Research Director, Inc. Presents Exclusive Nov. PPM Analysis: Houston, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Atlanta

5 More Major Markets

Right back atcha with another round of ratings analysis courtesy of the Ratings Experts at RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. As always, our path to this missive is always made smoother thanks to the folks at XTRENDS. You should check them out. You can check us out, too, via any of these platforms, in case you have a question, comment, correction, or would like us to tackle your ratings issues.

E-mail: sallan@researchdirectorinc.com
TWITTER: @ResearchDirectr
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/ResearchDirectorInc
Web: www.researchdirectorinc.com

This turn of the dial focuses on the slightly mislabeled NOVEMBER survey.  It covered the dates of 10/9 through 11/5.  While the months may not jibe, we can be sure that this is the last survey of the year that will not be affected by the musical version of the Polar Vortex.

HOUSTON-GALVESTON: The Sun Also Rises

Wait, did someone start playing CHRISTMAS music way early and forget to inform us? iHEARTMEDIA AC KODA (SUNNY) returned to the top spot it vacated last month by posting its best number since FEBRUARY (6.2-7.1). You know what happens next month. RADIO ONE Urban AC KMJQ (MAJIC) ended its two-book stay in the spotlight and slipped back to #2 (6.9-6.4).  UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLTN ESTEREO LATINO landed its best book in over a year (5.8-6.1) and moved up two spots to #3. COX RADIO Classic Rock KGLK (THE EAGLE) was up for the second straight month (5.3-5.5) and feathered its nest by moving up from #6 to #4. What is everyone talking about at iHEARTMEDIA N/T KTRH-A?  The fact that the station had its best book in over a year to move up two places to #5 (5.0-5.3). Considering its recent three-book surge, one may surmise this was election-related. RADIO ONE Top 40/R KBXX (THE BOX) fell from the top five for the first time, landing at #6 with its lowest share since MARCH (5.9-5.2). COX RADIO Country KKBQ (93Q) also had its lowest share in over a year (5.9-5.0) as it dropped four spots to #7. And, what of the newest kid in town? Though RADIO ONE Rhythmic AC KROI (BOOM) didn’t launch until the book was four days old, it still had an impressive showing. It moved from a tie at #24 to #14 and more than tripled its share in the process (1.0-3.2).

Last month, KODA saw its four-book run at #1 25-54 come to an end. That did not become a trend as the station returned to the throne with a nice rebound. KLTN had its best book in over a year for the second straight survey but it was not enough as the station slid back to #2.  iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTBZ (THE BUZZ) was also up nicely and was rewarded with a TEXAS two-step jump to #3. Though KGLK only had the slightest of increases, it was enough to propel the station forward three places to #4. KMJQ had its lowest number since MAY and dropped back to #5 while cluster-mate KBXX fell three spots to #6 with its smallest share since MARCH. KKBQ had its lowest number in over a year as it fell back to #7. KROI had quite the debut as it moved from a tie at #29 to #10 – increasing its share eight-fold!

KBXX maintained a solid hold on the #1 position 18-34 but saw its string of double-digit shares end at six. KLTN remained at #2 with a flat book, which was fine since it matched its best book in the last year. iHEARTMEDIA Urban KQBT (THE BEAT) also held fast at #3 despite posting its lowest number since JULY. KTBZ ended a two-book slide and moved up to #4, which displaced KKBQ as it dropped to #5 with – once again, its lowest share in over a year. The only word that can describe the debut of KROI in this demo is BOOM!  The station moved from a tie at #31 to #6.

KLTN has been on quite the run for the last couple of books and was rewarded this time by being elevated to #1 18-49 with its highest share in over a year.  This ended a five-book stay at the top for KBXX, which dropped back to #2.  KODA ended a two-book slide as it moved up three notches to #3.  KTBZ remained moored at #4 though it did add some share.  KKBQ fell two spots to #5 with its lowest book in over a year.  KQBT dropped to #6 with its smallest share since JULY and this may have been partially due to KROI, which rocketed up the chart from a tie at #32 to #9.

WASHINGTON, D.C.: The More Things Change …

The more they stay the same. No, that was not a veiled Federal Government reference but this is our nation’s capital, after all. The same top five players were in the same place they were last month. HUBBARD News WTOP was #1 for the eleventh book in a row though it did report its smallest share in over a year (7.5-7.4). HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR had its best book in over a year (6.9-7.0) but had to settle for second place for the third straight month.  iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIHT (HOT) was flat (6.6-6.6) but that was good enough to keep it at #3. AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU was off slightly but remained at #4 (6.1-6.0). iHEARTMEDIA AC WASH was up slightly at #5 (4.6-4.8) but trailed the top four by a wide margin. That is sure to change next month as the sugar plum fairies take over. CUMULUS Talk WMAL-F has been on a strong six-book run that has taken it from #14 to its latest residence at #6. This was also the station’s best book in over a year (4.2-4.4).

For the tenth straight survey, WIHT was #1 25-54. If history holds, the station will turn it up to 11 next month.  For the last four books, WHUR has been on the up-down roller coaster. The train went up this time and the station moved up to #2. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WWDC (DC/101) had its best book in over a year and still dropped a spot to #3. WTOP also moved back one square to #4 though it was up slightly. Sometimes, life is not fair. There was a dead heat at #5.  WAMU was stationary and flat (sounds like an old comedy duo) while WASH moved up a notch with a small increase.

There was gridlock again in the 18-34 arena as the same five players occupied the same five positions. WIHT was again your runaway market leader.  Even though it was flat, HOT maintained a four-plus share advantage over #2 RADIO ONE Urban WKYS (KISS), which was up.  CBS RADIO Top 40/R WPGC remained at #3 though it was down for the fourth book in a row. WWDC had a small increase while maintaining its hold on #4 while CBS RADIO Hot AC WIAD (FRESH) claimed the #5 spot with a slight decrease.  No other station was within a half share of the top five.

There was one minor alteration to the top five 18-49.  Of course, WIHT was still a dominant #1 despite a small loss. #2 WHUR was over two shares back in the trail position even after posting its highest number since JANUARY. WWDC was up but steady at #3 while WKYS had its best book since JULY to remain at #4. WIAD commandeered sole possession of the #5 slot with its best showing since JUNE.  WPGC abdicated its share of that position with its lowest total in precisely one year as it dropped to #9.

PHILADELPHIA:  More Of The Same

By our rough math, this marks the eleventh survey of the year. For nine of those books, WEAZ-FM RADIO AC WBEB (MORE FM) has been the #1 station. The station was off slightly this time (7.1-6.8) but with JACK FROST about to nip our collective noses, the narrow gap it held over #2 iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS (6.2-6.5) is about to widen substantially. CBS RADIO Classic Hits WOGL rebounded nicely from last month’s down book (5.7-6.0) and moved up to #3. This caused future cluster-mate BEASLEY Country WXTU to mosey on back to #4 (5.9-5.5). A couple of cluster brothers are taking this “synergy” thing to new heights. They were tied at #6 last month and moved into a tie at #5 this month. We are speaking of GREATER MEDIA Classic Rock WMGK (5.0-5.1) and GREATER MEDIA Active Rock WMMR (5.0-5.1). For the record, this was the fourth time this year the stations tied in the standings.  CBS RADIO Sports WIP-F was sacked for a loss this survey (5.3-4.8) as it fell back three places to #8.

WMMR wasn’t in a sharing mood with its brother as the station was #1 25-54 for the eighth straight survey. Last year, it managed to hold off the SANTA brigade and win DECEMBER so we’ll see what’s in the stocking this year. WDAS moved back to #2 and has been quite the story for the last several surveys. As recently as APRIL, the station was sitting at #11 but has grown substantially since then.  WBEB was flat but moved up to #3 while WXTU fell two places to #4 with its lowest share since FEBRUARY. A couple of cluster-mates had a strong survey. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WRFF (RADIO 104.5) had its best month since JULY to move from #9 to #5 while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIOQ (Q012) jumped from #10 to #6 with its best book in over a year. WIP-F was thrown for a loss as it dropped four places to #9.

There was some minor rearranging of the chairs at the top five 18-34 table. However, WXTU kept its seat at #1 for the second month in a row despite a down book. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WUSL (POWER) had a solid increase to move up a spot to #2.  This dropped WBEB back to #3 as it had a solid decrease in share. WRFF and WMMR swapped positions at #4 and #5 with the former bouncing back from its lowest share of the year and the latter posting its smallest number since AUGUST.

WMMR surged back to #1 18-49 with its best book since MAY while WBEB moved up to #2 despite a small loss. WXTU dropped from the top to #3 with its lowest total since MAY while WUSL took over sole possession of the #4 position thanks to a strong increase. WRFF moved forward one square to #5 as it reverted to a more normal number (for the station).  WIOQ was knocking at the top-five door. After posting its best book in over a year, it moved up to #6 and was just this close to being #5. WDAS only lost a wee bit of share but that was enough to send the station packing from #4 to #7. This is another market that’s heard the BOOM of Classic Hip-Hop. RADIO ONE WPHI (BOOM 107.9) flipped on NOVEMBER 7th, just two days into the DECEMBER survey. Expect an update next month.

ATLANTA: Everybody’s Talkin’ At Me

For the third straight month, COX RADIO Talk WSB-A was #1. Perhaps it was all the mid-term election buzz that gave the station its best book in exactly a year (7.6-7.9). It’s kind of ironic that this election could fuel listening but not voter turnout. Just sayin’. CBS RADIO Urban WVEE (V-103) made a strong bid for winning this round by landing its best number since DECEMBER (7.1-7.8) to remain at #2. COX RADIO Urban AC WALR (KISS) was a good distance behind the market leaders but did move up a spot to #3 (5.9-6.1). Cluster-mate COX RADIO AC WSB-F (B98.5) dropped back to #4 thanks to its lowest share in over a year (6.6-5.6). iHEARTMEDIA Country WUBL (THE BULL) barged back into the top five with a slight increase (5.3-5.5).  SALEM Christian Contemporary WFSH (THE FISH) swam downstream to a tie at #7 with its lowest share since AUGUST (5.6-5.0).

After sinking to its lowest point in over a year back in AUGUST, WVEE certainly has returned to form. The station was #1 25-54 for the third month in a row with its largest number since JANUARY.  WSB-A moved up a spot to #2 with its best share in over a year. It was tied at #2 with RADIO ONE Urban AC WAMJ (MAJIC), which moved up from #4 with a nice increase. WUBL rebounded from its down book and moved up to #4 while COX RADIO Classic Hits WSRV (THE RIVER) ended a three-book slide as it returned to the top five. WSB-F matched its lowest book of the year, which sent the station tumbling from #2 to a tie at #6.

How hot is WVEE 18-34?  Well, it was up for the third month in a row, had its second straight double-digit share, and posted its best book in over a year. RADIO ONE Urban WHTA (HOT) had its best book since MAY to remain #2 but still trailed the leader by more than two shares. CUMULUS Top 40/M WWWQ (Q100) was off slightly but became the sole occupant of the #3 position. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WRDA (RADIO 105.7) shed some share and dropped in rank to #4. WSRV was up for the third straight book and thanks to its highest number in over a year, moved forward three paces to #5. WSB-F’s woes continued here as it dropped from #5 to a tie at #9.

The WVEE heat wave continued 18-49.  The station remained in its customary #1 position and had its best share since JANUARY.  Two stations improved their standing and moved into a tie at #2.  WUBL rose from #4 while WHTA made the jump from #5.  Both stations had modest increases.  WAMJ also moved forward, rising two places to #4.  WWWQ had an ever-so-slight decrease in share but that drove the station from #3 to #5.  At this point the reader would not be surprised to learn that WSB-F dropped from #2 to #6 thanks to its smallest output in over a year.

BOSTON: Kiss Is On The List

So what else is new? iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WXKS (KISS) was #1 for the eleventh book in a row (7.0-7.1). It appears the only thing that can derail this train is the polar express. The next three spots were manned (or womanned) by the same cluster.  GREATER MEDIA Classic Hits WROR was down for the third straight book (6.2-6.0) but remained at #2.  GREATER MEDIA Country WKLB posted its lowest number since Mommy was making out under the tree (think of the childhood trauma) but remained at #3 (6.0-5.7). It was joined by cluster sister GREATER MEDIA AC WMJX (MAGIC), which moved in from #4 despite a down book (5.8-5.7). CBS RADIO Classic Rock WZLX was flat and happy to remain at #5 (5.6-5.6). Add to the list of the many great feats performed by TOM BRADY his ability to lift CBS RADIO Sports WBZ-F (THE SPORTS HUB) from #7 to #6.  OK, maybe he had some help but the station did have its best book since JANUARY (4.7-5.3). Keep an eye on BOSTON UNIVERSITY

N/T WBUR, which had its best book in over a year (4.5-5.1) and moved up a slot to #7.
WXKS is now 11 for 11 in 2014 as it took 25-54 honors despite a slight loss of share.  WBZ-F used the power of eleven to score its best book in exactly one year and remained at #2.  WZLX bounced back nicely from a down book and moved up a notch to #3, which forced WMJX to take one step back to #4 as it had a slight loss of share.  WKLB had its lowest share since last year’s HOLIDAY festivities but clung to the #5 position for dear life.  ENTERCOM Sports WEEI-F was on the move as it tossed in its best book in a year.  This allowed the station to move up two places in the standings to #6.

After three months in the doldrums, WXKS returned to double-digit share land 18-34 and extended its lead over #2 WKLB to over a share. This despite the fact that WKLB had its highest number since MAY, when that station was last in double-digit land. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R WJMN (JAM’N) remained at #3 while being flat.  Meanwhile, GREATER MEDIA Rhythmic AC WBQT (HOT) had its lowest share in over a year but still clung to the #4 hole. GREATER MEDIA Alternative WBOS (RADIO 92.9) moved up to #5 with its best performance since JULY. This dropped WMJX back to #6 as it was down for the second book in a row.

The natural order of things 18-49 remained unaltered this survey. WXKS was in its customary #1 slot as it posted a flat book. WKLB followed not so closely behind with a slight loss of share.  WBZ-F had its highest share since JANUARY and closed the gap at #3 while WMJX was off slightly at #4. WJMN was up slightly to hold steady at #5. There is enough sports buzz to go around as WEEI-F had its best game in over a year to move up four spots to #8.

Thanks for reading.  As always, if you have corrections, comments, or kudos – feel free to reach out to the Ratings Experts at RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. via the platforms listed above.

Stay tuned for this month’s final episode when we examine DETROIT, MIAMI, SEATTLE, PHOENIX, and MINNEAPOLIS.

« see more Net News