Research Director, Inc. Presents Exclusive August PPM Analysis For Detroit, Miami, Seattle, Phoenix And Minneapolis

Exclusive Analysis

ALL ACCESS presents AUGUST 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.

Detroit:  Son, This Here Is Motown Country

Let’s be honest, THE MOTOR CITY is not exactly the first market that would come to mind when you thought of country dominance.  After all, this is the city that spawned MOTOWN, MADONNA and EMINEM.  But, then you start looking at the numbers and you have to hand it to CBS RADIO Country WYCD as the station was #1 for the third straight month, topping an eight share in back-to-back books (8.1-8.1).  And, this is only the beginning of the story, kids.  Pulling up to the #2 position (from #4) was cluster brother CBS RADIO Sports WXYT-F (THE TICKET), which had its best book since NOVEMBER (6.1-7.2).  With the TIGERS heading to the post season, the WOLVERINES potentially back, and the RED WINGS on the horizon (sorry, LIONS fans) -- this could be a great year for sports radio.  Dropping back a spot to #3 was CBS RADIO News WWJ-A (6.5-6.5) and moving up a position to #4 was CBS RADIO Classic Hits WOMC (6.0-6.0).  In case you’re keeping track -- and you can be sure the folks at BLACK ROCK are -- that is a clean sweep of the top four spots for CBS.  Dropping back a couple of places to #5 was CCM+E Urban AC WMXD (MIX), which had its lowest book since JANUARY (6.3-5.9).  In its last (mostly) full book before flipping the switch to Sports, GREATER MEDIA AC WMGC went from #16 into a tie at the same position (3.0-2.8).

For the third straight survey, WYCD saw its numbers rise and kept its hold on the #1 slot 25-54.  In each of those months, the station set a new personal best for share.  And, in each of those very same months, its cluster brother WXYT-F has been nipping at its heels from the #2 position.  Both stations are far ahead of #3 WMXD, which drifted a little farther back in the pack after posting its lowest number since JANUARY.  GREATER MEDIA Active Rock WRIF has taken solid command of the #4 position while CCM+E Top 40/M WKQI (CHANNEL 955) inched up a slot to #5. This dropped cluster mate CCM+E Urban WJLB into a tie at #6 after it scored its lowest number of the year.  WMGC’s swan song yielded a move from #16 into a tie at #15.

Look, it’s one thing to be #1 18-34 for the third straight book, but now WYCD is just showing off.  The station hit double digits for the third straight time and has actually more than doubled the share it had as recently as MARCH.  Still, WKQI is not exactly rolling over.  The station remained #2 and also posted double-digit shares -- for the first time since MAY.  WJLB remained at #3 though it did post its lowest number in exactly one year.  WGPR INC Urban AC WGPR (HOT) scored its lowest number in over a year but managed to hold on to the #4 position.  Meanwhile, WRIF had its best book in exactly one year, moving from #8 to #5, essentially trading places with CBS RADIO Top 40/M WDZH (AMP), which saw its dramatic four-book surge come to an equally dramatic halt.  WMGC left the building by moving from #19 into a tie at #18.

In case you haven’t picked up on our story line so far, WYCD is pretty much kicking ass and taking names as it took the 18-49 crown for the third straight book with yet another record-setting performance.  Its cluster mate -- WXYT-F -- is picking up a pretty good head of steam on its own as the station moved from #4 to #2.  WKQI was flat and remained at #3 while WJLB again posted its lowest number of the year to drop a couple of places to #4.  WRIF was up slightly to maintain its grip on #5.  WMGC excused itself by moving from a tie at #17 into a tie at #16.

Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood:  The Beat Goes On

So far this year we have seen WVEE taken down (albeit briefly), WLTW losing its crown and Country music dominating the Motor City.  Could this be the year there is a changing of the guard in MIAMI?  Are COX RADIO Urban AC WHQT’s (HOT) days numbered as the top dog?  Uh, not this time and probably not in the near future.  The station ended a two-book slide (8.5-8.9) and continued to lead the pack by a wide margin.  The rest of the top 5 contained the usual suspects, though there was a bit of position jockeying going on.  UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary WAMR (AMOR) moved up a notch to #2 (6.3-6.2), swapping places with COX RADIO Urban WEDR, which had its second straight down book (6.5-6.1).  The other two players also traded spaces as LINCOLN AC WLYF (LITE) had its best book of the year (for the second straight month) to move up to #4 (5.4-5.6) as COX RADIO AC WFEZ (EASY) posted its lowest number in over a year (5.8-5.1) to drop back to #5.  CCM+E Top 40/M WHYI (Y100) fell just this short, moving from a tie at #7 to #6, reversing a two-book slide (4.2-5.0).

The top positions 25-54 remained unchanged as WHQT was a dominant #1 and WEDR a very solid #2.  WLYF had its best book in exactly a year to inch up a spot to #3 while WHYI recovered from a couple of unusually low months to rocket from #8 to more familiar turf at #4.  WAMR had its best book since APRIL to return to the top 5 from #7.  UNIVISION Tropical WRTO (MIX) slipped a bit to fall a spot to #6 while WFEZ had its lowest showing since FEBRUARY to fall from #3 to #7.

The 18-34 players remained the same with a few alterations based on ratings size.  WEDR continued to be the far-and-away market leader with another huge double-digit number.  BEASLEY Top 40/R WPOW (POWER) bounced back from its lowest book of the year to move from a tie at #3 to its more customary surroundings at #2.  This deposed WHYI, which slipped a spot to #3, and WLYF, which broke out of a tie at #3 to land at #4.  WRTO posted its lowest number since APRIL but remained at #5.

Unsurprisingly, WEDR led the way 18-49 once again, though its lead shrank enough that it can be spotted on the horizon.  WHYI’s good fortune continued as the station moved up a spot to #2, causing WHQT to take one small step back to #3.  After posting its best book in over a year, WAMR moved up a couple to #4.  Two stations occupied the same place at the same time – this being #5.  WPOW was there last time and, after a flat book, was there again.  WRTO slipped down the ladder one rung from #4.

Seattle-Tacoma:  Rock On Top

Here’s the story so far -- in 2013, three different stations have spent time at #1 – each for at least two books in a row.  Station number three -- CBS RADIO Classic Rock KZOK -- snagged its second straight crown even though it lost a bit of share (6.5-6.0).  The station with the most #1 books so far this year -- SANDUSKY Top 40/M KQMV (MOVIN) remained a now closer #2 by staying very flat (5.7-5.7).  ENTERCOM Active Rock KISW has yet to taste the rarefied air of the top spot this year but the station is moving in that direction.  It remained at #3 after posting its best book in over a year (5.4-5.6).  The other member of this year’s #1 club -- SANDUSKY AC KRWM (WARM) ended a two-book slide to move up a couple of places to #4 (4.5-5.2).  CCM+E Classic Hits KJR-F remained at #5 despite a slight loss of cabin pressure (4.6-4.3).  ENTERCOM Country KKWF (THE WOLF) hunted down its lowest number since JANUARY (4.7-3.9), which forced it to slink away from the pack from #4 to #8.

While KISW has yet to sit atop the 6+ mountain in 2013, it did just return to the apex 25-54 by landing its best book in over a year.  This ended KZOK’s two-book run at #1 as the station slipped back to #2.  KQMV had another solid performance and remained at #3.  Meanwhile, KRWM was on fire -- posting its best number since FEBRUARY and scaling the cliff from a tie at #12 to #4.  FISHER Hot AC KPLZ (STAR) was up slightly to retain complete control of #5 while KKWF had its lowest number since JANUARY to drop two places to #6.  CRISTA Christian Contemporary KCMS (SPIRIT) was down for the fourth straight survey and slid from a tie at #5 to #7.
 

For the third straight month, KQMV was the market leader 18-34 and even opened up a wider lead over the new #2.  That would be CCM+E Top 40/R KUBE, which moved up from #3 despite a down book.   KISW was off ever so slightly yet moved up a spot to #3 while KKWF once again had its lowest book since JANUARY to drop a couple of places to #4.  CCM+E Top 40/M KBKS (KISS) also shed a bit of share but held on as a solid #5.

The top five players 18-49 remained unchanged except for one small addition.  KISW was #1 for the second straight month after posting its highest number in exactly one year.  KQMV was flat and #2 while KZOK dropped a full share yet remained at #3.  KKWF had its lowest number since FEBRUARY but stayed right where it was at #4.  KUBE was off a bit but held on at #5 though it is now tied with KBKS which, despite a down book, moved up one spot from #6.

Phoenix:  Movin’ Day In The Desert

Golf fans will understand that concept, but it sure looked like AUGUST was like a SATURDAY at a major as just about everyone changed positions.  Let’s start with props to CBS RADIO Classic Hits KOOL, which had its best book in over a year (5.2-7.0) to return to the top spot for the second time in the last three books.  CCM+E AC KESZ (99.9 KEZ) fell off the pace a bit (6.0-5.6) to drop down a notch to #2.  From here on, watch how small changes in share led to often large gains (or losses) in rank.  This is a very tightly packed market.

SANDUSKY Classic Rock KSLX matched its best book of the year (4.7-4.9) to move up from a tie at #5 to #3.  BONNEVILLE Adult Hits KPKX (THE PEAK) had its best book in over a year (3.9-4.5) to rocket from #11 into a tie at #4.  It shares that space with CCM+E Country KNIX, which had a slight down book (4.6-4.5) yet managed to pull itself up by its boot straps to rise from #8.  CBS RADIO Top 40/R KZON (JAMZ) was off slightly, as well (4.7-4.4), and slipped from a tie at #5 to #6.  CCM+E Talk KFYI-A dropped enough share (4.7-4.3) to slide out of that same #5 tie to #7.  A couple of stations took a serious tumble.  SANDUSKY Active Rock KUPD fell from #4 to #8 (4.8-4.2) while CCM+E Hot AC KMXP (MIX) ended a two-book surge (5.0-3.9) to free fall from #3 to #11.
 

Things were both turvy AND topsy 25-54.  KSLX returned to the #1 position for the third time in four books after posting its best number of the year.  Not to be outdone, KOOL had its best book in over a year to move from a tie at #6 to #2.  KPKX also had its best book in over a year and rose two spots to #3 while KUPD lost a bit of its mojo and slipped from #1 to #4.  KESZ had a solid book to rise out of a tie at #6 to #5.  KNIX was off by the slightest of margins yet still tumbled from a tie at #3 to #6.  After securing its lowest number in over a year, KMXP dropped from #2 into a tie at #9.

Another demo, another change at the top. This time, KUPD returned to the top spot 18-34 for the first time since FEBRUARY.   CCM+E Top 40/M KZZP (KISS) had its best showing in over a year to slide up a couple of places to #2 -- its highest ranking since NOVEMBER.  Moving up two spots to #3 was KZON, which scored its best book since APRIL.  KNIX had its lowest number since MARCH to slip one place to #4.  Two stations were tied at #5 but were going in completely opposite directions.  KMXP lost over two shares to tumble from #1 while KOOL gained two shares to rocket up the chart from #14.

Finally, a demo where the #1 station was a repeat performer.  Actually, for the sixth straight survey, KUPD was on top 18-49.  KPKX made the huge leap from #6 to #2.  As a matter of fact, over the last three months, the station has gone from #13 to #9 to #6 to #2.  Not a bad progression.  KZZP inched up from #4 into a tie at #3 with KOOL, which rebounded from a low JULY to move up from #9.  KZON was up slightly and remained at #5.  KNIX had its lowest number since APRIL to slide three places to #6 while KMXP’s woes continued as it dropped from #2 to #8.

Minneapolis-St.Paul:  My, What Big Numbers You Have

It is not often where you see a market have three stations clumped at the top with all of them exceeding an 8 share.  Starting at the top, we have HUBBARD Hot AC KSTP (KS 95) returning to #1 for the third time in the last four surveys (7.9-8.5).  Nipping closely at KSTP’s heels was CCM+E Top 40/M KDWB, which quietly slipped back to #2 (8.4-8.3).  Cluster brother CCM+E Country KEEY (K102) remained at #3 even though it scored its best book in over a year (7.7-8.2).  CUMULUS Classic Rock KQRS had its best book since MAY to remain a solid -- and close -- #4 (7.6-7.8).  Two stations were locked together at #5.  CCM+E Classic Hits KQQL (KOOL 108) stayed there despite landing its lowest number of the year (7.4-6.5).  CBS RADIO Country KMNB (BUZ’N) had its best book in over a year to move up from #7 (6.0-6.5).

If you thought the shares were big 6+, you should see 25-54.  Wait, we can’t show them to you -- but we can allude to the fact that KSTP was #1 for the sixth straight book with a number that was this close to double digits.  KDWB and KQRS had big books, as well, to remain at #2 and #3, respectively.  KEEY bounced back from a down book to move up one spot to #4, which forced CBS RADIO Adult Hits KZJK (JACK FM) to not do what it wanted -- move back one to #5.

Let’s stay with this big share theme, shall we?  Once again, KDWB was #1 18-34 with a big double-digit share.  However, this time it was not alone in the double-digit category as CUMULUS Active Rock KXXR (93X) had its biggest book since OCTOBER to move up a spot to #2.  This has caused a, well, showdown in the country arena.  KEEY slipped from #2 to #3 while KMNB remained at #4.  The stations are separated by the slimmest of margins, if you catch our drift.  KZJK has been on a roller coaster the last few months.  It was up this time – moving from a tie at #6 to #5.  Meanwhile, KSTP bounced back from a disastrous JULY, yet still slipped a spot to #6.

KDWB – monster station, monster shares, and a monster lead 18-49.  KSTP ended a two-book slide with its best number since MAY but is still a reasonably distant #2.  KEEY had its best book since SEPTEMBER to remain at #3 and successfully fended off format competitor KMNB, which moved up a spot to #4 with its best book in over a year.  KZJK was up this time so it elevated its position one to #5 while KQRS slipped from #4 into a tie at #6 despite posting its best number since JANUARY.  What a crazy business.

« see more Net News