Research Director, Inc.: Exclusive Oct. PPM Analysis For Houston, Washington, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston

Markets #6-10

The never-ending story of the NIELSEN ratings adds yet another chapter as The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – in close cooperation with the numbers nerds from XTRENDS – bring you another round of exhilarating ratings analysis (we need to get out more). This time we present OCTOBER, a somewhat misleading title to this tome as the actual survey dates were 9/8 through 10/5. This time frame was devoid of any holidays but did feature the kick-off to the NFL season and the race for the MLB playoffs. The story begins here …

HOUSTON-GALVESTON: Hacer Tabla Rasa

As you shall soon see, this was a great month for UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLTN. To begin with, the station was #1 6+ for the third book in a row with what was easily its best book in over a year (6.7-8.0). iHEARTMEDIA AC KODA (SUNNY) was up to a distant #2 as it ended a five-book slide (6.5-6.6). RADIO ONE Urban AC KMJQ (MAJIC) took a step forward to #3 (5.9-6.1) where it was paired with COX RADIO Classic Rock KGLK (THE EAGLE), which stepped back from #2 with its lowest share since APRIL (6.6-6.1). KSBJ EDUCATIONAL Christian Contemporary KSBJ had its best book since MAY (4.2-4.9) to advance four squares to #5. COX RADIO Country KKBQ (93Q) submitted its lowest total in over a year (4.7-4.2) to slide to #7.

KLTN notched its second straight 25-54 victory with its best showing in over a year and led the pack by over a share and a half. Last month’s #2 duo went their separate ways. KODA remained in place with its lowest share in over a year while KGLK slipped to #3 with its lowest score since APRIL. KMJQ was up a couple to #4 with a slight increase. UNIVISION Spanish Adult Hits KOVE – which as recently as JUNE was tied at #14 – had its best share in over a year to advance three paces to #5. KSBJ was up five places to #6 with its highest score since APRIL. A couple of top fivers dropped back into a tie at #7. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTBZ (THE BUZZ) returned all of last month’s big gain while CBS RADIO Spanish Contemporary KLOL (MEGA) only gave back about half of what it was given last time.

Not surprisingly, KLTN roared to the top of the 18-34 chart with a huge increase. It had a small lead over RADIO ONE Top 40/R KBXX (THE BOX), which slipped back to #2 despite regaining all of last month’s share loss. iHEARTMEDIA Urban KQBT (THE BEAT) dropped to #3 despite landing its biggest number since JUNE. KOVE was up to #4 with its fourth straight positive performance. KLOL remained at #5 but lost almost all of last month’s large increase. KTBZ dropped three places to #7 thanks to its least productive outing since FEBRUARY.

And finally, we come to the 18-49 demo where KLTN was #1 for the fourth straight survey and with its largest share in over a year. KODA maintained its #2 position with a slight decrease. KBXX was up two places to #3 as it ended a three-book slide. Three stations were having a group hug at #4. KTBZ dropped from a tie at #2 with its lowest score since MAY while KQBT moved up from #7 with its best showing since JUNE. KOVE advanced from a tie at #8 with its highest total in over a year. KLOL dropped out of the coveted #4 position and alit at #7 after losing a big chunk of last month’s huge increase.

WASHINGTON, DC: News Rules

While it may not be all news, all of the time, the residents of the DMV certainly spend a lot of time listening to the topics of the day. For the third book in a row, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU was #1 6+. The station also had its best book in over a year (9.0-9.6). Nipping at its heels was HUBBARD News WTOP, which ended a four-book slide (8.7-9.2). Then came everyone else. HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR had its lowest total since FEBRUARY (6.6-5.7) but managed to hold on to third place. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIHT (HOT) inched up to #4 (5.2-5.3) while RADIO ONE Urban AC WMMJ (MAJIC) slid to #5 with its lowest share since MARCH (5.4-4.7). Two other stations made some strong moves this month. RADIO ONE Gospel WPRS (PRAISE) had its best book in over a year (3.4-4.6) to jump five places to #6. All the election talk likely fueled CUMULUS Talk WMAL, which had its best outing since DECEMBER (3.1-4.0) to move up six places to a tie at #8.

For the seventh straight survey, WAMU was #1 25-54. And, it was the second double-digit book in a row for the station. WTOP ended a three-book slide to remain at #2 but was a full three shares off the lead. WIHT repeated at #3 with a slight increase while WHUR maintained its presence at #4 despite posting its lowest score since MAY. Two arch rivals moved in opposite directions. RADIO ONE Urban WKYS (KISS) was up to #5 with its best number since JANUARY. CBS RADIO Top 40/R WPGC had its lowest share in over a year to fall four places to #9. The up-and-comers from the previous demo did well here, too. WPRS was up to a tie at #11 with its highest share in over a year while WMAL moved up to #14 with its best book since JANUARY.

One thing that remained a constant was the 18-34 dominance of WIHT. The station was a flat #1 but that just meant its double-digit share led #2 WAMU – which took a modest loss – by over three points. WKYS remained at #3 with its highest score since DECEMBER while WPGC held steady at #4 with a slight increase. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WWDC (DC-101) retained control of the #5 slot with a small increase. Cluster mate iHEARTMEDIA Country WMZQ fell back to a tie at #7 with its lowest share in over a year. Baseball was very, very good to CBS RADIO Sports WJFK. The NATS ill-fated playoff run pushed the station to its highest ratings in over a year as it rose to #12.

For the third book in a row, WAMU was #1 18-49, as it was up slightly. WIHT ended a two-book slide at #2 while WTOP moved up to #3 as it regained almost all of last month’s share loss. WKYS stepped back to #4 with a flat performance while CBS RADIO Hot AC WIAD (FRESH) was up three places to #5 with its best mark since FEBRUARY. The two fellow occupants of the #5 position from last month went their separate ways. WMMJ ended up at #6 with its smallest share since APRIL while WPGC dropped to a tie at #7, thus ending a two-book surge.

PHILADELPHIA: More, More, More (How Do You Like It …)

The order of the top five 6+ was unchanged from last survey. JERRY LEE RADIO AC WBEB (MORE) was #1 for the second month in a row with its highest share since MAY (7.4-7.6). CBS RADIO Classic Hits WOGL remained at #2 but fell a bit farther off the pace with its lowest score since MAY (6.9-6.7). iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS came in at #3 again but with its first down book since MARCH (6.4-6.3). GREATER MEDIA Active Rock WMMR was #4 but with its best book in exactly one year (5.9-6.1). Cluster brother GREATER MEDIA Classic Rock WMGK held steady at #5 (5.7-5.8). The folks at CBS RADIO Sports WIP-F were certainly ready for some football. The station jumped four places to #6 with its most points since JANUARY (4.0-5.0).

The 25-54 race got as close as is mathematically possible. WMMR was #1 for the fifth straight survey but with a slight decrease. WBEB remained #2 but inched closer with a slight increase. WDAS remained at #3 with a slight increase and was joined by WMGK, which moved up from #6 with its best book since JUNE. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WRFF (RADIO 104.5) slipped to #5 despite a small increase while CBS RADIO Country WXTU dropped to #6 with its second down book in a row. WIP-F again had its best outing since JANUARY, moving up the ranks from #13 to a tie at #8.

Though it gave back about half of last month’s big gain, WMMR remained #1 18-34 for the second book in a row. WRFF climbed up to #2 as it ended a six-book slide while WBEB advanced two squares to #3 with its highest mark since MAY. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WUSL (POWER) dropped back to #4 with its lowest total since JANUARY while WXTU was up to #5 thanks to a small rebound from last month’s down book. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIOQ (Q102) ended a four-book run and fell back to #6.

WMMR was off slightly 18-49 but managed to remain at #1 though it was forced into an alliance with WBEB, which moved up from #3 with its best outing since MAY. WRFF was up to #3 thanks to its second straight positive gain. WUSL fell back to #4 with its smallest share since MAY. WDAS remained firmly entrenched at #5 as it regained most of last month’s loss.

ATLANTA: Double Talk

The 6+ competition has turned into a runaway. COX RADIO Talk WSB-A was #1 for the tenth book in a row and crushed it by blasting through the double-digit barrier (8.9-10.1). #2 CBS RADIO Urban WVEE (V-103) was a small object in the review mirror as it landed its lowest share in over a year (6.8-6.4). Another level back was RADIO ONE Urban WHTA (HOT), which moved up to #3 as it ended a two-book slide (4.9-5.2). SALEM Christian Contemporary WFSH (THE FISH) remained at #4 (5.3-5.1) but was forced to share the space with COX RADIO Urban AC WALR (KISS), which stepped back from #3 with its smallest share in over a year (5.6-5.1). Farther down the list, two cluster mates made dramatic moves – in opposite directions. CUMULUS Top 40/M WWWQ (Q100) jumped seven places to #8 as it rebounded from last month’s big loss (3.4-4.3). On the other foot, CUMULUS Country WKHX (KICKS) dropped six places to a tie at #11 as it returned all of last month’s big gain (5.2-3.8).

WVEE continued to rule the 25-54 roost. The station was off slightly this time and saw its market lead shrink to under a share. This was because WSB-A moved up to #2 with its highest score since MARCH. WHTA took one step forward to #3 with a slight increase. WWWQ regained all of last month’s decline – and then some – as it jumped from #9 to #4. It was the station’s best showing in exactly one year. WFSH slid three places to #5 as it lost all of last month’s increase. WALR was down to #9 – its lowest share and rank in over a year.

Last survey’s 18-34 script was flipped this time. WHTA returned to the top spot thanks to a small increase while WVEE dropped back to #2 as it surrendered a noticeably large chunk of share. WWWQ had its best book since JANUARY and that allowed the station to take two steps forward to #3. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WWPW (POWER) remained at #4 with a slight decrease. ENTERCOM Hot AC WSTR (STAR) fell back to #5 as it ended a strong two-book surge. One noticeable mover was iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WRDA (RADIO 105.7). The station advanced seven spaces to a tie at #6 with its highest score since JUNE.

The 18-49 gap between #1 WVEE and #2 WHTA shrank to less than a share. V-103 was off a bit while HOT had a small gain. WSB-A moved up three slots to #3 with its best outing since MARCH. WWWQ once again shook off last month’s down book to climb from #11 back to more familiar turf at #4. WSTR remained at #5 with a flat performance and was joined by WWPW, which fell from #3 with its smallest share in over a year. WFSH dropped three places to a tie at #7 as it returned most of last survey’s big gain.

BOSTON: A Broken Record

That vinyl reference goes out to BOSTON’s ten-in-a-row-station. We’re not talking formatics but ratings success. For the tenth straight survey, GREATER MEDIA Classic Hits WROR was #1 6+, though the station did post its lowest score since FEBRUARY (8.1-7.4). Cluster sister GREATER MEDIA AC WMJX (MAGIC) was again #2 (6.3-6.6). The power of the shield delivered for CBS RADIO Sports WBZ-F (THE SPORTS HUB). The station was up five places to #3 with its highest point total since JANUARY (4.4-6.3). Not to be outdone, the long ball was good for ENTERCOM Sports WEEI-F, which was up to #4 with its highest run production in exactly a year (4.8-6.2). CBS RADIO News WBZ-A was also buzzing along with the buzz. It remained at #5 but with its best book since MAY (4.9-5.3). All this talk forced a couple of music stations to exit the top five. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WXKS (KISS) dropped three places to #6 (5.3-5.1) – its first time out of the top five in precisely one year. GREATER MEDIA Country WKLB dropped back to #7 as it returned last month’s modest gain (5.0-4.7).

It was all about the plays on the field – and the radio. WBZ-F zoomed to #1 25-54 with its best performance since JANUARY while WEEI-F rocketed to #2 with its highest score in exactly a year. It was tied with WMJX, which moved up from #3 with a slight increase. WXKS had its lowest score in over a year to fall back to #4. WROR saw its #1 streak end at three. The station fell to #5 with its lowest total since MAY. GREATER MEDIA Rhythmic AC WBQT (HOT) slipped to #6 with its lowest mark since FEBRUARY.

Music continued to be the 18-34 coin of the realm. WBQT was down but remained #1 for the third straight survey. WXKS continued as the #2 station but with its smallest number since we were settling in for our long winter’s nap. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R WJMN (JAM’N) held steady at #3 though it gave back a large portion of last month’s big increase. WMJX returned to the top five, at #4, for the first time since JUNE thanks to its best book that, oddly enough, occurred the same month. WBZ-F jumped five places to #5 thanks to – once again – its best book since JANUARY. CBS RADIO Top 40/M WODS (AMP) fell two slots to #6 with its lowest total in over a year. WROR dropped three to a tie at #8 with its least productive outing since MARCH. WEEI-F did well in this demo, though baseball is as big a draw as the NFL. The station moved up to #12 with its highest score in over a year.

Sports made itself felt in the 18-49 demo. WBZ-F jumped from a tie at #5 to #1 with its best book since, yep, JANUARY. This ended WXKS’ #1 string at nine as the station fell back to #2 with its lowest share since the HOLIDAY survey. It would appear that only Santa and BILL BELICHICK can keep KISS from #1. WMJX had its first up book since JUNE to remain #3 while WBQT slid to #4 with a small decrease. WEEI-F jumped six places to #5 with its best performance in over a year. WROR dropped back to a tie at #6 with its second big share loss in a row. The two previous occupants of the #5 position remained together but relocated to #10. WODS had its lowest total in a year while WJMN returned last month’s big increase.

This concludes the audience participation portion of today’s program. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. invite you to join us next time over this same web site as we explore the results of the ratings in DETROIT, MIAMI, SEATTLE-TACOMA, PHOENIX, and MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL. Until then, feel free to reach out to comment or cajole via the platforms listed below.

E-mail: sallan@researchdirectorinc.com
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