Research Director, Inc. Presents Exclusive December PPM Analysis For New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, S.F., Dallas

The holiday season is a time of joy and merriment. Even in our pandemic times, it renews our spirits and refreshes our outlook. Unless, of course, you are in the radio business. The final two ratings surveys of the year are tainted by the stench of BURL IVES’s sweaty mukluks. This particular DECEMBER book began on 11/5 and reached its inevitable conclusion on 12/2. It featured the long THANKSGIVING weekend and unleashed the onslaught of all musical things that were both holly and jolly. Despite all of this, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with the number-crunching elves from XTRENDS – will continue to provide this semi-public service. Read on …

NEW YORK: Twinkling Lite

The star atop the 6+ tree was, no surprise, iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (106.7 LITE FM), which was back at #1 (5.7-8.7). The station lit up the Yule log during week #2 of the survey. Year-over-year comparisons are not always a straight comparison but in 2019 the station topped the chart with a 9.6 share. It also strengthened its grip on the cume race with an increase of about 15.0% (2,908,600-3,343,500). The market was up by 0.4%. SBS Tropical WSKQ (MEGA 97.9) had its best outing since AUGUST (5.2-5.7) as it moved up to #2. ENTERCOM Classic Hits WCBS-F saw its three-book winning streak come to an end as it slipped to #3 with its lowest score since JANUARY (6.1-5.2). It was tied with MEDIACO Urban AC WBLS, which remained in place (5.3-5.2). NEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO N/T WNYC stepped up to #5 with its best performance since APRIL (4.5-5.1). This pushed iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3) down to #6 (4.6-4.5).

WLTW was on the 25-54 “nice” list as it remained #1 with a very large share increase. It also outperformed its 2019 number. WSKQ repeated at #2 but with its highest share since JULY. WNYC moved up to #3 with its third up book in a row. A flat WBLS stepped up to #4 while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHTZ (Z100) slid to #5 with its smallest share since MAY.

Things were all sugar plum-y for WLTW in the 18-34 arena. The station advanced from a tie at #5 to #1, almost doubling its previous share. Oh, and the station also landed in double-digit territory. WSKQ remained a strong #2 but with a small loss while WHTZ slipped to #3, also with a small loss. MEDIACO Top 40/R WQHT (HOT 97) stepped down to #4 with a down book. SBS Spanish Contemporary WPAT (93.1 AMOR) leapt from #12 to #5 as it got back most of last month’s large share loss. WCBS-F dipped to #6 as it returned all of last month’s modest increase. ENTERCOM Alternative WNYL (ALT 92.3) slid to a tie at #7.

The 18-49 demo was certainly in the yuletide spirit as WLTW moved up to #1 with a massive share increase. WSKQ was flat as it dipped to #2 and ended its eleven-book winning streak. WNYC stepped up to #3 with its highest share in over a year. As recently as SEPTEMBER, the station was sitting at #15. WHTZ slipped to #4 with its lowest book since JULY.  WBLS moved up to #5 with a slight gain while WCBS-F fell to #7 with its third down book in a row.

LOS ANGELES: KOSTing With Santa

The holiday force was strong with iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST. The station flipped on the first day of the survey and more than doubled its previous 6+ share (4.9-10.7) as it moved up to #1. This also eclipsed last year’s 9.3 seasonal debut. The station also remained the cume leader with an increase of 14.6% (2,309,000-2,646,700). The market was off by 1.8%. ENTERCOM Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH 101) slipped to #2 (5.4-5.1), which ended the station’s seven-book winning streak. iHEARTMEDIA Talk KFI-A stepped up to #3 (4.5-4.6) while ENTERCOM Urban AC KTWV (94.7 THE WAVE) slid to #4 with its lowest mark since JUNE (5.1-4.5). iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (104.3 MY FM) repeated at #5 (3.9-4.0). The post-election buzz was favorable for ENTERCOM News KNX-A as it rose from #11 to #7 (2.9-3.3).

As with the previous demo, KOST more than doubled its previous 25-54 share as it moved from a tie at #3 to #1 and completely dominated the demo. KRTH stepped down to #2 with its smallest share since APRIL. KBIG jumped from #8 to #3 with a small increase. Three – count ‘em – three stations were lashed together at #4. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KIIS stepped down from a tie at #3 with a small loss while a flat ENTERCOM Adult Hits KCBS-S (93.1 JACK FM) moved up from #7. UNIVISION Regional Mexican KSCA (LA101.9) joined the fray from #10 with a solid gain. SBS Regional Mexican KLAX (97.9 LA RAZA) dropped from #2 to #7 with its lowest total since APRIL. It is worth pointing out that the six stations ranked from #2 to #7 were separated by less than a share. Last month UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KLVE (K-LOVE 107.5) and KTWV were tied at #3. They were given lumps of coal this time as they fell to #8 and a tie at #11, respectively.

KOST killed it 18-34 as it, once again, more than doubled its previous share as it landed at #1. It was also in double digits.  iHEARTMEDIA Urban KRRL (REAL 92.3) was up three slots to #2 with its best book since JANUARY. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KYSR (ALT 98.7) saw its demo dominance fade quickly as it slipped to #3 while surrendering most of last month’s massive share increase. KIIS dropped to #4 despite posting its best number since JULY. SBS Spanish AC KXOL (MEGA 96.3 FM) advanced from a tie at #9 to #5 with its best outing since FEBRUARY. KBIG fell to #6 despite a slight increase.

It was another twin spin from KOST. The station more than doubled its previous 18-49 number and surpassed the double-digit barrier. This ended the seven-book winning streak for KRTH as it dipped to #2 with its lowest share in over a year. It was tied with KIIS, which remained in place with a slight decrease. KBIG was up three slots to #4 with a small gain while KSCA advanced from #10 to #5 with a strong showing. KTWV dropped to a tie at #9 with its lowest total since JUNE while KYSR fell to a tie at #11 as it returned almost all of last month’s huge increase.

CHICAGO: Santa Doubles Down

iHEARTMEDIA AC WLIT (93.9 LITE FM) switched to the all-Frosty format near the very beginning of the survey. It seemed to work out nicely for the station as it more than doubled its previous 6+ share (4.6-9.5) and moved from #6 to #1. This was the exact same share the station had at this point last year. It also became the cume leader (1,096,900-1,561,400) – an increase of 42.3%! By contrast, the market was down by 0.7%. This also ended the three-book winning streak for iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WVAZ (V103), which dipped to #2 (8.9-8.4). ENTERCOM News WBBM-A stepped down to #3 despite an up book (6.5-6.8). WBEZ ALLIANCE N/T WBEZ was up to #4 (4.7-4.4) and was tied with the stationary HUBBARD Classic Rock WDRV (97.1 THE DRIVE), which posted its lowest share in over a year (5.0-4.4). Every year the running of the reindeer has an adverse effect on the ratings fortunes of HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (101.9 THE MIX). The station dropped from #3 to #6 (5.1-4.1).

So, last survey WLIT was sitting at #15 25-54. Put on an ugly holiday sweater and – voila – the station moved to #1 as it came close to tripling its previous share. UNIVISION Regional Mexican WOJO (QUE BUENA 105.1) dropped down to #2 despite posting its best share in over a year. This also ended the station’s three-book winning streak. WVAZ and WTMX had been tied at #2. Both stations had down books and ended up at #3 and #4, respectively. CUMULUS Classic Hits WLS-F moved up to #5 with a small gain and was tied with WDRV.

Santa may have a lot of pull but he could not quite elevate WLIT to #1 18-34. The station did rise from #21 to #2 but was just edged out by WVAZ, which repeated at #1 despite a large share loss. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKSC (103.5 KISS FM) dipped to #3 with a small loss while WOJO advanced from #11 to #4 as it bounced back from a down book. Three stations were playing the part of French hens at #5. ENTERCOM Top 40/M WBBM-F (B96) remained in place with a small loss. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WGCI moved up from #8 with a slight increase while WLS-F leapt from #10 as it rebounded from a down book. WBEZ and WTMX were formerly together at #3. However, this time they showed up at #10 and #11, respectively.

In 18-49 world, WLIT more than tripled its previous share as it rose from a tie at #16 to #1. WOJO repeated at #2 with a small increase while last month’s leader – WVAZ – dropped to #3 with a pretty big loss. WTMX remained at #4 while WKSC was the #5 station again. WBEZ fell three places to #6 as it ended a two-book surge.

SAN FRANCISCO: The Votes Are In …

And Santa lost. This was not entirely the big guy’s fault as BONNEVILLE AC KOIT did not follow Rudolph’s lead until the third week of the survey. Still, it pushed the station up to #3 6+ (4.4-6.3). The station moved back into the cume lead (923,400-950,200) with a gain of 2.9%. The market was off by 2.9%. It would seem the lingering election story was the topic du jour as KQED INC. N/T KQED was #1 for the fifth straight survey with its highest share in over a year (9.0-10.1). ENTERCOM News KCBS-A also did well among the hoopla as it remained #2 with its best book since APRIL (7.8-9.1). iHEARTMEDIA AC KISQ (98.1 THE BREEZE) slipped to #4 (5.4-5.0) while CUMULUS Sports KNBR-A advanced to #5 (3.4-3.9). CUMULUS Classic Rock KSAN (107.7 THE BONE) had its lowest share in over a year (4.3-2.6) as it dropped from #5 to a tie at #11.

As with the previous demo, KQED had its best 25-54 book in over a year as it finished first for the third straight survey. The jingle jangle was very productive for KOIT as it repeated at #2 but with a very large share increase. BONNEVILLE Top 40/M KMVQ (99.7 NOW) remained at #3 with a modest loss while a flat KCBS-A repeated at #4. KISQ stepped up to #5 despite a small loss while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KMEL dipped to #7 with its third down book in a row.

Nothing like a heaping helping of figgy pudding to push KOIT up to #1 18-34. The station had a huge increase and is more than twice as hefty as it was two books ago. KMEL stepped down to #2 with its smallest share in over a year. That also ended its eleven-book reign of dominance over the demo. KQED was up slightly to remain at #3 while KMVQ moved up to #4 with a solid increase. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KIOI (STAR 101.3) moved up to #5 with a small increase. KSAN dropped from #4 to a tie at #11.

The 18-49 contest was very tight. KQED was up to #1 with its best share in over a year. It just edged out KOIT, which stepped up to #2 with a very strong increase. KMVQ gave back most  of last month’s large increase as it dropped from first to third. KMEL repeated at #4 while KISQ returned at #5. Both stations had small losses. UNIVISION Regional Mexican KSOL (QUE BUENA 98.9/99.1) advanced from a tie at #11 to #6 as it ended a steep three-book slide.

DALLAS-FT.WORTH: A Higher Authority

The top two stations on the 6+ leaderboard did flip to all seasonal ditties but not at the same time. SALEM Christian Contemporary KLTY made the move late in the survey so its fourth straight #1 book was mostly the result of regular programming (6.4-6.7). iHEARTMEDIA AC KDGE (STAR 102.1) flipped to Frosty at the beginning of the book and it rose from #11 to #2 (3.5-5.7). It also became the market’s cume leader (1,016,300-1,212,700) – an increase of 19.3%. The overall market grew by 1.0%. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KHKS (106.1 KISS FM) remained at #3 but with its lowest share in over a year (5.2-4.8). CUMULUS Country KSCS slipped to #4 (5.3-4.7) while UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLNO (QUE BUENA 94.1) advanced from #9 to #5 with its best performance in over a year (3.8-4.4). CUMULUS Talk WBAP-A ended a strong three-book surge as it dropped from #4 to a tie at #7 (4.9-4.0). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZPS (LONE STAR 92.5) fell from #5 to #9 with its lowest mark since APRIL (4.7-3.9).

Moving up to #1 25-54 with its best book since JUNE was KLNO. KSCS repeated at #2 with a slight increase and the two stations were very close to one another. KHKS slid to #3 while the elves propelled KDGE from #13 to #4. A flat ENTERCOM Adult Hits KJKK (100.3 JACK FM) stepped down to #5 while CUMULUS Sports KTCK-A (THE TICKET 96.7FM/1310AM) bounced back from a down book to move up to #6. KLTY slid to #7 with a flat performance.

For the eighth book in a row, KHKS was #1 18-34. The station did post its lowest share in over a year but continued to lead the duo at #2 by about a half share. KSCS remained in place in second place with a small loss while KDGE moved up from #4 with a big increase. iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KEGL (97.1 THE EAGLE) dipped to #4 with a slight increase. KLTY leapt from #8 to #5 with a slight increase while KLNO advanced six spaces to #6 as it rebounded from a down book. SERVICE Urban KKDA (K104) slipped to a tie at #7 with a small loss.

Santa could not quite close the deal 18-49. KDGE did move from a tie at #6 to #2 with a huge increase. However, KLNO took the crown with its best book in over a year. The stations were separated by a thin margin. KHKS dropped to #3, thus ending its eleven-book winning streak. KSCS remained at #4 with a slight loss while KEGL slipped to #5 with its lowest score since FEBRUARY. KJKK stepped down to #6 with a modest loss. KTCK-A advanced from a tie at #16 to #7 as it got back all of last month’s big loss.

Time for us to wrestle with the all the tubs of holiday decorations. Thank you for reading. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. will now enjoy an adult beverage or two before we tackle round two, which will feature HOUSTON, WASHINGTON, DC, ATLANTA, PHILADELPHIA, and BOSTON.

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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 email info@ResearchDirectorInc.com or sallan@ResearchDirectorInc.com.

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