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

September PPM Ratings Analysis

Something has been troubling us for some time. Why are there so many songs about SEPTEMBER? It’s not like that month has anything special over the other 11. What, is OCTOBER a piker? Did FEBRUARY piss someone off? And, don’t get us going about MAY. Thank you for coming to our TED Talk … now to business.

The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC., along with our close, but not too close, friends at XTRENDS, bring you the next NIELSEN installment – SEPTEMBER. For accounting purposes this ran from 8/13 through 9/9. Here’s what happened.

NEW YORK: Number One With A …

We’re dealing with a lot of stuff here. First, SBS Tropical WSKQ (MEGA 97.9) was not the #1 6+ station. That ended a five-book winning streak as the station slipped to #4 (6.3-5.4). Moving up to wear the crown was ENTERCOM Classic Hits WCBS-F, which posted its largest share in over a year (6.1-6.8). Advancing to the place position was iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3) (5.2-5.7). iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (106.7 LITE FM) had its smallest share in over a year (6.1-5.6) as it stepped down to #3. The station remained the cume leader (3,018,200-3,174,300) – an increase of 5.2%. The market grew by 2.3%. MEDIACO Urban AC WBLS was at #5 for the fourth book in a row (4.7-5.0). Nipping at its collective heels was iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHTZ (Z100), which remained at #6 but with its best outing since NOVEMBER (4.6-4.9). SBS Spanish Contemporary WPAT (93.1 AMOR) made a big move as it turned it up from a tie at #11 to #7 (3.1-4.1).

As with the previous demo, WCBS-F posted its largest 25-54 share in over a year as it moved from #4 to #1. WSKQ stepped back to #2 with its lowest score since DECEMBER as its five-book winning streak came to an end. WLTW was a tick behind as it slipped to #3. WHTZ moved down to #4 despite being up for the fourth straight survey. Both WAXQ and WBLS had been tied. They each had the exact same small increase to remain where we last saw them. WPAT was up six slots to #7 while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKTU advanced from #14 to #8 with its best book since FEBRUARY.

Despite having a down book, WSKQ extended its 18-34 winning streak to nine books. Alas, its double-digit share streak ended at nine. WHTZ repeated at #2 with a noticeably large increase. The same metric applied to WPAT, which moved up to #3. WCBS-F had its best book in over a year – again – as it stepped up to #4. WLTW slid to #5 with its third straight down book. WBLS performed the leap o’ the month as it rose from #15 to #6 thanks to a huge increase. Previously, arch-rivals MEDIACO Top 40/R WQHT (HOT 97) and iHEARTMEDIA Urban WWPR (POWER 105.1) were tied at #5. Both stations were down this survey and dropped to #7 and #12, respectively.

For the ninth straight survey, WSKQ was #1 18-49 though with its smallest share since DECEMBER. WLTW was off a bit while WHTZ had a solid increase. The net result was that the two were tied at #2. WCBS-F inched up to #4 with – yup – its best book in over a year. WBLS advanced three spaces to #5. Not far behind was WPAT, which took three steps up to #6. Both stations had their highest shares in over a year. WWPR dropped from #4 to a tie at #9 with its lowest total in over a year.

LOS ANGELES: The Book The (K)Earth Stood Still

You have no idea how long we’ve been waiting to use that headline. Say it with me: Klaatu barada nikto. For the fifth straight survey, ENTERCOM Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH 101) was the leading 6+ station (6.5-6.5). It was also the cume leader for the seventh book in a row (2,232,100-2,235,800) – an increase of 0.2%. The market was down 0.3%. The rest of the top five was unchanged from last month. ENTERCOM Rhythmic AC KTWV (94.7 THE WAVE) finished second again but was up for the third book in a row (5.4-5.6). iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (104.3 MY FM) returned at #3 (4.5-4.8) while iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST repeated at #4 (4.4-4.6). iHEARTMEDIA Talk KFI-AM remained in place at #5 (3.9-4.0).
KRTH also made it five in a row 25-54 though the station was off a bit. KBIG jumped three spaces to #2 with its best score since JANUARY and was a little over a half share off the lead. KTWV rose from #6 to #3 with its highest mark in over a year. UNIVISION Regional Mexican KSCA (LA101.9) was up for the third book in a row. This streak has taken the station from #14 to #4. It was tied with SBS Regional Mexican KLAX (LA RAZA 97.9), which slipped from #2 with its first down book since MARCH. UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KLVE (K-LOVE 107.5) and ENTERCOM Adult Hits KCBS-F (93.1 JACK FM) had been an item at #3. Both stations had down books and ended up at #6 and tied at #7, respectively. 

Fame is fleeting, especially in this market. KRTH’s reign at #1 18-34 lasted all of one book as the station slipped to #2 with a small loss. Seizing the opportunity was KBIG, which moved into first place with easily its largest share in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KIIS (102.7 KISS FM) and iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KYSR (ALT 98.7) both had down books yet moved up the chart to tie at #3. iHEARTMEDIA Urban KRRL (REAL 92.3) got back all of last month’s big loss and moved from a tie at #11 to #5. KSCA advanced from #15 to #6 with a large increase. Last month, MOUNT WILSON Country KKGO (GO COUNTRY 105 FM) leapt from #15 to #3. Alas, the flying fickle finger of fate stepped in and pushed the station back down to a tie at #12.

For the fifth straight survey, KRTH was #1 18-49. However, for the second time during that streak the station was forced to share as KBIG moved up from #3 with its best book in exactly a year. KTWV stepped up to #3 with its third up book in a row. KLAX slipped to #4, thus ending a five-book surge. KSCA moved up to #5 with a small gain while KCBS-F dropped from a tie at #4 to a tie at #10.

CHICAGO: A Sonic Boom

The fact that iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WVAZ (V103) moved up to #1 6+ was not that shocking as the station has been there before. What was impressive was how it was accomplished – a massive increase that led to the station’s highest share in over a year (6.0-8.6). This put a halt to the seven-book winning streak for ENTERCOM News WBBM-A. The station dipped to #2 with its smallest share since FEBRUARY (7.3-6.4). iHEARTMEDIA AC WLIT (93.9 LITE FM) remained at #3 (5.7-4.7) but was forced to share with ENTERCOM AAA WXRT, which advanced two squares with its first down book since the swans were doing what swans do (4.9-4.7). HUBBARD Classic Rock WDRV (97.1 THE DRIVE) stepped up to #5 (4.7-4.5) and was just ahead of CUMULUS Classic Hits WLS-F (4.4-4.4). WLS-F became the cume leader (1,129,400-1,238,400) – an increase of 9.7%. The market was essentially flat. HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (101.9 THE MIX) ended a two-book surge as it slid to #7 (5.5-4.2).

There was some serious rearranging of the chairs on the 25-54 deck. UNIVISION Regional Mexican WOJO (QUE BUENA 105.1) was back at #1 for the first time since JANUARY. WXRT stepped up to #2 despite a small loss. Meanwhile, WVAZ made the bold move from #8 to forge a second-place tie thanks to its best book since DECEMBER. WTMX fell from first to fourth with its lowest mark since the swans were soiling the water. WLS-F and iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKSC (103.5 KISS FM) had been tied at #4. WLS-F was off slightly to dip to #5 while WKSC slipped to #6 and was tied with WDRV.

The 18-34 scoreboard featured co-leaders as WKSC and iHEARTMEDIA Urban WGCI moved up to force overtime. ENTERCOM Top 40/M WBBM-F (B96) was off slightly to remain at #3. WOJO leapt from #8 to #4. Last month CUMULUS Alternative WKQX, HUBBARD AC WSHE (SHE 100.3) and WDRV were in a tussle at #5. WKQX remained in place with a small loss while the other two stations slid to #6 and #7, respectively. WTMX lost an alarming amount of share as it dropped from #1 to #9.

There was quite a bit of upward mobility 18-49. WOJO assumed command of the demo with a solid increase. WXRT was off a bit but moved up to #2 where it was tied with WKSC, which advanced from #4 with a slight decrease. A flat WGCI moved up two slots to #4. WVAZ made the leap o’ the month from #15 to #5 with its best showing since OCTOBER. WTMX fell from #1 to #8 and was tied with WBBM-F.

SAN FRANCISCO: Same But Different

Two flavors of spoken-word programming almost always lead the 6+ race in this market. This time was no different as both KQED INC. N/T KQED (7.8-8.0) and ENTERCOM News KCBS-A (7.5-8.0) ended in a flat-footed tie. The music station bragging rights were also a shared proposition. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KMEL remained at #3 though it gave back a good portion of last month’s big increase (5.3-4.6). It was forced to co-exist with cluster sister iHEARTMEDIA AC KISQ (98.1 THE BREEZE), which moved up from #4 (4.6-4.6). BONNEVILLE AC KOIT repeated at #5 but with its best book since MARCH (3.7-4.2). It also captured the cume crown for the third straight survey (867,600-942,600) – a gain of 8.6%. The market was up by .8%. The games have begun and CUMULUS Sports KNBR-A had its highest score since JANUARY as it held steady at #6 (3.6-4.0).

For the first time since OCTOBER, KMEL was the leading 25-54 station as the station posted its largest share in over a year. This ended KQED’s five-book winning streak as it slipped to #2. KOIT held on at #3 but with its best number since MARCH. Three stations had been tied at #4. ENTERCOM Hot AC KLLC (ALICE @ 97.3) remained in place thanks to a modest increase. BONNEVILLE Top 40/M KMVQ (99.7 NOW) slipped to #5 with a slight increase. CUMULUS Classic Rock KSAN (107.7 THE BONE) slid to #8 with a slight loss. In between was iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KYLD (WILD 94.9), which rose four slots to #6 with its best outing since FEBRUARY.

You can’t stop KMEL 18-34, you can only hope to contain it. The station was #1 for the ninth book in a row as it crashed through the double-digit barrier. A truly dominant performance. How dominant? Glad you asked. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KIOI (STAR 101.3) had a strong increase – its best book in over a year – to remain at #2 but was over four shares off the lead. KYLD repeated at #3 as it got back most of last month’s big loss. KOIT moved up to #4 with its highest score since APRIL. KMVQ stepped down to #5 despite landing its largest share since MARCH. UNIVISION Regional Mexican KSOL (QUE BUENA 98.9/99.1) dropped six places to #10.

KMEL had its best 18-49 share in over a year to win the demo for the fourth straight survey. KOIT stepped up to #2 with a strong increase. The gap between the two was about two shares. KQED slipped to #3 with a small loss while KMVQ moved down to #4 with a slight increase. Three stations moved up and into a tie at #5. KISQ took one step upward with a slight gain. KYLD arose from #7 with its best share since FEBRUARY. KLLC advanced from a tie at #9 with its third up book in a row. KSOL fell to #8 but was this close to making #5 a foursome.

DALLAS-FT.WORTH: Two-Team Race

For the entirety of 2020, two stations have been the 6+ market leaders. They have taken turns at #1 ever since the JANUARY book. This time SALEM Christian Contemporary KLTY ended up on top thanks to its best outing since MARCH (5.8-6.8). This pushed iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KHKS (106.1 KISS FM) back to #2 (6.0-5.6). If you’re keeping score at home, after nine books, KLTY leads the race 6-3. However, KHKS remained the dominant cume leader (1,243,300-1,389,200) – an increase of 11.7%. The market was up by 2.2%. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZPS (LONE STAR 92.5) was up to #3 with its best book in over a year (4.7-5.2). CUMULUS Country KPLX (99.5 THE WOLF) stepped down to #4 (5.0-4.9). Last month CUMULUS Country KSCS and ENTERCOM Classic Hits KLUV were tied at #5. This time, both stations went 4.5-4.4 to continue their arrangement.

The 25-54 story line is a bit different. KHKS was flat but still won the demo for the thirteenth time in the last fourteen surveys. ENTERCOM Adult Hits KJKK (100.3 JACK FM) repeated at #2 with its best book in over a year but was still about a share off the pace. KZPS advanced three spaces to #3 as it, too, copped its largest share in over a year. KSCS stood alone at #4 with a small increase. Its former partner in that space – SERVICE Urban KKDA (K104) – dropped to #8 with a small loss. KLTY stepped up to #5 with a small gain. It was paired with UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLNO (QUE BUENA 94.1), which dropped from #3 despite a slight increase.

This was the third book in a row that KHKS and iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KEGL (97.1 THE EAGLE) were #1 and #2, respectively. KHKS had its lowest total since APRIL while KEGL posted its largest share in over a year. The two stations were about a share and a half distant. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KDMX (NOW 102.9) stepped up to #3 despite a slight decrease while two stations ended up at #4. URBAN ONE Top 40/R KBFB (97.9 THE BEAT) took a step down while KKDA moved up from #7. KSCS and KPLX were good cluster comrades last time as they shared the #5 position.  KSCS was flat and dropped to #6 while KPLX moved to #7 with a small loss.

KHKS was up slightly 18-49 as it continued to reign over the demo. KLNO and KEGL both moved up and into a tie at #2 but trailed the leader by about a share and a half. KJKK slid to #4 with a slight loss while KZPS jumped three places to #5 with its highest share in over a year. KKDA and KBFB had been tied at #5. Both stations had down books and dropped to a tie at #7 and #10, respectively.

Well, that was relatively painless. Thank you for enduring our prose. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. will now take a short break as we prepare for HOUSTON, WASHINGTON, DC, ATLANTA, PHILADELPHIA, and BOSTON. Stay tuned.

Before you click away, click on over to our blog page and sign up. It comes with a money-back guarantee! Of course, it’s free so that’s pretty much an empty promise.  Check it out here: www.ResearchDirectorInc.com/Hot-Topics

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.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ResearchDirectorInc
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ResearchDirectorInc
Twitter: @ResearchDirectr

« see more Net News