Research Director, Inc.: Exclusive Sept. PPM Analysis For Houston, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston

Markets #6-#10

Do you remember what ever happened in SEPTEMBER? Well, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. and the math mavens from XTRENDS make it our business to remember. And to analyze, parse, and interpret all the data that was produced by NIELSEN in the period covering 8/16 through 9/12. A time notable for a long holiday weekend, loads of last-minute back-to-school shopping, and for answering the question: “Are you ready for some football?” Well, are you? We’ll wait.

HOUSTON-GALVESTON: Sunny Side Up

We apologize if we have used this lame headline before. Actually, we doubly apologize for the lame egg yolk (feel free to steal that one). We’d come up with fresh material if iHEARTMEDIA AC KODA (SUNNY) would for once not be the top 6+ station. The chances of either happening are slim. SUNNY had its highest Frosty-free share in over a year (7.3-7.6) to widen its lead over #2 URBAN ONE Urban AC KMJQ (MAJIC) (6.3-6.4). Newly minted Marconi-winning Legendary Station COX RADIO Country KKBQ (93Q) advanced two spaces to #3 (5.3-5.4) while cluster bro COX RADIO Classic Rock KGLK (THE EAGLE) slipped to #4 (5.7-5.3). UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLTN (QUE BUENA) took a step forward to #5 with its best outing since NOVEMBER (5.0-5.2). It was paired with CUMULUS Top 40/M KRBE, which took two steps forward with its highest share in over a year (4.8-5.2). ENTERCOM Adult Hits KKHH (THE SPOT) ended a four-book surge (5.7-5.0) as it fell four slots to #7.

It was a strong 25-54 month for KODA. The station had its best tinsel-free share in over a year. KLTN moved up to #2 with its best showing since NOVEMBER but the stations were more than a share apart. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTBZ (THE BUZZ) was off slightly as it slipped to #3. Its former partner – KKHH – dropped to #4, thus ending a three-book run. KMJQ inched up to #5 with a slight increase. KKBQ took a step forward to #6 despite a small loss while KGLK dropped to #7 with its first down book since APRIL.

There was loads of moving and shaking in the 18-34 ranks. KODA was up for the third book in a row as it moved from #4 to #1. URBAN ONE Top 40/R KBXX (THE BOX) ended a three-book slide as it advanced four squares to #2. KKBQ gave back all of last month’s increase but was able to hold steady at #3. iHEARTMEDIA Urban KQBT (THE BEAT) stepped up to #4 as it got back some of last month’s loss. After leading the demo for the last three books, KTBZ fell to #5 with its lowest mark since NOVEMBER. KRBE was close behind as it moved up to #6 with its best performance since FEBRUARY. After a massive increase last month that propelled it to #2, ENTERCOM Spanish Contemporary KLOL (MEGA) gave it all back and then some to fall into a tie at #7.

Proving that our original headline was the correct one, KODA completed the demo sweep by capturing the 18-49 flag by a whisker over KLTN, which moved up to #2 with its second straight up book. KTBZ ended its three-book winning streak and dropped to #3. KKHH slipped to #4 despite a slight increase. Three stations moved up and into a tie at #5. KKBQ took two steps forward with a slight decrease. KRBE took five steps forward as it regained all of last month’s small loss. KBXX moved up from #11 as it ended a three-book s lide. KLOL dropped from #5 to #11 as it returned all of last month’s big increase plus alittle more for good measure.

WASHINGTON, DC: Tip-Top Shape

Traffic and weather on the 8’s were all the rage, once again, as HUBBARD News WTOP topped the 6+ charts for the ninth book in a row (9.4-9.4). With tote bags prominently displayed, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU repeated at #2 (8.0-8.2). Two rivals remained in their respective positions from last time but the gap between them grew slightly. URBAN ONE Urban AC WMMJ (MAJIC) was #3 as it bounced back from a down book (7.0-7.3). HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR held steady at #4 (6.7-6.8). There was a new addition to the top quintet as ATLANTIC GATEWAY COMMUNICATIONS INC. Christian Contemporary WGTS scored its largest share in over a year (4.6-4.9) to move up a slot. The previous occupant of that position -– iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WBIG (BIG 100) – fell to #9 with its lowest mark in over a year (4.7-4.0).

It was a good month to be WAMU as the station strengthened its hold on the #1 25-54 position with its best book since JANUARY. #2 WMMJ was flat but trailed the leader by two full shares. WTOP slipped out of a second-place tie and dropped to #3 with a slight decrease. WGTS held on to the #4 position as it, too, had a slight decrease. Two stations moved up and into a tie at #5. iHEARTMEDIA AC WASH took one step forward with a slight increase. ENTERCOM Sports WJFK (THE FAN) advanced three places in the standings even as the NATIONALS continued to slowly drift away. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIHT (HOT) slipped to #7 with a slight decrease. 

Though WIHT was also off slightly 18-34, the station remained #1 and saw its lead over the rest of the field surpass a share. Two format foes ended up tied at #2. ENTERCOM Top 40/R WPGC remained in place though it lost all of last month’s increase plus a little extra. URBAN ONE Urban WKYS (KISS) was flat. WASH moved up to #4 as it ended a two-book slide while two stations were sharing the moment at #5: iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WWDC (DC101) slipped a spot just by being flat. WAMU advanced seven places with its highest share since DECEMBER. CUMULUS Hot AC WRQX (MIX) slid to #7 despite being up for the third straight survey. The surprise station in this demo was GWET Classical WETA. The station moved up to #9 with its best performance in over a year. As recently as MAY the station was #23.

For the second book in a row, WAMU was #1 18-49 and led the two #2 stations by over a share. WGTS took one step upward with a slight increase while WKYS advanced from #6 as it got back about half of last month’s big loss. WMMJ was flat and fell to #4 but was this close to joining the two tied stations. The two stations formerly known as #4 dissolved their arrangement. WIHT slid to #5 with a slight increase while WTOP fell to #6 with a slightly bigger slight decrease.

PHILADELPHIA: Meet The New Boss

For the third book in a row, iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS saw a solid increase in its 6+ share. This time the station was rewarded with a #1 ranking as it posted its highest number in over a year (7.3-7.7). ENTERCOM Classic Hits WOGL saw its winning streak end at two as it slid into second (7.5-7.0). BEASLEY Classic Rock WMGK repeated at #3 (6.8-6.6) while ENTERCOM AC WBEB (MORE) returned as the #4 station with its third down book in a row (6.5-6.3). BEASLEY Active Rock WMMR stayed at #5 (6.0-6.1) and remained just ahead of the stagnant ENTERCOM Sports WIP-F at #6 (5.9-5.9).

There was precious little change 25-54 as the top six stations remained the same and pretty much in order. WMMR won the demo for the ninth book in a row. It was up slightly while #2 WDAS was flat so the stations remained more than a share apart. WOGL was down for the second month in a row but held on at #3. WMGK was up slightly to close the gap from its #4 position. WBEB became the only station that could legitimately claim it was #5 as it was up a bit while its former partner – iHEARTMEDIA Urban WUSL (POWER) – was flat and dropped to #6. Both WIP-F and BEASLEY Country WXTU had solid increases as they moved up and into a tie at #7.

Ties were the order of the day 18-34. WBEB had its lowest share in over a year yet managed to move up and into a first-place tie with WMGK, which advanced from a tie at #3 with its best book in over a year. WMMR was up slightly to remain at #3 where it was joined by WXTU, which moved up from #5 as it regained all of last month’s loss. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WRFF (RADIO 104.3) gave back all of last month’s huge increase – plus a little more – as it dropped from the market lead to #5. It was partnered with WUSL, which moved up from #6 as it ended a two-book slide.

The top two 18-49 stations remained the same. #1 WMMR was flat while #2 WBEB was down slightly. They were separated by about a share and a half. WUSL moved up to #3 with a slight increase while WDAS advanced to #4 with its third straight up book. WMGK rose two places to #5 on the strength of its best book in over a year. WOGL fell three places to #6 with its lowest mark since MAY. WXTU inched up to #7 as it ended a two-book slide while WRFF fell four slots to #8 as it ended a strong three-book surge.
ATLANTA: Can We Talk?

And, the answer to that question for COX RADIO Talk WSB-A would be a resounding yes. The station continued its #1 6+ streak as it posted its highest share since MARCH (7.5-7.9). ENTERCOM Urban AC WVEE (V-103) moved up to #2 (6.9-6.7), which pushed COX RADIO Classic Hits WSRV (THE RIVER) back to #3 (7.1-6.4). Those three stations remained well ahead of the rest of the field. COX RADIO AC WSB-F (B98.5) was up to #4 as it regained most of last month’s loss (5.2-5.5). This forced SALEM Christian Contemporary WFSH (THE FISH) to swim back to #5 as it gave back most of last month’s big gain (5.9-5.3). URBAN ONE Urban AC WAMJ (MAJIC) slipped to #6 (5.2-5.2).

This was the seventh 25-54 win in a row for WVEE and the station continued to crush the competition. It was up slightly and led the pair of #2 stations by over a pair of shares. WSRV remained in place but had its lowest score since the lords were performing their death-defying leaps. This allowed WSB-F to move up from #5 and claim a share of second place as it regained most of last month’s loss. WSB-A had its best showing since MARCH as it inched up to #4. WAMJ slipped to #5 with another flat performance. Two stations dropped out of the top five and into a tie at #6. CUMULUS Top 40/M WWWQ (Q100) was flat while URBAN ONE Urban WHTA (HOT) fell from #3 with its lowest total since MAY.

Things are starting to get interesting in the 18-34 arena. WVEE was #1 for the fifth book in a row. However, the station posted its lowest share since APRIL. Meanwhile, WWWQ moved up two slots to #2 with its best book since there was a pervasive plethora of piping pipers. As a result, the two stations were separated by less than a half share. WHTA took a step back to #3 with its lowest total since JANUARY. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WWPW (POWER) dropped to #4 as it returned all of last month’s rather large increase. WSB-F remained at #5 with a slight decrease.

The 18-49 demo was up to its usual tricks as WVEE dominated again. The station was off slightly but won for the ninth book in a row. WWWQ moved up to #2 with its best performance since APRIL but was still over two shares off the lead. WHTA slipped to #3 with a modest decrease while WSB-F moved up to #4 as it got back about half of last month’s big loss. WWPW repeated at #5 with a slight increase while WSRV fell three places to #6 as it ended a three-book surge.

BOSTON: What A KISS-ah

iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WXKS (KISS) had its lowest 6+ share since APRIL (7.8-7.1). That did not prevent the station from winning the demo for the ninth straight survey. BEASLEY Classic Hits WROR moved up to #2 as it regained some of last month’s big loss (5.7-6.1). ENTERCOM AC WMJX (MAGIC) slipped to #3 (6.0-5.8). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WZLX had its best book in over a year (5.1-5.7) and was rewarded with a rise to fourth place. BOSTON UNIVERSITY N/T WBUR had its lowest total since FEBRUARY (5.7-5.5) as it slipped to #5. iHEARTMEDIA News WBZ-A was up slightly (5.3-5.4) but still stepped back to #6.

WXKS continued to dominate the 25-54 arena. The station recovered a small portion of last month’s loss to remain #1 for the eighth straight survey. WMJX remained at #2 but with its lowest mark since FEBRUARY. As a result, the stations were more than a share and a half apart. BEASLEY Sports WBZ-F (THE SPORTS HUB) moved up to #3 with a small increase while WZLX fell back to #4 with a flat performance. ENTERCOM Sports WEEI-F slipped to #5 thanks to a small decrease. The station was tied with BEASLEY Country WKLB, which moved up from #8 just by being flat for the second book in a row. WBUR also joined the fifth-place party, rising two spaces despite its second straight down book. 

For the first time since MARCH, WXKS cracked the double-digit barrier 18-34. Naturally, the station was #1 again. BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WBQT (HOT) remained #2 with a slight increase but was still over three shares off the lead. The two previous #6 stations improved their respective lots. WKLB was up to #3 with its best outing since FEBRUARY. WBZ-F moved up to #4 with a solid increase. WMJX was also upwardly mobile as it rose from #9 to #5, regaining about half of last month’s huge loss. WZLX slipped to #6 despite a small gain. ENTERCOM Hot AC WWBX (MIX) fell three slots to #7 while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R WJMN (JAM’N) dropped five places to a tie at #8 with its lowest score in over a year.

The top three 18-49 stations were unchanged from last month. WXKS was #1 for the eighth book in a row with a small increase. WMJX was flat and #2 for the fourth straight survey. WBZ-F repeated at #3 with its second up book in a row. WBQT moved up to #4 with a slight increase and was partnered with WKLB, which advanced from #8 with its best showing since MARCH. WWBX fell to #6 and was tied with WZLX.

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