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

Top-5 Markets

We’ll be doggone. As we pass the halfway point of the year and wrestle with the dog days, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC., along with our faithful companions from XTRENDS, embark on another ratings journey. Our laser-like focus is riveted on the month of JULY, which in NIELSEN-speak actually covered the period of 6/22 through 7/19. It contained a big fat celebratory weekend and was littered with “out of office” e-mail replies. The good news is that we’re only about four months away from the beginning of the CHRISTMAS music hostilities.

NEW YORK: Come A Little Bit Closer

Though iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (LITE) was up for the fourth straight survey – with its highest share since FEBRUARY – to remain #1 6+ (6.5-6.7), its lead shrank to the narrowest of possible margins. That’s because CBS RADIO Classic Hits WCBS-F – which remained at #2 – had its best book in over a year (6.2-6.6). These two stations were well ahead of the rest of the field. EMMIS Urban AC WBLS was flat (5.4-5.4) but moved up to #3 as it swapped positions with now #4 iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3), which returned some of last month’s modest increase (5.5-5.3). Two other stations also swapped spaces. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHTZ (Z100) was up to #5 (4.7-4.9), which kicked SBS Tropical WSKQ (MEGA) back to #7 (4.9-4.6). In between and motionless at #6 was CBS RADIO News WINS-A (4.8-4.7).

The same duo as above also led the way 25-54. The LITE continued to burn brightest as the station had its best non-Santa-influenced share in over a year. WCBS received a strong boost – its highest score in over a year – to advance six spaces to #2. Still, the gap between these two leaders was at a share-and-a-half. Several ties were recorded. EMMIS Top 40/R WQHT (HOT) was on fire with its highest total in over a year as it took two steps forward to #3. It was sharing the space with WAXQ, which slid back from a tie at #2. Also dropping from the place position was WHTZ, which dropped to #5 with its lowest number since we were having sugar plum flashbacks. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WWPR (POWER) was also at #5 – moving back a slot – with a slight loss. WBLS was flat again and that forced the station to take two steps back to #7.

Those pesky Millennials just can’t seem to make up their minds. For the fourth straight survey, a different station topped the 18-34 leaderboard. This time it was WQHT, which took one step forward with a huge increase. Last month’s winner – WSKQ – took a big hit and dropped back to #2. It was almost two shares off the pace. WHTZ took sole possession of third place with a slight loss while WWPR slid back to #4 with its first down book since we were hanging hosiery on the mantle. WAXQ remained at #5 though it surrendered a huge chunk of last month’s massive increase.

WQHT had its best 18-49 book in over a year and that propelled the station to first place by half a share. The next four stations were pretty much lumped together. WWPR was off slightly at #2 and was joined by WLTW, which moved up from #5 with its third up book in a row. WSKQ fell from the lead to #4 and was partnered with WHTZ, which slipped back from a tie at #3. The #6 position was over a share behind but featured two stations not usually known for their prowess in this demo. WAXQ remained in place with a small loss while WCBS-F moved up from #9 with its best performance in over a year.

LOS ANGELES: My Way Is The High Way

The top five 6+ remained the same from last survey but only one station from that quintet had an up book. Of course, it was market leader iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (MY FM). The station had its highest share in over a year (5.8-6.1) as it opened up a wide lead over everyone else. CBS RADIO Rhythmic AC KTWV (THE WAVE) held steady at #2 (5.4-5.3) while cluster mate CBS RADIO Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH) remained at #3 as it returned all of last month’s increase (5.1-4.8). Two other cluster siblings were knotted at #4. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KIIS (KISS) was stationary but with its lowest share since JANUARY (5.0-4.7). Meanwhile, iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST moved up a slot (4.8-4.7). The next station that saw an increase in share was UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KLVE (K-LOVE). Though it remained at #6, it did post its largest number since OCTOBER (3.5-4.4).

KBIG has been ripping up the 25-54 demo. The station was up for the third book in a row, #1 for the seventh straight survey and had its largest share in over a year. Oh, yea, and it also led #2 KIIS – which was down – by almost two shares. KLVE advanced three spaces to #3 with – once again – its best book since OCTOBER. KTWV inched up to #4 with its third straight up book while KRTH fell two slots to #5, thus ending a three-book up streak. KOST moved up a couple of places to #6 as it regained all of last month’s share loss. CBS RADIO Adult Hits KCBS-F (JACK) dropped three spots to #7 as it returned almost all of last survey’s healthy increase.

There was a whole lot of 18-34 drama. First, KBIG moved into first place with its best book in over a year. It just edged out its cluster sister – KIIS – which moved back to #2 despite a slight increase. MERUELO Top 40/R KPWR (POWER) was steady at #3, also with a slight increase. SBS Spanish AC KXOL (MEGA) has also been caliente of late. The station moved up to #4 with its highest share in over a year. If you go back to OCTOBER, the station has almost doubled its share since then. KLVE also made a nice move as it jumped from #12 to #5 with a noticeably large increase in share. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KYSR (ALT) dropped back to #6 with its fourth straight down survey. iHEARTMEDIA Urban KRRL (REAL) fell to #7 with its smallest share since DECEMBER and was joined with CBS RADIO Top 40/M KAMP (AMP), which remained in place but with its highest mark since NOVEMBER.

KBIG completed the demo sweep with its best 18-49 book in over a year. KIIS remained at #2 with a small loss and was over a share-and-a-half off the lead. KLVE took two steps forward to #3 with its largest share in over a year while KRTH slid back to #4 with a small decrease. Last month, three stations were tied at #10. Two of them – KXOL and KPWR – remained tied this time but at the much loftier #5 position. For each station, it was their highest share in over a year. The third member of that group – KTWV – moved up but was a hair behind at #7. KYSR dropped six spaces to the aforementioned tie at #10 with only a small loss. KCBS-F fell seven spots to #12 after surrendering most of last month’s big gain.

CHICAGO: The Flying V

This marked the sixth straight survey that iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WVAZ (V103) was #1 6+. The station also landed its largest share in over a year (6.1-6.7) and extended its market lead to two full shares. HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (MIX) moved slightly but enough to advance to #2 (4.6-4.7). CBS RADIO News WBBM-A had its lowest score in over a year (4.7-4.4) as it slipped back to #3. HUBBARD Classic Hits WDRV (THE DRIVE) became the lone station at #4 with its fourth up book in a row and highest share in over a year (3.9-4.2). CBS RADIO Country WUSN (US 99) has also been on a tear over the last few surveys. The station moved up four places to #5 (3.4-4.1). As recently as APRIL, it was sitting at #17. Two rivals found themselves staring each other down at #6. CBS RADIO Top 40/M WBBM-F (B96) slipped from a tie at #4 (3.9-3.8) while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKSC (KISS) remained in place (3.8-3.8).

The old sports adage is that streaks were made to be broken. Case in point: WTMX was #1 25-54 for the last six books in a row. That ended this time as WVAZ vaulted into the lead with easily its best book in over a year. MIX slid back to #2 with its lowest score in over a year. WKSC held firm at #3 with a flat performance. WDRV drove itself up to #4 with its best book since OCTOBER. WBBM-F slid back to #5 with a small loss and was partnered with UNIVISION Regional Mexican WOJO (QUE BUENA), which was there last time and was flat this time.

WBBM-F captured the 18-34 flag for the fourth straight survey as it ended a two-book slide. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WGCI remained at #2 with a flat performance but this opened the door for WTMX, which moved up to tie for that position with its highest mark since JANUARY. WKSC took a step back to #4 despite ending a three-book slide. Making a, ahem, big move was iHEARTMEDIA Country WEBG (BIG). The station was up three slots to #5 with a huge increase that yielded its best book since AUGUST.  CUMULUS Alternative WKQX rose a spot to the #6 position as it regained about half of last month’s big loss. WVAZ remained at #7 despite its highest share in over a year while WOJO dropped to #8 with its smallest share since APRIL.

After a one-book hiatus, WKSC returned to the top of the 18-49 chart with its first up book since MARCH. WTMX moved back to #2 with its first down book since MARCH. WBBM-F remained at #3 with a slight increase. These three stations were within a half share of each other. WVAZ took two steps forward to #4 with – naturally – its strongest survey in over a year. WOJO dropped back to #5 where it was paired with WGCI. Both stations had slight decreases. A little farther down the list, we see WDRV, which had a big increase that allowed the station to advance four places to #8.

SAN FRANCISCO: Here And Now Again

The top five stations 6+ remained the same from last survey. For the seventh straight survey, KQED INC. N/T KQED was #1 by a sturdy margin (6.7-7.1). CBS RADIO News KCBS-A remained a solid – if distant – #2 with its lowest share since SEPTEMBER (6.0-5.8). ENTERCOM AC KOIT remained the leading music station at #3 but was down for the third book in a row (5.0-4.8). iHEARTMEDIA AC KISQ (THE BREEZE) assumed control of the #4 position (4.3-4.2), which pushed iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KIOI (STAR) back to #5 (4.3-4.0). Normally at this time of year, we see CUMULUS Sports KNBR-A at or near the top of the leaderboard. Alas, the GIANTS stink this year and, as a result, KNBR is not as lively. The station slid to a tie at #10 this survey (3.5-3.2). A year ago it was #1 with a 6.2 share.

Another book, another #1 25-54 outing for KQED. However, though this was the seventh win in a row, the station did post the lowest number of the streak. For the fifth straight survey, CBS RADIO Hot AC KLLC (ALICE) was #2 though the station was still almost a share off the lead. KIOI held steady at #3 even though it gave back most of last month’s increase. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KYLD (WILD) remained at #4 with a slight increase and was tied with CBS RADIO Top 40/M KMVQ (NOW), which moved up two places with its first up book since MARCH. A couple of stations down the list had nice gains. UNIVISION Regional Mexican KSOL (QUE BUENA) moved up three slots to #7 while iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KOSF jumped six places to a tie at #9.

For the second book in a row, KYLD was #1 18-34 and the station posted its highest share since we were measuring rooftop clicks. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KMEL remained at #2 but was joined by KOIT, which moved up a rung with its highest share since JANUARY. KSOL advanced two places to #4 with its second big monthly increase in a row. Just three books ago it was tied at #10. KMVQ slid back to #5 with a flat performance while KIOI dropped to #6 even though it ended a three-book slide.

#1 KQED and #2 KYLD remained neck and neck 18-49 though the former was up slightly while the latter was flat. KIOI was also flat but still managed to take a step forward to #3. There was a tie at #5 last time that was not repeated. KOIT broke away to move up to #4 as it ended a small two-book slide while KMEL slipped to #7 with its lowest share in over a year. In between, two stations took over at #5. KLLC dropped from #3 with its second down book in a row while KMVQ was up from #7 with its best outing since MARCH.

DALLAS-FT.WORTH: Do The Tighten Up

Things got a lot tighter atop the 6+ leaderboard this time around. CUMULUS Country KPLX (THE WOLF) was #1 for the seventh book in a row but with its lowest share of the run (6.1-5.6). Just a click behind was iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KHKS (KISS), which gave back some of last month’s increase (5.8-5.5). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZPS (LONE STAR) also crept closer at #3 just by sitting still (5.4-5.4). CBS RADIO Classic Hits KLUV (K-LOVE) ended a two-book slide to move up to #4 (4.3-4.6), which pushed CUMULUS Country KSCS back to #5 (4.5-4.4). UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLNO (QUE BUENA) was flat (4.1-4.1) but moved up a notch to #6. It was greeted there by CBS RADIO Adult Hits KJKK (JACK), which advanced from #10 with its highest share since DECEMBER (3.1-4.1). SALEM Christian Contemporary KLTY fell three places to a tie at #8 as it returned a large portion of last month’s hefty increase (4.3-3.7).

After two books leading the 25-54 pack, KPLX dropped back to #2 with a small loss. The new lead dog was KHKS, which was up for the second straight survey. Blasting into the #3 position was KJKK, which advanced six places with – once again – its best outing since DECEMBER. KZPS dropped back to #4 with its first down book since JANUARY. KSCS remained at #5 with its highest share in over a year. Just two books ago the station was at #12. CUMULUS Sports KTCK-A (THE TICKET) slid back a spot to #6 despite a small gain. It was in league with iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KEGL (THE EAGLE), which was flat as it fell from #4.

KHKS continued its dominance of the 18-34 demo as it was #1 for the seventh book in a row. It led #2 SERVICE Urban KKDA (K104) by exactly a share. However, dominance can be relative. A year ago KISS led this demo by two-and-a-half shares. URBAN ONE Top 40/R KBFB (THE BEAT) remained about a share back at #3 with a small loss while KLNO was up three spots to #4 as it ended a steep two-book slide. UNIVISION Spanish AC KDXX (LATINO MIX) advanced three spaces to #5 with its fourth up book in a row and was tied with KPLX, which took one step forward as it regained some of last month’s big loss. KEGL fell three places to #7 with its lowest total since OCTOBER while CBS RADIO Regional Mexican KMVK (LA GRANDE) dropped five stories to a tie at #10 as it lost a big chunk of share for the second month in a row.

It was another easy 18-49 win for KHKS as the station was up slightly. KJKK had an amazing month. The station moved from #11 to #2 and scored its best book in over a year. It just barely edged out KLNO, which moved back to #3 despite a small increase. KPLX remained at #4 with a flat performance and was sharing the moment with KEGL, which fell back from a tie at #2 with a small decrease. KKDA dropped back to #6 with its lowest score since MARCH and was conjoined with KSCS, which moved up a spot just being flat. KZPS saw its up book streak end at five as it fell from a tie at #4 to #8.

That is our story and we shall not waver from the facts as we see them. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. will take a short recess in order to gather our thoughts about the next round of targets. They will include HOUSTON, WASHINGTON, DC, PHILADELPHIA, ATLANTA, and BOSTON. In the meantime, feel free to add your viewpoints to ours via the platforms below.

E-mail: sallan@researchdirectorinc.com
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