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

September PPM Ratings Analysis

Oh, where to begin. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC., along with our debate partners from XTRENDS, have been poring over the data, combing through the numbers and parsing the statistics so we can bring you another thrilling edition of radio ratings analysis. The SEPTEMBER survey ran from 8/13 through 9/9. It featured a holiday weekend we ignored, kids back in school (or not), and more trips to the liquor store. Here’s what happened:

MIAMI-FT. LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD: Hot In Here

After a brief hiatus, COX MEDIA GROUP Urban AC WHQT (HOT 105 FM) was back at #1 6+ (7.4-7.2). This was the fourth time over the last five surveys that the station accomplished this feat. SBS Spanish Contemporary WCMQ (Z92.3) stepped up to #2 with its highest share in over a year (6.3-6.5). COX MEDIA GROUP AC WFEZ (EASY 93.1) ended a strong four-book surge (7.5-6.1) as it went from first to third. UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary WAMR (AMOR 107.5) repeated at #4 (5.2-5.5) while ENTERCOM AC WLYF (101.5 LITE FM) remained at #5 (5.0-5.4). WLYF also remained the cume leader (716,700-780,000) with an increase of 8.8%. The market rose by 2.7%.

WLYF also had its best 25-54 book since FEBRUARY as it rose from fourth place to first. The station just edged out the two previous occupants of that position. WCMQ and WHQT both were off slightly, remained tied and ended up at #2. WFEZ surrendered all of last month’s large increase as it stepped down to #4. WAMR rose two places to #5 with a small increase. SBS Tropical WXDJ (EL ZOL 106.7) leapt from #10 to #6 with its highest mark since FEBRUARY. iHEARTMEDIA Spanish Contemporary WZTU (TU 94.9FM) skidded to #8 as it ended a three-book surge.

There was a lot happening in 18-34 world. The one constant was COX MEDIA GROUP Urban WEDR (99 JAMZ). The station was flat but extended its winning streak to ten. However, objects in the mirror were closer than expected as WLYF advanced from a tie at #8 to #2 with its best Frosty-free share in over a year. WHQT took three steps upward to #3 as it ended a three-book slide. WFEZ dropped to #4 as it, again, returned all of last month’s massive gain. Four – count ‘em – four stations were not socially distanced at #5. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WMIB (103.5 THE BEAT) remained in place but was down for the fourth straight survey. ENTERCOM Top 40/R WPOW (POWER 96) stepped down from #4 as it lost a chunk of share. ENTERCOM Classic Hits WMXJ (102.7 THE BEAT) moved up from a tie at #10 with its highest score since APRIL. ENTERCOM Country WKIS (KISS COUNTRY 99.9) rocketed up from #16 with its best outing since OCTOBER. WCMQ dropped from #3 to a tie at #14.

Two format rivals performed the old switcheroo 18-49. WLYF went from #4 to #1 while WFEZ dropped from #1 to #4. WHQT remained at #2 with a slight loss while WCMQ repeated at #3 with a small decrease. WEDR was steady at #5 but with its smallest share in over a year. Two stations made solid gains and advanced into a tie at #6. WAMR turned it up from eleven while WXDJ rose from a tie at #9.

SEATTLE-TACOMA: Don’t Settle For Second Best

For the previous five surveys, iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZOK was #2 6+. Finally, the station had its day in the sun as it moved up to #1 (6.9-6.9). This ended the six-book winning streak for BONNEVILLE Talk KIRO-F, which stepped down to #2 with its lowest total since MARCH (7.1-6.4). ENTERCOM Active Rock KISW remained at #3 with its best book in over a year (5.7-6.0). UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON N/T KUOW inched up to #4 (5.3-5.8). SINCLAIR News KOMO-A broke into the top five for the first time since MARCH (4.4-5.0). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KJR-F (95.7 THE JET) descended to #6 (5.5-4.8) but remained the cume leader (635,000-589,700) despite a decrease of 7.1%. The market shrank by 0.8%.

KISW continued to run roughshod over the 25-54 arena, winning for the second book in a row with its highest share in over a year. KUOW moved up to #2 as it rebounded from a down book but was better than a share behind the leader. ENTERCOM Alternative KNDD (107.7 THE END) stepped up to #3 with a slight increase. The CHR war was on full display. It was at the beginning of week two that the artist formerly known as KISS rebranded into iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KBKS (HITS 106.1) and added a new morning show that was previously on HUBBARD Top 40/M KQMV (MOVIN 92.5). The results were dramatic. KQMV slipped from #2 to #4 with its lowest share in over a year. Meanwhile, KBKS jumped from a tie at #13 to #5 with easily its best book in over a year. The stations were a half share apart. Also coming in at #5 was SINCLAIR Hot AC KPLZ (STAR 101.5), which advanced from #9 with its best performance in over a year. KJR-F dropped from #4 to #7, ending a two-book surge.

The 18-34 demo was honed to a hard edge. KISW was #1 for the fourth straight survey despite a large loss. However, it was forced to share the stage with KZOK, which stepped up from #2 with its highest mark in over a year. Repeating at #3 was KNDD, which was a bit more than a share behind. We go from rock to BACH as CLASSIC RADIO INC. Classical KING-F moved up to #4 with a strong increase. KQMV slipped to #5 with its lowest total in over a year and was not far in front of KBKS, which rose to #6 with its best book in over a year. KJR-F slid from a tie at #5 to a tie at #9.
Rock was also the coin of the 18-49 realm as KISW reigned supreme for the fourth straight survey. KZOK remained #2 with a small loss while KNDD stepped up to #3 as it got back half of last month’s big loss. KUOW moved up to #4 with its best performance since JANUARY.  KPLZ has been on a strong, three-book uptrend, had its highest share in over a year, and has risen four places to #5. KQMV slid three places to #6 while KBKS rose six slots to a tie at #8. KJR-F fell from a tie at #4 to a tie at #10.

DETROIT: Keep Your Motor Running

This was the fourth straight 6+ victory lap for BEASLEY Classic Rock WCSX though the station did post its lowest share of the run (7.1-6.3). iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WMXD (MIX 92.3 FM) was not too far behind at #2 (5.7-5.9). Also coming in at #2 was ENTERCOM Classic Hits WOMC, which posted its largest share since JANUARY (5.3-5.9). ENTERCOM Country WYCD got back some of last month’s big loss (4.9-5.2) to move up to #4. Two stations advanced from the back of the pack to land at #5. iHEARTMEDIA AC WNIC rose from #10 (4.5-5.0) while BEASLEY Urban AC WDMK (105.9 KISS FM) leapt from #11 (4.4-5.0). WNIC remained the cume leader (827,700-767,200) despite a 7.3% decline. The market was off by 0.3%. ENTERCOM Sports WXYT-F (97.1 THE TICKET) and ENTERCOM News WWJ-

A had been arm in arm at #3. WXYT dropped to a tie at #7 (5.3-4.7) while WWJ-A dropped to #10 (5.3-4.5).
Though BEASLEY Active Rock WRIF gave back all of last month’s solid 25-54 gain, the station remained #1 for the fourth time in the last five books. WOMC stepped up to #2 with its highest share in over a year. It just edged out WCSX, which slipped to #3 with a slight loss. WYCD regained most of last month’s huge loss to rebound from #11 to #4. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKQI (CHANNEL 955) also bounced back from a down book, moving from a tie at #8 to #5. WXYT-F slid from #4 to #7 as it surrendered all of last month’s rather large increase. CUMULUS Country WDRQ (NEW COUNTRY 93.1) dropped from #5 to a tie at #9.

WKQI was the 18-34 leader for the fifth straight survey – this time by a wide margin. WMXD had a huge increase as it rose from #8 to #2 but was still more than a share off the pace. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WJLB slipped to #3 with its lowest mark since DECEMBER. WYCD was up to #4 with a slight increase. WDRQ dropped from a tie at #3 to #5 and was tied with WRIF, which stepped up from a tie at #6. CUMULUS Hot AC WDVD fell from a tie at #3 to a tie at #7, ending a robust four-book surge.

A couple of cluster bros traded places 18-49. WCSX moved up to #1 with a slight loss while WRIF stepped down to #2 with its lowest score in over a year. WKQI inched up to #3 with a small increase. Two other cluster mates were tied at #4. WOMC stepped up from #6 with its fifth straight up book while WYCD advanced from a tie at #7 as it regained most of last month’s huge loss. WJLB dipped to #6 with its lowest total in over a year while WDVD fell from #3 to a tie at #9 with its first down book since APRIL.

PHOENIX: A Mountain High Enough

iHEARTMEDIA Adult Hits KYOT (95.5 THE MOUNTAIN) reached new heights as it rose from #3 to #1 6+. The station also ended a two-book slide in the process (5.5-6.1). This was the first time in over a year that iHEARTMEDIA AC KESZ (99.9 KEZ) was not in first place. The station dipped to a very close #2 (6.2-6.0) – its third straight down book. It remained the cume leader (826,600-830,700) with a gain of 0.5%. The market swelled by 1.3%. HUBBARD Classic Rock KSLX had a share of first place last month but slipped to #3 (6.2-5.9) and was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Country KNIX, which stepped up from a tie at #5 with its best book in over a year (4.8-5.9). ENTERCOM Classic Hits KOOL (94.5 KOOL FM) stepped down to #5 with its lowest mark in over a year (5.3-4.7). BONNEVILLE Talk KTAR-F went from a tie at #5 to #7 (4.8-4.3).

The market also had a new 25-54 leader as KNIX advanced from #3 as it – once again – posted its largest share in over a year. HUBBARD Active Rock KUPD ended its two-book stay at #1 with a slight loss as it dipped to #2. KSLX was down for the fourth book in a row as it landed at #3 and was tied with KYOT, which stepped up a spot with a small gain.  ENTRAVISION Regional Mexican KLNZ (LA TRICOLOR 103.5) repeated at #5 with a slight increase and was a bit in front of KESZ, which stepped up to #6.

KNIX made the leap o’ the month 18-34 as it was launched from #8 to #1 – its first appearance in first place since APRIL. KLNZ remained #2 with a slight increase and was a share and a half off the lead. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KZZP (104.7 KISS FM) repeated at #3 with a slight gain but was joined by KYOT, which climbed up from a tie at #10 as it bounced back from a down book. Last month iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KMXP (MIX 96.9) moved into first place with a double-digit share. This month the station fell to #5. It was paired with HUBBARD Alternative KDKB, which also bounced back from a down book. ENTERCOM Top 40/M KALV (LIVE 101.5) dropped four slots to a tie at #8 while RIVIERA Top 40/R KKFR (POWER 98.3 FM) fell from a tie at #5 to a tie at #10.

What a difference a month makes. Last time KNIX and KYOT were tied at #8 18-49. This time both stations had huge increases and ended up at #1 and #2, respectively. KUPD stepped down to #3 while KLNZ dipped to #4. Both stations had slight increases. KSLX stood alone at #5 with a slight loss. Its previous partners in that space – KESZ and UNIVISION Regional Mexican KHOT (QUE BUENA 105.9) – dropped to #7 and a tie at #9, respectively. KDKB was up five places to #6 as it regained all of last month’s loss. ENTRAVISION Spanish Adult Hits KVVA (La Suavecita 107.1) fell from a tie at #3 to a tie at #12.

MINNEAPOLIS-ST.PAUL: Five Alive

For the fifth book in a row, HUBBARD Hot AC KSTP (KS95) was #1 6+ (8.0-7.9). MPR N/T KNOW repeated at #2 (7.2-7.1) while UNIVERSITY OF NORTHWESTERN-ST.PAUL Christian Contemporary KTIS moved up to #3 with its highest mark since FEBRUARY (6.0-6.9). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KQQL (KOOL 108) dipped to #4 (6.3-6.2). The station continued to lead in cume (730,500-727,600) – a 0.4% decline. The market grew by 0.5%. CUMULUS Classic Rock KQRS stepped up to #5 as it ended a two-book slide (5.8-6.1). ENTERCOM Talk WCCO-A had a large increase (4.6-5.5) as it jumped from a tie at #10 to #6. CUMULUS Active Rock KXXR (93X) had its lowest score since a certain hoofed ruminant had a red nose (6.2-5.1) as it fell from #4 to #10.

There was plenty of movement within the 25-54 ranks. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KDWB stepped up to #1 with a slight decrease. KTIS advanced two spaces to #2 with its fourth up book in a row and was less than a half share off the lead. iHEARTMEDIA Sports KFXN (K-FAN) was up three places in the standings to #3 with a solid increase. KQQL slipped to #4 with a modest loss while KNOW was up to #5 with its best outing since APRIL. KXXR ended its five-book winning streak as it dropped to #6. KSTP slid three places to #8 with its smallest share in over a year.
You probably saw this coming but KXXR had its 18-34 double-digit streak end at five – though just barely. The station slipped to #2 as KDWB moved into first place with a double-digit score. KSTP dipped to #3 with a slight loss while KTIS advanced from a tie at #10 to #4 with its best showing since MARCH. iHEARTMEDIA Country KEEY (K102) remained at #5 with a small loss and was joined by KQQL, which advanced from #9 as it regained all of last month’s lost share. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KTCZ (CITIES 97.1) slid from #4 to #7.

KDWB had its best 18-49 book in over a year as it rose from #3 to #1. KXXR slipped to #2 as its seven-book winning streak was halted. It was tied with KSTP and both stations were about a share behind the lead. KTIS moved up to #4 with its highest mark in over a year and was not far out of second place. Close behind was KQQL, which stepped down to #5 with a small loss. KFXN dropped to #7 as it returned all of last month’s big gain.

You may now return to the regularly scheduled portion of your day. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. will be back in about 28 days to repeat the process. In the meantime, stay safe and read on.

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