5 to #2 with its best book in over a year. However, it was more than three shares off the lead. WVEE dipped to #3 with its lowest mark since NOVEMBER, while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WWPW (POWER 96.1) slipped to #4 with a small decrease. WSB-F stood alone at #5 as it ended a steep three-book slide. WALR dropped to #6 as it gave back all of last month’s massive increase. It was tied with WSRV.

WSB-A landed its largest 18-49 share in over a year as it vaulted from #3 to #1. This ended the two-book winning streak for WWWQ, which was off slightly. It dipped to #2 and was tied with a stationary WSRV, which ended a two-book slide. WSB-F advanced three squares to #4 with its best outing since MARCH. A flat WVEE repeated at #5 but had to share the mantel with WALR, which stepped up from #6 with a slight increase. WWPW dropped from #4 to #7 as it ended a very strong five-book surge. When it began, the station was sitting at #16.

PHILADELPHIA: 7 Up

iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS continued its impressive roll as it racked up its seventh straight 6+ victory (7.8-8.6). The station also widened its lead over BEASLEY Active Rock WMMR, which remained at #2 (6.6-6.7). AUDACY Sports WIP-F regained all of last month’s lost share (5.2-5.8) as it moved up to #3 – its highest rank in over a year. BEASLEY Classic Rock WMGK slipped to #4 with its lowest total since JANUARY (6.3-5.6). It met up with AUDACY AC WBEB (B101.1), which advanced from #7 with its largest share since FEBRUARY (4.8-5.6). This dynamic duo was just ahead of AUDACY News KYW-A, which remained at #6 (5.1-5.5). BEASLEY Country WXTU fell from #4 to #7 with its first down book since lumps of frozen water became sentient (5.4-4.7). WBEB continued as the cume leader despite a 4.2% decline (975,000-933,700). The market was off by 1.9%.

How does one describe the sheer dominance WMMR has over the rest of the 25-54 field? The station was #1 for the seventh book in a row, was in double digits for the sixth straight time, and held nearly a four-share lead over every other station. WDAS broke out of a tie at #3 with WBEB and moved up a spot with its highest share since JANUARY. WBEB stood alone at #3, despite landing its best Frosty-free share since AUGUST. BEASLEY Adult Hits WBEN (95.7 BEN FM) rebounded from a down book to move up three slots to #4. WMGK dropped from #2 to #5 with its lowest mark since JANUARY. WIP-F and WXTU had been tied at #5. Both stations had down books as they landed at #6 and #7, respectively.

The top three 18-34 stations remained the same as we last saw them. WBEB had a huge share increase, which gave the station its best Frosty-free share in over a year. It was #1 by almost a share over #2 WMMR, which got back most of last month’s big share loss. WXTU repeated at #3 with a small decrease. WDAS was up three places to #4, posting its best number since it was #1 in JANUARY. WIP-F moved from a tie at #8 to #5 as it bounced back from a seriously down book. WMGK dipped to #6 with a modest decrease. It was just ahead of iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WRFF (ALT 104.5), which jumped from a tie at #12 to #7 with its best showing since FEBRUARY. BEASLEY Sports WPEN (97.5 THE FANATIC) dropped from #4 to #11 with its lowest score since DECEMBER. It was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIOQ (Q102).

WMMR led the 18-49 pack for the sixth straight survey and was closing in on double digits. WDAS stepped up to #2 with a huge share increase but was still about a share and a half behind the leader. WBEB moved up two slots to #3 despite a slight decrease. WXTU dropped two places to #4 with its lowest number since FEBRUARY. It was joined in that space by WBEN, which advanced from #11 with easily its best book in over a year. WMGK fell from #4 to #8 with its lowest share since JANUARY.

BOSTON: 9-Share Nails

It wasn’t enough that BEASLEY Classic Hits WROR repeated as the #1 6+ station. Or that it was up for the third book in a row. No, the station had to post its best book in over a year (8.2-9.1). It was three shares clear of its closest pursuers, which turned out to be two stations. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WXKS-F (KISS 108) remained at #2 but with its lowest total since JANUARY (7.3-6.1). Meanwhile, BEASLEY Country WKLB had its best outing in over a year (5.7-6.1) to advance three places from one tie at #5 to another at #2. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WZLX remained at #4 (6.3-6.0), while iHEARTMEDIA News WBZ-A now stood alone at #5 (5.7-5.9). Slipping like the RED SOX batting average, BEASLEY Sports WBZ-F (98.5 THE SPORTS HUB ) dropped from #3 to #6 with its lowest offensive output since BURL IVES was offering you a cup of cheer (6.4-5.4). WXKS-F was the cume leader again (920,200-919,200) – a decline of 0.1%. The market fell by 0.9%.

Unlike the hometown nine, WBZ-F was back in first place 25-54, despite being down for the third book in a row. WXKS-F ended a robust five-book surge and dropped to #2, about a share behind the leader. WROR and WKLB were both flat and remained at #3 and #4, respectively. WZLX repeated at #5, though it was down for the third straight survey. AUDACY AC WMJX (MAGIC 106.7) had its best Frosty-free share since OCTOBER as it moved up a couple of places to #6.

This was the third book in a row that saw a station hit double digits 18-34. However, this month’s winner was different as WKLB took over first place with a huge number. The station has more than doubled the share it had in APRIL. WXKS-F had its three-book winning streak brought to a halt as it stepped down to #2 with its lowest total since MARCH. WROR inched up to #3 with its third straight up book, while WBZ-F slipped to #4 with its lowest score in over a year. WZLX was up two slots, from a tie at #7 to soloing at #5, despite a slight decrease. BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WBQT (HOT 96.9) repeated at #6 as it ended a three-book surge. It had company as iHEARTMEDIA Tropical WZRM (RUMBA 97.7) leapt from a tie at #15 in its second book with its new format attire. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R WJMN (JAM’N 94.5) slid to #8 as it ended a strong two-book surge.

WBZ-F halted one 18-49 streak but may have begun another. The station had been in double digits for the last six surveys. It failed to reach that lofty goal this time but did move back to #1 by better than a share. WXKS-F had been in double digits for the last two books but did not clear that bar as it stepped down to #2. It was paired with WROR, which moved up a spot with a small increase. A flat WKLB remained at #4, while WZLX repeated at #5 with a slight decrease. WMJX was not far behind as it stepped up to #6 by bouncing back from a down book.

Another one bites the dust but we have more in our bag of tricks yet to come. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. will return shortly to focus on MIAMI, SEATTLE, DETROIT, PHOENIX, and MINNEAPOLIS. Bookmark it!

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About Research Director, Inc.: Research Director, Inc. is based in Annapolis, Maryland. 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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