Exclusive October PPM Analysis: Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Atlanta

Three More Markets

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.

WASHINGTON: A Powerful Run

If you were hoping for a change atop the DC leaderboard, you’ll have to wait until NOVEMBER.  Last month, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU returned to the #1 spot, and this time it owns the same position – with authority –by posting the station’s best number in over a year (8.0-8.7).  CCM+E Top 40/M WIHT (HOT) matched its best book since JUNE (7.4-7.4) and all it got to show for this fine effort was another stay at #2.  Meanwhile, HUBBARD News WTOP reversed a two-book slide (7.1-7.2) to remain entrenched at #3.  HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR is getting used to hanging out in the 6 share range – having now accomplished that feat for the fourth straight book (6.4-6.7) to sit tight at #4.  After a brief departure from the top 5, CCM+E AC WASH returned to #5 (5.2-5.4) with its best performance since JUNE.

Cluster-mate CCM+E Classic Hits WBIG followed up its best book of the year with something that was not quite the same (5.3-4.6) and fell into a tie at #6 with RADIO ONE Urban AC WMMJ (MAJIC), which is on a two-book slide (4.9-4.6).  CBS RADIO Top 40/R WPGC inched its way up to #8 despite posting its lowest number since MAY (4.2-3.9).  A year ago at this time, RADIO ONE Urban WKYS was languishing at #14.  Now, despite posting its lowest number since JUNE (4.4-3.6), the station is tied at #9 with CCM+E Alternative WWDC (DC-101), which experienced its second straight stay in the top 10 (3.6-3.6).

Make it 10 in a row for WIHT.  That’s how many books the station has been #1 25-54, and this time around, the station strengthened its death grip on the position.  WHUR remained a steady, if slightly more distant, #2 while WAMU posted its best in-demo book in over a year to move up a rung to #3.  That forced WTOP to #4, still comfortably ahead of WASH at #5.

The last time WIHT was not #1 18-34 (with the exception of JULY), BRYCE HARPER was probably playing T-ball.  The trend continues as the station posted yet another dominating share.  WPGC bounced back nicely to move up to #2, supplanting WKYS, which posted its lowest rating since FEBRUARY.  WWDC turned in its normal, steady #4-type performance, while WASH remained locked and focused on #5 for the tenth book in a row.  Keep an eye on CBS RADIO Spanish Contemporary WLZL (El ZOL), which just scored its best book of the year and made a mad dash from #11 to #6.

In 18-49, WIHT extended its #1 streak to 10 and posted its best number since JUNE.  That was the same month WAMU was stuck at #9.  Now, after posting its best book in over a year, the station has moved up to #2.  WWDC refused to let go of the #3 position but the station is hearing footsteps.  WASH scored its highest number since JANUARY to move into a tie at #4 with WKYS, which dropped down from #2. WHUR fell completely out of the top 5 into a tie at #6 with WPGC.

PHILADELPHIA: They Heard The News Today, Oh Boy

For the third month in a row, more Philadelphians are turning to CBS RADIO News KYW-A – wait, that sounds like a radio slogan.  The station turned in its best number since FEBRUARY (6.5-7.0) to remain a solid #1.  WEAZ-FM RADIO AC WBEB (B-101) reversed a minor two-book slide (5.9-6.0) to hold firm at #2.  A year ago at this time CCM+E Urban AC WDAS was a solid #3 with a 7 share.  The station is still a solid #3 but the shares are not quite as lofty (5.8-5.5).  GREATER MEDIA Classic Rock WMGK is on a pretty serious two-book tear (5.2-5.3) that has elevated the station to #4.  BEASLEY Country WXTU made a return appearance to the top 5 (5.1-5.2) and is almost a full share point ahead of where it was a year ago.

Meanwhile, GREATER MEDIA Active Rock WMMR was saddled with its lowest number (5.3-4.8) since the chestnuts were roasting on an open fire to fall into a tie at #6 with CBS RADIO Classic Hits WOGL.  That station has been shedding numbers like fall leaves (5.0-4.8) and has tumbled from #1 (JULY) to its current position.  Even though CCM+E Alternative WRFF (RADIO 104.5) is on a three-book slide, the station has managed to consistently hold on to #8.  Also maintaining rank was cluster-mate CCM+E Top 40/M WIOQ (Q102), which, despite posting its lowest total since FEBRUARY (4.5-4.2), came in at #9. Apparently, the people of Philadelphia love to gripe about the state of their, uh, underperforming sports franchises as CBS RADIO Sports WIP-F popped into the top 10 for the first time in over a year (3.7-3.9). After a brief rest in the top 10, CCM+E Hot AC WISX (MIX) fell out (4.3-3.7).

There are not one, but two, new #1 stations 25-54.  WRFF posted its second-best book of the year to jump up from #3 to share the top spot with WXTU, a station that exactly one year ago was in a tie at #12 in this demo.  This one-two punch put an end to WMMR’s eight-book reign at #1 as the station fell to #3. Last book, two stations were locked in a mortal struggle at #4.  This time, WMGK inched up to take sole possession of that slot while WDAS slipped slightly to land at #5.

Make it 10 books in a row that WRFF is the #1 station 18-34 and its lead over #2 CCM+E Urban WUSL (POWER) just keeps getting bigger.  WMMR bounced back from an uncharacteristically poor book to move up to #3 while WIOQ posted its lowest number this year to slip back to #4.  BEASLEY Top 40/R WRDW (WIRED) remained a solid #5.

It is now five books and counting that WRFF has led the pack 18-49.  As recently as MAY, WXTU was ranked at #10 but the station’s fifth straight up book lands it at a tie for #2 with WMMR.  The previous #2 station, WIOQ, slips to #4, marking the first time since MARCH that the station has not been in the top 3.  WUSL takes over complete control of #5.

ATLANTA: A New Number Two

Ok, so CBS RADIO Urban WVEE (V103) is on a two-book slide and just posted its lowest number (9.0-8.4) since last DECEMBER.  So what.  The station is still #1 and continues to lead the market by a wide margin. The new, next closest pursuer is a fresh face in the top 3.  COX RADIO Talk WSB-A is on a serious two-book sugar rush that has seen the station rise from #9 to its current residence at #2.  This sudden turn of events forced cluster-mate COX RADIO Urban AC WALR (KISS) to up and move into a tie at #3 (7.3-6.4) with RADIO ONE Urban AC WAMJ (MAJIC), which continued to stay the course (6.4-6.4).  Another unintended consequence of all this shifting was the movement of COX RADIO AC WSB-F (B98.5) to slip ever so slightly to #5 – which is exactly where it was, with the same exact share, a year ago (5.9-5.8).

Currently riding the crest of a two-book surge is COX RADIO Classic Hits WSRV (THE RIVER), which is #6 (4.9-5.2).  Exactly one year ago the station was well downstream at #13.  Moving in the other direction, RADIO ONE Urban AC WHTA (HOT) is on a five-book slide (5.4-5.1) that has seen the station descend from #3 to its current #7 ranking.  CUMULUS Top 40/M WWWQ (Q100) posted its lowest number in over a year (5.4-4.5) to slide down to #8 just ahead of LINCOLN Hot AC WSTR (STAR) at #9 (4.4-4.4). Moving into the top 10 after a recent format change was CCM+E Top 40/M WWPW (POWER) (3.7-4.3).  Swimming away from the top 10 was SALEM Contemporary Christian WFSH (THE FISH), which posted its lowest score since JUNE (4.6-4.2)

It has been well over a year since WVEE was not #1 25-54 – and that streak continued despite the fact that the station had its lowest share since MARCH.  Moving back to #2 after a two-month hiatus was WAMJ, which sent WALR skulking back to #3.  Posting its best number since the weather outside was frightful, WSB-F jumped from #6 to #4.  WHTA has experienced some noticeable audience erosion in the last few months but it still holds on to #5.  Dropping out of the top 5 for the first time since JUNE was WWWQ.

Once again, WVEE owns #1 18-34 and this time, because it posted the lowest number the station has seen in over a year, its lead over #2 WHTA is the lowest since AUGUST.  WWWQ slipped into sole possession of #3 while WWPW resides at #4.  CCM+E Top 40/R WWVA (WILD) shook off the effects of a significant three-book tumble to cling to #5.

Yes, WVEE was #1 18-49.  And, yes, the station continued to dominate this demo.  And, yes, V-103 posted its lowest number in over a year.  WHTA moved up into the challenging position at #2 followed closely at #3 by WAMJ.  By accepting its lowest number in over a year, WWWQ was forced to drop from #2 into a tie at #4 with a very consistent WSB-F.

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