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

October PPM Analysis

The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC., along with the number crunchers from XTRENDS, are in a Spooktacular mood for this third – and final – round of the OCTOBER ratings surprise. This “month” began on 9/10 and concluded on 10/7. It featured the debut of NIELSEN’s new headphone modeling along with the blessed return of NFL football. It had nothing to do with what OCTOBER is most famous for – Halloween. Such is life …

MIAMI-FT.LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD: More Hotness

Though COX MEDIA GROUP Urban AC WHQT (HOT 105FM) had its lowest 6+ share since APRIL (7.2-6.6), the station remained in first place. COX MEDIA GROUP AC WFEZ (EASY 93.1) stepped up to #2 by maintaining the status quo (6.1-6.1) while UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary WAMR (AMOR 107.5) moved up to #3 (5.5.5.7). ENTERCOM AC WLYF (101.5 LITE FM) advanced to #4 with its highest score since FEBRUARY (5.4-5.6). It also remained the cume leader (780,000-789,000) with a gain of 1.2%. The market shrank by 1.8%. SBS Spanish Contemporary WCMQ (Z92.3) dropped three places to #5 with its lowest mark since MARCH (6.5-5.3). It was partnered with ENTERCOM Classic Hits WMXJ (102.7 THE BEACH), which moved in from #6 (4.7-5.3). 

WLYF was flat 25-54 but that was good enough for the station to repeat as the demo leader. WHQT stood alone in second place but was down for the fourth straight survey and trailed the leader by a half share. WFEZ was up slightly as it stepped up to #3. WMXJ had its best showing since APRIL as it advanced from #7 to #4. WAMR returned as the #5 station with a modest increase. WCMQ dropped from a tie at #2 to #6 with – again – its lowest share since MARCH.

There were a couple of clear leaders and a lot of compression among the 18-34 ranks. COX MEDIA GROUP Urban WEDR (99JAMZ) was #1 for the eleventh book in a row. However, the station had its lowest share in over a year. WLYF had a small loss but moved up to forge a share of the lead. There were eight stations crowded in between #3 and #9 and all were within a share of each other. WMXJ emerged as the #3 station with its best performance since JANUARY.

WHQT stepped down to #4 as it returned most of last month’s huge increase. It was joined by two stations that had been tied at #5. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WMIB (103.5 THE BEAT) ended a four-book slide while ENTERCOM Top 40/R WPOW (POWER 96) got back about half of last month’s share loss. WFEZ slipped to #7 with its lowest share since APRIL and was tied with SBS Tropical WXDJ (EL ZOL 106.7 FM). ENTERCOM Country WKIS (KISS COUNTRY 99.9) had the slightest of losses but that dropped it from a tie at #5 to a tie at #9 with COX MEDIA GROUP Top 40/M WFLC (HITS 97.3). Whew!

WLYF had its best 18-49 book in over a year to remain #1. WFEZ advanced from #4 to #2 with a slight increase while WHQT dipped to #3 with its smallest share since MARCH. WAMR moved up to #4 with a solid gain while WMXJ jumped from a tie at #13 to #5 with its best showing since JANUARY. WCMQ fell three places to #6 with its lowest mark since MARCH. WEDR went from #5 to #11 with its third down book in a row.

SEATTLE-TACOMA: Talk It Up

After a one-book hiatus, BONNEVILLE Talk KIRO-F was back at #1 6+ (6.4-7.0). This was the seventh time in the last eight surveys the station accomplished that feat. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZOK saw its brief moment in the #1 sun fade as it dipped to #2 (6.9-6.6). UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON N/T KUOW stepped up to #3 thanks to its highest share in over a year (5.8-6.3). ENTERCOM Active Rock KISW stepped down to #4 with its first down book since APRIL (6.0-5.5). SINCLAIR News KOMO-A remained at #5 (5.0-5.0). Though its rank was #8, HUBBARD Top 40/M KQMV (MOVIN 92.5) was back atop the cume leaderboard (560,200-586,800) with an increase of 4.7%. The market grew by 1.0%.

As with the previous demo, KUOW had its best 25-54 book in over a year, which pushed the station up to #1. KISW dropped to a close #2 as it ended a five-book surge. KQMV was off slightly but still stepped up to #3. ENTERCOM Alternative KNDD (107.7 THE END) stepped down to #4 with its lowest mark since BURL IVES was all the rage. It was tied with KIRO-F, which moved up from a tie at #8 with its highest score since MARCH. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KBKS (HITS 106.1) was up slightly but still dipped to #6. It was paired with KZOK, which advanced from #12 as it regained most of last month’s huge loss. SINCLAIR Hot AC KPLZ (STAR 101.5) dropped to #8 with only a slight decrease.

Last month KZOK and KISW were tied at #1 18-34. This time KZOK posted its largest share in over a year to remain in place. KISW had a slight increase as it stepped down to #2. These two stations were well clear of the rest of the pack. KQMV was up two slots to #3 with a small increase while two stations moved up and into a tie at #4. HUBBARD AC KRWM (WARM 106.9) advanced from #8 with a strong increase while KBKS stepped up from #6 with a slight gain. KNDD dropped to #6 with its smallest share since DECEMBER. CLASSICAL RADIO INC. Classical KING-F lost about two-thirds of its previous share as it dropped from #4 to #17.

Despite a down book, KISW was #1 18-49 for the fifth straight survey. KZOK repeated at #2 with a small increase and was a share behind the leader. KUOW moved up to #3 with its highest mark since JANUARY while KPLZ inched up to #4 with its fourth straight up book. KQMV stepped up to #5 with a small gain while KNDD fell to #7 with its lowest score in over a year. KBKS was up for the fourth book in a row as it advanced to #6.

DETROIT: A Scorching RIF

It was a good month to be BEASLEY Active Rock WRIF. The station had its best 6+ share in over a year (4.6-6.0) as it surged from #9 to #1. Its older cluster bro – BEASLEY Classic Rock WCSX – dipped to #2, which ended its four-book stay at #1 (6.3-5.7). iHEARTMEDIA AC WNIC had its best showing since FEBRUARY (5.0-5.4) as it moved up to #3. The station also remained the cume leader (767,200-898,500) with a 17.1% increase. The market grew by 0.3%. iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WMXD (MIX 92.3 FM) slipped to #4 (5.9-5.2) and was joined by ENTERCOM Sports WXYT-F (97.1 THE TICKET), which moved up from a tie at #7 (4.7-5.2). ENTERCOM Classic Hits WOMC dropped to #6 (5.9-5.1) and was tied with cluster mate ENTERCOM Country WYCD (5.2-5.1). BEASLEY Urban AC WDMK (105.9 KISS FM) gave back all of last month’s healthy increase (5.0-4.3) as it fell from a tie at #5 to a tie at #11.

Our developing theme is that WRIF killed it in OCTOBER. The station remained #1 25-54 with its best book in over a year. WXYT-F was up five places to #2 with a solid increase but remained over three shares off the pace. WCSX repeated at #3 but with its lowest total since NOVEMBER. It was forced to share with iHEARTMEDIA Urban WJLB, which rose from a tie at #13 as it ended a severe two-book slide. A flat iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKQI (CHANNEL 955) held steady at #5 but was joined by WNIC, which advanced from #12 with its best outing since FEBRUARY. WYCD slid from #4 to #7 with a small loss while WOMC dropped from #2 to a tie at #8 as it ended a strong five-book surge.

WRIF certainly rocks. The station doubled its previous 18-34 share as it moved from a tie at #5 to #1. And, yes, it was in double-digit land. WKQI saw its five-book winning streak grind to a halt as it slipped to #2 with a slight loss. Three stations were in league at #3. WJLB remained in place with a slight gain while WMXD stepped down from #2, ending a three-book surge. CUMULUS Hot AC WDVD advanced from a tie at #7 as it bounced back from a down book. A flat WYCD dipped to #6 while CUMULUS Country WDRQ dropped to a tie at #8 with its lowest total since MARCH.

WRIF also hit double digits 18-49 as it stepped up to #1. WYCD moved up to #2 with a slight gain but was over four shares off the lead. WKQI repeated at #3 with a small loss. WCSX fell from first to fourth with its lowest mark since MAY. It was tied with WJLB, which moved up from #6 as it ended a two-book slide. WOMC ended a very strong five-book surge as it fell from a tie at #4 to #12.

PHOENIX: In The NIX Of Time

As we saw in the previous market, one station took control of the OCTOBER survey in the desert. iHEARTMEDIA Country KNIX posted its largest 6+ share in over a year (5.9-7.3) to move up to #1. iHEARTMEDIA AC KESZ (99.9 KEZ) repeated at #2 as it ended a three-book slide (6.0-6.5). iHEARTMEDIA Talk KFYI-A also had its highest share in over a year (4.4-5.8) as it advanced three spaces to #3. iHEARTMEDIA Adult Hits KYOT (95.5 THE MOUNTAIN) had to watch for falling rocks as it went from first to fourth (6.1-5.4). HUBBARD Classic Rock KSLX slipped to #5 (5.9-5.3). ENTERCOM Classic Hits KOOL was down for the third book in a row (4.7-4.3) and slid into a tie at #6 with HUBBARD Active Rock KUPD, which moved up from #8.

KNIX remained #1 25-54 but with – again – its largest share in over a year. KUPD repeated at #2 with a slight loss and was more than a share and a half off the pace. KESZ moved up three places to #3 with its third straight up book. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KZZP (104.7 KISS FM) also moved up three slots – to #4 – with a solid increase. KYOT and KSLX had been tied at #3 but dropped to #5 and #6, respectively. The leap o’ the month award went to UNIVISION Spanish Adult Hits KOMR (QUE BUENA 105.9), which jumped from #19 to #8. ENTRAVISION Regional Mexican KLNZ (LA TRICOLOR 103.5) dropped to a tie at #9 with its smallest share since JANUARY.

KNIX absolutely destroyed the 18-34 competition. The station remained #1 but crashed through the double-digit barrier. KZZP stepped up to #2 with a slight increase but had less than half the share of KNIX. KESZ leapt from a tie at #10 to #3, thus ending a three-book slide. KYOT stepped down to #4 as it returned a good portion of last month’s massive increase. It was paired with ENTERCOM Top 40/M KALV (LIVE 101.5), which advanced from a tie at #8 despite a slight decrease. KUPD also had a down book but moved up to a close #6. KLNZ dropped from #2 to #7 and was tied with HUBBARD Alternative KDKB (93.3 ALT AZ), which stepped down from a tie at #5. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KMXP (MIX 96.9) fell to #9. It was #1 just two books ago.

As you might have predicted, KNIX completed the demo sweep. It remained #1 18-49 but with a massive increase. KESZ also had a strong gain as it moved from #7 to #2. However, the stations were over three shares distant. A flat KUPD repeated at #3 while KYOT slipped to #4 as it returned a good portion of last month’s big increase. KZZP was up three slots to #5 with a solid gain while KOMR leapt from a tie at #17 to #6 with its best outing in over a year. KSLX dropped to #8 while KLNZ fell from #4 to a tie at #10.

MINNEAPOLIS-ST.PAUL: I’m A Big (K)Fan

When these numbers were being recorded, there was a lot of anticipation for the local NFL team. Who knew they would stink up the joint? Still, the anticipation was a boon for iHEARTMEDIA Sports KFXN (K-FAN), which had its best 6+ book since JANUARY (5.3-8.2) to march from #7 to #1. MPR N/T KNOW remained at #2 for the third book in a row (7.1-7.2). HUBBARD Hot AC KSTP (KS95) dropped to #3 as its five-book winning streak came to an end (7.9-7.0). CUMULUS Classic Rock KQRS moved up to #4 (6.1-6.5) while two stations dropped down and into a tie at #5. UNIVERSITY OF NORTHWESTERN-ST.PAUL Christian Contemporary KTIS slid from #3 (6.9-6.3) while iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KQQL (KOOL 108) stepped down from #4 (6.2-6.3). KQQL also remained in the cume lead (727,600-734,000) with a 0.9% increase. The market was up by 1.2%.

KFXN obliterated the double-digit barrier 25-54 for the first time since JANUARY. Needless to say, it rose to #1. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KDWB was up slightly as it stepped down to #2. The gap between the two stations was almost four shares. KNOW moved up two places to #3 with a small gain. KQQL repeated at #4 with a slight loss and was tied with CUMULUS Active Rock KXXR (93X), which moved up from #6 with a slight gain. KTIS fell to #6 as it ended a four-book surge. It was tied with KSTP. That duo was just ahead of #8 KQRS, which ended a three-book slide.

KDWB and KXXR remained #1 and #2, respectively, 18-34. However, both stations were in double-digit territory. KFXN came dangerously close to doubling its previous share as it leapt from #11 to #3. iHEARTMEDIA Country KEEY (K102) and KQQL had been tied at #5. KEEY stepped up to #4 with a solid increase while KQQL remained in place with a small loss. ENTERCOM Adult Hits KZJK (104.1 JACK FM) and KNOW were close behind as both stations moved up to tie at #6 thanks to strong increases. KTIS dropped to #8 as it returned most of last month’s large increase. KSTP fell to #9 as it lost more than half of its previous share.

KFXN marched from #7 to #1 18-49 with its best performance since JANUARY. KDWB dipped to #2 but was this close to the leader thanks to a small increase. KXXR stepped down to #3 despite a small gain. KNOW moved up to #4 with its highest score since APRIL. A flat KQQL repeated at #5 while KTIS slipped to #6 as it ended a robust four-book surge. KSTP dropped from a tie at #2 to #7 with its lowest total in over a year.

That does it for the OCTOBER survey. Thank you for reading. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. shall return in a month with more news and analysis. None of it fake.

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