Research Director, Inc.: Exclusive August PPM Analysis For New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dalla

Top-5 Markets

While you were enjoying your bar-b-que, brews, and bumper-to-bumper traffic over this long holiday weekend, the Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. –- along with the traveling minstrels from XTRENDS -– were slaving over a hot word processor to bring you another round of sparkling ratings analysis. Yes, we said sparkling. As in effervescent, bubbly, perhaps even gassy.

The AUGUST survey covered the notoriously drowsy period of 7/19 through 8/15. It was a vacation-rich zone and that likely had the biggest impact on the ratings. Let’s see, shall we?

NEW YORK: Lite ‘Em Up

The sleepy summer in the city that never sleeps continued as there was precious little change in the ratings from the previous survey. The top three remained unchanged. iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (LITE) was #1 6+ for the thirteenth straight survey as it ended a three-book slide (6.9-7.1). 
ENTERCOM Classic Hits WCBS-F was again the #2 station (6.2-6.3) while EMMIS Urban AC WBLS repeated at #3 (5.3-5.3). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHTZ (Z100) managed to wrest control of the #4 position (4.9-4.8) while ENTERCOM Sports WFAN (THE FAN) moved up to #5 by remaining perfectly motionless (4.7-4.7). SBS Tropical WSKQ (MEGA) slipped to #6 (4.9-4.6).

Though WLTW posted its lowest 25-54 share since OCTOBER, the station still reigned supreme in the demo. WHTZ was in second place for the third book in a row as it was down slightly. WSKQ had its best book since OCTOBER to maintain its previous #3 rank but was forced to share the experience with WCBS-F, which moved up from #5 as it ended a two-book slide. EMMIS Top 40/R WQHT (HOT) slipped to #5 despite a slight increase. Its cluster mate WBLS was up to #6 as it regained some of last month’s big loss.

For the third straight survey, WHTZ was #1 18-34 as the station landed its largest share since APRIL. WQHT was up slightly to remain a somewhat distant #2. WSKQ and iHEARTMEDIA Urban WWPR (POWER) traded spaces. MEGA was up to #3 with a flat performance while POWER dropped to #4 with its lowest mark since FEBRUARY. WLTW came in at #5 for the fourth straight survey with a slight decrease.

Not much to see in the 18-49 race as the top four positions remained unchanged from last survey. WLTW was #1 for the eleventh book in a row but did post its lowest share since NOVEMBER. WHTZ was flat and stable at #2 while WQHT was up slightly to repeat at #3. WSKQ came in at #4 again with a slight decrease. WCBS-F moved up to #5 with a solid increase and that pushed WWPR back to #6 as it was down for the third book in a row.

LOS ANGELES: Same Old Song

As with the previous market, it was more of the same in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. The top five 6+ players remained the same with a few small changes. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (MY FM) was again #1 – that’s four books in a row – but with its lowest score in over a year (5.7-5.6). ENTERCOM Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH) moved up to #2 (5.0-5.1) while iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST slipped to #3 with its smallest share since NOVEMBER (5.2-4.6). It was forced to share the stage with iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KIIS (KISS), which advanced from #5 with its best outing since MARCH (4.2-4.6). ENTERCOM Rhythmic AC KTWV (THE WAVE) slid to #5 with its third straight down book (4.3-4.2).

KBIG continued to ride roughshod over the rest of the 25-54 field. The station was #1 for the fifth book in a row. Despite being off a bit, it maintained more than a share lead over KRTH, which moved up to #2 with a flat performance. KIIS was up two slots to #3 with a solid increase. All this upward mobility pushed KOST back to #4 as it posted its lowest number since NOVEMBER. ENTERCOM Adult Hits KCBS-F (JACK) slipped to #5 with its third down book in a row. UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KLVE (K-LOVE) was close behind at #6 as it got most of last month’s big loss.

There was a changing of the 18-34 guard – and likely some internal cluster friction – as KIIS surged into the lead with its best book since MARCH. KBIG ended its four-book reign with its lowest share in over a year as it dropped back to #2. KRTH made the leap o’ the month as it jumped from a tie at #9 to #3 with its highest share in over a year. SBS Spanish AC KXOL (MEGA 96.3) dropped two places to #4 as it gave back half of last month’s huge increase. MERUELO Top 40/R KPWR (POWER) held steady at #5 with a slight decrease. However, it was forced to share with its nemesis iHEARTMEDIA Urban KRRL (REAL 92.3), which took one small step forward with a slight increase. KOST fell from #4 to #8 with its lowest mark since NOVEMBER.

This marked the eighth straight survey that KBIG was #1 18-49. However, the station posted its lowest share in over a year while #2 KIIS was up a bit. The net result was that the two stations were less than half a share apart. KRTH moved up to #3 with its best outing in over a year while KOST slipped back to #4 with (again) its lowest total since NOVEMBER. KLVE advanced five squares to #5 as it regained all of last month’s big loss. It was just ahead of KPWR, which stepped forward to #6 with a flat book. POWER, in turn, was a small step ahead of two stations at #7. KCBS-F dropped from #5 while KXOL slipped from #6.

CHICAGO: Loop De Loop

Ever since THE LOOP shuffled off this mortal coil, the 6+ competition has seen some dramatic changes. One station completely unaffected by all of this is iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WVAZ (V103). The station was #1 for the eighth straight survey (6.1-6.0). However, one object in its rearview mirror was actually getting larger. HUBBARD Classic Hits WDRV (THE DRIVE) took total control of the #2 position with its largest share in over a year (4.9-5.5). Not to be totally outdone, CUMULUS Classic Hits WLS-F also had its best book in over a year (4.9-5.3) but had to step back to #3. HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (THE MIX) remained in place at #4 (4.8-4.9) while UNIVISION Regional Mexican WOJO (QUE BUENA) stepped up to #5 as it ended a three-book slide in style (4.0-4.8). ENTERCOM News WBBM-A slid to #6 (4.6-4.6).

The 25-54 demo got its WOJO working as the station moved up to #1 with a solid increase. WTMX dropped back to #2 despite an up book. The stations were separated by a very slim margin. WLS-F and WDRV both had their highest shares in over a year. However, WLS-F’s was a little higher. As a result, it moved up to #3 while THE DRIVE reversed course to #4. WVAZ was down for the third book in a row and fell three places to #5.

There was all sorts of commotion in the 18-34 ranks. After taking a book off, iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKSC (KISS) was back at #1 as it ended a two-book slide. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WGCI had its third straight down book but managed to remain at #2. CUMULUS Alternative WKQX was up two places to #3 as it ended a two-book slide. ENTERCOM Top 40/M WBBM-F (B96) moved up three slots to #4 despite a slight decrease. WTMX advanced two spaces to #5 with a slight decrease and was tied with WDRV, which remained in place despite a small loss. Now, with all this upward movement, you likely sensed that a couple of stations may have taken a hit. ENTERCOM Rhythmic AC WBMX (JAMS) dropped from #1 to #10 with its lowest in-format share. Meanwhile, ENTERCOM Country WUSN (US99) dropped from #4 to #11 as it lost a huge chunk of share.

The 18-49 demo was significantly more stable. The two stations previously tied at #1 dissolved their partnership. WOJO remained on top as it ended a two-book slide while WTMX stepped back to #2 despite a slight increase. WDRV moved up to #3 with a slight increase while WKSC was up to #4 with its own slight increase. WGCI took a step upward to #5 as it got back most of what it lost last time. WVAZ was close behind at #6 after posting its best number since FEBRUARY. WBMX fell from #3 to a tie at #8 as it again had its lowest in-format share.

SAN FRANCISCO: Tighter & Tighter

The gap between the perennial 6+ leaders shrank to less than a share for the first time since OCTOBER. KQED INC. N/T KQED was #1 for the eighth book in a row but posted its lowest score in over a year (6.7-6.4). ENTERCOM News KCBS-A remained #2 – also for the eighth book in a row -– but posted its largest share since FEBRUARY (5.5-5.7). The leading station that played songs for a living was again iHEARTMEDIA AC KISQ (THE BREEZE), which was #3 for the -– yup -– eighth straight survey (4.8-4.7). Then came the rest of the tightly packed field. ENTERCOM Hot AC KLLC (ALICE) moved up to #4 (3.8-3.8) and was just ahead of two stations at #5. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KMEL slipped from #4 as it returned all of last month’s big gain (4.4-3.7) while CUMULUS Sports KNBR-A moved up from a tie at #6 (3.7-3.7).

For the first time since the delightful strains of the HARRY SIMEONE CHORALE were dominating the airwaves, a music station was #1 25-54. That honor went to KLLC, which moved up to the top spot just by being flat. KQED dropped to #2 with its third straight down book. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KYLD (WILD) moved up to #3 with its best showing since SEPTEMBER. This helped push its cluster mate KMEL back to #4 as it landed its lowest number since FEBRUARY. It was tied with BONNEVILLE Top 40/M KMVQ (NOW), which moved up from #6 with a slight increase. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KIOI (STAR) moved up to a close-behind #6 as it regained all of last month’s painful loss. KISQ fell to #7 with its lowest share since that little kid with the drum would just not stop drumming … and drumming … and drumming …

Even though KMEL had its lowest 18-34 share since NOVEMBER, the station remained its usual dominant self. KIOI moved up to #2 with its best book in over a year yet trailed the leader by two and a half shares. KYLD slipped to #3 despite a slight increase while KMVQ moved up to #4 as it bounced back from a down book. ENTERCOM Rhythmic AC KRBQ (Q102) slipped to #5 with a slight decrease. KISQ dropped to #7 as it gave back a large portion of last month’s massive increase.

The 18-49 leaderboard was full of ties – except at #1. KMEL may have lost a good portion of what it gained last month but it remained in the lead. However, that gap shrank to a half share over the #2 stations, KLLC – which was up slightly –- and KYLD –- which had its best outing since OCTOBER. KQED slipped to #4 with its lowest score in over a year and was tied with KMVQ, which moved up from #6 with a slight increase. KISQ fell three places to #7 with its lowest mark since FEBRUARY. Keep an eye on ENTERCOM Alternative KITS (ALT 105.3). The station jumped from #16 to a tie at #8 with its highest share in over a year.

DALLAS-FT.WORTH: A Big, Fat Kiss

After enduring a rather steep two-book slide, iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KHKS (KISS) returned with a vengeance (5.5-6.6) to open up a wide lead over the rest of the 6+ field. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZPS (LONE STAR) was the closest pursuer as it moved up to #2 (5.0-5.0). There was yet another large gap between the #2 station and the triumvirate at #3. CUMULUS Country KSCS took a step backward with its lowest share since MARCH (5.2-4.3). ENTERCOM Classic Hits KLUV (K-LOVE) took a step upward despite landing its lowest share since NOVEMBER (4.6-4.3). ENTERCOM Adult Hits KJKK (JACK) advanced five squares with its highest total in over a year (3.7-4.3). CUMULUS Country KPLX (THE WOLF) was flat and stable at #6 (4.1-4.1) while iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KDMX (NOW) slid to #7 (4.3-3.9).

KHKS ended its two-book 25-54 slide with an explosion of share. The station had its best book in over a year and led #2 UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLNO (QUE BUENA) – which was off a bit – by over two shares. KJKK moved up a couple of places to #3 with its best performance since MARCH while iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KEGL (THE EAGLE) moved up three spots to #4 as it ended a two-book slide. KSCS slipped to #5 with its lowest share since FEBRUARY while two stations dropped down and into a tie at #6. KDMX fell from #4 while KZPS stepped back from a tie at #5.

Not surprisingly, KHKS had its best 18-34 book in over a year to cruise to its sixth straight demo victory. KEGL moved up to #2 with its best book in over a year yet remained a little over two shares off the pace. KSCS slipped to #3 with a slight decrease while SERVICE Urban KKDA (K104) dropped to #4 with a modest loss. KLNO inched up to #5 with its best outing since MARCH, which pushed iHEARTMEDIA AC KDGE (STAR) back to #6.

Completing the demo sweep again, KHKS had its best 18-49 book in over a year. KEGL accomplished the same feat as it moved up to #2 but the two stations were over two shares apart. KJKK jumped from a tie at #8 to #3 with its highest score in over a year, as well. KSCS held steady at #4 and was just ahead of two stations locked in mortal combat at #5. KDMX fell from #2 with its lowest total since FEBRUARY while KLNO remained in place with a flat performance. 

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