Research Director, Inc Exclusive November PPM Analysis for Houston; Washington, DC; Atlanta; Philadelphia; Boston

The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC., in virtual cooperation with the numbers nerds at XTRENDS, are back to talk turkey. Well, no, we’re not here to share our favorite family recipes or to discuss whether cranberry sauce is edible (it’s not). Our sole focus is on the NOVEMBER survey, a time frame that began on OCTOBER 8th and drew to a conclusion on NOVEMBER 4th.

It was the final survey before the CHRISTMAS music hostilities began. And, it was consumed by incessant election chatter, bluster, and the associated debates. The results are in, so let’s go to the decision desk …

HOUSTON-GALVESTON: You Talkin’ To Me?

One might reasonably assume, like we have done, that all the election buzz fueled the third straight 6+ up book for iHEARTMEDIA N/T KRTH-A. What’s more, the station had its highest share in over a year (6.5-7.4) and landed at #1. iHEARTMEDIA AC KODA (SUNNY 99.1), in its last Frosty-free book of the year, stepped down to #2 (7.1-7.0). It remained the cume leader with a slight decline of 0.3% (1,649,400-1,644,900). The market was up by 0.3%. KSBJ EDUCATIONAL Christian Contemporary KSBJ also had its best book in over a year (5.4-6.1) as it rose from #6 to #3. COX MEDIA GROUP Classic Rock KGLK (THE EAGLE 106.9 & 107.5) dipped to #4 with its lowest mark since MARCH (6.4-6.0). UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLTN (QUE BUENA 102.9) remained at #5 (5.9-5.8) and was joined by iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTBZ (94.5 FM THE BUZZ), which stepped down from #4 (6.2-5.8).

Though the aforementioned KTBZ was off slightly 25-54, the station captured the demo – by a wide margin – for the sixth straight survey. Two stations moved up and into a tie at #2 but were a share and a half behind the leader. Those were KSBJ – up from a tie at #5 with its fourth up book in a row – and KODA, which stepped up from #3. KLTN slipped to #4 with its lowest score in over a year. KGLK dipped to #5 with a modest loss while ENTERCOM Adult Hits KKHH (95.7 THE SPOT) stepped down to #6 with a slight loss. KRTH-A had its highest share in over a year as it climbed from a tie at #16 to a tie at #9.

There was all kinds of drama among the 18-34 set. One thing remained constant – KTBZ was #1 for the third book in a row. KODA significantly narrowed the gap, however, as it advanced three places to #2 with its highest Frosty-free share in over a year. URBAN ONE Top 40/R KBXX (97.9 THE BOX) stepped down to #3 with a slight loss. KSBJ moved up with a solid gain while a flat CUMULUS Top 40/M KRBE stepped down. They both met up at #4. KLTN was up to #6 as it regained some of last month’s massive share loss. ENTERCOM Spanish Contemporary KLOL (MEGA 101 FM) slid to #7 with only a slight loss and was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Urban KQBT (93.7 THE BEAT). UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KAMA (LATINO MIX 104.9 & 93.3) dropped from a tie at #5 to #9 with a slight loss.

For the sixth book in a row, KTBZ was #1 18-49 despite a small loss. KODA stepped up to #2 with a solid increase but was still better than a share off the lead. KLTN dipped to #3 with its smallest share in over a year. It was partnered with KSBJ, which advanced from #5 with its highest score in over a year. KKHH dipped to #5 with a flat performance.

WASHINGTON, DC: Lotsa Hot Air

This market was certainly the epicenter of all things election-related and the 6+ results bear that out. The top three stations presented their versions of the events as they unfolded and, collectively, took about a quarter of the available shares. HUBBARD News WTOP was in first place for the fourth book in a row (10.3-9.3). It also remained the cume leader with a decrease of 3.8% (881,100-847,900). The market was up by a modest 0.8%. AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU had its best book since APRIL (6.9-8.2) as it moved up to #2. CUMULUS Talk WMAL dipped to #3 (7.9-7.5). HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR slipped to #4 (7.9-7.4) while iHEARTMEDIA AC WASH remained at #5 but with its highest Frosty-free share in over a year (6.1-7.0). GWET Classical WETA had its best outing since MAY as it stepped up to #6 (5.0-6.1).

There was a ton of share movement 25-54. WASH jumpstarted its holiday push as it rose from #5 to #1 with a massive increase. WAMU inched up to #2 with its best showing since DECEMBER. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WWDC (DC101) advanced to #3 with its third up book in a row and highest share in over a year. WTOP dropped from first to fourth as it ended a strong four-book surge. WHUR fell from #2 to #5 with a rather large share loss. It maintained a comfortable lead over URBAN ONE Urban AC WMMJ (MAJIC 102.3/92.7), which repeated at #6 with a slight increase.

Though it had a down 18-34 book, WASH was the market leader for the fifth straight survey. WWDC moved up three slots to #2 with a huge increase but was still a share and a half behind its cluster sister. WHUR dipped to #3 while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIHT (HOT 99.5) dropped to #4. Both stations had modest losses. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WBIG (BIG 100) was up for the third book in a row and rose from a tie at #8 to #5. WTOP slipped to #6, thus ending a four-book surge while URBAN ONE Urban WKYS fell to #9 with its smallest share in over a year.

On our last visit, we saw that WWDC and WTOP were the co-leaders 18-49. WWDC followed that up with its best book in over a year to stand alone as king of the hill. WTOP lost a chunk of share as it dropped to #4. WAMU was up to #2 with its best outing in over a year while WASH advanced to #3 with its best showing since FEBRUARY. WHUR slipped to #5 with a small loss while WIHT repeated at #6, also with a small loss.

ATLANTA: More Double Speak

Sure, there was a lot going on in GEORGIA leading up to the election, and all that did was strengthen the 6+ numbers for COX MEDIA GROUP Talk WSB-A. The station was, naturally, #1 as it achieved double digits for the eleventh straight survey (11.0-11.5). COX MEDIA GROUP Classic Hits WSRV (97.1 THE RIVER) repeated at a distant #2 with its lowest total since MARCH (7.9-7.2). COX MEDIA GROUP Urban AC WALR (KISS 104.1 FM) remained the #3 station (6.9-6.7). URBAN ONE Urban AC WAMJ (MAJIC 107.5/97.5) stepped up to #4 as it regained all of last month’s share loss (4.9-5.4). ENTERCOM Urban WVEE (V-103) stepped down to #5 (5.3-5.3). The next closest station was COX MEDIA GROUP AC WSB-F (B98.5), which moved up to #6 as it, too, regained all of last survey’s loss (3.7-4.3). It also became the market’s cume leader for the first time since JUNE with a gain of 4.7% (778,500-815,400). The market was up by 1.3%.

Though WSRV had its lowest 25-54 share since JUNE, the station remained the demo leader for the fourth book in a row. It held about a half share lead over the two stations cojoined at #2. WVEE repeated at that spot but with its smallest share in over a year. WSB-A stepped up from #3 with a slight loss. WAMJ gave an encore performance at #4 with a small increase while WALR was again the #5 station as it rebounded from a down book. The next closest station was ENTERCOM Sports WZGC (92.9 THE GAME). It repeated at #6 with its highest score since MARCH but was still about a share and a half out of the top five.

In a statistical oddity, WSRV was flat 18-34 for the second book in a row. No matter, as the station was #1 for the fourth straight survey. WALR became the #2 station thanks to a slight increase. This pushed WVEE – which was down for the sixth book in a row – back to #3. WSB-F advanced from #7 to #4 with a strong increase. WAMJ and SALEM Christian Contemporary WFSH (104.7 THE FISH) had been tied at #5. Both stations were flat and remained an item at that same position. URBAN ONE Urban WHTA (HOT 107.9) slid to #7 with its fourth straight down book.

The top six stations 18-49 remained in the same order with one small exception. WSRV and WVEE had been tied at #1 last month. This time a flat WSRV stayed on top while WVEE dipped to #2 with a slight loss. WSB-A was back at #3 with a small loss while WALR repeated at #4 with a slight gain. WAMJ was #5 again with a slight increase. It was just ahead of #6 WFSH, which also had a slight increase.

PHILADELPHIA: A Photo Finish

For the last seven surveys, iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS has been the dominant 6+ player. The station was on top for the eighth book in a row, but with a slight plot twist. It posted its lowest share since MARCH (9.1-7.4), which opened the door for BEASLEY Classic Rock WMGK to forge a tie for the lead thanks to its highest share since MAY (6.9-7.4). BEASLEY Active Rock WMMR was steady as, well, a rock as it remained at #3 (6.7-6.7). ENTERCOM Sports WIP-F repeated at #4 but with a small loss of yardage (5.8-5.3). ENTERCOM AC WBEB (B101.1) telegraphed the ghost of CHRISTMAS future as it advanced from a tie at #8 to #5 by regaining all of last month’s share loss (4.0-4.8). The station was also back on top in the cume wars with an increase of 10.2% (855,800-943,500). The market shrank by 1.5%. WHYY INC. N/T WHYY dipped to #6 (5.1-4.7) and was just ahead of ENTERCOM News KYW-A (4.6-4.6).

One could reasonably assume, based on the previous demo, that WDAS did not fare well 25-54. Well, you know what they say about assuming, right? The station actually had its best in-demo book in over a year as it became a very strong #1. WMGK stepped up to #2 with its best outing since MAY. Meanwhile, WMMR saw its ten-book winning streak come to a close. The station dropped to #3 with its smallest share since the dreaded BURL IVES was poisoning the air waves. BEASLEY Adult Hits WBEN (95.7 BEN FM) repeated at #4 with a slight increase while WIP-F was back at #5 with a small decrease. WBEB was close behind at #6, also with a slight gain.

Last month, WMMR and WIP-F were tied atop the 18-34 standings. This time, WMMR remained alone in first place after landing a massive share increase – its best book in over a year. WIP-F dropped to #3 with a significant loss of yardage. In between was iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WRFF (ALT 104.5), which stepped up to #2 as it rebounded from a down book. BEASLEY Country WXTU and WBEB both moved up the chart with strong increases to land in unison at #4. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WUSL (POWER 99) dipped to #6 with a slight loss while WHYY slid to a tie at #7 with its lowest mark since JANUARY.

WMMR made it eleven 18-49 wins in a row with a slight increase. WDAS repeated at #2 with its best outing in over a year. WBEB advanced from #7 to #3 as it ended a three-book slide. WMGK leapt from #9 to #4 as it regained most of last month’s huge share loss. WIP-F slipped to #5 with a small loss. It was just ahead of WBEN at #6, which was just ahead of WRFF at #7, which was just ahead of WUSL at #8. Yes, things were that tight. WHYY fell from #5 to #10.

BOSTON: Headed For A Recount?

With all precincts reported in, we can safely project that the 6+ race is tighter than a fresh stemah. The top six stations were within a share of each other. Last month iHEARTMEDIA News WBZ-A and BEASLEY Classic Hits WROR were tied at #1. Both were off slightly this time and when the dust had cleared, WBZ-A was still #1 (7.2-7.0) while WROR had slipped to #2 (7.2-6.9). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WZLX ended a four-book slide as it advanced three spaces to #3 (5.9-6.7). iHEARTMEDIA Talk WRKO-A stepped up to #4 with its highest share in over a year (6.0-6.6). BEASLEY Sports WBZ-F (98.5 THE SPORTS HUB) dipped to #5 as it ended a four-book surge (6.8-6.2). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WXKS (KISS 108) fell to #6 with its lowest total since the swans were a-swimming (7.0-6.0). It remained the cume leader with a 0.6% increase (873,800-878,700). The market was down by 1.8%.

Back when this survey was conducted, the faithful believed that the sleeveless SUBWAY spokesmodel would pull a rabbit out of his, well … So, though WBZ-F lost about a share 25-54, it remained both in double digits and at #1. WROR stepped up to #2 with its fourth straight up book. This pushed WXKS down to #3 as it landed its lowest share since APRIL. WZLX inched up to #4 as it ended a rather severe four-book slide. BOSTON UNIVERSITY N/T WBUR was up to #5 with its best outing since MARCH. ENTERCOM AC WMJX (MAGIC 106.7) slid to #6 with its lowest score since MAY but Santa is on his way. ENTERCOM Adult Hits WBGB (BIG 103) ended a five-book surge as it fell three places to a tie at #8.

In the previous survey, both WBZ-F and WXKS had been in double-digits 18-34. WBZ-F increased that previous share to move up to #1 while WXKS exited that hallowed turf air and slipped to #2. WZLX had its best book since JULY as it leapt from #8 to #3. ENTERCOM Hot AC WWBX (MIX 104.1) slipped to #4 and was paired with iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R WJMN (JAM’N 94.5), which advanced from a tie at #9 with its best performance in over a year. A flat WBGB repeated at #6. NORTHEAST AAA WXRV (92.5 THE RIVER) receded to #9 as it returned most of last month’s massive increase. BEASLEY Country WKLB (COUNTRY 102.5) dropped from a tie at #3 to a tie at #10 with its smallest share in over a year.

The top three 18-49 stations were unchanged from last month. WBZ-F was again #1 and again in double-digits. WXKS repeated at #2 but with a large loss. WROR remained #3 with a small loss. WZLX stepped up to #4 with a solid increase while WBUR advanced from #9 to #5 with its best score in over a year. WMJX dipped to #6 with its lowest mark since JUNE. WBGB dropped to #7 and was tied with WWBX. WKLB fell from a tie at #5 to #13.

We are not quite ready to call the NOVEMBER survey results. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. have one more trick up our collective sleeves. This one will reveal the counts in MIAMI, SEATTLE, DETROIT, PHOENIX, and MINNEAPOLIS. 

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

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.

« see more Net News