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

Exclusive Analysis From Research Director, Inc.

The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC., along with our close, personal associates from XTRENDS, have taken valuable meal prep time to bring you another round of ratings hoopla. This particular missive is our second in a continuing series on the NOVEMBER survey. While not as long or in-depth as a KEN BURNS documentary, we hope you will find the facts and figures presented here to cause you both mirth and merriment. This book began on 10/10 and concluded on 11/6 so it was really more “oct” than “nov.” Still, the numbers count and are our last collective report cards before the onslaught of holiday cheer.

HOUSTON-GALVESTON: Oh, Oh, It’s Majic

Don’t look now but it would appear we have a trend. For the fourth book in a row, URBAN ONE Urban AC KMJQ (MAJIC 102.1) was #1 6+ (6.7-6.8). However, UNIVISION Regional MEXICAN KLTN (QUE BUENA 102.9) was dangerously close to the lead as it moved up to #2 with its fifth up book in a row (6.5-6.6). iHEARTMEDIA AC KODA (SUNNY 99.1) – in its final performance before the Noel thing begins – inched up to #3 (5.9-5.8). COX RADIO Classic Rock KGLK (THE EAGLE) slipped to #4 as it ended a three-book surge (6.6-5.6). ENTERCOM Adult Hits KKHH (95.7 THE SPOT) remained at #5 but with its lowest score since APRIL (5.4-4.9). Two stations that were previously arm-in-arm at #9 were just outside the top five. CUMULUS Top 40/M KRBE was up to #6 with its best book since JULY (4.1-4.8) while ENTERCOM Country KILT-F (THE BULL 100.3) landed at #7 as it ended a three-book slide (4.1-4.7).

KLTN notched its third straight 25-54 win after posting its largest share in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTBZ (94.5 THE BUZZ) accomplished the same feat as it stood alone at #2 but was over a share and a half off the lead. KKHH slipped to #3 with a small loss while two stations moved up and into a tie at #4. KMJQ took one small step forward with a slight increase while KODA advanced from #7 with its highest share since JULY. KGLK dropped to #6 and was just ahead of URBAN ONE Top 40/R KBXX (97.9 THE BOX), which fell to #7 with its lowest mark since DECEMBER.

The top two stations 18-34 remained the same. KBXX was down but still #1 for the third straight survey while iHEARTMEDIA Urban KQBT (93.7 THE BEAT) – which was off slightly – came up less than a half share behind at #2. KLTN had its best outing since DECEMBER to leap from #9 to #3. Not to be outdone – well, maybe a little – KRBE advanced from #10 to #4 with its highest score since MARCH. ENTERCOM Spanish Contemporary KLOL (MEGA 101 FM) held firm at #5 as it ended a three-book slide. KTBZ dropped to #6 while UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KAMA (LATINO MIX 104.9) dropped five places to #9 as it returned all of last month’s strong increase.

KLTN was the returning 18-49 champion as it posted its largest share since MARCH. KTBZ moved up to #2 with a slight loss and was over a share and a half behind the champ. KBXX dropped back to #3 and was tied with KRBE, which sprang from #8 as it rebounded from a down book quite nicely. A flat KODA remained at #5. KKHH slipped to #6 and was tied with KLOL, which advanced from #9.

WASHINGTON, DC: Ratings Out The WAMU

There must have been a lot of hot topics in the DMV last month – besides the WORLD CHAMPION WASHINGTON NATIONALS, that is. Three of the top four 6+ stations were engaged in heated discussions. AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU had its best book since MARCH to remain #1 (8.1-8.9). HUBBARD News WTOP was back up to #2 as it ended a two-book slide (7.4-8.1). And, CUMULUS Talk WMAL-F was up three slots to #4 with its highest share since MARCH (5.1-5.7). In case you’re counting -- ‘cause we certainly are -- that adds up to a combined talk share of 22.7. URBAN ONE Urban AC WMMJ (MAJIC) slipped to #3 as it returned all of last month’s increase (8.0-7.4). iHEARTMEDIA AC WASH repeated at #5 (6.1-5.4) and was tied with HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR (5.2-5.4). ATLANTIC GATEWAY Christian Contemporary WGTS slipped three places to #7 as it ended a strong four-book surge (6.2-5.0). Though it remained #8, ENTERCOM Sports WJFK-F (106.7 THE FAN) – the flagship station for the (ahem) WORLD CHAMPION WASHINGTON NATIONALS – had its best book in over a year (4.3-4.8).

For the entirety of 2019, WAMU and WMMJ have been #1 and #2, respectively 25-54 save for the month of JUNE. Then they were tied at #1. That trend continued this survey with WAMU in first with a small decrease and WMMJ in second with a flat performance. WTOP had its best book since MARCH to advance four squares to #3. WGTS stepped back to #4 as it returned all of last month’s massive increase. WHUR stepped down to #5 as it ended a two-book surge. WJFK-F – which happens to carry the games of the WORLD CHAMPION WASHINGTON NATIONALS – remained at #6 but with its highest run total in over a year. WASH slipped to #7 with its lowest score since MAY.

There was a feeling of kumbaya in the 18-34 realm as three stations came together at #1. WASH was there for the fourth straight survey though it did post its lowest total since MAY. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WBIG was up from #5 with its fourth straight up book. And, URBAN ONE Urban WKYS (KISS) advanced from #6 with its best outing since APRIL. WGTS dropped two places to #4 and was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIHT (HOT 99.5), which was off slightly. ENTERCOM Top 40/R WPGC slid to #6 with its third straight down book.

After a two-month break, WAMU was back atop the 18-49 leaderboard with a solid increase. This pushed WGTS, which ended a very robust four-book surge – back to #2 where it was tied with WMMJ. MAJIC moved up from #4 with a small gain. WKYS had a much larger increase as it advanced from a tie at #8 to #4. WASH dropped to #5 with its lowest share since MAY. WBIG stepped down to #6 and was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WWDC (DC101), which turned it up from #11. WHUR fell to #8 and was tied with WIHT and WJFK-F. You know, the station that carries the WORLD CHAMPION WASHINGTON NATIONALS.

ATLANTA: Yakety-Yak

There was a lot of jaw boning last month as COX RADIO News-Talk WSB-A posted its best number in over a year (8.2-9.3) as it won for the fourth straight survey. The next three slots bore witness to a heated format battle. ENTERCOM Urban AC WVEE (V-103) stood alone at #2 with its best outing since MAY (5.9-6.5). Not far behind at #3 was COX RADIO Urban AC WALR (KISS 104.1) (5.9-6.1). A short step behind at #4 was URBAN ONE Urban AC WAMJ (MAJIC) (5.8-5.9). Though it seems a bit dramatic that COX RADIO Classic Hits WSRV (97.1 THE RIVER) fell from a tie at #2 to #5, the reality was that the station was off only slightly (5.9-5.8). COX RADIO AC WSB-F (B98.5) was the next closest pursuer at #6, though it was down slightly for the third book in a row (5.7-5.6).

The 25-54 battle continued to be a two-team race. WVEE repeated at #1 while WAMJ repeated at #2. Both stations were off slightly and separated by less than half a share. ENTERCOM Sports WZGC (92.9 THE GAME) was up for the seventh straight survey as it moved up to #3 with its highest share in over a year. Also occupying that spot was WSB-F, which took a step forward despite a slight loss. WSRV dropped back to #5 with its smallest share in over a year and was feeling the heat from two stations that moved into a tie at #6. WSB-A had its highest share in exactly a year while WALR ended a two-book slide.

There was very little change in the 18-34 ranks though the race for the top spot did get a little closer. WVEE was #1 for the eighth book in a row but with a down book. Meanwhile, WSB-F moved up to #2 with its highest total in over a year. The net result was that V-103’s market lead dipped under a share. URBAN ONE Urban WHTA (HOT 107.9) slipped to #3 despite a slight increase. WAMJ remained at #4 with a slight increase and WALR repeated at #5 as it regained most of last month’s big loss. WZGC had a strong performance in this cell, as well, as it moved up to #6.

Despite a slight down book, WVEE continued to dominate 18-49. WSB-F was up to #2 with a modest gain while two stations were in cahoots at #3. WAMJ slipped from #2 with a down book while WZGC rose from #6 with its seventh up book in a row. WHTA repeated at #5 with its highest share since MARCH while WALR moved up to #6 with its best performance in over a year. WSRV fell four places to #8 with its smallest share in over a year.

PHILADELPHIA: WIP It Good

Back when these numbers were recorded, the EAGLES were still above .500. This was a good thing for ENTERCOM Sports WIP, as it was #1 6+ for the third book in a row, landing its largest share in over a year (7.5-8.2). BEASLEY Classic Rock WMGK stood alone at #2 as it had its best book in over a year as well (6.6-7.5). iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS stepped up to #3 (6.4-6.3) while BEASLEY Active Rock WMMR advanced to #4 (6.0-6.1). ENTERCOM Classic Hits WOGL also moved up as it landed at #5 (5.8-5.6). ENTERCOM AC WBEB (B101.1) posted its lowest score in over a year (6.6-5.4) as it dropped four places to #6. Not to worry, those are sleigh bells you hear in the distance.

WMMR continued its scorched earth policy in the 25-54 conflict. The station was #1 for the eleventh book in a row and was over a share better than its older cluster brother. WMGK moved up three places to #2 with its best outing in over a year. This pushed WIP back to #3 even though the station was up slightly. WDAS stepped back to #4 with a small loss while WBEB dropped to #5 with its first down book since JULY.

Though iHEARTMEDIA Urban WUSL (POWER 99) had its lowest 18-34 share since MARCH, the station did move back up to #1 for the fourth time in the last five surveys. BEASLEY Country WXTU – which led the parade last month – ended a strong two-book surge as it stepped back to #2. WMMR was up slightly to advance to #3 and was tied with WIP, which moved up from #6. WMGK stepped up to #5 with its best showing since MAY. ENTERCOM Top 40/M WTDY had a small loss as it slipped to #6. WBEB fell five slots to #7 with its lowest mark in over a year.

WMMR had its best 18-49 book since JUNE to remain #1 18-49. WUSL repeated at #2 with a modest loss. As a result, the gap between the two stations more than tripled. WIP was up to #3 with its fourth up book in a row while WMGK took three steps upward to #4 thanks to a huge increase. Three stations were bound together at #5. WBEB slipped down from #3 with – again – its lowest share in over a year. WDAS remained in place with a slight decrease while WXTU stepped up from #6 with a slightly slighter decrease.

BOSTON: Hear Them ROR

For the ninth book in a row, BEASLEY Classic Hits WROR found itself in first place 6+ – by a considerable margin (7.9-8.5). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WXKS (KISS 108) remained in second place (6.5-6.4) but, as you can see, the gap between them was just over two shares. BEASLEY Sports WBZ-F (98.5 THE SPORTS HUB) moved up to #3 thanks to a strong push from the PATRIOTS front four (6.1-6.2). ENTERCOM AC WMJX (MAGIC 106.7) was in the pre-holiday spirit at #4 as it was regifted with the shares it lost last month (4.7-5.8). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WZLX slipped to #5 thanks to its lowest share since FEBRUARY (6.4-5.3). iHEARTMEDIA News WBZ-A slipped to #7 (5.2-4.8).

The top three 25-54 stations were the same as before. WROR was #1 for the fifth straight survey and posted its largest share in over a year. WBZ-F was up slightly at #2 and was about a share off the lead. WXKS repeated at #3 with a slight decrease. WMJX ended a two-book slide as it moved up to #4, which pushed WZLX – with its lowest share since JANUARY – back to #5. ENTERCOM Sports WEEI-F was up for the fourth book in a row as it advanced to #6. BOSTON UNIVERSITY N/T WBUR jumped six places to #7 with its best performance since JANUARY.

It was quite the 18-34 month for WROR. It is not very often that you see a Classic Hits station #1 in this demo. It is even rarer to see one with double-digit shares. WXKS remained at #2 with a small gain but was more than three shares behind the leader. BEASLEY Country WKLB also had a good book as it leapt from #7 to #3 with its highest score in over a year. BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WBQT (HOT 96.9) repeated at #4 but returned all of last month’s big increase. WBZ-F inched up to #5 despite a slight loss. ENTERCOM Hot AC WWBX (MIX 104.1) stepped down to #6 as it ended a two-book surge. It was tied with WZLX, which fell from first place as it took a huge share hit.

WROR completed the demo sweep but it came with an asterisk. The station did jump from #4 to #1 with its best book in over a year. However, it was forced to share with last month’s leader – WXKS – which was up slightly. WBZ-F slipped to #3 with a slight decrease. WMJX moved up two slots to #4 as it bounced back nicely from a down book. WBQT remained at #5 though it returned most of last month’s healthy increase. WZLX fell three places to #6 with its lowest mark since FEBRUARY.

We are headed back to the ratings kitchen to whip up another batch of data gumbo. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. must still pick over MIAMI, SEATTLE, DETROIT, PHOENIX, and MINNEAPOLIS.

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About Research Director, Inc.: Research Director, Inc. is based in Annapolis, Maryland. We help radio stations’ programming and sales departments maximize the value of their research. For more information, visit www.ResearchDirectorInc.com, call 410-295-6619, or e-mail info@ResearchDirectorInc.com or sallan@ResearchDirectorInc.com. Facebook: www.facebook.com/ResearchDirectorInc. Twitter: @ResearchDirectr 

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