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Research Director, Inc. Presents Exclusive Sept. PPM Analysis For NY, LA, Chicago, SF And Dallas
September 29, 2014
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. NEW YORK: Three-Peat
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Ahh, SEPTEMBER. A time for falling leaves, post-season baseball, and the back-to-school daze. Unfortunately, SEPTEMBER is not a month fully appreciated within the NIELSEN release schedule as the actual survey, which covered 8/14 through 9/10, is more of an AUGTEMBER month. Since we did not see that hybrid period listed, we’ll go with what we were dealt. Keep in mind that one of the prevailing factors affecting this survey was that the Labor Day holiday weekend neatly bisected week #3 of the survey.
As always, we dive deeply into the top 15 markets in an attempt to provide insight to what is happening on the ground. We would not be able to accomplish this feat without the continued support of the folks at XTrends.
The following analyses represent the sole observations of The Ratings Experts at RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. and are intended for the exclusive use of our audience. Sort of ….
NEW YORK: Three-Peat
Do we have to pay PAT RILEY royalties for that headline? For the third straight month, CBS RADIO Classic Hits WCBS-F copped top honors in the market (6.9-6.8). It was also the seventh consecutive 6-plus share it received. Those of us in the ratings analysis business call this a trend. iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (LITE) was down for the third straight survey with its lowest share in over a year (6.1-5.7) but remained at #2. The rest of the top five was also unchanged in their order, if not their appearance. EMMIS Urban AC WBLS was #3 (5.5-5.3) with its smallest number in over a year, while SBS Tropical WSKQ (MEGA) came in at #4 (5.2-5.1). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHTZ (Z100) rounded out the top five (5.0-4.8) with its lowest total since JANUARY. In case you were keeping score, every station in the top five had a down survey.
Despite a small decrease, it was a two-peat (we’re service marking that) for WCBS-F 25-54. WSKQ was also off a bit at #2 but its bit was smaller so the gap between the two narrowed. WBLS used a small increase to propel itself forward a spot to #3. This displaced WLTW to #4, which – again – had its lowest share in over a year. WHTZ was flat but remained at #5.
There was considerably more drama 18-34 as iHEARTMEDIA Urban WWPR (POWER), ahem, powered up from #4 to claim the top spot for the first time in over a year. It also posted its best share since MAY. WKSQ fell back to #2. That sets a pattern, as for the last four surveys it has gone 1-2-1-2. There’s a LAWRENCE WELK joke in there somewhere. WHTZ slipped to #3 with its second straight down book. The station is off by over two shares from a year ago. EMMIS Urban WQHT (HOT) fell back to #4 with a small share decrease while the station formerly known as NOW – CBS RADIO Top 40/M WBMP (AMP) – took over sole control of #5 with easily its best book in over a year. The previous co-cohabitant of that spot was WLTW and it dropped down to #8.
For the third time in the last four books, WSKQ was the #1 18-49 station. The station shed some share, which allowed #2 WHTZ to creep ever so close to the #1 spot even though it was flat. #3 WCBS-F was also off slightly but managed to trade places with the-now-#4 WLTW because the LITE was at its dimmest in over a year. WWPR moved up two spots to #5 with its highest share since MAY while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKTU fell three places to #8 with its smallest share in over a year.
LOS ANGELES: Your Turn
For 13 of the last 14 books, an iHEARTMEDIA station was #1. It’s like each station has its turn drinking from the STANLEY CUP. Well, it was iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KISS (KISS) who was doing the supping as it moved back on top (5.0-5.2). Cluster-mate iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (MY FM) slipped back to #2 (5.3-5.0). EMMIS Urban KPWR (POWER) ended a two-book slide (4.3-4.7) to move ahead a couple of spots to #3. CBS RADIO Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH) – the only non-iHEARTMEDIA station to have a #1 book this year – had its lowest book since MARCH (4.9-4.5) to fall back to #4. UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KLVE (K-LOVE) had its best performance in over a year (3.8-4.3) to crack the top five – moving in from #7. iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST is probably having visions of sugar plums as it fell from the top five for the first time this year (4.4-4.1).
The folks at iHEARTMEDIA L.A. may be taking this togetherness thing a bit far. Both KBIG and KIIS were sharing straws atop the 25-54 milkshake. The former had a slight increase while the latter experienced a small decline in share. KPWR was nipping at their heels at #3 as the station came this close to making it a three-way tie. POWER just so happened to land its best book in over a year. KLVE was also on the upswing as it moved forward three places to #4 with its best book in over a year. There was a three-way tie but it was at #5. KRTH slipped from #3 with some share loss while KOST remained in place with a little smaller share loss. CBS RADIO Top 40/M KAMP (AMP) moved up from #6 by remaining flat.
The players – or is it playas – 18-34 remained the same with some minor alterations to position. KPWR remained a very strong #1 with its best book since APRIL. #2 KIIS had its best score since MAY but remained more than a share behind the leader. KBIG was off slightly but still a solid #3. KAMP inched up to #4 with its highest share since FEBRUARY while KRTH could not duplicate its best book of the year and slipped back to #5.
There was a bit of swappage 18-49 as KPWR and KBIG traded spaces. POWER ended a two-book slide to move up to #1 while KBIG ended a three-book surge and dropped back to #3. In between was KIIS, which had its highest share since MAY to hold fast at #2. Two stations were vying for the coveted crown of Miss #4. KLVE raced in from #8 with its best book in over a year while KAMP stood still with a flat book. KRTH had its lowest share since MAY and fell two places to #7.
CHICAGO: Got My WOJO Working
With apologies to MUDDY WATERS, we couldn’t resist. And, we’re also burying the lead. iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WVAZ (V103) was flat (5.9-5.9) but that didn’t prevent the station from capturing its seventh straight #1 book. CBS RADIO News WBBM-A had its seventh straight #2 placement (5.4-5.5). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKSC (KISS) moved up to #3 – its highest ranking in over a year – despite a flat performance (4.7-4.7). HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (MIX) slipped back to #4 with its third straight down book (4.8-4.6) – its lowest share since the sleigh bells were ringing. Now, for our top story – UNIVISION Regional Mexican WOJO (LA QUE BUENA) was the real mover as it climbed five spots to #5 with its best book in over a year (3.6-4.3). As recently as APRIL the station was sitting at #14. This bit of uplift forced CUMULUS Classic Hits WLS-F to step back to #6 (4.6-4.0) where it was tied with CBS RADIO Country WUSN (US 99.5), which remained in place (4.3-4.0).
The bond that was formed between the two stations atop the 25-54 leaderboard last month has, alas, been broken. WVAZ remained alone in the top spot with a small share loss while its former partner – WTMX – dropped into a tie at #2 with its lowest share in over a year. WKSC had its best book in over a year and moved up a spot to form a new partnership at #2. CBS RADIO Top 40/M WBBM-F (B96) remained at #4 with its lowest number since OCTOBER but was in a relationship (it’s complicated) with WOJO, which moved up from a tie at #6. WUSN had its smallest score since ELTON was inviting you to hop on the turntable and dropped four spots to #9.
For the fourth time in the last six surveys, CUMULUS Alternative WKQX was #1 18-34. Though the station was flat, that did match its best book of the year. WKSC’s good fortune continued as it moved forward two paces to #2 with its best showing in over a year. WBBM-F also showed a nice increase but that was not enough to prevent it from slipping back to #3. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WGCI was off for the third straight book but held in at #4. WUSN had its smallest output since APRIL, which caused the station to drop three places to #5.
If you’ve been following along, you’ve probably noticed that WKSC had a pretty good book. It really paid off 18-49 as the station moved up to #1 for the first time this year. This ended WTMX’s six-survey run at the top as it dropped back to #2 with its lowest share since the stockings were carefully hung. Last month, there was a three-way tie at #3. This month, one station bowed out of that triad. WKQX and WBBM-F were off ever so slightly to remain in place while WVAZ was down a little more to drop to #5.
SAN FRANCISCO: Seamhead City
If we were to check the Wins Above Replacement stats for CUMULUS Sports KNBR-A, we’d probably find them leading the league. Thanks to a healthy dose of GIANTS baseball, the station returned to the #1 spot after a two-month absence (5.2-5.7). CBS RADIO News KCBS-A took a step back to #2 with a flat book (5.3-5.3) – the exact same share it had a year ago. The next three positions remained unchanged from last month. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KMEL had its best book in over a year – for the second month in a row – to remain at #3 (4.9-5.0). KQED INC. N/T KQED was at #4 despite being down for the third straight survey (4.7-4.5). CBS RADIO Top 40/M KMVQ (NOW) checked in at #5 with its lowest share since MAY (4.5-4.3).
KNBR-A went deep again as it moved into first place 25-54. Given the fact that the GIANTS are in the post-season, we would expect this trend to continue at least through the next book. #2 KMVQ fell back to the wild-card position with its second straight down book. There was a tie at #3 and both stations moved up to claim their share. UNIVISION Spanish Adult Hits KBRG arose from a tie at #7 with its highest share since MAY while KMEL advanced from #5 with a slight share increase. Two other stations slipped in the standings to end up in a tie at #5. ENTERCOM AC KOIT had its lowest score since APRIL to arrive from #4 while iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KIOI (STAR) descended from #3 with its smallest total since – yep – APRIL.
The one station that consistently delivers the long ball 18-34 is KMEL. It was #1 (again) and crushed it with its highest double-digit share in over a year. As is customary, cluster-mate iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KYLD (WILD) was #2. However, WILD had its lowest share in over a year and trailed the leader by over five and a half shares! That’s like a whole station. KIOI was off for the second straight book but managed to move forward one space to #3 while KMVQ advanced a square to #4 despite a down book. Two stations moved up and into a tie at #5. iHEARTMEDIA Rhythmic AC KISQ (KISS) was up slightly to move up from #6 while CBS RADIO Alternative KITS (LIVE 105) had its best share since MAY to alight from a tie at #7. KOIT saw its three-book stay in the top five come to an end as it fell four places to #7. And what of the MUDVILLE nine? KNBR-A had a modest increase as it went from #12 to #10.
KMEL had its third straight positive 18-49 ratings experience and – coincidentally – its third straight #1 book. KMVQ remained at #2 with its lowest total since MAY. The #3 position was supporting two stations. KYLD remained in place despite landing its lowest share since JANUARY while KIOI moved up a spot despite ending a four-book surge. KNBR-A returned to the top five after a three-book absence while KOIT took it on the chin a bit and dropped two spots to #7.
DALLAS-FT. WORTH: Two-Team Race
To belabor the baseball analogies, two stations continue to fight it out for the top two spots in the market. Alas, the RANGERS are not in this mix. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KHKS (KISS) ended a six-book slide (6.1-6.6) and widened its lead over #2 CUMULUS Country KPLX (THE WOLF), which was flat (5.7-5.7). Then came the rest of the pack. SALEM Christian Contemporary KLTY remained at #3 with its best book since FEBRUARY (4.4-4.7). The other country station – CUMULUS Country KSCS – moved up a spot to #4 with its best book in over a year (4.0-4.5). Two stations queued up at #5. SERVICE Urban KKDA (K104) remained in place by being flat (4.0-4.0) while CBS RADIO Classic Hits KLUV (K-LOVE) bounced back from a down book (3.7-4.0) to move in from #7. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZPS (LONE STAR) had its smallest number in over a year (4.2-3.8) to drop three places to #7.
For the ninth month in a row – which kind of equals all year – KHKS was #1 25-54. Though it maintained a comfortable lead, the station is not nearly as dominant as it was a year ago. It is over two shares lighter and its lead has been reduced by two-thirds. KPLX moved up to the #2 spot – ending a three-book slide – while KLTY advanced to #3 with its best book since the nights were silent. KZPS saw its three-book surge come to an abrupt halt as it fell two spots to #4. Once again, there was a tie at #5. However, this month the players were completely different. KSCS made a huge leap from a tie at #11 with its best book in over a year while UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLNO accomplished the same feat while advancing from a tie at #9. Last month’s #5 duo fell off the pace a bit. CBS RADIO Adult Hits KJKK (JACK FM) was off ever so slightly. Still, it landed at #8. KKDA ended up at #9 as its three-book surge ceased to be.
KHKS had been on a five-book slide 18-34 during which it lost over two full shares. It remained #1 throughout this period but was dangerously close to surrendering the title last month. The slide has ended and the station opened up its lead over #2 KPLX, which had its best book since MAY. The #3 spot hosted two stations. KKDA was there before but it shed some share while CBS RADIO Regional Mexican KMVK (LA GRANDE) moved up from #5 with its best book in over a year. KSCS’s strong book continued here as it moved up three spots to #5.
In the past year, KHKS has lost two shares off its 18-49 number and about half its market lead. Still, the station was #1 again and padded its lead over #2 KPLX because THE WOLF’s increase was slightly smaller. KSCS made a huge move – jumping from #9 all the way up to #3. iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KEGL (THE EAGLE) bounced back from a down book to move up to the #4 position. Things were knotted at #5. KLNO remained in place despite posting its best number since OCTOBER while KKDA dropped from #3 as it shed a bit of share. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KDGE (THE EDGE) dropped five spots to a tie at #9 thanks to its lowest share since APRIL.
The Ratings Experts at RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. stand ready to help your Programming and Sales teams make sense of all these numbers. Feel free to reach out to us via the platforms below with any questions or comments. And, with budget time approaching – reserve a line for us (shameless plug).
Round two is in the oven and will feature HOUSTON-GALVESTON, WASHINGTON, DC, PHILADELPHIA, ATLANTA and BOSTON. Watch this space.
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