Exclusive November PPM Analysis: San Francisco, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston

San Francisco, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston

ALL ACCESS presents NOVEMBER 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.

SAN FRANCISCO: We Built This City On Hit And Run

If you ever had any doubt of the power a championship run for a local baseball team has on local media ... just look at what happened last month in SAN FRANCISCO. As the GIANTS marched through the playoffs on their way to a World Series title, CUMULUS Sports KNBR-A marched through the market, extending its lead at #1 (6.1-8.1). At this same point a year ago, when the local baseball team was idle, the station was #9 with a 3.4. KQED INC N/T KQED broke a second-place tie with CBS RADIO News KCBS-A to take over the #2 spot all by itself with its best number since APRIL (5.2-5.7). KCBS-A had its best month since MARCH (5.2-5.4) but had to settle for being #3. Cluster sister CBS RADIO Top 40/M KMVQ (NOW) held steady at #4 (4.4-4.4) while ENTERCOM AC KOIT slipped ever so slightly to #5 (4.4-4.3).

When you can keep your numbers about you while those around you are losing theirs, good things can happen. Witness CCM+E Top 40/R KMEL which, despite a flat book (3.9-3.9), managed to move from #8 to #6. This had a lot to do with the fact that two of its cluster siblings partook of that dreaded ratings slippage. Sisters Top 40/R KYLD (WILD) (4.0-3.8) and Hot AC KIOI (STAR) (4.0-3.8) moved from a tie at #6 to a tie at #7. We’ll skip the number eight and go straight to a tie at #9 between CCM+E Classic Hits KOSF, which posted its best book since APRIL (3.3-3.4), and UNIVISION Regional Mexican KSOL (ESTEREO SOL) (3.6-3.4). Wandering away from the top 10 field trip for the first time since APRIL was CCM+E Rhythmic AC KISQ (KISS FM), which fell to #11 (3.3-3.1).

Baseball was a big hit with the 25-54 crowd as KNBR-A more than doubled its share from a year ago to capture the #1 trophy. Even though KQED had its best book in over a year, it was forced out at first and had to move to #2. KMVQ moved up from #5 to tie for #3 with KSOL. Way back in AUGUST, KIOI was #1 in this demo. However, a three-book slide finds the station resting at #5.

The top 5 stations 18-34 remain unchanged from last survey. KMEL continued to lead the race with a comfortable advantage over #2 KYLD. KMVQ did post its best number in over a year but had to settle for solidifying its hold on #3. KSOL had its best book since JULY to remain at #4. The baseball effect? Considering that KNBR-A almost tripled its number from a year ago, you could say that baseball has been very, very good to the station. It was #5.

Last month, KNBR-A was "just a bit outside" the top 5 18-49 at #7. That all changed with one swing of the bat and the station is now #1. Meanwhile, KQED posted its best number of 2012 and moved up in the world from #5 to #2. KMEL now finds itself tied at #3 with last month’s #1 station -- KMVQ. KYLD tumbled from #2 to #5, while KSOL fell out of the top 5 for the first time this year and landed at #6.

DALLAS-FT. WORTH: A Kiss Is Just A Kiss

Another month, another #1 book for CCM+E Top 40/M KHKS (KISS FM). This time the station managed to stretch its lead back to a full share point (6.6-6.8) over incumbent #2 SALEM Christian Contemporary KLTY (6.2-5.8). Meanwhile, CUMULUS Country KPLX (THE WOLF) snapped a third-place tie to take complete control of that #3 position (4.9-5.2). The other half of that tie, CCM+E Classic Rock KZPS (LONE STAR), was forced to assume the mantle of the #4 station in town (4.9-4.8). Paying a return visit to the top 5 was CCM+E Hot AC KDMX (NOW), which moved up from a tie at #6 to sole possession of the #5 slot (4.0-4.3).

Could it be the election? Or was it HORNED FROGS football? Either way, CUMULUS Talk WBAP-A is on a bit of a roll. Way back in AUGUST the station was tied for #17 but after posting its best number in over a year, it is firmly locked in at #6 (3.4-3.9). This forced cluster compadre CUMULUS Country KSCS (NEW COUNTRY), which posted its lowest number of 2012 (4.0-3.7), to move down to #7 in a tie with CBS RADIO Classic Hits KLUV, which fell a couple of notches from #5 (4.2-3.7). This was just ahead of #9 CBS RADIO AC KVIL (LITE FM), which has visions of sugar plums dancing in its head (3.8-3.6). After a brief departure, UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLNO (LA QUE BUENA) moved back into the top 10 from a tie at #11 (3.1-3.5). Dropping out of the top 10 for the first time in over a year was SERVICE Urban KKDA (K104), which fell into a tie at #11 (3.4-3.3).

KHKS has been a model of consistency 25-54. Not only has the station been #1 all year, it has recorded the exact same rating for four books in a row. Might be worth a Powerball play. Two stations just popped their best number in over a year. KDMX, which jumped from a tie at #4 to #2, and KZPS, which was also tied at #4 and is now #3. This caused some displacement in the rankings as KLTY slipped from #2 to #4 and KPLX stepped down from #3 to #5.

There was considerable drama 18-34, although none of it involved KHKS, which continued its role as the dominant #1 station. KPLX has been on a tear lately and posted its best book of 2012 to hold on to #2. KDMX enjoyed its best number in over a year, which caused it to rise from #6 to #3. KLNO followed its lowest number of the year with something a bit more tasty to earn leap-of-the-week honors by climbing from #8 to #4. All this inflation did lead to some deflation as KKDA scored its lowest ratings of the year to tumble from #3 to #5. Two stations fell completely out of the top 5 -- KSCS slipped from #4 to #6, while RADIO ONE Top 40/R KBFB (THE BEAT) slumped from #5 to #7.

In 18-49 it was the same as it ever was for KHKS as the station was #1 – again. KDMX attempted to close the gap as it earned its best number in over a year and flew from a tie at #4 to #2. KPLX was up, yet it was also down as it slipped from #2 to #3 – despite posting its best number of the year. KZPS also scored its best number of 2012 but found itself slipping a notch to #4. KLNO rebounded from its lowest ratings performance of the year with something that caused it to rise from #8 to #5. KLTY, which was tied at #2 only two months ago, fell completely out of the top 5.

HOUSTON: Thinking Inside The Box

It is now seven months and counting that RADIO ONE Top 40/R KBXX (THE BOX) has been #1 in HOUSTON and it did so again just by standing pat (7.6-7.6). However, cluster-mate RADIO ONE Urban AC KMJQ (MAJIC) did not sit idly by. The station actually closed the gap on its friend and neighbor while taking over sole possession of #2 (6.2-6.6). KSBJ EDUCATIONAL Christian Contemporary KSBJ was off only slightly from last month (6.1-6.0) but it was enough to drop the station from a tie at #2 into the comfortable surroundings of #3. Things were a bit brighter for CCM+E AC KODA (SUNNY), which matched its lowest number of the year (5.8-5.8) but still managed to inch up into a tie at #4 with UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLTN (ESTEREO LATINO), which fell from a tie at #2 (6.1-5.8).

CCM+E Alternative KTBZ (THE BUZZ) turned in another solid performance (4.6-4.8) to remain at #6, comfortably ahead of COX RADIO Country KKBQ (THE NEW 93Q) (4.3-4.2) at #7. CCM+E N/T KTRH-A scored its biggest number in over a year (3.4-4.1) and climbed from a tie at #11 up to #8. Dropping down a slot was COX RADIO Classic Hits KGLK (HOUSTON’S EAGLE) (4.1-3.8). Earning leap-of-the-week honors was UNIVISION Spanish Adult Hits KOVE (RECUERDO), which made the spectacular jump from #16 all the way up to #10 (2.9-3.6).

There was a bit of flip-floppin’ in 25-54 as KBXX landed its biggest book of the year to zoom to #1. This was the first time since APRIL that KLTN was not #1. KMJQ had its best number since FEBRUARY to keep a firm grip on #3 while KTBZ dropped a slot to #4. More flip-floppin’ as KSBJ broke in to the top 5, supplanting KODA, which is on a four-book slide.

When it comes to 18-34, KBXX has completely boxed out the competition. Consider this: The station lost over one-and-a-half shares this survey and still led #2 KLTN by over 6 shares. KTBZ was quite happy to still fill the #3 slot, and we had a tie at #4 between two cluster amigos. CBS RADIO Top 40/M KKHH (HOT), which moved up from #5, and CBS RADIO Country KILT, which screamed up from a tie at #7. KKBQ fell out of the top 5 into a tie at #6 with the suddenly surging KMJQ.

The top three positions 18-49 have been occupied by the same three stations all year. As per usual, #1 belonged to KBXX. KLTN was solidly #2 while KTBZ had a death grip on #3. After that, things got a bit more interesting. KMJQ just announced its best number since FEBRUARY to jump from a tie at #6 to #4. That nudged KSBJ down a slot to #5, even though it matched its best number of the year -- and excused KKBQ from the top 5 altogether as it fell to #6.

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