Research Director, Inc.: Exclusive October PPM Analysis For New York, L.A., Chicago, S.F., Dallas

Markets #1-5

We have been waiting an entire year to trot out this radio cliché – welcome to ROCKTOBER! Yes, the ROCKTOBER fest that is the NIELSEN survey spent merely five days in its namesake month but that was long enough to call it ROCKTOBER (actual survey dates: 9/8-10/5). This was a period devoid of any major holidays unless you count the NFL season kick-off as one. Oh, and there were pennant races to contend with, as well. The rest of the time was pretty much normal. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR. INC., along with the data divers from XTRENDS, present – ROCKTOBER!! (insert laser whips here) …

NEW YORK: Gotta Lite?

Things could not have been brighter for iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (LITE) as the station was #1 6+ for the third book in a row (6.5-6.7) with its best share since MARCH. And, to think, it won’t be long before the sleigh bells ring (they’ll be listenin’). It was also a good month to be iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHTZ (Z100) – spoiler alert. The station remained at #2 but with its highest total in over a year (5.4-5.7). EMMIS Urban AC WBLS took sole possession of third place with its best outing since MAY (5.3-5.6). CBS RADIO Classic Hits WCBS-FM slipped back to #4 (5.3-5.4) while two stations took up space at #5. SBS Tropical WSKQ (MEGA) was up from #6 (4.6-4.7) while iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3) had its largest number in over a year (4.3-4.7) to advance from #7. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKTU ended a strong five-book run (4.8-3.9) to fall three places to a tie at #8. CBS RADIO Sports WFAN was humming “Eli’s Coming” as the station moved up to #10 with its best total since MAY (3.1-3.7).

As was alluded to earlier, it was a good month for WHTZ. The station moved up to #1 25-54 with its highest share in over a year. WSKQ was flat and dropped back to #2. WLTW remained at #3 but with its best showing since APRIL. WBLS repeated at #4 with a slight increase while iHEARTMEDIA Urban WWPR (POWER) took control of the #5 position as it, too, had a slight uptick. WFAN had its highest score since JANUARY to climb three places to #7. WKTU dropped three spots to a tie at #8 with its lowest total since MAY.

Check out the big 18-34 book on Z100. The station remained #1, but with a “yuge” share increase, it led the two #2s by about two and a half shares. Sharing the stage in the second position were two arch rivals. EMMIS Top 40/R WQHT (HOT) remained in place but with its lowest total since JANUARY. WWPR was off a bit but still moved up from #3. WSKQ had its lowest share in over a year but held on at #4. Two stations moved up and into a tie at #5. CBS RADIO Top 40/M WBMP (AMP) was flat but still inched up from #6 while WLTW advanced from #8 as it bounced back from last month’s down book. WAXQ was unmoved from #7 but still posted its best number since AUGUST. WKTU dropped from #5 to #8 again.

WHTZ was up 18-49 for the third book in a row and also made it a three-peat at #1 (do we owe PAT RILEY royalties for using that line?). WWPR was flat and steady at #2 but was joined by WSKQ, which took one step upward as it ended a three-book slide. WLTW was up two places to #4 with its best performance since MAY while WQHT had its lowest total since JANUARY but held on at #5. WKTU dropped to a tie at #7 with its lowest score since MAY.

LOS ANGELES: I Ain’t Afraid Of No KOST

Who you gonna call for a #1 6+ share? For the twelfth book in a row, it would be iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST. The station was also the only one to exceed a five share (5.6-5.4). CBS RADIO Rhythmic AC KTWV (THE WAVE) was up for the second book in a row (4.3-4.7) as it jumped three places to #2. Three (count ‘em) three stations were handling the #3 trophy. Two of them dropped back from a tie at #2 last time. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KIIS (KISS) had its lowest share since we were mistaking a snow sculpture for a man of the cloth (4.9-4.5). CBS RADIO Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH) had its lowest total since JUNE (4.9-4.5). Univision Spanish Contemporary KLVE (K-LOVE) moved up from #6 (4.2-4.5). iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (MY FM) slid to #6 with its lowest score in over a year (4.7-4.4).

The top five 25-54 had a distinctly different feeling from the previous demo. KLVE had its best book in over a year to leapfrog from #3 to #1. As recently as JUNE, the station was sitting at #9. The previous demo leader – KBIG – dropped to #2 as it ended a two-book surge. It was tied with the previous occupant of that position – KIIS – which returned all of last month’s modest increase. KOST remained at #4 with a flat performance while CBS RADIO Adult Hits KCBS-F (JACK) slid to #5 with its lowest total since MAY.

It was more of the same atop the 18-34 leaderboard as KIIS, while being flat, was #1 for the fifth straight survey. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KYSR (ALT 98.7) remained at #2 with a small increase while iHEARTMEDIA Urban KRRL (REAL 92.3) was the last one standing at #3 with a flat performance. EMMIS Top 40/R KPWR (POWER) jumped three places to #4 with a small increase. KLVE inched up to #5 despite a down book and was joined by CBS RADIO Top 40/M KAMP (AMP), which slid from a tie at #3 with its least productive outing since MARCH. Also sliding from #3 was KBIG. The station dropped to #7 with its lowest share in over a year.

KIIS kept its 2016 18-49 streak alive as it was #1 for the tenth book in a row, despite giving back last month’s small increase. KLVE took a step forward to #2 with its best book in over a year and was as close as is mathematically possible to being #1, as well. KBIG stepped back to #3 while KOST remained at #4 with a flat book. KYSR remained in a tie at #5 with a slight increase but had a new partner. UNIVISION Regional Mexican KSCA (ZONA MX) was up from #9 with its largest output in over a year. Two previous members of the #5 club fell off the pace. KAMP dropped to #9 with its smallest share since FEBRUARY while KRTH ended up at #10 with its lowest number since the tree tops glistened.

CHICAGO: Big News

It was a big month to be informed as CBS RADIO News WBBM-A took sole possession of first place with its best book since FEBRUARY (6.0-6.8). And to think, it’s not even winter yet. iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WVAZ (V103) gave up its share of the lead and stepped back to #2 (6.0-5.8). Then came all the rest. HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (MIX) remained a somewhat distant #3 with its second down book in a row (5.2-4.9). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKSC (KISS) held on at #4 but with its lowest share since JUNE (4.8-4.4). TRIBUNE N/T WGN-A moved up three places to #5 with its best outing since APRIL (3.7-4.3). The CUBS’ success continued to buoy CBS RADIO Sports WSCR-A (THE SCORE), though the station did slide to #6 (4.5-4.2).

And the hits just kept on coming for WTMX. The station continued its uninterrupted 2016 run as #1 25-54 despite a small loss. Still, it led incumbent #2 WKSC by almost a share and a half as KISS gave back half of last month’s increase. The next two stations made big jumps thanks to their best books in over a year. WBBM-A was up three places to #3 while HUBBARD Classic Hits WDRV (THE DRIVE) was up from #7 to #4. That’s noteworthy because, as recently as JUNE, the station was in a tie at #16. WVAZ slid a couple of places to #5 with its lowest total in over a year. Two stations exited the top five. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WGCI slipped to #6 with a modest decrease while WSCR-A dropped two to #7. We’re pretty confident the CUBS WORLD SERIES run may have an effect on the station’s numbers.

There was no change among the top four stations 18-34. Though WGCI had its lowest share since DECEMBER, it remained #1 for the tenth straight survey. WKSC was off slightly at #2 but managed to creep closer to the top spot. WTMX was also down – but steady – at #3. CBS RADIO Top 40/M WBBM-F (B96) remained at #4 but posted its largest number since AUGUST. CUMULUS Alternative WKQX was up to #5 as it ended a three-book slide.

The top three 18-49 remained locked in place this survey. WKSC was off slightly but copped its second straight #1. WTMX was also off but steady at #2 while WGCI fell farther back at #3 with its lowest total since DECEMBER. Two stations moved up and into a tie at #4. WBBM-F took a step forward despite its third straight down book while UNIVISION Regional Mexican WOJO (QUE BUENA) moved up five slots with its highest score since MAY. WVAZ slipped back to #6 as it returned all of last month’s big gain. WDRV made a big jump – from #11 to #7 – with its highest share in over a year.

SAN FRANCISCO: More Big News

There was a changing of the guard in the 6+ arena as CBS RADIO News KCBS-A returned to the #1 slot with its highest score since FEBRUARY (5.6-6.1). Last month’s leader – KQED INC. N/T KQED – was flat (5.9-5.9) but stepped back to #2. CUMULUS Sports KNBR-A got back all it lost last month (4.9-5.7) to remain at #3. Then came those stations playing songs for a living. CBS RADIO Top 40/M KMVQ (NOW) was up to #4 with its best book in over a year (4.0-4.2). ENTERCOM AC KOIT moved up to #5 despite a small loss (3.9-3.8). iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KIOI (STAR) dropped to #6 with its smallest number since we heard sleigh bells in the snow (4.3-3.7). It was tied with iHEARTMEDIA AC KISQ (THE BREEZE), which blew in from #11 (3.2-3.7).

The GIANTS’ late surge for the Wild Card propelled KNBR-A back to #1 25-54 as the station ended a three-book slide. KQED stepped back to #2 with a small decrease while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KYLD (WILD) slid to #3 as it returned last month’s small gain. Two cluster sisters were clustered together at #4. CBS RADIO Hot AC KLLC (ALICE) stepped back from its share of #2 with its lowest score since APRIL while KMVQ was up from #5 with a flat performance.

Though the 18-34 crown remained in the same building, the kudos went to a different station. KYLD was back on top with a small increase while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KMEL took a big hit to drop back to #2. After three months at #1, the station was back to the same position – and number – it had in JUNE. KMVQ was off slightly and remained a distant #3. KNBR-A rode the baseball wave and jumped from #10 to #4 with its highest run total in over a year. KIOI slipped back to #5 with a slight decrease while ENTERCOM Top 40/R KRBQ (Q102) dropped to #7 with its smallest share since FEBRUARY.

Though KMVQ was off slightly 18-49, the station was able to jump two places to claim the #1 position by the slimmest of all possible margins. KYLD remained at #2, but with a down book, while KMEL dropped from #1 to #3 with its lowest total since AUGUST. KNBR-A moved up five places in the standings – to #4 – thanks to its highest score since MAY. KRBQ stepped back to #5 with a small decrease while KLLC slid to #6 with its second small loss in a row.

DALLAS-FT.WORTH: Love And Kisses

Last month’s 6+ leader was replaced by a mismatched pair of stations. First, CUMULUS Country KPLX (THE WOLF) saw its string of #1 books end at one. The station slipped to #3 with its first down book since FEBRUARY (5.8-5.4). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KHKS (KISS) returned to its usual place at #1 as it regained all of last month’s share loss (5.4-5.8). However, it was forced to share with CBS RADIO Classic Hits KLUV (K-LOVE), which moved up from #2 (5.7-5.8). UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLNO (QUE BUENA) remained a fixture at #4 with its highest share in over a year (4.7-4.8). Two cluster buddies were hanging out at #5. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KDMX (NOW) remained in place (4.3-4.3) and was joined by iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZPS (LONE STAR), which moved up a slot as it regained a good part of last survey’s big loss (3.8-4.3).

The top-three positions 25-54 remained unchanged from last month. KHKS made it nine in a row at #1 as it rebounded from last month’s down book. KLNO again had its best showing in over a year to remain at #2 while KLUV held firm at #3 despite a small loss. This was a rich sports month in the Metroplex, and that continued to fuel two stations. CUMULUS Sports KTCK-A (THE TICKET) was up to #4 with a slight increase while CBS RADIO Sports KRLD-F (THE FAN) remained at #5 with a slight decrease.

There was not much news out of the 18-34 demo. KHKS continued to reign supreme as it continued at #1 with a small increase. KLNO was up for the fourth book in a row at #2. Before this string began, the station was sitting at #10. KDMX held sway (not exactly sure what that means) at #3 with its highest score since FEBRUARY. KPLX was up a slot to #4 with its best book in over a year, while KLUV stepped back to #5 with a small decrease.

Last month KHKS had a down book but remained #1 18-49. This month the station regained that lost share and continued to lead the market by over a share. KLNO again had its best book in over a year to remain at #2. These two stations were well ahead of the rest of the market. KDMX moved up to #3 with its third straight up book while KPLX took a step up to #4 as it was up for the fifth straight survey. KTCK-A had a slight increase, but that was enough to drive the station from #8 to #5. Two stations dropped out of the top five to end up in a three-way at #6. KLUV slid from #3, ending a two-book surge while KRLD-F dropped from #5 with a small decrease. Joining those two was iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KEGL (EAGLE), which moved in from #7 despite a small loss.

We’re happy to report that this concludes phase one of our analysis. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. vow to return shortly with phase two. This is when we sift through the ratings rubble from HOUSTON-GALVESTON, WASHINGTON, DC, PHILADELPHIA, ATLANTA, and BOSTON. We think this is called appointment reading.

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