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

Markets #6-10

Brace yourself for another round of pithy analysis from The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. As per usual, our partners in crime are the data divers from XTRENDS. The purpose of this particular excursion is to look at the ratings fortunes of another five markets based on their performance during the NIELSEN designated month of MAY. This fictional period covered 4/27 through 5/24 and was a relatively benign time. Let us begin …

HOUSTON-GALVESTON: Majic In The Air

The last few months have been very good for RADIO ONE Urban AC KMJQ (MAJIC). The station has been #1 6+ for (count ‘em) four books in a row now. However, this time the station unleashed the fury, posting a huge increase and landing what was easily its best book in over a year (6.9-8.3). COX RADIO Classic Rock KGLK (THE EAGLE) moved up to a distant #2 with its highest score since DECEMBER (5.9-6.2). UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLTN slid back to #3 (6.3-6.1) while iHEARTMEDIA AC KODA (SUNNY) was flat yet managed to inch up to #4 (5.5-5.5). KSBJ EDUCATIONAL Christian Contemporary KSBJ dropped back toa #5 as it turned in almost all of last month’s big increase (5.6-5.0).

KLTN managed to capture the 25-54 crown for the second straight survey despite a small decrease. However, KMJQ bounced back from last month’s devastating loss to claim a share of the lead. CBS RADIO Adult Hits KKHH (THE SPOT) moved up four places to #3 with its highest share since it changed its, well, um, spots. The three-way at #3 from the previous survey was disbanded as all three stations were off a bit. KODA dropped back to #4 – with its lowest total in over a year – and was followed in order by KGLK at #5 and KSBJ at #6.

Last survey two stations could legitimately claim to be #1 18-34. Not so this round. KLTN remained on top with a modest increase while iHEARTMEDIA Urban KQBT (THE BEAT) slipped back to #2 despite a slight increase. There was a new partnership –- this time at #3. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTBZ (THE BUZZ) remained in place with a flat performance. It was joined by RADIO ONE Top 40/R KBXX (THE BOX), which moved up a slot with a slight increase. The MAJIC train was on a roll here, as well. The station advanced four spaces to #5 with its best book since NOVEMBER. COX RADIO Country KKBQ (93Q) lost a chunk of share and fell back to #6.

This was the fifth straight time that KLTN was #1 18-49. The station was off slightly this time and was certainly checking the rear view mirror for KMJQ. MAJIC regained all of last month’s big decrease and then some to move back up to a reasonably close #2. KTBZ stepped back to #3 with a small loss. There was a deadlock at #4. KQBT remained where it had been with a small increase while KBXX took one step forward as it partially recovered from last month’s big loss. The mover of the month was KKHH, which advanced from #12 to #6 with what was easily its best performance since it became what it currently is. CBS RADIO Spanish Contemporary KLOL (MEGA) posted its lowest score since AUGUST and this sent the station from #3 to a tie at #8.

WASHINGTON, DC: The News Is News

In a market where the bars are crowded early on a weekday morning to watch a congressional testimony, you would not be surprised to find that news is the leading listening choice. Maybe that’s why, for the seventh time in the last eight books, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU surpassed the double-digit threshold 6+. The station was also #1 for the tenth time in the last eleven surveys (10.0-10.7). HUBBARD News WTOP was again at #2 but was under a nine share for the first time since the dreaded BURL IVES was a consistent presence on the radio (9.1-8.8). Once again, the leading music station was HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR. It remained a solid #3 after posting its best score in over a year (7.0-7.5). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WBIG also had its best book in over a year (5.2-5.4) as it inched up to fourth place. This pushed RADIO ONE Urban AC WMMJ (MAJIC) back to #5 (5.4-5.3). iHEARTMEDIA AC WASH rebounded from last month’s loss but could not advance its previous #6 standing (4.8-5.0).

It was pretty much the same story 25-54. WAMU was #1 again and cracked double digits for the fifth straight survey. WTOP was down for the second book in a row but remained a solid – if distant – #2. WHUR held sway at #3 with its best showing since SEPTEMBER. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIHT (HOT) was steady at #4 with a slight increase. WASH moved up to #5 with its best Frosty-free performance since NOVEMBER. WASHINGTON ADVENTIST UNIVERSITY Christian Contemporary WGTS extended its strong run to five books as it moved up to #6.

Up until last DECEMBER, WIHT routinely cracked double digits 18-34 but has not accomplished that feat since. The station got dangerously close this time and had to settle for just a dominating #1 performance. WAMU, at #2, had its highest share since SEPTEMBER but was more than a share off the lead. RADIO ONE Urban WKYS (KISS) remained at #3 but gave back some of last month’s big gain. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WWDC (DC-101) moved up to #4 with a small increase while CBS RADIO Top 40/R WPGC dropped back to #5 as it gave up all of last month’s gain. iHEARTMEDIA Country WMZQ was just behind at #6 with its biggest number since JUNE.

The top three positions 18-49 were exactly the same as when we last looked. WAMU was #1 for the fifth book in a row and was over two shares ahead of #2 WIHT even though HOT had its best book since Grandma was roadkill. WTOP managed to remain #3 even though it lost nearly a share and dropped to its lowest point in over a year. The two stations previously tied at #5 remained an item but elevated their game to #4. WASH had its best Santaless performance since AUGUST while WGTS landed its largest share in over a year. WKYS dropped back to a tie at #6 as it took a big hit and was paired with WWDC, which took one step forward as it ended a two-book slide.

PHILADELPHIA: A New Sensation

The 6+ leaderboard went through quite the shake-up last month. In a surprise move, the new chart topper was iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS. The station had its largest share since DECEMBER (6.7-7.0) and just barely edged out BEASLEY Classic Rock WMGK, which moved up to #2 with its third up book in a row (6.4-6.9). Last month’s leader -– CBS RADIO Classic Hits WOGL – fell back to #3 with a very slight decrease (6.9-6.8). Though the numbers don’t show it –- damn you math! -– the stations were in a virtual dead heat. JERRY LEE RADIO AC WBEB (MORE) had to do with less as it fell back to #4 with its lowest total in over a year (6.6-6.3). BEASLEY Active Rock WMMR remained at #5 as it returned all of last month’s small increase (6.0-5.7). Close behind was CBS RADIO Sports WIP-F, which remained at #6 but with its best book in over a year (4.8-5.5). Does this prove the power of baseball? After all, the PHILLIES kind of stink this year.

There was a definite crunchy texture to the 25-54 competition as two closely related rock-tinged stations shared the lead. WMMR made a return engagement despite a small loss and was joined by its older cluster brother – WMGK – which moved up from a tie at #3 with its best outing since JANUARY. WDAS maintained its #3 standing with a small increase while WBEB fell two places to #4 with its third down book in a row. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WRFF (RADIO 104.5) held steady at #5 with a slight decrease. The next “tier” in the ratings standings belonged to a gang of three all knotted at #6. This included WOGL, iHEARTMEDIA Urban WUSL (POWER) and iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R WIOQ (Q102).

It was quite the interesting month 18-34. WUSL remained on top with a strong increase and posted its largest number since AUGUST. Meanwhile, WBEB forged a tie as it moved up a spot thanks to a huge gain. WIOQ was also on the move – advancing from #5 to #3 despite a small loss. WRFF had its lowest share since we were all actually using the word “merry” but remained at #4. WMMR fell three places to #5 with its lowest score since those halcyon days of Yuletide gaiety.

The 18-49 demo saw a bit of upheaval. This did not affect WMMR, however. The station did have a down book but remained #1 for the fourth straight survey. WBEB jumped three places to #2 as it regained all of last month’s loss. WDAS also advanced three squares – to #3 – thanks to its largest share since DECEMBER. The two former #2s were divided and, as a result, fell. WUSL landed at #4 with a small loss while WRFF dropped to #5 as it gave back most of last month’s gain. WIOQ dropped to #6 as it returned all of last month’s increase.

ATLANTA: You Talkin’ To Me?

Quick – alert the media. Wait, we are the media. COX RADIO Talk WSB-A was under a nine share this time! Oh, but the station was still #1 6+ by a wide margin (9.5-8.6) so there was no real cause for alarm. COX RADIO Classic Hits WSRV (THE RIVER) is in danger of overflowing its banks. It was up for the fifth straight survey (6.2-6.7) as it took complete control of the #2 position. CBS RADIO Urban WVEE (V-103) inched up to #3 as it ended a two-book slide (6.1-6.5). Close behind was COX RADIO Urban AC WALR (KISS), which did fall back to #4 despite a slight increase (6.2-6.3). Those four stations led the market by quite a wide margin. The next closest was RADIO ONE Urban WHTA (HOT), which moved up four places to #5 with its best score since JANUARY (4.2-4.7). SALEM Christian Contemporary WFSH (THE FISH) had its lowest total in over a year (5.0-4.5) and dropped back to #6 where it was partnered with RADIO ONE Urban AC WAMJ (MAJIC). It moved up from a tie at #9 (4.2-4.5).

The top-four stations 25-54 were unaltered and unmoved from last survey. WVEE was #1 for the fourth book in a row with a flat performance. WSRV moved a bit closer at #2 with its best book in over a year. WSB-A repeated at #3 with a slight decrease while CUMULUS Top 40/M WWWQ (Q100) gave an encore performance at #4 with a small decrease. WHTA moved up to #5 as it regained most of last month’s loss. COX RADIO AC WSB-F (B98.5) dropped back to #6 with a slight decrease. The big mover was CUMULUS Rock WNNX, which jumped four places to #7 with its highest share in over a year.

Boom went the 18-34 dynamite as two stations had rather large increases. WVEE remained #1 but with its highest share since SEPTEMBER. It was joined in that space by WHTA, which moved up, thanks to its largest number since we were taking the long way around to Grandmother’s house. Maintaining its #3 pose was iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WWPW (POWER), which was off slightly. The two former #4 stations were split apart. WSB-F remained in place with its best outing in over a year while WWWQ dropped back to #5 even though it bounced back strongly from last month’s big loss.

Though it was off a bit, WVEE continued to own the 18-49 demo with its seventh #1 book in a row. WSRV remained at #2 with its best performance in over a year and was paired with WHTA, which moved up, thanks to its largest share since JANUARY. WWWQ was off slightly to stay at #4 while WSB-F repeated at #5 with its fourth up book in a row. WWPW was flat and #6 again while WNNX jumped five places to #7 with its highest score in over a year.

BOSTON: More For ROR

Over the last fourteen surveys, the only time BEASLEY Classic Hits WROR was not #1 6+ was when ELTON was hopping on the turntable – which is kind of appropriate for the format. It also continued to dominate (7.7-7.9) as #2 iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WXKS (KISS) was well off the pace (6.1-6.2) even though it had its highest share since JUNE. BEASLEY AC WMJX (MAGIC) moved up to #3 as it bounced back from last month’s decline (5.6-5.9). This pushed CBS RADIO News WBZ-A back to #4 (5.7-5.6). The surprise move of the month was made by BEASLEY Country WKLB. The station moved up three places to #5 with its highest share in over a year (4.3-5.1). CBS RADIO Classic Rock WZLX also had its best showing in over a year (4.7-5.0) but was forced to stay at #6. ENTERCOM Sports WEEI-F fell back to #7 even as the RED SOX were beginning to show signs of life (4.8-4.7).

For the first time this year, WROR was not #1 25-54. That honor was bestowed upon WXKS, which moved up one spot with its best performance in over a year. WROR dropped back to #2 with its second down book in a row. WMJX was up to #3 with its highest mark since JANUARY while CBS RADIO Sports WBZ-F (THE SPORTS HUB) fell back to #4 despite a slight increase. CBS RADIO Hot AC WBMX (MIX) got back last month’s loss – plus a little extra – to move back into the top five. WKLB was just behind as it moved up five spaces to #6 with its largest number in over a year. WEEI-F dropped back to #7 despite a small increase while BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WBQT (HOT) fell to a tie at #8 with a small decrease. Both stations had been tied at #5.

Once again WXKS and WROR were duking it out for the 18-34 title. And, once again, KISS led the way by a wide margin. Even though #2 WROR regained all of last month’s loss, it remained almost two shares off the lead. WBQT became the sole occupant of the #3 position despite a small loss. WKLB advanced five places to #4 with – wait for it – its best book in over a year. The station has almost doubled its share since JANUARY. Also in at #4 was iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R WJMN (JAM’N), which moved up a slot despite a small decrease. WBZ-F remained in sixth place with its first up book since JANUARY. CBS RADIO Top 40/M WODS (AMP) fell four slots to #7 with its smallest share since JANUARY.

WXKS continued to run away with the 18-49 demo and sported a two-share lead over WBZ-F, which moved up to #2 with a small increase. WROR dropped back to #3 as it was down for the second straight survey. WBQT remained at #4 with a slight decrease and was joined by WMJX, which moved up thanks to a slight increase. WBMX was up a step to #6 as it mostly recovered from last month’s big dip. And, finally, WKLB again had its best book in over a year as it climbed from a tie at #11 to #7. It was the station’s first appearance in the top ten since NOVEMBER.

Time to put our rally caps on as The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. head into the late innings. Fortunately, we have a better closer than the NATIONALS so you can expect more pithy prose in our next edition. At that point we will focus on DETROIT, MIAMI, SEATTLE-TACOMA, PHOENIX, and MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL. Until then, your feedback is welcome. You can hit us up or bug JOEL. Your call.

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