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

Markets #6-#10

The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC., in an arranged relationship with the data wizards from XTRENDS, take another deepish dive into the results of the OCTOBER survey. We do the heavy lifting so you can engage in some light reading. All at no cost to you! What a deal. This book began on 9/13 and culminated on 10/10 and is likely the next-to-last one this year that will not be tainted by the specter of CHRISTMAS music. Move along now to …

HOUSTON-GALVESTON: Sunny Came Home

That iHEARTMEDIA AC KODA (SUNNY) was #1 6+ is not exactly breaking news. The station has now held that position for seven books in a row. However, it was off a bit (7.6-7.2) while URBAN ONE Urban AC KMJQ (MAJIC) was off a bit less (6.4-6.1), which meant the gap between the two stations was about a share. Hey, we find our news where we can. UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLTN (QUE BUENA) moved up to #3 with its best book in exactly a year (5.2-6.0). COX RADIO Classic Rock KGLK (THE EAGLE) repeated at #4 (5.3-5.4) while ENTERCOM Adult Hits KKHH (THE SPOT) moved up to #5 (5.0-4.9). CUMULUS Top 40/M KRBE slipped to #6 (5.2-4.8) while COX RADIO Country KKBQ (93Q) fell four places to #7 with its lowest share since you were drinking egg nog (5.4-4.7). By “you” we mean “not us.” Ugh.

This just in ... KLTN moved up to #1 25-54 after posting its best share in exactly a year. This ended KODA’s two-book winning streak as it fell back to #2. KKHH moved up to #3 with a slight increase while iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTBZ (THE BUZZ) dropped back to #4 with its third straight down book. KMJQ remained at #5 despite a small loss. KKBQ returned at #6 with a slight decrease and was sharing the moment with UNIVISION Spanish Adult Hits KOVE (AMOR), which advanced from #11 with its third straight up book. The station also posted its largest share in over a year.

For the first time since MAY, URBAN ONE Top 40/R KBXX (THE BOX) was #1 18-34. The station had its highest share since JANUARY and outdistanced #2 KKBQ – which bounced back nicely from a down book – by over a share. iHEARTMEDIA Urban KQBT (THE BEAT) moved up to #3 with a solid increase while KTBZ took one step forward to #4 as it ended a two-book slide. ENTERCOM Spanish Contemporary KLOL (MEGA) advanced two squares to #5 as it regained some of last month’s massive loss. KODA dropped from #1 to #6 as it ended a strong three-book run.

As with a previous demo, KLTN had its best 18-49 book in exactly a year. It moved up to #1 for the first time since NOVEMBER. KODA stepped back to #2 with its lowest share since that very same month. KKHH was up to #3 despite ending a four-book surge. KTBZ slipped back to #4 with its lowest share since, yup, NOVEMBER. The three stations previously wrapped up at #5 went their separate ways. KBXX remained in place with its best book since JUNE. KKBQ slipped to #6 with a flat performance while KRBE fell to #8 with a slight loss. In between at #5 was KOVE, which advanced five spaces to #7 with its best book in over a year.

WASHINGTON, DC: Tip Top Shape

Radio listeners in our NATION’S CAPITOL continue to thirst for information … especially traffic. And, for the tenth straight survey, HUBBARD News WTOP was the station of choice for the 6+ crowd. It also landed its best book since MARCH (9.4-9.9). The other primary source of radio-delivered info was AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU, which repeated at #2 with its highest share since JUNE (8.2-8.3). URBAN ONE Urban AC WMMJ (MAJIC) maintained its #3 ranking but with its lowest total since APRIL (7.3-6.4). It was still able to best its chief rival as HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR remained at #4 but with its lowest mark since MAY (6.8-5.8). It was joined in that space by iHEARTMEDIA AC WASH, which advanced from #7 with its best Frosty-free share in over a year (4.4-5.8). CUMULUS Talk WMAL had its best showing since MARCH to remain at #6 (4.5-5.0) while ATLANTIC GATEWAY COMMUNICATIONS INC. Christian Contemporary WGTS slipped to #7 as it ended a two-book surge (4.9-4.5). In its swan-song survey, the station formerly known as FRESH – ENTERCOM Classic Hits WIAD (THE DRIVE) – ended up at #18 (2.6-2.3).

It was a pretty good 25-54 month for WAMU. The station was #1 for the seventh straight survey, was up for the third book in a row and had its highest share since JANUARY. WTOP moved up to #2 with its best outing since APRIL but was a full two shares behind the leader. WMMJ slid back to #3 with its lowest score since MARCH while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIHT (HOT) advanced three squares to #4 with its highest total in over a year. WASH maintained its #5 position with a slight increase. WGTS slid to #6 where it was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WBIG, which moved up from a tie at #9. ENTERCOM Sports WJFK ended a two-book surge and dropped from a tie at #5 to #12.

There was a bit of jostling in the 18-34 ranks. However, one thing remained a constant – WIHT was #1 for the third straight survey. WASH moved up a couple of slots to #2 with a huge increase and those two stations were well clear of the rest of the field. ENTERCOM Top 40/R WPGC stepped back to #3 with its lowest total in exactly a year while two stations met headlong at #4. URBAN ONE Urban WKYS (KISS) slid from a tie at #2 with its lowest share in over a year while iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WWDC (DC101) moved up a spot despite a slight decrease. Close behind at #6 was CUMULUS Hot AC WRQX (MIX), which was up for the fourth book in a row. WGTS made a surprise move as it advanced from #14 to #7 with its highest mark in over a year. Even more surprising was the fact that it was tied with GWET Classical WETA, which moved up from #9. WAMU dropped to #9 as it ended a strong two-book run.

WAMU was up 18-49 for the third straight survey and led WIHT – which moved up three places to #2 with its highest mark since FEBRUARY – by a share and a half. WTOP took three steps upward to #3 with its best performance since MARCH. WKYS slipped to #4 with its lowest total since NOVEMBER and was paired with WASH, which moved up from #10 with a rather large increase. WPGC was close behind as it moved up to #6 just by being flat. WBIG had its best book in over a year to advance five spaces to #8. WMMJ fell five places to a tie at #9 with its lowest total since MARCH.

PHILADELPHIA: Fly, Eagles, Fly

While the local football club may be suffering from a post “game we can’t use in promos” hangover, its flagship station was drinking deeply from that stein. ENTERCOM Sports WIP-F moved up to #1 6+ with its best outing since FEBRUARY (5.9-7.3). Its newly minted cluster sister – ENTERCOM AC WBEB (MORE) moved two spaces forward to #2 as it ended a three-book slide (6.3-7.0). ENTERCOM Classic Hits WOGL dropped back to #3 with its third straight down book (7.0-6.8) and was tied with BEASLEY Classic Rock WMGK, which had its first up book since MAY (6.6-6.8). Last month’s market leader – iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS – fell to #5 as it ended a strong three-book surge (7.7-6.6). BEASLEY Active Rock WMMR was flat as it slid to #6 (6.1-6.1).

Make it 10 in a row for WMMR. The station was #1 25-54 again with a slight increase. WIP-F moved up five places to #2 but still trailed the leader by almost two shares. WBEB took two steps forward to #3 with a solid increase while WOGL slipped back to #4 with its lowest total since MAY. WDAS fell three slots to #5 as it lost a chunk of share while WMGK dropped two places to #6 with its lowest score in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WUSL (POWER) was close behind at #7 as it was off slightly.

Last month the 18-34 leaderboard was full of ties. This time there were none. WBEB reclaimed sole possession of first place as it ended a four-book slide. WMMR moved up to #2 with its best showing since APRIL and just edged out #3 iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WRFF (RADIO 104.5), which moved up from a tie at #5 with a healthy increase. BEASLEY Country WXTU slipped to #4 with a slight decrease while WUSL remained alone at #5 with a small loss. Last month’s co-leader – WMGK – ended up at #6 as its six-book surge came to a screeching halt. It was just ahead of WIP-F, which advanced four squares to #7 with its highest share in over a year.

WMMR and WBEB were #1 and #2, respectively, 18-49 for the third book in a row. WMMR had its best book in over a year and held a share and a half lead over MORE, which ended a two-book slide. WIP-F jumped from #10 to #3 with its best book since FEBRUARY which pushed WUSL – which had its lowest share since MAY – down to #4. WRFF bounced back from a down book to advance three places to #5 while WMGK slipped to #6 as it returned all of last month’s big gain. WDAS dropped to #7 with its lowest share in over a year and was tied with WXTU and WOGL.

ATLANTA: Everybody’s Talkin’ At Me

COX RADIO Talk WSB-A continued to be the talk of the town (said without a trace of irony or sarcasm). The station had its best book since MARCH (7.9-8.2) and maintained a comfortable lead over #2 ENTERCOM Urban WVEE (V-103), which had its highest share in over a year (6.7-7.2). COX RADIO Classic Hits WSRV (THE RIVER) repeated at #3 (6.4-6.4) while its cluster sister COX RADIO AC WSB-F (B98.5) returned at #4 (5.5-5.4). URBAN ONE Urban AC WAMJ (MAJIC) moved up to #5 (5.2-5.1), which pushed SALEM Christian Contemporary WFSH (THE FISH) back to #6 (5.3-4.8).

WVEE continued its dominant ways in the 25-54 arena. The station won for the eighth book in a row, posted its largest share in over a year and led the rest of the pack by over two and a half shares. Not a bad month. WSRV took sole control of the #2 position as it got back a small portion of last month’s big loss. This forced WSB-F to step back to #3 as it was off slightly. WSB-A repeated at #4 with its best outing since FEBRUARY while WAMJ returned at #5 but with its lowest score since everyone was playing reindeer games. It was just ahead of CUMULUS Top 40/M WWWQ (Q100), which remained at #6 despite posting its lowest number in over a year.

It was a huge month for WVEE with that fickle 18-34 crowd. The station was #1 for the sixth book in a row with a share that was dangerously close to double digits. #2 WWWQ also had a great month as it posted its largest share in exactly a year. However, the stations were nearly a share and a half apart. URBAN ONE Urban WHTA (HOT) repeated at #3 but was down for the third straight survey. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WWPW (POWER) returned at #4 but with its lowest mark since JUNE and was joined by CUMULUS Country WKHX (KICKS), which moved up from #8 with its best book in over a year.

WVEE was a wrecking ball 18-49. The station was #1 for the tenth straight survey, was closing in on double digits, and led the market by over three and a half shares. WWWQ repeated at #2 but with a slight decrease while WWPW moved up to #3 with a slight increase. These two format rivals were a half share apart. WSB-F returned as the #4 station with a modest loss while WHTA dropped to #5 with its lowest total since JANUARY. It was just ahead of WSRV, which remained at #6 with a small increase.

BOSTON: KISS Sweeps

So it took the RED SOX five games ... pikers. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WXKS (KISS) swept the four demos we cover and did so with relative ease. This was its tenth 6+ win in a row but with the station’s lowest share since the guy who always wears red socks was in town (7.1-6.7). BEASLEY Classic Hits WROR repeated at #2 (6.1-6.2) while BOSTON UNIVERSITY N/T WBUR moved up two places to #3 with a flat performance (5.5-5.5). Three stations were mired together at #4. ENTERCOM AC WMJX (MAGIC) slipped from #3 with its lowest score since NOVEMBER (5.8-5.3). iHEARTMEDIA News WBZ-A was up from #6 despite a down book (5.4-5.3) and BEASLEY Sports WBZ-F (THE SPORTS HUB) advanced from #8 with its best outing since MAY (4.4-5.3). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WZLX slid to #7 as it ended a two-book surge (5.7-5.2).

Though it landed its lowest 25-54 share in over a year, WXKS was #1 for the ninth book in a row. WBZ-F moved up to #2 with its third straight up book and the two stations were less than a share apart. BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WBQT (HOT) jumped five places to #3 with its best performance in over a year. WZLX held steady at #4 with a slight decrease while WMJX dropped three slots to #5 with its lowest mark in over a year. The three stations previously tied at #5 were no longer together. ENTERCOM Sports WEEI-F slipped to #6 with a slight decrease. WBUR landed at #9 with its lowest share since FEBRUARY and BEASLEY Country WKLB dropped to a tie at #10 with its smallest share in over a year.

Last month WXKS hit double digits 18-34 for the first time since MARCH. The station just missed that mark this time but remained a dominant #1. WBZ-F moved up to #2 with its best outing since APRIL but was over two shares off the lead. WBQT slipped back to #3 despite posting its largest share since FEBRUARY. Last month, ENTERCOM Top 40/M WODS (AMP) and iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R WJMN (JAM’N) were tied at #8. They did much better this time. AMP was up to #4 with its best book in over a year while JAM’N rose to #5 as it regained a small part of last month’s loss. WKLB fell to #6 as it returned almost all of last month’s huge increase.

WXKS had its lowest 18-49 share since APRIL but that did not prevent the station from extending its demo-winning streak to nine. WBZ-F moved up to #2 with its highest run total since MAY but was still two shares off the lead. WBQT took a step forward to #3 with a solid increase while WMJX dropped to #4 with – again – its lowest total in over a year. WZLX moved up a slot to #5 with a flat performance and was just ahead of WODS, which took three steps forward to #6 with its best outing since the swans were swimming. WKLB fell to #7 where it was tied with a resurgent WJMN.

The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. have a blog. Doesn’t everyone? But ours is different and will make you smarter. Check it out here. 

Oh, we’ll back shortly with DETROIT, MIAMI, SEATTLE, PHOENIX and MINNEAPOLIS. 

Website: www.ResearchDirectorInc.com
Phone: (410) 295-6619 
E-mail: info@ResearchDirectorInc.com or sallan@researchdirectorinc.com 
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/ResearchDirectorInc. 
TWITTER: @ResearchDirect

« see more Net News