Research Director, Inc.: Exclusive January PPM Analysis For Miami, Seattle, Detroit, Phoenix, Minneapolis

Markets #11-#15

Our stroll down recent memory lane continues with our third – and final – installment of the JANUARY book re-cap. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – with a strong push from our fellow data geeks from XTRENDS – look at how this latest batch of markets fared after the departure of the polar express (if not the Polar Vortex). While all of Santa’s radio helpers took the expected hit, some were left in better shape than when they entered the maelstrom of mistletoe. Let’s see if that trend continued. For accounting purposes, this survey covered JANUARY 3rd through the 30th.

MIAMI-FT.LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD: Santa Giveth …

And he can also take away … though that might not be entirely the case. This was the first year that a major station in this market made the Frosty flip. That was ENTERCOM AC WLYF (LITE). Unlike many of the holiday-infused stations around the country, it did not see massive double-digit shares. And, like those others, it did not see a dramatic decline. The station did fall from #1 6+ to a tie at #2 (7.3-6.4) but was in a stronger position than NOVEMBER when it was #4 with a 5.7 share. COX RADIO AC WFEZ (EASY) moved back to #1 (7.1-7.4) where it had been for seven straight surveys prior to the HOLIDAY book. COX RADIO Urban AC WHQT (HOT) moved up to also share the #2 spot (6.5-6.4). UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary WAMR (AMOR) inched up to #4 (5.8-5.9) while SBS Tropical WCMQ (Z92.3) slipped to #5 (6.1-5.8). COX RADIO Urban WEDR (99JAMZ) had its best score in over a year (4.5-5.3) to move up to #6.

A funny thing happened 25-54. First, WLYF was only off slightly after the big guy’s demise and that was enough for the station to move up to #1 – something Santa could not do. Then, four stations were tied at #2. Last month’s leader – WFEZ – dropped from the lead with its lowest share since AUGUST. WAMR moved up a spot with a slight increase. WHQT rose two spots with a small gain while WEDR advanced three spaces with – again – its best outing in over a year. SBS Tropical WXDJ (EL ZOL) was up to #6 after regaining some of last survey’s big loss. WCMQ took a step upward to #7 with its highest share in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Spanish Contemporary WZTU (TU 94.9) slid to #8 with a slight decrease.

WEDR did not have its best 18-34 book in over a year but did pick up the share it lost last survey to remain a dominant #1. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WMIB (THE BEAT) was flat and stable at #2 and trailed the leader by more than a share and a half. WFEZ became the sole proprietor of the #3 storefront with a slight increase while WZTU slipped to #4 with a small loss. WLYF ended a three-book surge but remained at #5 where it was tied with WAMR, which moved up a slot despite a down book.

WEDR did have its best 18-49 share in over a year to move up three spots to #1. That’s its first appearance in that space since AUGUST. It just edged out a flat WZTU, which remained at #2. WLYF fell from first to third but was better positioned than in NOVEMBER when it was #5. WFEZ dropped back to #4 with a slight decrease while WAMR stepped back to #5 while doing the same. WXDJ repeated at #6 but it did get back most of last survey’s rather large share loss.

SEATTLE-TACOMA: And Then There Were None

You really did need a scorecard to keep track of all the holiday players as five different stations made the switch to pine-scented radio. Three of them had an impact and we will chronicle their travails in a moment. But first, the 6+ arena returned to a sense of normalcy. UNIV. OF WASHINGTON N/T KUOW was back at #1 for the first time since SEPTEMBER with a huge increase (5.9-7.4). HUBBARD Top 40/M KQMV (MOVIN) busted a move up to #2 with its highest share since JULY (5.7-7.0). BONNEVILLE Talk KIRO-F was up to #3 as it regained most of last survey’s loss (4.9-5.6). Last month’s leader –- and Santa fave -– HUBBARD AC KRWM (WARM) dropped to #4 (11.2-4.8) but was in better shape than NOVEMBER when it was tied at #9 with a 4.1 share. It was tied this time around with iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KJR-F (THE JET), which moved up from #6 despite a flat performance (4.8-4.8). The other major holiday participants went back to where they once belonged. SINCLAIR Hot AC KPLZ (STAR) went from #4 to a tie at #10 (5.1-3.8). It was #12 in NOVEMBER with a 3.8. CRISTA Christian Contemporary KCMS (SPIRIT) dropped from a tie at #11 to #17 (3.7-2.8). In NOVEMBER it was also #17 with a 3.0 share.

There were some big share gains among the 25-54 leaders. KQMV had its best book since OCTOBER to move up to #1. ENTERCOM Alternative KNDD (THE END) had its highest share in over a year to step up to #2. KUOW also had its best book in over a year to move up to #3. ENTERCOM Active Rock KISW slipped to #4 with a flat performance while KRWM again lost more than half its share to drop to #5 though that is a far better place to land than the #14 it held in NOVEMBER. KPLZ dropped from #6 to a tie at #11, which is exactly where it was in NOVEMBER while KCMS dropped a spot to #18, which was one position higher than NOVEMBER’s.

Despite the presence of the dreaded BURL IVES last month, KQMV had a solid double-digit 18-34 share. That was good enough for second place. Well, the station was flat this time, which was sufficient to move it back to #1. KISW had a massive increase from last survey to jump from #6 to #2. KRWM fell from the lead to #3, which was better than its #5 ranking in NOVEMBER. It was tied with a flat and unmovable KNDD. KUOW moved up to #5 with its best book in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KUBE was forced to step back to #6 despite a small increase. KPLZ fell three spots to #7. It was #8 in NOVEMBER.

KQMV had its best 18-49 share since OCTOBER to move back into a dominant #1 position. KNDD stepped up to #2 with its highest score in over a year while KISW advanced to #3 as it regained most of last survey’s loss. KUOW took two steps upward to #4 with – once again – its highest total in over a year. KRWM fell from #1 to #5. Much better than NOVEMBER when it was tied at #10 with KPLZ, which dropped from #5 to #11 this survey.

DETROIT: Breaking News

As the Santa station shed about ten 6+ shares, a lot of other properties were there to scoop up the drippings. Starting with ENTERCOM News WWJ-A, which had its best book in over a year (6.1-7.5) to move up to #1. Rudolph’s go-to was iHEARTMEDIA AC WNIC and it fell to #2 (17.9-7.1) and was in better shape than NOVEMBER when it was tied at #3 with a 6.6. BEASLEY Classic Rock WCSX remained at #3 (6.0-6.9) while its cluster bro’ BEASLEY Active Rock WRIF moved up three slots to #4 with its highest mark in over a year (4.4-6.0). iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WMXD (MIX) slipped to #5 (5.4-5.6) while two stations moved up and into a tie at #6. ENTERCOM Country WYCD jumped five spaces as it ended a three-book slide (3.7-5.3) while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKQI (CHANNEL 955) took a step forward with its best performance in over a year (4.4-5.3). The two stations previously joined at #5 were up but fell down. ENTERCOM Sports WXYT-F (THE TICKET) dropped to #8 (4.6-5.2) while ENTERCOM Classic Hits WOMC fell to #9 (4.6-4.8).

The top of the 25-54 leaderboard reeked from testosterone. WRIF had its best share since JUNE to move back to #1 while WCSX had a huge increase to advance three spaces to #2. WXYT-F stepped up to #3 with a small gain while WKQI was up to #4 as it ended a three-book slide. WNIC fell from #1 to #5. It had been #8 in NOVEMBER. BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WMGC (THE BOUNCE) dropped to #6 as it returned most of last survey’s solid increase.

It was quite the book for WKQI as the station topped double digits 18-34 and moved back to the #1 spot. WRIF had only a slight increase but that was enough to drive it up three spots to #2. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WJLB remained at #3 but with its lowest score since JULY. It was tied with WMGC, which moved up despite a decent loss. WYCD ended a three-book slide and jumped five spots to #5. WNIC fell from first to #6, which was better than its #12 ranking in NOVEMBER. It was sharing the space with WMXD, which advanced from #12 as it received a rather huge increase.

WRIF had a massive 18-49 increase, which pushed the station from #3 to #1. WKQI also had a solid increase as it moved up to #2 though it was about a share off the lead. WMGC slid to #3 as it returned all of last survey’s increase. Two stations advanced into a tie at #4. WCSX was up two spots with a modest gain while WXYT-F rose from #8 with a strong increase. CUMULUS Hot AC WDVD had its best book since AUGUST to move up to #6 while WYCD jumped five slots to a tie at #7 with its best outing since JUNE. WJLB fell to #9 as it lost most of last month’s increase. WNIC dropped from #1 to #10, which is exactly where it was in NOVEMBER.

PHOENIX: Making It Look Easy

You know, it’s kind of not fair. iHEARTMEDIA AC KESZ (99.9KEZ) blows up the market with jingle bell rock, loses more than half its share after it’s all over, and remains firmly entrenched at #1 6+ the entire time. The station did drop (15.0-7.0) and was in almost the exact same spot it was in NOVEMBER when it was #1 with a 6.9. HUBBARD Classic Rock KSLX had its highest share since JUNE (6.2-6.5) to remain a not-too-distant #2 while iHEARTMEDIA Adult Hits KYOT (THE MOUNTAIN) moved up to #3 as it got back most of last survey’s loss (5.1-6.0). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KZZP (KISS) slipped to #4 (5.5-5.6) while HUBBARD Active Rock KUPD rose to #5 with its best showing since NOVEMBER (4.4-5.1). iHEARTMEDIA Country KNIX repeated at #6 (4.7-5.0) while iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KMXP (MIX) slid to #7 (4.9-4.8).

Santa’s departure paved the way for two stations to move up and into a tie for first place 25-54. KZZP was flat while KUPD ended a three-book slide. KSLX stepped up to #3 with its highest score since JUNE while KYOT was up to #4 as it regained some of last survey’s big loss. KESZ dropped from #1 to #5. It was a bit stronger than NOVEMBER when it was tied at #6. ENTRAVISION Spanish Adult Hits KVVA (JOSE) made a huge leap as it went from a tie at #14 to a tie at #8 with by far its highest share in over a year.

KUPD experienced a rather large influx of 18-34 share – its largest in over a year – to climb up to #1 on the chart. KZZP was off a bit but remained #2. KMXP also had its best showing in over a year to advance to #3. It has been on a good roll of late because as recently as SEPTEMBER it was #13. ENTERCOM Top 40/M KALV (LIVE 101.5) repeated at #4 with a small loss while ENTERCOM Country KMLE was up to #5 with a small gain. KESZ dropped from the lead to #6, which is exactly where it was in NOVEMBER. KVVA was hot in this demo, as well, rising from #18 to a tie at #7.

The 18-49 leaderboard was a kind of reverse version of Tetris. KESZ dropped from first to fifth (where it also was in NOVEMBER), which allowed the four stations that were trailing it to each move up a spot. KZZP was #1 despite a slight decrease while KUPD was now #2 with its highest total since OCTOBER. KYOT landed at #3 as it bounced back from a down book while KMXP ended up at #4 with a flat performance. 

MINNEAPOLIS-ST.PAUL: Back To The Future

Few stations were happier to see the cessation of holiday hostilities than HUBBARD Hot AC KSTP (KS95). The station ended a three-book slide (5.3-7.2) and jumped from #7 to #1 6+. CUMULUS Active Rock KXXR (93X) repeated at #2 with its best book in over a year (5.9-6.5). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KQQL (KOOL) was cut exactly in half (12.6-6.3) to slip to #3. In NOVEMBER it was also #3 with a 6.6 share. It was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KDWB, which slipped from a tie at #2 (5.9-6.3) while CUMULUS Classic Rock KQRS stepped back to #5 (5.8-5.8). The two stations that were previously aligned at #9 remained together but moved up to #6. iHEARTMEDIA Country KEEY (K102) got back all of last survey’s loss – plus a little extra – (4.0-5.0) while MPR N/T KNOW had its highest score since APRIL (4.0-5.0). ENTERCOM Adult Hits KZJK (JACK) fell to #9 with its lowest mark since OCTOBER (5.8-4.8).

KXXR moved back to #1 25-54 and was flirting with double digits. KSTP had its first up book since SEPTEMBER to jump four spaces to #2. They were separated by better than a share and a half. KDWB was up to #3 with a small gain while iHEARTMEDIA Sports KFXN (K-FAN) returned at #4 with a slight decrease. KZJK dropped to #5 as it ended a three-book surge. KQRS stepped up to #6 despite a slight decrease. KQQL fell from #1 to #7. It was in a tie at #5 in NOVEMBER.

KXXR. You can’t stop them, you can only hope to contain them. The station matched its fourteen-book double-digit share high to remain #1 and out-distanced a flat #2 KDWB by over four shares! Two stations made bold moves up the chart to land at #3. KQRS was up three spots with its best outing since SEPTEMBER while KSTP advanced from a tie at #7 as it got back all of last survey’s decline. KFXN remained at #5 with a small gain and was paired with KEEY, which rose from a tie at #9 as it ended a five-book slide. KZJK fell four slots to #8 while KQQL dropped from #2 to a tie at #11. It was #8 in NOVEMBER.

KXXR was back in double digits 18-49, which meant it was back on top of the leaderboard. KDWB moved up to #2 with a small gain and was only about two shares off the pace. KSTP leapt three spaces to #3 with a very strong increase. KFXN held steady at #4 with a slight increase. KQRS inched up to #5 with a solid gain which pushed KZJK – which had an equally solid loss – back to #6. KQQL fell from #1 to #7, which is exactly where it was before all this holiday nonsense began.

So, there you have it, folks. We’re trying to think of a few more clichés to insert here but we’re a tad fried. Thank you for taking the time to read this here missive and we look forward to your continuing participation next month. 

The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. would like to put in a shameless plug: Check out our blog! Subscribe! Tell your friends, and by friends we mean people you actually know, not those strangers on FACEBOOK. Click here. 

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

« see more Net News