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Research Director, Inc. Presents Exclusive March PPM Analysis For Detroit, Miami, Seattle, Phoenix, Minneapolis, Denver
April 15, 2015
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. DETROIT: Let The Games Begin
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Rounding third and heading for home, we bring you our final exclusive ratings analysis for ALL ACCESS. After every survey The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – with a healthy assist from the pros at XTRENDS – do the deep data dive into the country’s biggest markets. You can’t find this stuff anywhere else, folks. Unless, of course, you hire us for your station (shameless plug).
We return to the battlefields of the MARCH survey period. This covered 2/26-3/25 and featured winter’s last gasp and a little basketball.
DETROIT: Let The Games Begin
Last month CBS RADIO News WWJ-A pretty much ran away and hid from the rest of the market. This time the station grabbed its third consecutive #1 6+ book but came back to the field (8.0-6.7). If history is any guide, we can expect cluster brother CBS RADIO Sports WXYT-F (THE TICKET) to surge back into the lead. After all, the RED WINGS are playoff bound as usual and the TIGERS have high expectations. This time the station was up a bit (6.2-6.4) as it moved into second place. A couple of stations met headlong at #3. CBS RADIO Classic Hits WOMC fell from #2 (6.4-6.2) while GREATER MEDIA Classic Rock WCSX continued its recent surge (5.6-6.2) as it moved up from #4. It also happened to land its best share in over a year. A couple of cluster brothers traded spaces last month. iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WMXD (MIX) moved up to #5 (5.0-5.2). A year ago the station was #1 with an 8.3 share. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WJLB took a step back to #6 with a slight decrease (5.1-5.0). It was joined in that spot by GREATER MEDIA Active Rock WRIF, which had its best book in over a year (4.8-5.0) and iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKQI (CHANNEL 955), which advanced from #11 (4.6-5.0).
For the third book in a row, WXYT-F was #1 25-54. This is much better than this point a year ago when the station was #6. WCSX continued its thunderous charge. The station was up for the third book in a row to move up to #2. For perspective, a year ago it was #15 in this demo. WRIF had a slight decrease as it stepped aside to #3 for its older cluster brother. As we saw in the previous demo, WMXD and WJLB swapped spots. The former moved up to #4 as it rebounded nicely from a down book while the latter dropped back to #5 with a small decrease. It is worth noting that with all the commotion WCSX is causing, the market’s “other similarly formatted station” – iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WDTW (THE D) – has also been on a nice run of late. The station had its best book since NOVEMBER to move up to a tie at #8.
Last month both WJLB and WKQI were tied atop the 18-34 leaderboard. Both stations had very good books this time around but one was a little more gooder than the other. WJLB remained #1 with its highest share in over a year while WKQI slipped back to #2, despite landing its largest number since DECEMBER. WRIF remained a solid #3 with its best outing since NOVEMBER. WGPR INC. Urban AC WGPR (HOT) scored its best share in over a year to advance three spots to #4. iHEARTMEDIA AC WNIC claimed sole ownership of the #5 position with its best elf-free book in over a year. WCSX had a nice showing in this demo, as well, moving up to #6 with – yup – its best book in over a year. CUMULUS Hot AC WDVD was not as fortunate as it fell three spots to #7, while WXYT-F had its lowest score in exactly a year and took a three-step drop to #8.
Since the fall, WJLB has been growing its 18-49. The harvest came in this time as the station moved up to #1 with its best book in over a year. WRIF was off slightly as it slipped back to #2 while WKQI held firm at #3 with a solid increase. WXYT-F was up slightly at #4 while WCSX was up for the fifth straight survey to maintain its #5 position. WDTW was up to #7 with its highest rank since OCTOBER.
MIAMI-FT.LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD: Celebrate The Margin
Book after book we struggle to find drama in this market. COX RADIO Urban AC WHQT (HOT) is always the 6+ leader. But that doesn’t make for good storytelling (we’re sure the folks at COX RADIO would beg to differ). So, even though HOT was #1 again (8.2-7.8), it did land its lowest share since NOVEMBER. And, with #2 LINCOLN AC WLYF (LITE FM) remaining flat (7.0-7.0), the gap between the two narrowed to less than a share. Pass the popcorn! What does add to the story is the fact that these two stations have separated from the rest of the pack. It was not that long ago that there was a pitched battle for second place. LITE pretty much owns that now. The struggle is for #3. For the third book in a row, that belonged to UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary WAMR (AMOR) (5.4-5.7). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHYI (Y100) remained at #4 with its best book since NOVEMBER (4.8-5.1). Two stations improved their lot as they moved into a tie at #5. COX RADIO AC WFEZ (EASY) was flat (4.7-4.7) but ascended from #6 while LINCOLN Classic Hits WMXJ (MAGIC) advanced from #7 (4.4-4.7). SBS Tropical WXDJ (EL ZOL) slipped three places to a tie at #7 as it ended a strong four-book run (4.8-4.0).
This was the fifth straight 25-54 win for WHQT even though the station had its lowest share since NOVEMBER. There was a three-way at #2. Both WLYF and WHYI were tied at #3 last time. They were flat this time but moved up a notch. WAMR moved up from #6 to join the party thanks to a solid share increase. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC WMIA (MY 93.9) had its best book in over a year to move up to #5. Just two books ago it was sitting at #11. WXDJ ended a four-book run and fell from #2 to a tie at #6. WFEZ dropped three spots to #8 with its smallest number since JUNE.
WHYI has seen the best of times and the worst of times 18-34. In NOVEMBER it was tied for #1. By the HOLIDAY book, it had lost over two shares and slipped to a tie at #3. This time, the station claimed its second straight #1 book. COX RADIO Urban WEDR (JAMZ) remained at #2 with a slight increase. CBS RADIO Top 40/R WPOW (POWER) was tied at #1 with Y100 in NOVEMBER. It, too, has seen its fortunes fade but the station moved up a couple of places to #3 with a small increase. It was joined by WMIA, which jumped from a tie at #8 with its fifth straight winning book. The station was at #10 when the streak began. COX RADIO Top 40/M WFLC (HITS) was up for the fourth straight survey and advanced three squares to #5. It was ranked #11 when this run started. iHEARTMEDIA Spanish Contemporary WMGE (MEGA) dropped a couple of places to #6 while WXDJ lost over two shares and dropped from #3 to #9.
This was the third straight 18-49 book of increases for WHYI and it remained #1 for the second month in a row. WHQT fell a little farther behind at #2 while WFLC moved up three spots to #3 with its best book in over a year. WLYF remained in place at #4 even though it lost a chunk of share while WEDR repeated at #5 with a slight increase. WXDJ fell five spots to a tie at #8, ending a nice four-book run.
SEATTLE-TACOMA: Keep Movin’
If you throw out the DECEMBER and HOLIDAY books – which are always spiked with egg nog – HUBBARD Top 40/M KQMV (MOVIN) has been #1 in every survey since JULY. The station did it again with its best book in over a year (6.6-7.2). ENTERCOM Active Rock KISW was up for the fourth book in a row (5.4-6.0) and moved up to #2. HUBBARD AC KRWM (WARM) remained set on “luke” as it slid back to #3 (5.5-5.5). BONNEVILLE Talk KIRO-F was chatting about its best showing since NOVEMBER (5.3-5.4) as it sat still at #4. UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON N/T KUOW also sat still but at #5 (5.0-4.9).
Last month both KQMV and KISW were tied at #1 25-54. This time both stations had their best books in over a year. It turns out one was just a little bestier than the other. KQMV remained on top while KISW slipped back to a very close #2. CRISTA Christian Contemporary KCMS (SPIRIT) also had its highest share in over a year and it rose to #3. ENTERCOM Country KKWF (THE WOLF) ended a nice four-book run and loped back to #4. Two stations advanced to join forces at #5. KIRO-F was up from #6 with a flat performance while CBS RADIO Adult Hits KJAQ (JACK FM) moved in from #7. Cluster brother CBS RADIO Classic Rock KZOK was not so fortunate. It dropped two places to #7 as it surrendered a chunk of share.
That large noise you just heard was not one but two stations shattering the double-digit ceiling 18-34. KISW moved to #1 with a three-share increase while KQMV also gained but dropped back to #2. This was the second time in the last 14 books that each station has hit double digits but the first time they did it at the same time. ENTERCOM Alternative KNDD (THE END) held on to #3 despite a small decrease while KKWF slipped back to #4 with a slightly larger decrease. ENTERCOM Rhythmic AC KHTP (HOT) moved back into the top five for the first time since AUGUST. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KUBE dropped four places to #9 with its lowest share since NOVEMBER. Two stations bubbling under bear mentioning. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KBKS (KISS) moved up to #6 with its best showing since AUGUST while KCMS advanced three spots to #7 with its highest score in over a year.
Make it a two-fer. Both KISW and KQMV also hit double digits 18-49. That was the first time in the last 14 books for either station. KISW moved up to #1 while KQMV dropped back to #2. Both were well ahead of KCMS, which moved up to #3 with its best book in over a year. This pushed KKWF back to #4 as it had an equal but opposite ratings reaction. KNDD matched last month’s total – its best in over a year – and remained at #5.
PHOENIX: Easy Does It
Back in JANUARY iHEARTMEDIA AC KESZ (99.9KEZ) experienced the usual sense of loss we all feel after the HOLIDAY book. OK, maybe their loss was a little greater. However, since then the station has continued to build share. The station was up for second straight book (6.2-6.6) to remain #1 6+ for the fifth consecutive survey. Its chatty cluster cousin – iHEARTMEDIA Talk KFYI-A – was off slightly at #2 (5.4-5.3) and was joined by CBS RADIO Classic Hits KOOL, which moved up from a tie at #4 with its best showing since NOVEMBER (5.0-5.3). CBS RADIO Country KMLE was up for the third book in a row and used its best share in over a year to move up three spots to #4 (4.6-4.9). Things were a bit crowded at #5. HUBBARD Active Rock KUPD dropped from #3 (5.2-4.7) while iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KMXP (MIX) slipped from a tie at #4 (5.0-4.7). They were joined by iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KZZP (KISS), which arrived from #8 with its best number in exactly one year (4.4-4.7).
The 25-54 standings featured co-leaders. KUPD remained in place even after posting its lowest number since JULY. KESZ moved up a spot with a score that almost matched its DECEMBER total. #3 KMLE was up two spots and close behind after scoring its best number in over a year – again. KZZP slipped back to #4 even though it landed its highest share in a year. KMXP moved up to #5 with a slight increase while HUBBARD Classic Rock KSLX dropped three places to #7 with its lowest score in over a year. Noteworthy was the performance of UNIVISION Regional Mexican KHOT, which more than doubled its share and rocketed from #18 to #6.
There was a whole lotta stuff going on 18-34. First, there was KMLE. The station added three full shares to its total and soared from a tie at #5 to the top spot. A year ago it was #10. KUPD matched its lowest total in exactly a year to fall to #2. KZZP took a step back to #3 despite a small increase. KESZ jumped from #10 to share the #3 position with its clustermate as it bounced back from a down book. ENTRAVISION Regional Mexican KLNZ (TRI COLOR) remained in place at #5 even after recording its highest share in over a year. KHOT was also caliente as it jumped six places to a tie at #6. With advancers there must be decliners. RIVIERA Top 40/R KKFR (POWER) dropped five places to #8 while KMXP shed six places of rank to end up at #10.
In the last four books, KMLE has gone from #10 to #6 (tied) to #2 to #1 18-49. That’s a pretty strong gallop. This ended #2 KUPD’s two-book run at the top. KZZP was up for the third book in a row and stayed at #3. KESZ had a very strong showing as it moved up to #4. KHOT’s showing was even stronger as the station jumped from a tie at #15 to #5. KMXP took a bit of a hit as it fell three spots to a tie at #7 while RIVERA Hot AC KMVA (HOT) had its lowest total in over a year to drop from #5 to a tie at #12.
MINNEAPOLIS-ST.PAUL: The Usual Thing
The same players were in the top five spots of the 6+ batting order with one slight alteration. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KDWB was still #1 by a wide margin even though it was down for the second straight survey (9.9-9.7). Fellow cluster member iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KQQL (KOOL) was flat and stable at #2 (8.4-8.4) while HUBBARD Hot AC KSTP (KS95) remained at #3 even though it scored its highest share since JUNE (6.9-7.2). The tie at #4 was broken. iHEARTMEDIA Country KEEY (K-102) held firm at #4 with its best showing since DECEMBER (6.3-6.9) while CUMULUS Classic Rock KQRS dropped back to #5 (6.3-6.2).
For the third straight month, KDWB hit the double-digit mark 25-54. It was down from the previous survey but remained #1. KSTP drew closer at #2 with its best total in exactly a year while KQQL was steady at #3 with a slight decrease. KQRS was again your #4 station despite dropping some share. iHEARTMEDIA Sports KFXN (K-FAN) bounced back from a down book to move up to #5. The two stations that shared that position last month have found new places to rest. CBS RADIO Adult Hits KZJK (JACK FM) dropped to #7 while iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KTCZ (CITIES 97) ended up at #8.
Both KDWB and CUMULUS Active Rock KXXR (93X) hit double digits 18-34 for the third month in a row. The gap between them shrank because #1 KDWB was down and #2 93X had its best score in over a year. KZJK was a steady, if distant, #3 with a slight decrease. KSTP remained at #4 with a small increase while MPR AAA KCMP (THE CURRENT) was up for the second straight survey and advanced two squares to #5. CBS RADIO Country KMNB (BUZ’N) dropped five spots to #9. This marked the first time in over a year that KEEY (tied at #6) won the format.
So, here’s the deal. KDWB has a down 18-49 book and KXXR has a strong increase. Despite all that, KDWB still led #2 KXXR by over three shares. KSTP was up slightly and stationary at #3 while KZJK remained at #4 with a slight decrease. KFXN popped back into the top five with its best book since DECEMBER while KQQL slid back to #6 despite a nice increase.
DENVER-BOULDER: While We’re In The Area
Aren’t you glad you read this far? This month we’re presenting special bonus coverage of this market. Why? Because it is not often you see an Alternative station lead a market. To do it two books in a row is extraordinary. (Oh, you can insert your obligatory weed joke here.) It all started with a little station known as iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTCL (CHANNEL 93.3). Last month the station made the big jump to #1 6+ and maintained that momentum for the second book in a row (6.1-6.1). This is a nice feat considering it was at #7 in DECEMBER. ENTERCOM Classic Rock KQMT (THE MOUNTAIN) – not to be confused with the character from GAME OF THRONES – had fallen off a cliff last book. The station regained its composure this time (4.8-5.7) to return to more familiar surroundings at #2. PUBLIC BROADCASTING OF COLORADO N/T KCFR had its best book in over a year (5.3-5.6) to inch its way up to #3. It was joined by iHEARTMEDIA AAA KBCO, which stepped back from #2 (5.7-5.6). Three stations were joined at the hip at #5. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KRFX (THE FOX) has had quite the 2015. It has gone from a tie at #11 to #3 to its current residence (5.6-4.7). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KPTT (THE PARTY) brought down the house with its biggest number in over a year (4.2-4.7) as it cruised in from a tie at #11. EMF Christian Contemporary KLDV (K-LOVE) arose from a tie at #9 with its finest showing since APRIL. ENTERCOM AC KOSI continued its post-holiday descent. It was off for the third straight survey (4.9-4.4) and fell four spots to #9.
You didn’t think our Cinderella story ended with one demo, did you? KTCL captured the 25-54 crown for the second straight month, though it was down from its previous Rocky Mountain high (we couldn’t resist). KQMT bounced back from a rather lousy book to advance six spots to #2. ENTRAVISION Regional Mexican KXPK (TRI COLOR) remained at #3 with a flat book and was just ahead of cluster amigo ENTRAVISION Spanish Adult Hits KJMN (JOSE), which was also flat at #4. KRFX followed its best book in over a year with something less tasty and it dropped three spots to #5. LINCOLN Country KYGO had a strong performance as it rose from #14 to #7. It was joined there by cluster brother LINCOLN Top 40/R KQKS (KS1075), which fell from #5.
The drama continued 18-34 as KTCL was #1 – but for the third book in a row. Every survey during that span featured a double-digit share. KPTT moved up two spots to #2 with its best book in over a year but still trailed the leader by over four shares. KQKS slid back to #3 with its lowest total in over a year while KQMT reached its highest peak in over a year to rappel four spots to #4. iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KBPI dropped a couple of places to #5 while ENTERCOM Hot AC KALC (ALICE) dropped to #6 despite an up book.
We conclude our extended time coverage with 18-49. And it comes as no surprise that KTCL was #1 for the third straight book with a flat share. KPTT was #10 in JANUARY, moved to #7 last month, and almost made it to the top but had to settle for #2. Actually, it was about three shares from the top but it has still been quite the run. KXPK moved up a spot to #3 just by being flat. Three stations occupied the same space at #4. KJMN remained in place with a slight decrease while KQKS fell from #2 with its lowest share in over a year. KQMT bounced back from a seriously off book to rise from a tie at #10. KRFX couldn’t match its best book in over a year and fell six spots to a tie at #9.
Once again, thank you for reading. The Ratings Experts at RESEARCH DIRECTOR INC. stand ready to help your station win in the ratings. We’ll return to this space in a month. Unless we don’t.
Email: sallan@researchdirectorinc.com
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