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

Top-5 Markets

As summer begins to sizzle, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – in close cooperation with the numbers crunchers at XTRENDS – bring you the results from the fifth survey of the current year. A time frame encompassing 4/25 through 5/22 … so it was mostly MAY.  It was also a time defined by, well, nothing particularly unusual from a holiday or life-altering event point of view. So, we’ll just dive in and see what transpired in the first five markets …

NEW YORK: Fit To Be Tied

The least surprising development from this survey was that iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (LITE) was again #1 6+. The station did post its lowest score since NOVEMBER (7.0-6.8). This opened the door for EMMIS Urban AC WBLS. It bounced back from a down book (6.5-6.8) to forge a share of the market lead. The rest of the top five was unchanged. ENTERCOM Classic Hits WCBS-F returned at #3 (5.6-5.4) while SBS Tropical WSKQ (MEGA) had a repeat performance at #4 (5.0-5.3). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHTZ (Z100) had its highest share since NOVEMBER (4.7-4.9) to hold on to fifth place. In its final full survey as CUMULUS Hot AC WPLJ, the station landed its largest share in over a year (2.5-3.1) to advance from #17 to #13.

In the 25-54 contest, WLTW was down for the second book in a row and posted its lowest share in over a year. However, it managed to cling to its #1 ranking. It was hearing footsteps from cluster mate WHTZ, which bounced back from a down book and moved up to #2. WBLS was off slightly as it slipped to #3.These three stations were less than a half share apart. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WWPR (POWER) had its best book in over a year to wrestle sole control of the fourth position. WSKQ was up to #5 with a slight increase while WCBS-F slid to #6 with its fourth straight down book. As with the previous demo, WPLJ was up four slots to #13 with its best outing in over a year.

For the fourth survey in a row, WHTZ dominated the 18-34 competition as the station got back last month’s small share loss. WSKQ was up to #2. It ended a three-book downtrend but was still a share and a half out of the lead. EMMIS Top 40/R WQHT (HOT) slipped back to #3 with its lowest share in over a year. It was just ahead of WWPR, which remained at #4 with a flat performance. Also occupying the #4 space was WLTW, which moved up one place with a slight increase. WPLJ was up three slots to a tie at #13 with its best showing since JANUARY.

There was some role reversal 18-49 as a couple of cluster mates swapped positions. WHTZ moved up to #1 with a slight increase as WLTW dropped to second with a slight decrease. WWPR moved up to #3, also with a small increase. This is a tight race with the top three players within a half share of each other. WBLS slipped back to #4 with a slight decrease while WSKQ moved up to #5 with a slight increase. WQHT slid to #6 with its lowest share in over a year. This was also the first time in over a year that the station was not in the top five. It missed out by the smallest of possible reportable margins. WPLJ had its best performance in over a year as it advanced from #16 to #12.

LOS ANGELES: The KOST Is Clear

What is abundantly clear is that we have run out of clever ways to incorporate iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST into the headline. The station had its best Frosty-free share in over a year (6.3-6.6) to remain #1 for the eighth straight survey. ENTERCOM Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH) had its best outing in over a year (5.5-5.8) as it kept pace from its consistent #2 position. This was the sixth book in a row that the station finished second. ENTERCOM Rhythmic AC KTWV (THE WAVE) was up for the fifth book in a row (5.0-5.2) to solidify its hold on third place. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (MY FM) ended a three-book slide (4.1-4.5) to move up to #4. ENTERCOM Adult Hits KCBS-F (JACK) slipped to #5 (4.2-4.0) where it was sharing the moment with iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KIIS (KISS), which moved up with a flat performance (4.0-4.0).

The earth continued to move 25-54. KRTH had its best book in over a year to repeat as the #1 station. However, KBIG made it a contest as it jumped from #8 to #2 with a huge increase. KTWV remained anchored at #3 but with its highest share in over a year. The top three stations were within a half share of each other. KOST slipped to #4 despite a slight increase while KIIS moved up to #5 thanks to a slight increase. Aren’t numbers funny that way? KCBS-F was off slightly as it dropped to #6 where it was tied with SBS Regional Mexican KLAX (LA RAZA), which was flat.

For the second straight survey, MERUELO Top 40/R KPWR (POWER) was #1 18-34. The station was off slightly and in a dog fight with two stations tied at #2. SBS Tropical KXOL (MEGA 96.3) remained in place with a slight decrease. iHEARTMEDIA Urban KRRL (REAL 92.3) moved up a spot with a rather large gain that led to its best book in over a year. KIIS slid to #4 with a slight decrease while KRTH repeated at #5, also with a slight decrease. It was just ahead of KOST, which stepped up to #6 with a flat book. KBIG was up to #8 thanks to another huge ratings gain. It bounced back from its smallest share in over a year.

There was a very close finish 18-49. KRTH won for the third book in a row by posting its best share in over a year. However, KBIG surged from a tie at #7 to #2 with another massive increase and was very close to taking the lead. KIIS slipped to #3 with a slight decrease and was tied with KTWV, which moved up thanks to a slight increase. KOST fell to #5 with a slight decrease. KPWR dropped to #6 and was tied with KXOL. The stations from #3 to #6 were separated by less than a half-share. 

CHICAGO: The Mix Master

The magic must be in the music mix as HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (THE MIX) captured the 6+ flag for the second straight survey though it was off a bit (5.9-5.6). ENTERCOM News WBBM-A moved up to the #2 slot just by showing up (5.3-5.3). iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WVAZ (V103) stepped back to #3 as it returned all of last month’s increase (5.6-5.2). HUBBARD Classic Rock WDRV (THE DRIVE) shifted into reverse to land at #4 as it ended a rather robust four-book surge (5.4-4.7). The “classic” race tightened up as CUMULUS Classic Hits WLS-F regained all the share it lost last time around (3.9-4.5) and remained at #5. Baseball was again very, very good for ENTERCOM Sports WSCR-A (THE SCORE) as it moved up to #6 with its best outing since OCTOBER (3.7-4.2). iHEARTMEDIA AC WLIT (LITE) slid to #7 just by showing up (3.9-3.9).

There was all sorts of stuff happening in the 25-54 ranks but one thing that remained a constant was WTMX’s appearance atop the leaderboard – for the fifth straight survey. The station was off slightly but maintained a two-and-a-half share lead over the rest of the field. WLF-S jumped three places to #2 with its best book since NOVEMBER. WDRV slipped to #3 as it sustained a noticeable loss. It was tied with ENTERCOM Rhythmic AC WBMX (JAMS), which advanced three spaces with a small increase. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKSC (KISS) leapt four places to #5 with its highest total in exactly a year. WVAZ fell three spots to #6 as it ended a four-book surge. It was paired with CUMULUS Alternative WKQX, which took two steps forward with its best outing since NOVEMBER. UNIVISION Regional Mexican WOJO (QUE BUENA) fell six slots to #9 with its smallest share in over a year. It was joined in that space by ENTERCOM AAA WXRT, which moved up from a tie at #13 with its highest mark since SEPTEMBER.

WTMX extended its domination over the 18-34 cell. The station was #1 for the third time in the last four books, had its best share in over a year, and led the market by almost two shares. WKSC stood alone at #2 with a slight decrease while its former partner in that space – WDRV – slipped to #3 with a slightly larger decrease. WKQX advanced four squares to #4 as it regained a small portion of last month’s loss. ENTERCOM Top 40/M WBBM-F (B96) slid to #5 and was partnered with WBMX, which was up a slot. Both stations had down books. WLS-F was close behind that duo as it leapt from a tie at #13 to #7, regaining all of last survey’s big loss. HUBBARD AC WSHE dropped from #5 to a tie at #10 as it ended a two-book surge.

Though WTMX was flat 18-49, the station completed the demo sweep by landing at #1 for the fourth straight survey. WBMX was up slightly and took three steps upward to #2 but still trailed the leader by close to three shares. WKSC advanced its cause by moving from a tie at #6 to #3 thanks to its highest share since NOVEMBER. WDRV dropped back to #4 with a noticeable loss of share. It was tied with WLS-F, which jumped from #11 because it had its best book in over a year. WOJO dropped to #6 where it was tied with WKQX. WSHE fell to #8 and into a tie with iHEARTMEDIA Urban WGCI.

SAN FRANCISCO: Breaking News!

Survey after survey, the top two 6+ stations are always KQED INC. N/T KQED and ENTERCOM News KCBS-A. And in that order. However, the world was turned asunder this time as KCBS-A vaulted to the top spot as it ended a three-book slide (6.3-6.6). KQED was forced to take up the secondary position thanks to its lowest share in over a year (6.8-6.3). However, as per usual, these two led the rest of a compressed music field by a wide margin. The new music leader was ENTERCOM Hot AC KLLC (ALICE), which advanced four slots to #3 with its best showing in over a year (3.6-4.2). It was closely pursued by three stations at #4. BONNEVILLE AC KOIT slipped from #3 with its smallest share since NOVEMBER (4.6-4.0) while iHEARTMEDIA AC KISQ (THE BREEZE) remained in place (4.4-4.0). Joining the group from its previous #9 perch was CUMULUS Classic Rock KSAN (THE BONE), which had its best book in over a year (3.5-4.0). A cluster duo that had been tied at #5 dissolved the relationship this time. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KYLD (WILD) was flat (3.7-3.7) but dropped to #7. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KMEL ended up at #11 (3.7-3.0).

KYLD was slightly down MOM, but still retained #1 A25-54 for the fourth straight survey. KQED was also down and also #2 for the fourth straight survey. KSAN moved up to #3 with its fifth straight up book. KOIT remained at #4 but with its lowest share since NOVEMBER. It was joined by KLLC, which was up from #6 with a slight increase. KMEL fell to #6 as it returned all of last month’s huge increase. ENTERCOM Sports KGMZ-F (THE GAME) jumped from #19 to #7 with easily its best book in over a year. One would be tempted to attribute this to the WARRIORS but the NBA playoffs had not begun during this survey.

KMEL was #1 18-34 for the fourth book in a row. But that does not paint the full picture. Last month the station had a massive increase and led the market by three shares. Almost all of that went away this time. Its lead over #2 KYLD – which had a solid increase – dipped to under a share. KOIT repeated at #3 with a small loss. There were four – count ‘em – four stations at #4. None were there last month. BONNEVILLE Top 40/M KMVQ (NOW) was up from #5 despite its lowest share in over a year. UNIVISION Regional Mexican KSOL (QUE BUENA) took three steps upward with its second up book in a row. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KIOI (STAR) was up from #6 despite a down book. And, SBS Regional Mexican KRZZ (LA RAZA) rocketed up from a tie at #15 as it got back most of last month’s devastating loss. KGMZ was hot here, as well, moving from a tie at #20 to #8, almost doubling its share in the process. KQED fell to #9 with its lowest share since SEPTEMBER and was tied with KLLC.

The top two spots 18-49 were reversed as KYLD moved to #1 with a slight increase and KMEL dropped to #2 with a huge loss. KOIT stepped back to #3 with its second down book in a row and was tied with KQED, which moved up one despite landing its lowest share since OCTOBER. KLLC inched up to #5 as it regained all of last month’s loss. KSOL slid to #7 as it returned all of last month’s increase and was tied with KRZZ.

DALLAS-FT.WORTH: A KISS Is Just A Kiss

When a station consistently dominates a market like iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KHKS (KISS) does, it is difficult to write fresh, pithy headlines. Yes, we know – #firstworldproblems. For the thirteenth time in the last fourteen books, the station was #1 6+. It was off a bit this time (6.7-6.3) but still maintained a healthy lead over the rest of the pack. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZPS (LONE STAR) bounced back a bit from last month’s down book (4.4-4.7) to move up to #2. ENTERCOM Classic Hits KLUV (K-LOVE) slipped to #3 as it ended a two-book surge (4.7-4.4). CUMULUS Country KPLX (THE WOLF) inched up to #4 with a slight increase (4.2-4.3), leaving SALEM Christian Contemporary KLTY behind at #5 (4.2-4.2). iHEARTMEDIA AC KDGE (STAR) dropped five places to a tie at #8 as it returned most of last month’s increase (4.4-3.6).

Everyone was jostling for position behind the 25-54 leader KHKS. The station was again #1 and, despite a down book, still led everyone else by close to three shares. The three closest pursuers – all at #2 – were SERVICE Urban KKDA (K104), ENTERCOM Adult Hits KJKK (JACK), and KDGE. K104 advanced from #11 as it regained a good portion of last month’s devastating loss. JACK took one step forward despite posting its lowest share since NOVEMBER. STAR remained in place but returned all of last month’s increase. KPLX moved up three slots to #5 with its best book in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KDMX (NOW) fell to a tie at #7 with its lowest score in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KEGL (THE EAGLE) hit a down draft, falling from #5 to a tie at #13 as it, too, had its smallest share in over a year.

Last month KHKS was able to crack the double-digit barrier 18-34. History did not repeat though the station was – of course – a dominant #1. KDMX jumped three places to #2 with its best outing in over a year and trailed the leader by a mere two and a half shares. KDGE slipped to #3 as it returned most of last month’s massive increase. URBAN ONE Top 40/R KBFB (THE BEAT) moved up three slots to #4 with its best book in over a year. It was tied with KKDA, which advanced from #8 with its highest score since NOVEMBER. ENTERCOM Regional Mexican KMVK (GRANDE 107.5) continued a run that has taken it from a tie at #17 in MARCH up to #6 while more than doubling its share in the process.  UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLNO (QUE BUENA) dropped to #7 as it returned all of last month’s large increase. KEGL dropped from #3 to #9 thanks to its lowest share in over a year.

KHKS had its lowest 18-49 share since DECEMBER. No problem. The station was still #1 with more than a two-and-a-half share lead. KDMX was the new #2 despite being off slightly. KKDA was up four slots to #3 as it bounced back from a down book. KMVK leapt from a tie at #11 to #4 with its best showing in over a year. KDGE dropped to #5 as it returned all of last month’s big increase. It was paired with KBFB, which took two steps forward with a slight increase. KJKK dropped four places to #8 with its least productive outing since NOVEMBER. KLNO also dropped four slots – to #9 – with its lowest share in over a year.

That puts a wrap on our first round from the MAY survey. Thanks for reading. If you have second, we ask that you give us a like. That will add more posts to your feed that you will scroll past without thinking. Just click this link: 

Or, you could become a member of our blog brigade. 

We’ll back shortly with HOUSTON, WASHINGTON, DC, ATLANTA, PHILADELPHIA and BOSTON. 

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