Exclusive October PPM Analysis: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago

Here Comes October Data!

ALL ACCESS presents SEPTEMBER PPM market highlights, compiled by the Ratings Experts at RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. and powered by XTRENDS, radio's #1 PPM and diary analysis tool. All numbers reflect subscriber only data.

NEW YORK: A Close Second

Very little movement in AMERICA’s #1 market as the top four positions remainED unchanged for the second consecutive month.  CCM+E AC WLTW (LITE) continued to rein o’er the market at #1 (7.2-7.2) -- something it has done for all of 2012.  Meanwhile, CBS RADIO Classic Hits WCBS-F's three-month surge took it to within a heartbeat of the top spot (6.6-7.1) at #2.  This was the closest any station had been to unseating LITE in over a year.  YMF MEDIA Urban AC WBLS solidified its hold on #3 (5.8-5.9) while CCM+E Top 40/M WHTZ (Z100) fell for the fourth straight book, yet remained at #4.  This was Z100’s lowest share since MARCH but it is still over a half-share ahead of last year’s number.  Paying a return visit to the top 5 for the first time since MARCH was SBS Tropical WSKQ (MEGA) (4.2-4.6).

If one is in, then one must be out, and that distinction fell to CCM+E Top 40/M WKTU, which was at #6 while enduring a three-book slide (4.7-4.4).  CBS RADIO News WINS-A continued its run of consistency (3.9-4.0) to remain locked at #7 while UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary WXNY (X96.3) stayed the course at #8 (3.8-3.9).  Sadly, there was no #10 station this survey.  CCM+E Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3) rebounded from its worst book of 2012 (3.5-3.8) to lock itself into a tie with the slowly but steadily improving CBS RADIO News WCBS-A, which posted its best number in over a year (3.5-3.8).

Make it an even 12 in a row (with no commercial interruptions) as WLTW continued to rule 25-54 by a healthy margin.  Despite the downtrend in 6+, Z100 held on to #2 -- though the station’s margin over WBLS at #3 shrunk a bit.  WSKQ landed its best in-demo book in over a year to edge up a notch to #4, supplanting WKTU, which turned in its lowest in-demo ratings in over a year.  Keep an eye on MERLIN Alternative WRXP (NEW ROCK 101.9).  Though it is far from the leaderboard, it is showing some significant momentum.

In 18-34, WHTZ returned to its familiar #1 position and opened up a sizeable lead over EMMIS Top 40/R WQHT (HOT), which fell back to #2.  Despite being on a three-book slide, CCM+E Urban WWPR (POWER) held fast at #3, comfortably ahead of WLTW at #4.  WXNY remained at #5 but felt the heat from a rapidly closing WSKQ.  For the first time since its format change, WRXP moved into the top 10.

For the seventh consecutive survey, WHTZ was #1 18-49 though cluster-mate WLTW was in hot pursuit. However, both stations were over a share point ahead of where the stations were at this point last year.  Surging up to #3 was WSKQ, which is up over two shares from last year.  WKTU posted its lowest numbers in over a year and fell to #4, just ahead of slightly slumping WBLS.

LOS ANGELES: CCM+E Rearranges The Furniture

This is the city, Los Angeles, CA.  For the third straight month, CCM+E owned the top four spots with P6+.  Though the names may remain the same, the order did vary slightly.  Leading the way for the seventh month in a row was CCM+E Top 40/M KIIS (102.7 KIIS FM) (5.2-5.6), which landed its best book in over a year.  Moving up a slot to #2, while posting its best number of 2012, was CCM+E Talk KFI-A (4.8-5.1). Falling from its previous position of tied at #1 to #3 was CCM+E Hot AC KBIG (MY FM) (5.2-5.0), which was pretty darned good considering it was mired at #11 a year ago.  Despite a slight downturn (4.6-4.3), CCM+E AC KOST maintained a firm grip on #4.  The amazingly consistent CBS RADIO Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH) remained a fixture at #5 (4.1-3.9)

EMMIS Top 40/R KPWR (POWER) was on an ever-so-gradual three-book slide that took it from as high as #4 to its current position at #6 (3.9-3.8).  A year ago at this time, CCM+E Rhythmic AC KHHT (HOT) was in a tie at #6 with the exact same number it had in this survey (3.4-3.5), which placed the station at #7.  Sometimes, flat is good.  CBS RADIO Alternative KROQ is seconding that emotion as its flatness (3.3-3.3) was good enough to pull it up a slot to #8.  Leap-of-the-week honors went to UNIVISION Regional Mexican KSCA.  Back in APRIL it was tied at #17 but now finds itself a member of the top 10 club at #9 (3.0-3.2).  We turned the top 10 up to 11 this survey as UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KLVE (K-LOVE) (3.2-3.1) was tied at #10 with CBS RADIO Top 40/M KAMP (AMP) (3.5-3.1). AMP's three-book slide saw it post its lowest number in over a year.

In 25-54, KIIS posted its best in-demo number in over a year and returned to #1 for the first time since APRIL.  This ended a five-book run at #1 for cluster-mate KBIG, which slipped back to #2.  At the beginning of the year, KROQ was hanging around the lower tier of the top 10 but enjoyed its third straight book at #3.  KOST was a very consistent #4, while KSCA made the huge leap from #9 to #5 -- its first appearance in the top 5 in over a year.  Watch out for CBS RADIO Adult Hits KCBS (JACK-FM), which posted its best book in almost a year and jumped from a tie at #10 to #6. All this upward mobility did lead to one casualty as KPWR ended a three-book stay in the top 5 and slipped to #8.

After a three-month hiatus, KIIS reassumed control of the 18-34 leaderboard by equaling its best in-demo performance since JUNE.  Meanwhile, KPWR turned in its lowest number since FEBRUARY and slipped back to #2.  KBIG took over sole possession of #3 by breaking a tie with KROQ, which slipped slightly to #4.  The station’s  apparent issues with that 6+ crowd did not seem to bother KAMP with this demo as it reversed a two-book slide to hold on to #5.

Make it 10 in a row as the #1 station 18-49 for KIIS as it equaled its best book of 2012.  KBIG was up for the second straight survey and remained #2 while KPWR fell into a tie at #3 with KROQ.  KOST remained settled in at #5 but it should not get too comfortable.  As recently as MARCH, KCBS was languishing at #19 but a four-book surge had moved it within spitting distance of the top 5 at #6.

CHICAGO:  Objects Are Closer Than They Appear

All of a sudden, we got ourselves a horse race in THE WINDY CITY. For the last four months, CCM+E Urban AC WVAZ (V103) enjoyed a pretty comfortable lead as the #1 station.  It was still #1 (6.2-5.3) but with the lowest book since MAY, it is now just this much ahead of CBS RADIO News WBBM-A.  The station was riding a four-book surge (5.1-5.2), which took it from a tie at #5 to #2.  2012 has been a roller coaster ride for TRIBUNE N/T WGN-A.  From #1 in FEBRUARY to #11 in JUNE to its current position at #3 (4.3-4.3).  Way back in AUGUST, UNIVISION Regional Mexican WOJO (LA QUE BUENA) was down the list at #10 but it slowly inched its way up to #4 (4.0-4.2), which caused HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (THE MIX) to experience a slight loss of cabin pressure in a fall to #5 (4.2-4.1)

For the last 14 surveys, CUMULUS Oldies WLS-F has been extremely consistent and it remained so (4.0-4.0) to rank at #6.  The same was not true for CCM+E Top 40/M WKSC (KISS-FM).  The station experienced its third straight down book (4.1-3.9), as it fell from a high of #2 to its current residence at #7. In an odd quirk of statistical fate, CHICAGO had neither a #9 nor a #10 station.  Logically, that must mean three stations were knotted at #8.  They would be: CBS RADIO Country WUSN (US99.5) (3.9-3.7), which was down for the second straight book; HUBBARD Classic Hits WDRV (THE DRIVE), which was down for the third book in a row (3.8-3.7); and, CUMULUS Talk WLS-A (4.0-3.7).  Dropping out of the top 10 for the first time since APRIL was CBS RADIO Top 40/M WBBM-F (B96) (3.8-3.5).

The natural order of things was turned asunder in 25-54.  For the third straight survey there was a new #1 in this demo.  This time it was WOJO, which was all the way down at #7 as recently as JULY.  Last survey’s #1, WVAZ is now tied at #2 with JUNE’s #1 WTMX.  Falling from #2 to #4 was the station that was #1 in JULY -- WKSC.  Rounding out the top 5 is yet another former #1 -- WDRV.  It owned 25-54 way back in APRIL.  Meanwhile, WBBM-A returned to the top 10 for the first time in 2012 while CBS RADIO Triple A WXRT fell out of the top 10 for the first time in over a year.

For the second book in a row, CCM+E Urban WGCI was the #1 station 18-34.  It held a comfortable lead over the new #2 station -- WTMX.  WKSC was in a three-book slump that saw it shed over three share points as it slipped from #2 to a tie at #3 with the resurgent WOJO.  WBBM-F is also in a three-book slump and has lost over two share points in that time.  Now, the station was in a tie at #5 with the suddenly in-demand CCM+E Regional Mexican WNUA (EL PATRON) and the equally compelling MERLIN Alternative WKQX (Q87.7).

In 18-49 world, WTMX took the #1 crown for the second straight survey, gamely holding off the hard-charging WOJO at #2. WKSC lost over two share points in the last three months and fell to #3, just ahead of WGCI at #4.  WBBM-F had its third straight down book and fell from #3 to #5.

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