Research Director, Inc.: Exclusive January PPM Analysis For Houston, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston

Markets #6-10

Like the windmills of our minds, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – powerfully assisted by the numbers crunchers from XTRENDS – bring you another thrilling installment of JANUARY – The Book! In chapter two, we are on the same timeline – 1/5 through 2/1 – but with a new set of characters. How did winter weather affect the results? Were listeners still riveted by politics? How far did the holiday mighty fall? These questions and so many more are about to be answered.

HOUSTON-GALVESTON: Estereo Latino Es Numero Uno

Besides the sudden withdrawal of the Santa brigade, we had a couple of format changes to factor in. iHEARTMEDIA AC KODA (SUNNY) posted its lowest 6+ share in over a year (10.3-6.0) to drop to #3. Last year it remained at #1 with a 7.2 share. UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLTN (ESTEREO LATINO) ended a three-book slide (6.5-7.4) to move up to #1. RADIO ONE Urban AC KMJQ (MAJIC) was a model of consistency at #2 (7.0-6.9). KSBJ EDUCATIONAL Christian Contemporary KSBJ had its best book in over a year (4.9-5.9) to move up to #4. One of the previously mentioned format changes may have contributed to COX RADIO Classic Rock KGLK (THE EAGLE) posting its lowest number in over a year (6.0-5.6). The station slipped back to #5. RADIO ONE Top 40/R KBXX (THE BOX) took one step back to #6 (4.9-4.8). CBS RADIO Adult Hits KKHH (THE SPOT) debuted in week one and moved up to #14 (3.1-3.5). The other week-one change happened at RADIO ONE Top 40/M KROI (NOW) and it drove the station down two spots to a tie at #24 (1.4-0.9).

KLTN moved up to #1 25-54 with its best showing in over a year and was over three shares ahead of the rest of the field. CBS RADIO Spanish Contemporary KLOL (MEGA) also had its highest share in over a year and moved up three places to #2. It was joined by KMJQ, which also moved up despite a small loss of share. KODA dropped from the top to #4 – it remained #1 a year ago. KSBJ did well in this demo, as well, as it took one step forward to #5 – the first time it has been ranked that high in exactly a year. KGLK dropped two places to #6 while KKHH was up seven slots to #8.

It was a big 18-34 month for KLTN as the station cracked the double-digit barrier and moved to #1. KBXX had its best outing since JUNE but still had to step back to #2. KLOL was up three places to #3 and was sharing the space with iHEARTMEDIA Urban KQBT (THE BEAT), which took a step forward with a strong increase. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTBZ (THE BUZZ) moved up to #5 with its second big gain in a row. KODA fell from a tie at #2 to #11, which was on par with last year when it settled in at #12. KROI was off slightly and dropped down to #21.
Completing the demo sweep, KLTN moved up to the top of the 18-49 heap as the station ended its three-book slide. KBXX was off slightly but still stepped up to #2. KLOL advanced to #3 as it regained most of last month’s share loss. KQBT took two steps forward to #4 with a solid increase and was joined by KTBZ, which improved its position by three places with its best showing since SEPTEMBER. KMJQ dropped to #6 with its third straight down book. KODA fell from the lead to #8. It was #2 last year.

WASHINGTON, DC: Not Fake News

We merely report the facts as we see them, and it was clear that the DMV was hungry for information last month. AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU returned to double-digit land 6+ (9.2-11.0) to capture the market. However, it was being closely pursued by HUBBARD News WTOP, which had its best book in over a year (8.7-10.4) to move up to #2. Both Urban ACs had their best outings since SEPTEMBER. HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR was up to #3 (5.7-6.0) while RADIO ONE Urban AC WMMJ (MAJIC) jumped three places to #4 (4.4-4.9). As the reindeer flew off into the sunset, iHEARTMEDIA AC WASH lost more than half its share (10.4-4.8) and ended up at #5. A year ago the station alit at #3 with a 5.3 share. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIHT (HOT) remained at #6 but with its lowest score since APRIL (4.7-4.5). It was joined by cluster brother iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WBIG (BIG) ,which took two giant steps forward (3.9-4.5) thanks to its best performance in over a year. RADIO ONE Gospel WPRS (PRAISE) fell three places to #8 (5.0-4.2).

For the fourth time in the last six surveys, WAMU topped double digits 25-54. Yes, the station also returned to #1 for the tenth time in the last eleven books. WTOP regained all the share it lost to Santa and returned to #2. WIHT was up to #3 despite landing its lowest share in over a year. WHUR inched up to #4 with its lowest mark since FEBRUARY. RADIO ONE Urban WKYS (KISS) advanced to #5 despite a slight decrease. Three stations were close behind at #6. CBS RADIO Top 40/R WPGC remained in place with a small decrease while WMMJ moved in from #10 with a solid gain. Also joining the fray was CBS RADIO Hot AC WIAD (FRESH), which advanced from #13 with its best performance since OCTOBER. WASH again lost more than half its share and dropped to a tie at #9. A year ago it descended to #4.

As we have seen in the previous demos, this was not one of the bigger months for WIHT. Still, the station returned to its customary #1 18-34 position even with a down book. However, WPGC moved up to close striking distance at #2 thanks to its largest share in over a year. WAMU got back all of last survey’s loss – plus a little extra – to move up three places to #3. WKYS remained a fixture at #4 with a small increase while iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WWDC (DC-101) held steady at #5 with its first down book since AUGUST. WASH dropped from the lead to #6 (last year it was tied at #2).

WAMU rebounded from last survey and returned to the top spot 18-49. WIHT remained at #2 with a small loss while WTOP moved up to #3 as it ended a two-book slide. Both WKYS and WPGC were up slightly and each moved up a rung – to #4 and #5, respectively. WASH fell to #6. It was #4 a year ago. It was tied with WIAD, which advanced from #9 with its best book since OCTOBER.

PHILADELPHIA: Less Is More

Talk about your slogan from the past. There were two major holiday players in this market, and their return to regular programming had quite the effect. First, there was JERRY LEE RADIO AC WBEB (MORE), which lost ten full shares (17.9-7.9) but managed to remain a solid #1 6+. This was an almost carbon copy (how’s that for a dated reference?) of last year when it was #1 with a 7.8 share. BEASLEY Classic Rock WMGK had its biggest share in over a year (4.9-6.9) as it advanced two squares to #2. The other station that pledged its allegiance to all things Santa was CBS RADIO Classic Hits WOGL. The return to normalcy actually increased the station’s share (5.5-6.8) as it remained at #3. iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS slipped to #4 (6.8-6.7) while two stations joined forces at #5. CBS RADIO News KYW-A had its best book since FEBRUARY (4.7-5.6) to remain in place. BEASLEY Active Rock WMMR ended a three-book slide (4.4-5.6) to take one step forward. There was a format change during the book. The station formerly known as AMP became CBS RADIO AC WTDY (TODAY’S 96.5). It was up slightly (2.5-2.6) but fell three places to #18.

The 25-54 demo had a decidedly rock lean this survey. WMMR moved back to familiar turf at #1 with its highest share in over a year. Its older cluster brother – WMGK – was up to a very close #2 with its best book in over a year. WBEB again lost more than ten shares as it fell to #3. A year ago it remained at #1 with a somewhat larger share. WDAS took two steps back to #4 with a slight decrease. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WRFF (RADIO 104.5) ended a three-book slide with a massive increase and advanced four places to #5. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WUSL (POWER 99) dropped back to #6 with a slight increase. WOGL dropped a spot to #7 but increased its share from the previous survey. WTDY was up a bit but remained at #12.

There was a lot of share swapping going on in the 18-34 arena. WBEB lost a huge chunk but remained at #1 and was in a little better shape than a year ago. It was not alone, however. WMGK nearly doubled its share from the previous survey and moved up from #4 to share the lead. WUSL dropped back to #3 despite a healthy increase. It was joined by WMMR, which advanced three places as it ended a four-book slide. WRFF was up to #5 with its best showing since OCTOBER. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIOQ (Q102) took two steps forward to #6 with a strong outing while CBS RADIO Country WXTU dropped two slots to #7 despite a slight increase. WDAS took a big hit and fell from #3 to #9.

WBEB remained #1 18-49 but was off last year’s share pace. WMMR roared back to #2 with a huge increase while WMGK advanced to #3 with its own monster increase. WUSL slid back to #4 despite landing its best share since SEPTEMBER. WRFF was up a couple of places to #5 as it ended a rather dramatic three-book slide. WDAS fell from #2 to #6 with a small decrease. WIOQ dropped two places to #7 even though the station had a big share gain.

ATLANTA: Talk The Talk

Santa’s farewell was a boon for COX RADIO Talk WSB-A. The station had been on a three-book roll, nearing or exceeding double digits 6+ every time. And … it’s back. The station was #1 (7.9-10.7) by a wide margin. CBS RADIO Urban WVEE (V-103) did move up to #2 but also ended a two-book run (6.7-6.0). COX RADIO Urban AC WALR (KISS) inched up to #3 even with a down book (5.8-5.5). At #4, COX RADIO AC WSB-F (B98.5) was flat (4.8-4.8) but managed to crack the top five for the first time since FEBRUARY. RADIO ONE Urban WHTA (HOT) remained at #5 but with its third straight down book (4.9-4.7). The home of the holiday hits was SALEM Christian Contemporary WFSH (FISH). It returned to the exact same share it had before all the hoopla began (7.1-4.6) and dropped from #2 to a tie at #6.

There was quite the changing of the 25-54 guard. For the first time in over a year, WVEE was not #1. That honor went to WSB-A, which vaulted to the lead with its best book in over a year. With its lowest score in over a year, WVEE had to be content with a second-place finish. WHTA moved up to #3 despite posting its lowest score in over a year. WFSH returned to the exact same share it had in DECEMBER as it dropped back to #4. CUMULUS Top 40/M WWWQ (Q100) slipped back to #5 with its lowest total since SEPTEMBER. RADIO ONE Urban AC WAMJ (MAJIC) inched up to #6 with its fourth up book in a row. The flagship home of your ATLANTA FALCONS – CBS RADIO Sports WZGC (THE GAME) – enjoyed quite the playoff run (this book did not include the “big” game). The station had a large increase and moved up seven spots to share the #6 position. By comparison, last year when the team was less successful, the station resided in a tie at #14.

Even though WHTA was down 18-34 for the third consecutive survey, the station remained #1 for the fifth book in a row. WVEE was again #2 but with its lowest score since NOVEMBER. WWWQ remained at #3 despite a down book while WFSH actually increased its share slightly and moved up to #4. COX RADIO Classic Hits WSRV (THE RIVER) had its best outing since MARCH to advance four places to #5. ENTERCOM Hot AC WSTR (STAR) fell to #7 with its lowest total since MAY.

WVEE saw its two-book 18-49 surge come to an end but the station remained #1 for the third straight survey. WHTA took sole possession of second place despite landing its lowest share in over a year. WSB-A moved up seven slots to #3 as it rebounded from last survey’s big loss. WFSH dropped to #4 but was in better shape than it was in DECEMBER. WWWQ slipped to #5 with a slight decrease while WSTR dropped to #6 with its smallest share since JULY.

BOSTON: Back On Top

After a frosty-fueled, two-month hiatus, BEASLEY Classic Hits WROR was once again the leader of the 6+ pack. The station also landed its largest share since SEPTEMBER (6.3-7.9). CBS RADIO News WBZ-A moved back to #2 thanks to its best book in over a year (6.2-6.6). BEASLEY AC WMJX (MAGIC) lost more than half its share (13.4-6.0) and slid to #3. Last year it was #5 with a 6.3 share. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WXKS (KISS) moved up to #4 with its highest mark since JULY (5.0-5.9). For some reason it was a good sports month. CBS RADIO Sports WBZ-F (THE SPORTS HUB) slipped to #5 but had an up book (5.6-5.8). Close behind at #6 was ENTERCOM Sports WEEI-F, which was up for the second book in a row (4.8-5.4).

It has been four surveys since WROR was #1 25-54. This time the station zoomed to the top thanks to its best showing since AUGUST. WBZ-F was up slightly and steady at #2 while WXKS inched up to #3 as it ended a two-book slide. WMJX fell to #4, the same position it held last year, but this time it had a beefier share. BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WBQT (HOT) was up slightly as it remained at #5. It was partnered with WEEI-F, which moved up a rung as it ended a three-book slide. BOSTON UNIVERSITY N/T WBUR was up three places to #7 thanks to its largest share since MARCH.

WXKS returned to the top spot in the 18-34 demo and crashed through the double-digit retaining wall at the same time. WBQT was flat and stable at #2 but was over a share and a half off the lead. WBZ-F moved up to #3 with its highest point total in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R WJMN (JAM’N) sauntered forward to #4 as it recovered from last survey’s loss. WROR took two steps forward to #5 as it regained most of what it lost last book. WMJX dropped to #6 – which is where it ended up last year. WBUR nearly doubled its share as it climbed from a tie at #13 to #9.

Landing its largest share since JUNE allowed WXKS to move back to #1 18-49 after a two-book break. WBZ-F was off slightly but remained at #2 while WROR moved ahead two paces to #3 with its highest share in over a year. WBQT was up slightly as it remained at #4 while WMJX fell to #5. That was where it ended up last year. WBUR had its highest score in over a year and rose eight places to #6.

Another one bites the dust … The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. will not take a brief pause. When we return, we will regale you with the ratings exploits of DETROIT, MIAMI, SEATTLE-TACOMA, PHOENIX, and MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL. Get the popcorn ready.

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