Research Director, Inc. Presents Exclusive June PPM Analysis For New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, S.F., Dallas

Top-5 Markets

JUNE is busting out all over, and The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. –- in cooperation with chop busters from XTRENDS -– are busting our collective butts to bring you the latest in NIELSEN news. This time we are covering the span between 5/25 and 6/21. A period that began with a long holiday weekend and featured graduations, school liberations, and vacation excursions. We’re dealing with a lot of stuff here and we hope the resulting analysis will not be a bust. That pretty much exhausts that meme …

NEW YORK: The Lite Brigade

In a move that will likely shock no one, iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (LITE) was the lone occupant of the #1 position 6+. The station had been tied in that space last time, and after posting its best number since FEBRUARY (6.1-6.5), it stood alone. Its previous companion – CBS RADIO Classic Hits WCBS-F – had its highest share since JULY (6.1-6.2) but still slid back to #2. A station that appears to be on the fast track – iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3) – had its best outing in over a year (5.0-5.5) to move forward two squares to #3. This bumped EMMIS Urban AC WBLS back to #4 as it saw its three-book surge grind to a halt (5.7-5.4). SBS Tropical WSKQ (LA MEGA) was up for the second straight survey (4.6-4.9) as it clawed its way back into the top five. CBS RADIO News WINS-A was down for the third book in a row (5.1-4.8) and did whatever the reverse of “clawed its way” is and dropped back to #6. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHTZ (Z100) took a pretty big hit last month. This time it had the minimum recovery (4.6-4.7) and stepped back to #7.

What a difference a year makes. Last JUNE WLTW was #5 25-54. This time the station captured the #1 flag for the second survey in a row and was over a share stronger than last year. WHTZ made a modest recovery from last survey’s big loss and inched up to #2. It was partnered with cluster brother WAXQ, which had a “yuge” increase and moved up from #9. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WWPR (POWER) claimed the #4 slot to itself with its biggest share since AUGUST. It had previously been tied at that spot with arch nemesis EMMIS Top 40/R WQHT (HOT). Alas, HOT was flat and dropped back into a tie at #5 with cluster sibling WBLS, which ended its three-book surge. WSKQ may have remained at #7 but it completely rebounded from last month’s loss.

The top two 18-34 stations traded places this month. WSKQ was merely flat but that was enough to propel the station to the top spot while WQHT dropped back to #2 as it ended a strong five-book surge. WWPR was also flat and remained at #3 but was joined by WHTZ, which took one step forward as it ended a dramatic two-book slide. WAXQ received a noticeably large rating upgrade, which drove the station up to #5. This pushed WLTW back to #6 even though the LITE was a little brighter than last month.

WSKQ was flat 18-49 but managed to maintain control of the demo for the second straight survey. WWPR had its best book since AUGUST as it moved up to #2 and was just a heartbeat away from leading the division. WQHT was off slightly and slipped back to #3 where it was partnered with WHTZ. Z100 ended a precipitous two-book slide as it took one step upward to #4. WLTW remained at #5 but with a solid increase while WAXQ advanced three places to #6 with (again) its best book in over a year.

LOS ANGELES: My Fi

It was my way or the highway for iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (MY FM), which was #1 6+ for the fifth book in a row (5.8-5.8). As compressed as this market is, the station’s number qualified as a, ahem, big lead over CBS RADIO Rhythmic AC KTWV (THE WAVE), which remained at #2 for the fourth straight survey (5.3-5.4). The two stations previously known as #3 had up books but were no longer an item. CBS RADIO Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH) remained in place with its highest share in over a year (4.8-5.1). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KIIS (KISS) dropped back to #4 despite landing its largest share in exactly a year (4.8-5.0). iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST repeated at #5 with its third straight up book (4.7-4.8). This quintet of stations was a level above the rest of the market. The two stations closest to joining this exclusive club (and united at #6) were CBS RADIO Adult Hits KCBS-F (JACK), which had its best outing since JANUARY (3.1-3.5) and UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KLVE (K-LOVE), which was at #6 for the ninth book in a row (3.6-3.5).

KBIG set a new 25-54 high-water mark for the second book in a row and won the demo for the sixth straight survey. KIIS was again in the trail position and, despite its gain, was over a share off the lead. KRTH repeated at #3 but with its highest score since JULY. KCBS-F moved up three slots to #4 with its best performance since FEBRUARY. KTWV was up a slot to #5 with a small increase while KLVE dropped two places to #6 with its lowest total since hosiery was adorning the mantle. KOST fell to #8 with its smallest share in over a year.

The top six stations 18-34 remained in the exact order as before. KIIS was #1 for the sixth book in a row though it was also down for the third consecutive survey. KBIG drew closer at #2 with its best share in over a year. EMMIS Top 40/R KPWR (POWER) was #3 with a small decrease while iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KYSR (ALT 98.7) was again #4 but with its third down book in a row. iHEARTMEDIA Urban KRRL (REAL 92.3) repeated at #5 with a slight decrease while SBS Spanish AC KXOL (MEGA 96.3) was #6 with its highest share in over a year.

For the second straight survey, KBIG posted an increase and maintained its hold on the 18-49 demo. KIIS was again #2 as it rebounded from last month’s small decrease. K-EARTH has been up and down a lot over the past year. This time the movement was up as the station’s modest gain translated into moving up one slot to #3. Last month’s #5 positions went through quite the transition this time. The two previous occupants moved on and were replaced by some new players. KYSR took a step up to #4 with a slight increase while KOST dropped to a tie at #8, thus ending a two-book run. KLVE dropped back to #5 with its lowest mark in exactly a year and was sharing space with KCBS-F, which moved up from #10 with its largest share since DECEMBER.

CHICAGO: The V Formation

The 6+ arena continued to be the personal domain of iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WVAZ (V103). Why, one could almost say the station remained the master of its domain. It was #1 for the fifth book in a row, had its best share since DECEMBER (5.8-6.1) and led the rest of the pack by a wide margin. CBS RADIO News WBBM-A remained a distant #2 with its third down book in a row (4.8-4.7). HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (MIX) had a return engagement at #3 (4.6-4.6) while two stations came in at #4. CBS RADIO Top 40/M WBBM-F (B96) remained in place (4.0-3.9) while HUBBARD Classic Hits WDRV (THE DRIVE) was up three places thanks to its best book since OCTOBER (3.6-3.9). The two previous occupants of the #5 position kept pace with each other but fell to #6. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKSC (KISS) ended a two-book slide (3.7-3.8) while CBS RADIO Sports WSCR-A (THE SCORE) continued to hover around the 500 mark (CUBS slam!) but with its highest share since NOVEMBER (3.7-3.8).

The top-five rank order 25-54 was unchanged from last time. WTMX remained the master of this domain for the sixth book in a row despite a slight loss. WVAZ was a bit closer at #2 as the station posted its largest share since DECEMBER. WKSC was #3 with a slight decrease while WBBM-F remained a bit back at #4 with a small decrease. UNIVISION Regional Mexican WOJO (QUE BUENA) came in at #5 and saw its winning streak end at five books. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WGCI was just behind as it moved up to #6 with its best book since NOVEMBER.

Though the station was off for the second book in a row, WBBM-F remained atop the 18-34 leaderboard for the third straight survey. WGCI maintained its hold on the #2 position with a slight decrease while WKSC moved up to #3 even though it was off for the third book in a row. Two stations moved up and into a tie at #4. WOJO advanced two squares with a flat performance while WTMX rose three places with its second straight up book. CUMULUS Alternative WKQX had its lowest share since NOVEMBER and dropped back into a tie at #6 with WVAZ, which moved up with its highest mark since DECEMBER.

There was a changing of the guard in the 18-49 sphere. WTMX took over the lead with its best performance since FEBRUARY. This pushed WKSC back to #2 as KISS had its lowest score since JANUARY. WBBM-F slid back to #3, ending a strong two-book run while WOJO was stationary at #4 with a flat book. There was no longer a tie at #5. WGCI remained in place with a small increase while WKQX fell to #8 as it shed a chunk of share.

SAN FRANCISCO: NPR –The R Is For Ratings

There are many theories as to why NPR stations are performing well in the ratings around the country. We won’t speculate here but suffice it say that KQED INC N/T KQED is one of the strongest performers anywhere. The station was #1 6+ for the sixth book in a row and continued to hold a solid lead over the rest of the market (6.7-6.7). CBS RADIO News KCBS-A remained a solid #2 (6.1-6.0) while its soon-to-be-cluster-sister ENTERCOM AC KOIT continued to be the leading music station at #3 (5.3-5.0). The next tier down featured two from the same cluster at #4. iHEARTMEDIA AC KISQ (THE BREEZE) moved up three slots as it rebounded from last month’s downer (3.8-4.3) while iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KIOI (STAR) moved up a slot with its best outing since SEPTEMBER (4.1-4.3). CBS RADIO Hot AC KLLC (ALICE) slipped to #6 as it returned some of last month’s increase (4.2-3.9). The cellar-dwelling GIANTS are not providing the usual lift for CUMULUS Sports KNBR-A. The station fell to #8 (4.1-3.5). A year ago it was #1.

The top four stations 25-54 were the same as on our last visit to this market. KQED was #1 with a slight decrease and maintained a solid lead over #2 KLLC, which lost a portion of last month’s big increase. KIOI repeated at #3 but with its biggest book in over a year. KOIT was again #4 with a small decrease but was forced to share with iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KYLD (WILD), which was up from #7 as it ended a two-book slide. KNBR-A dropped two places to #7. As in the previous demo, the station was #1 a year ago.

The back and forth in the 18-34 continued again. This time KYLD was on top as it posted its second straight up book. Cluster mate iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KMEL stepped back to #2 with a flat performance. #3 KOIT was up for the third straight survey and was a half share away from the two market leaders. CBS RADIO Top 40/M KMVQ (NOW) had its best book since DECEMBER but remained at #4. KIOI was again #5 but was also down for the third book in a row. There were strong performances from a couple of stations further down the chart. UNIVISION Regional Mexican KSOL (QUE BUENA) was up to a tie at #6 with its best outing since NOVEMBER while cluster compadre UNIVISION Spanish
Adult Hits KBRG advanced five spaces to #8 with its largest share in over a year.

After a one-book hiatus, KQED returned to the #1 slot 18-49 as it ended a three-book slide. KYLD moved up to #2, ending a two-book slide. KLLC dropped from the lead to #3 as it gave back some of last month’s increase. KIOI moved up a spot to #4 with a slight increase. KOIT fell two places to #5 with its lowest share since NOVEMBER and was in a dead heat with KMEL, which moved up one slot despite a small decrease.

DALLAS-FT.WORTH: Will The Wolf Survive?

Yes, that is an oblique song reference. The answer appears to be that CUMULUS Country KPLX (THE WOLF) is genetically engineered to continue to savage the market. The station was #1 6+ for the sixth straight survey (6.3-6.1) though iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KHKS (KISS) narrowed the gap as it moved up to #2 (5.2-5.8). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZPS (LONE STAR) dropped back to #3 (5.5-5.4) while the other Country station – CUMULUS Country KSCS – was up to #4 with its best book in over a year (4.3-4.5). CBS RADIO Classic Hits KLUV (K-LOVE) slipped back to #5 with its second down book in a row (4.6-4.3). It was joined by the mover-of-the-month, SALEM Christian Contemporary KLTY. It jumped up from a tie at #11 with its highest grade in over a year (3.2-4.3). UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLNO (QUE BUENA) fell back to #7, thus ending a two-book surge (4.5-4.1).

For the second month in a row KPLX was #1 25-54. The station was off slightly and was a whisker length ahead of the duo at #2. KHKS remained in place with a slight increase while KZPS was up from #3 with its highest score in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KEGL (THE EAGLE) took two steps forward to #4 despite a small decrease. CUMULUS Sports KTCK-A (THE TICKET) slid back to #5 as it gave back all, and then some, of last month’s big increase. KSCS also landed at #5 (up from #12) with its highest share in over a year. KLNO had its lowest total in over a year and dropped back to #7. KLTY jumped seven places to #8 with a huge increase.

KHKS continued to dominate the 18-34 demo. The station had its largest share since OCTOBER and led #2 SERVICE Urban KKDA (K104) by almost a share even though K104 had its best book in over a year. RADIO ONE Top 40/R KBFB (THE BEAT) remained alone at #3 with a flat performance while KEGL was up three slots to #4 as it ended a dramatic four-book slide. CBS RADIO Regional Mexican KMVK (LA GRANDE) dropped back to #5 as it gave back a large portion of last month’s massive increase. KLNO dropped back to #7 as it experienced its second big loss in a row.

The 18-49 competition is really a one-horse race. KHKS was #1 again by a wide margin as it ended a two-book slide. The two at #2 were almost two shares off the lead. KLNO remained in place but with its lowest score in exactly a year while KEGL was up from #3 with a flat performance. There was a triumvirate at #4. KPLX and KKDA dropped down from #3 as both stations were off slightly. KZPS moved up from #6 with its highest share in over a year.

Thank you for grinding through the numbers with us. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. are going to take a nap now. When we awaken we’ll dive into our next set of markets. If memory serves, those will be HOUSTON, WASHINGTON, DC, PHILADELPHIA, ATLANTA, and BOSTON. If memory fails, we haven’t a clue what will happen. See you then.

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