Research Director, Inc.: Exclusive December PPM Analysis For Houston, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Atlanta And Bo

Exclusive Analysis

We take a break from trying to thread those flimsy hooks through our ornaments (insert your own innuendo here) to bring you another round of riveting ratings analysis.  The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC., in conjunction with the wizards from XTRENDS, bring you NIELSEN’s version of the month of DECEMBER.  To be precise – we’re numbers people, after all – this survey ran from 11/5 through 12/2. 

Three events of note occurred during this time.  The THANKSGIVING holiday had an effect on weeks #3 and #4.  The official ringing of the bells began at some point during this time period.  And, the rollout of the enhanced CBET module reached every market.  Other than that, it was business as usual.

Houston-Galveston: Dreaming Of A Sunny Christmas...

iHEARTMEDIA AC KODA (SUNNY) turned to the Yule side at the beginning of the third week of the survey.  You would be hard pressed to see much drama resulting from that.  The station did well (7.7-8.0) to remain #1 6+ but was off from last year’s pace of a 9.2.  This also did not cause the usual ripple effect down the line.  RADIO ONE Urban AC KMJQ (MAJIC) remained at #2 (6.2-6.5) while UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLTN (ESTEREO LATINO) became a stronger #3 with its best showing since MAY (5.7-6.2).  Two cluster mates got all cozy at #4.  COX RADIO Country KKBQ (93Q) was flat (5.6-5.6) and stable while COX RADIO Classic Rock KGLK (THE EAGLE) rose the thermal up from #6 with its highest share since MAY (5.2-5.6).  RADIO ONE Top 40/R KBXX (THE BOX) slipped back to #6 (5.3-5.2).  There was a second entry into the holiday hysteria – KSBJ EDUCATIONAL Christian Contemporary KSBJ made the move during the fourth week of the survey.  The station did not reap any immediate effects as it stepped back to #7 (5.2-4.9).

All that merry making led to only a slight increase for KODA but the station was #1 25-54 for the fourth book in a row.  However, it was nearly two shares off last year’s pace.  The next two stations posted their best shares since APRIL.  KLTN remained at #2 while KGLK advanced to #3 from a tie at #6.  KMJQ was flat but slid back to #4.  KKBQ had its lowest number since Rudolph’s last visit to drop back into a tie at #5.  It was joined by CUMULUS Top 40/M KRBE, which took one step forward thanks to its best showing in over a year.  KSBJ was off slightly and dropped a spot to #11.

The top two stations 18-34 remained unchanged from the previous survey.  KBXX ended a two-book run but was still a very strong #1 while #2 KLTN was up for the second month in a row.  The elves did work their magic on KODA as the station rose from #8 to #3 with its highest share since JULY.  CBS RADIO Spanish Contemporary KLOL moved up a slot to #4 with its best performance in over a year.  KRBE took a small hit, which dropped the station back into a tie at #5 with iHEARTMEDIA Urban KQBT (THE BEAT), which had its lowest score in over a year.  KSBJ slid from #12 to a tie at #14.

That old silk hat was of no use 18-49.  KLTN moved up to #1 with its highest share since MARCH.  This knocked KODA back to #2 as the station was actually down this month.  KBXX was off a bit at #3 while KRBE moved up to #4 with its best showing in over a year.  KKBQ remained at #5 but again found coal in its stocking as it landed its lowest score since the last time the maids were milking.  KMJQ had a modest increase to move up two slots to #6 while iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTBZ (THE BUZZ) dropped three places to #7 thanks to its lowest total in over a year. KSBJ fell from a tie at #11 to #14.

Washington, D.C.: Talk Tied

SANTA was not the top story of the month but there were plenty of other stories that were being told and heard.  iHEARTMEDIA AC WASH was the station decked in boughs of holly and went relatively early – right around the beginning of week #2.  The station did get its early CHRISTMAS bonus (6.1-7.0) but had to settle for remaining at #3.  The top spots 6+ belonged to two stations that talked an awful lot.  HUBBARD News WTOP was there for the twelfth time in a row but with its lowest share since APRIL (8.2-7.9).  Meanwhile, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU moved up a spot to share the lead with a solid gain (7.4-7.9).  iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIHT (HOT) was steady at #4 though with its smallest number since FEBRUARY (5.9-5.8).  And then there were two.  Last time three stations were vying for the coveted title of #5.  Their ranks were reduced by a third.  HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR ended a three-book skid (4.7-4.9) while CBS RADIO Top 40/R WPGC ended a two-book slide (4.7-4.9).  The third member of that erstwhile trio – RADIO ONE Urban AC WMMJ (MAJIC) – dropped to #7, ending a nice four-book run (4.7-4.3).  The other big news in the market was the return of CUMULUS Top 40/M WRQX (MIX) to its previous format with its long-time morning man JACK DIAMOND.  The flip happened early in the book but the initial results were neutral as the station only moved up to a tie at #15 (2.6-2.4).

Things were a bit merrier 25-54 as WASH moved up two spots to #1 with its best book since Yuletides were merry last year.  WTOP had its lowest share since AUGUST to fall back to #2 while WIHT again had its smallest share since FEBRUARY to take a step back to #3.  WAMU was off slightly but stable at #4 while WPGC was flat and happy at #5.  WRQX was also flat but managed to climb two spots to #15.

WIHT ran its double-digit 18-34 share string to twelve, though with its lowest share since JANUARY.  Still, that was enough to maintain a two-and-a-half share lead on WASH, which surged to #2 thanks to a massive pine-scented increase.  RADIO ONE Urban WKYS (KISS) stepped back to #3 despite ending a two-book slide while rival WPGC was flat and back to #4.  iHEARTMEDIA Country WMZQ was again #5 but with a slight increase , posting its best score in over a year.  CBS RADIO Hot AC WIAD (FRESH) had jumped six places to #6 with its highest share since AUGUST.  Things were not as rosy for the newly minted WRQX, which dropped five places to #13.

The top of the 18-49 leaderboard was relatively unaltered from the previous survey.  WIHT was #1 for the twelfth book in a row though with its smallest share since JANUARY.  WASH got the expected Santa boost as it remained at #2 with its best share since last year’s HOLIDAY season. WPGC was up slightly at #3 while WKYS was close behind at #4.  WTOP had its lowest output since APRIL but remained at #5 where it was joined by WAMU, which was flat.  WRQX dropped a spot to #14.

Philadelphia: Please, Sir, Can I Listen To More?

This is a market that features two major players who decided to change format during the survey. The original remained the greatest, as JERRY LEE RADIO AC WBEB (MORE), which flipped at the beginning of week #3, crushed it to remain #1 6+ (8.0-10.7).  This was well ahead of last year’s 8.5 share.  CBS RADIO Classic Hits WOGL made its move at the very end of week #3 and did not fare as well.  Though the station was still #3, it was down (5.9-5.5) but on pace with last year.  In between was GREATER MEDIA Classic Rock WMGK (6.0-5.6).  GREATER MEDIA Active Rock WMMR had its lowest score since APRIL (5.7-5.0) but remained at #4.  It had company as iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS took one step forward despite losing share, as well (5.4-5.0).  Three stations were close behind at #6.  CBS RADIO News KYW-A was last month’s sole occupant and this time reported its lowest number in over a year (5.0-4.7).  Fear not, winter is coming.  iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIOQ (Q102) moved up from a tie at #9 with its highest score since JULY (4.5-4.7) while CBS RADIO Country WXTU took one step forward despite posting its lowest number since MARCH (4.9-4.7).

Apparently, the folks at WBEB were at the top of the nice list as the station crashed through the double-digit barrier with 25-54.  The station was more than three shares ahead of last year’s pace. WMMR was down for the second month in a row to remain at #2 while iHEARTMEDIA Urban WUSL (POWER) wrested control of the #3 spot with its best book since JULY.  WIOQ was flat but moved up two slots to #4 where it was side-by-side with WDAS, which took one step up despite a small loss of share.  WMGK had its lowest total since BING CROSBY’s last visit and dropped three places to #6.  WOGL was off slightly but moved up a rung to a tie at #10.

Another demo, another double-digit performance for WBEB.  The station advanced three squares to #1 18-34 and actually exceeded last year’s number by a hair.  WIOQ had its best performance in over a year to jump from #5 to #2.  WUSL remained at #3 but with its lowest share in over a year.  WMMR fell three places to #4 with its lowest score since SEPTEMBER.  iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WRFF (RADIO 104.5) had its best book since JUNE to take one step up to #5.  WXTU was not as fortunate.  It dropped four places to #6 with its lowest total since APRIL.  WOGL had its highest score since JUNE and that took the station from #14 to #10.

The haunting sounds of ELMO AND PATSY allowed WBEB to go four for four in double-digit demo performances.  This year’s 18-49 number was over two shares heftier than last DECEMBER.  WMMR had its lowest total since the last time the aforementioned duo was lamenting the loss of their grandmother and dropped but remained at #2.  It was joined by WIOQ, which took a step forward with its highest total since JULY.  WUSL was up slightly to remain at #4 while WRFF advanced to #5 despite a slight loss.  WXTU dropped back to #6 with its smallest share since MARCH while cluster mate WOGL was up slightly at #8.

Atlanta: A Christmas Fish

This is one of the few markets that does not seem to get all giggity over the whole holiday gestalt. SALEM Christian Contemporary WFSH (THE FISH) was the designated bringer of the cheer.  It flipped during the fourth week of the survey and posted its lowest number in over a year (5.2-4.3) to drop out of a three-way tie at #4 to #9.  Otherwise, it was status quo as CBS RADIO Urban WVEE (V-103) was #1 6+ for the eleventh straight survey (8.8-8.9).  However, it just nipped COX RADIO Talk WSB-A, which had its best performance in over a year (7.8-8.8).  COX RADIO Urban AC WALR (KISS) remained at #3 despite logging its lowest number since MAY (7.0-6.7).  RADIO ONE Urban WHTA (HOT) was feeling the burn with its highest share in over a year (4.5-5.6).  It jumped from a tie at #9 to #4.  COX RADIO AC WSB-F (B98.5) had a small increase, which increased its ranking from #7 to #5 (5.0-5.2).  The other two stations that were at #4 last month were still together but at the lower status of #6.  RADIO ONE Urban AC WAMJ (MAJIC) fell out of the fives (5.2-4.9) after a two-month run while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WWPW (POWER) also ended a two-book run (5.2-4.9).

Another month, another dominating 25-54 performance, courtesy of WVEE.  With WSB-A off slightly at #2, the gap between the two widened to over three shares.  WHTA was the story this time.  The station moved up two slots to #3 with another “best in over a year” performances. WALR had its lowest total since APRIL and dropped back into a tie at #4 with WAMJ, which moved up a spot despite being flat for the second book in a row.  CUMULUS Top 40/M WWWQ (Q100) slid two places to #6 with its lowest total since the chestnuts were last being roasted. WFSH was off slightly but did move up to a tie at #10.

For the fifth month in a row, WVEE exceeded the double-digit threshold with 18-34.  However, the station was off slightly from the previous survey and, combined with #2 WHTA’s new hotness, the distance between the two stations shrunk to under two shares.  WWWQ was off slightly at #3 while WWPW remained at #4 despite its second down book in a row.  iHEARTMEDIA Country WUBL (THE BULL) charged its way up to #5 with a slight increase.  This dropped WSB-F back to #6.  COX RADIO Classic Hits WSRV (THE RIVER) saw a strong increase and it became a lord as it leapt from #14 to #7.  WFSH moved up a slot to #16 with a small increase.

In case you’re counting – yes, we are – this was the ninth straight time WVEE was in double digits 18-49.  WHTA remained at #2 with its best book in over a year but trailed the leader by over four shares.  WWWQ was off slightly at #3 while WWPW was down a bit at #4.  WSB-A had its highest share in over a year to move up four slots to #5.  WALR dropped four places to #8 with its lowest share since MARCH.  WFSH moved up to #12 despite being down from the previous month.

Boston: There Must Have Been Some Magic In...

GREATER MEDIA AC WMJX (MAGIC) made the call to Santa early in week #3.  The result was … nothing.  The station remained #1 6+ for the third book in a row but was flat (8.0-8.0).  Also flat was CBS RADIO Sports WBZ-F (THE SPORTS HUB), which regained its second-place standing (6.7-6.7).  iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WXKS (KISS) had its highest share in over a year (6.1-6.6) to move up a slot to #3.  GREATER MEDIA Classic Hits WROR dropped two spots to #4 with its smallest share since the last time the misfit toys were being exiled (7.0-6.2).  CBS RADIO News WBZ-A moved up to #5 (5.4-5.7), which bumped ENTERCOM Sports WEEI-F back to #6 (5.5-5.5).

In PHILADELPHIA they boo Santa.  In BOSTON they just beat him in the ratings.  WBZ-F was #1 25-54 for the sixth book in a row though it was off a smidge.  WMJX remained well back at #2 with its best book since carols were being sung by a choir.  The suddenly surging WXKS held on close behind at #3 with its best performance in exactly a year.  WROR took a bit of a hit but held on at #4 where it was sharing the experience with WEEI-F, which moved up a step even though it, too, was down.  It has been an interesting five-book run for BOSTON UNIVERSITY N/T WBUR that has seen the station rise from #15 to a tie at #9 after posting its best number in exactly a year.

CBS RADIO Top 40/M WODS (AMP) has obviously been consuming a lot of energy drinks over the last several months.  The station was a dominating #1 18-34 for the second book in a row and has more than doubled its SEPTEMBER share when it was #11.  WXKS was up slightly at #2 though it trailed the leader by more than two shares.  GREATER MEDIA Rhythmic AC WBQT (HOT) had its best performance in over a year but was stuck at #3 again.  WMJX moved up two spots to #4 with a small increase.  The two stations lumped together at #4 last time remained partners, only now it’s at #5 as both stations were off slightly.  GREATER MEDIA Country WKLB had its lowest number in over a year while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R WJMN (JAM’N) was just down.

After a three-book absence, WXKS resumed its leadership role 18-49 with its highest score in over a year.  WBZ-F was up slightly but dropped back to second place.  WMJX was up for the fifth book in a row to remain at #3.  WODS jumped two spots to #4 with its best book in over a year. Just two surveys ago the station was in a tie at #12.  WBQT was flat but inched up to #5 while WKLB dropped two places to #6 with its fifth straight down book.  WROR took a hit and fell three spots to #8.

Time to go fight the mall for those last-minute gifts.  The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. have one more batch of ratings analyses to serve up.  Waiting in the queue are DETROIT, MIAMI, SEATTLE, PHOENIX, and MINNEAPOLIS.

Email: sallan@researchdirectorinc.com
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