-
Research Director, Inc. Presents Exclusive June PPM Analysis For New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas
July 7, 2015
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. NEW YORK: Brought To You By The Letter Z
-
As we reach the mid-point of 2015, we pause for a moment’s reflection. We only have five more surveys until SANTA returns … wow. Snapping back to reality, we bring you the current events of the JUNE survey. Or, more aptly, the partly JUNE survey as this one covered MAY 21st through JUNE 17th. Many of you may not remember it because you were on vacation, but it is worth noting that one weekend was affected by the MEMORIAL DAY holiday.
Prepare for another simulated journey through the numbers prepared by the Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. and the data wonks from XTRENDS. Buckle up!
NEW YORK: Brought To You By The Letter Z
In just about every survey, one station shows some dramatic changes -– for the better or the worse. This month’s winner was iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHTZ (Z100). Though it remained at #4 6+ with a slight increase (5.6-5.7), it showed solid growth (as you’ll read in a moment). Cluster sister iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (LITE) continued to shine the brightest, though its wattage was dimmed a bit (7.6-7.0). CBS RADIO Classic Hits WCBS-F remained at #2 with its highest share since DECEMBER (6.5-6.6). EMMIS Urban AC WBLS maintained its hotness from last month (6.0-6.0) to hold on at #3. SBS Tropical WSKQ (LA MEGA) dipped slightly (5.5-5.2) yet was still #5.
The real magic was happening 25-54 as WHTZ took control of the demo with its best book in over a year. The station just edged out its cluster mate as WLTW dropped to #2 with its lowest share since NOVEMBER. WBLS was on the positive side of the ledger for the second straight survey and inched up to #3. WSKQ slipped two spots to #4 with a noticeable loss of share, while WCBS-F rounded out the top five again by being flat. A couple of other stations made some noise in this demo. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WWPR (POWER) took one step forward to #6 with its best share in over a year. This was also POWER’s fourth up book in a row. Though it was farther down the chart, CBS RADIO Top 40/M WBMP (AMP) had a nice bump. The station advanced four spots to #10 with its highest score since DECEMBER.
WHTZ has been on quite the roll of late with those 18-34 folks. The station was up for the third straight book and again posted its biggest number in over a year. Alas, it was only good for a share of the lead as WWPR also had its highest total in over a year to move into a tie for the lead. EMMIS Top 40/R WQHT (HOT) was on simmer as it was flat and stationary at #3. WSKQ was up ever so slightly to remain at #4 while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKTU jumped two squares to #5 with its best book in over a year. A couple of stations moving in opposite directions met up at #6. WLTW fell from #5 while WBMP advanced from #8.
For the second book in a row, WHTZ was the undisputed 18-49 leader. Once again it posted its best share in over a year. WWPR did the exact same thing as it moved forward two paces to #2. WSKQ remained anchored at #3 with a small loss. There was a logjam at #4. WLTW fell from #2 with its dimmest wattage since NOVEMBER while WQHT stepped up from #5 just by being flat.
LOS ANGELES: A Wafer-Thin Margin
The top four stations 6+ were seriously invading each other’s space. For the second book in a row, CBS RADIO Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH) was #1 -- this time all by itself (5.1-5.2). Two stations were tied in the trail position just inches behind the leader. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (MY FM) lost its share of the lead despite a flat performance (5.1-5.1) while iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST moved up two slots as it ended a five-book slide (4.5-5.1). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KIIS (KISS) slid back to a not very distant #4 (5.0-4.9) with its lowest score since snowmen were haunting meadows. And then, there was everyone else. CBS RADIO Urban AC KTWV (THE WAVE) was off slightly (4.4-4.2) but remained at #5 – a far better perch than the #13 it occupied as recently as FEBRUARY. The Urban battle has settled into a war of attrition. iHEARTMEDIA Urban KRRL (REAL 92.3) remained at #11 (3.3-3.1) while EMMIS Top 40/R KPWR (POWER) slid to a tie at #15 (2.8-2.7).
Things were also rather close atop the 25-54 leaderboard. For the second book in a row, KBIG was #1, though it was off a bit. KIIS remained close behind at #2 where it was joined by KOST, which advanced two spots – again ending a five-book slide. KRTH fell back to #4 with a slight loss of share. Last month, two relatively direct competitors were knotted at #4. The ties were loosened this time. CBS RADIO Adult Hits KCBS-F (JACK FM) moved to #5 with a small gain. BONNEVILLE Classic Rock KSWD (THE SOUND) slipped back to a tie at #6 with a slight loss.
Last month, KISS had a down 18-34 book but still led the market by two shares. This month the station’s fortunes were reversed and its lead increased to close to three shares. KRRL remained at #2 though it logged its smallest total since the format change took hold. KBIG posted its lowest score in over a year yet moved up to #3. CBS RADIO Top 40/M KAMP (AMP) dropped back to #4 with its least productive outing since DECEMBER. KPWR fell back to #5 with a small decrease.
Win, place, and show, 18-49 belonged to iHEARTMEDIA. KIIS remained on top for the sixth book in a row despite its lowest share since egg nog was a thing. KBIG was also off a bit though it was #2 for the fifth consecutive survey. KOST came storming back, advancing three spots to #3 with its best score since MARCH. CBS RADIO took the other two spots in the top five as two of their brethren shared the #4 slot (after being tied at #3 last month). KRTH had its lowest share since NOVEMBER while KAMP’s was the smallest in over a year.
CHICAGO: Brought To You By The Letter V
For a five-book run beginning in DECEMBER, iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WVAZ (V103) was not a market-leading power. That all changed in APRIL and the station has been in charge ever since. Even though it was off this survey (6.8-6.5), it still maintained a significant advantage over HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (MIX), which ended a two-book slide and moved up to #2 (4.8-5.0). CBS RADIO News WBBM-A’s dual personality does not appear to be beneficial. The station was down for the fourth book in a row (5.3-4.6) as it slid back to #3 with its lowest share in over a year. TRIBUNE N/T WGN-A burst from the pack. The station advanced four spots to #4 with easily its best showing in over a year (3.3-4.3). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKSC (KISS) dropped to #5 despite a slight increase (3.9-4.1). Close behind was CBS RADIO Classic Hits WJMK (K-HITS), which remained at #6 but scored its best book in over a year (3.5-4.0).
Though it was down a bit, WVAZ managed to maintain its hold on the top spot 25-54. WTMX bounced back from a two-book slide to narrow the gap from its #2 position while WKSC remained a distant #3 with a slight increase. WJMK continued its recent surge. Going all the way back to FEBRUARY, we see the station wallowing in a tie at #13. Its most recent gain – taking the station to its highest point in over a year – moved it up to #4. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WGCI has also been on a nice roll of late. After landing its highest number in over a year, the station made the two-step hop to #5. Just two books ago it was ranked #11. For those of you keeping score of the country battle, CBS RADIO Country WUSN (US 99.5) came in at #14 while upstart iHEARTMEDIA Country WEBG (BIG) was in a tie at #18.
WKSC ended a three-book slide and took over sole possession of first place 18-34. WGCI‘s small share increase helped the station to move up to #2 while last month’s co-leader – CBS RADIO Top 40/M WBBM-F (B96) dropped to #3 with its lowest share in over a year. CUMULUS Alternative WKQX also had its lowest share in over a year, yet it moved up into a tie at #4 with WVAZ, which was off for the second straight survey. WJMK continued its uphill march, landing at #8. To put this in perspective, a year ago the station was an afterthought at a tie at #21. Both country stations were down, with WUSN at #12 and WEBG at #14.
After a one-book hiatus, WTMX returned to its leading role with the 18-49 set. For the record, the station has been #1 in five of the six 2015 surveys. WKSC moved up to #2 with a small increase while WVAZ dropped from the lead to #3 as it ended a nice three-book surge. WGCI only advanced one spot to #4 even though it landed its highest share of the year. UNIVISION Regional Mexican WOJO (LA QUE BUENA) also ended a two-book slide as it moved up to #5. WBBM-F dropped to a tie at #6 with its smallest output since DECEMBER.
SAN FRANCISCO: They Might Be Giants
There are baseball towns and then there are BASEBALL towns. BOSTON and ST. LOUIS come to mind quickly. But few markets use their baseball fever to drive radio listening like what we see in the City by the Bay. Just look at the last four books. In MARCH, CUMULUS Sports KNBR-A was at #9 with a 3.7 share 6+. Then, the shouts of “play ball” were heard and the station has been on a roll ever since. Its most recent stop was #1 (5.1-6.2). This ended the five-book winning streak for CBS RADIO News KCBS-A as it slid back to #2 (6.3-5.9). These two stations clearly distanced themselves from the rest of the field. The remainder of the top five was tied at #3. CBS RADIO Hot AC KLLC (ALICE) moved up from #6 (4.2-4.4) while iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KIOI (STAR) came from #4 (4.6-4.4). CBS RADIO Top 40/M KMVQ (NOW) stepped up from #5 (4.3-4.4). ENTERCOM AC KOIT just missed the party (4.8-4.3) and through the magic of math dropped three places to #6.
Chicks may dig the long but the game was no match for a girl named ALICE. KLLC zoomed to the top of the 18-34 mound with what was easily its best showing in over a year. KNBR-A had to settle for second place – its highest rank since NOVEMBER. KMVQ ended a two-book slide and moved up three spots to #3. KOIT dropped out of a tie at #2 and landed at #4 with its smallest share since SEPTEMBER. KIOI saw its two-month run at #1 come to a dramatic and stunning halt as the station dropped down to #5. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KYLD (WILD) was off slightly and slid back to #6. ENTERCOM Top 40/R KRBQ (Q102) has been on an amazing five-book journey. The station began the year at #24 and its most recent gain took it to a tie at #9.
Things rarely change at the front of the 18-34 pack. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KMEL was its usual dominant #1 though it was at its lowest point in over a year. KYLD was down but remained at #2 while KMVQ was down but stable at #3. KRBQ was up again – that’s six books in a row – and held firm at #4. KLLC moved into scoring position at #5 with its best book in over a year while KIOI slid back to #6 after losing a chunk of share. Baseball fever was not quite as hot with this demo. While KNBR-A was up slightly this month, it came in at a tie at #13. A year ago it landed at #7.
KLLC has been poised to strike for the last few books and the station made its move this time – topping the 18-49 chart for the first time. KMVQ was off for the third book in a row but still managed to worm its way up to #2. Last month’s market co-leaders remained tied but at the lower level #3 position. KMEL had its lowest share since NOVEMBER while KYLD was just down. KNBR-A returned to the top five while KIOI dropped out – falling four places to #7.
DALLAS-FT.WORTH: The Kiss Army
It’s not so much that iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KHKS (KISS) leads the market every book. It’s how the station does it – with total domination. The station was #1 6+ for the sixth book in a row even though it posted its lowest score of this run (7.8-7.2). It really didn’t matter because the battle for second place was waged far below KISS’s lofty perch. The next four stations were separated by less than half a share. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KDMX (NOW) notched its third straight #2 book (5.1-4.8) but held a small lead over two stations tied at #3. CBS RADIO Classic Hits KLUV (K-LOVE) remained in place (4.9-4.6) while CUMULUS Country KPLX (THE WOLF) slinked up from a tie at #4 (4.7-4.6). There followed a tie at #5. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZPS (LONESTAR) slid from a tie at #4 (4.7-4.4) while SALEM Christian Contemporary KLTY ascended from #6 (4.2-4.4).
The same model was followed in the 25-54 demo. KHKS was down but remained the runaway market leader with at least a two-share lead over everyone else. And, as we saw previously, the next four stations were separated by less than half a share. KZPS moved up to #2 despite a down book. KDMX was also down and dropped to #3 where it was tied with KLTY – which moved up despite being down. KPLX was the only station in the top five to have an up book and it didn’t budge from the #5 position. UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLNO (LA QUE BUENA) made a bid to join the top-five club after scoring its best book since SEPTEMBER. Alas, it came up short at #6.
Things were considerably less settled 18-34. KHKS was still #1 but there was movement in steerage. KDMX was down for the second book in a row but still managed to move up to #2. KLNO used its best book in over a year to jump four places to #3 while SERVICE Urban KKDA (K104) dropped two slots to #4 with its lowest total since DECEMBER. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KDGE (THE EDGE) moved up to #5 with its finest showing in over a year. KPLX slid back to #6 while iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KEGL (THE EAGLE) dropped three spots to #7 with its smallest number since OCTOBER.
KHKS was off slightly 18-49 but thanks to #2 KDMX’s down book, the margin widened to over three shares. KPLX inched up to #3 while KLNO charged forward six spaces to #4. KKDA dropped back two spots to #5 while KZPS exited the top five and landed at #7.
Round one is now officially in the books. Barring a booth review, these markets stand as delivered. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. now return to our hovels to prepare round two. That will feature the madcap antics of HOUSTON-GALVESTON, WASHINGTON, DC, PHILADELPHIA, ATLANTA, and BOSTON. See you then.
E-mail: sallan@researchdirectorinc.com
TWITTER: @ResearchDirectr
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/ResearchDirectorInc
Web: www.researchdirectorinc.com -
-