Research Director, Inc Exclusive December PPM Analysis for Houston-Galveston, Washington DC, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston

December PPM Analysis

The ratings experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC., after heavy deliberations with the data gurus from XTRENDS, have come to a startling conclusion. The 28 days of the DECEMBER survey, which was crammed full of holiday tuneage, was more than twice as long as the twelve days of CHRISTMAS? The mind reels. This particular book ran from 11/5 through 12/2 and featured the long, socially distanced THANKSGIVING weekend and the annual return of BURL IVES to regular rotations. So 2020.

HOUSTON-GALVESTON: Sunny Santa

As has been tradition, iHEARTMEDIA AC KODA (SUNNY 99.1) broke out the tinsel early – flipping the Frosty switch very near the beginning of the survey. As a result, the station was back at #1 6+ (7.0-7.6) though it was just under last year’s 7.8 share. It also remained the cume leader with an increase of about 1.0% (1,644,900-1,661,000). The market was down by 0.4%. With the post-election air leaking out of the balloon, iHEARTMEDIA N/T KRTH-A stepped down to #2 (7.4-6.7). UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLTN (QUE BUENA 102.9) had its first up book since APRIL (5.8-6.5) as it moved up to #3. COX MEDIA Classic Rock KGLK (THE EAGLE 106.9 & 107.5) remained at #4 (6.0-6.1) while ENTERCOM Adult Hits KKHH (95.7 THE SPOT) stepped up to #5 with its best outing since JULY (4.6-5.7). KSBJ EDUCATIONAL Christian Contemporary KSBJ, which did the holiday two-step towards the end of the survey, slid to #6 (6.1-5.6). iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTBZ (94.5 THE BUZZ) dropped to #7 with its lowest mark since MAY (5.8-5.1). It was paired with the rising URBAN ONE Urban AC KMJQ (MAJIC 102.1) (4.5-5.1).

KODA was back at #1 25-54 for the first time since the last HOLIDAY go around. The station was also up for the third book in a row. This put the kibosh on the six-book winning streak for KTBZ, which dipped to #2. It was tied with KLTN, which arrived from #4 with its best share since JUNE. KKHH took two steps upward to #4 with a strong increase while KGLK repeated at #5 with a small gain. KSBJ dropped from a tie at #2 to #6 as it returned all of last month’s large increase.

The power of the Claus was not enough to prevent KTBZ from being the 18-34 winner for the fourth straight survey though the station did end a three-book surge. KODA remained at #2 but with a slight decrease. It was matched with URBAN ONE Top 40/R KBXX (97.9 THE BOX), which moved up thanks to a small increase. KLTN advanced to #4 with a strong gain while iHEARTMEDIA Urban KQBT (93.7 THE BEAT) stepped up to #5 with a slight increase. CUMULUS Top 40/M KRBE dipped to #6 with its smallest share since JULY. It was joined in that space by KKHH, which rose up from #11 with its best book since MARCH. KSBJ fell from a tie at #4 to #10.

Though KTBZ had its lowest 18-49 share since MAY, it was able to capture the demo for the seventh straight survey. It just edged out KODA, which remained at #2 with a modest gain. KLTN stood alone at #3 as it rebounded from a down book. KKHH stepped up to #4 with a strong increase as KBXX advanced to #5 with its highest score since JUNE. KSBJ dropped to #6 with its first down book since JUNE.

ATLANTA: Double Down

The big story had nothing to do with mistletoe and holly. Nor was it the fact that COX MEDIA Talk WSB-A was again #1 6+. The surprise here was that the station’s double-digit share streak ended at eleven (11.5-9.7).  It was still well clear of COX MEDIA Urban AC WALR (KISS 104.1 FM), which stepped up to #2 as it ended a two-book slide (6.7-7.5). COX MEDIA Classic Hits WSRV (97.1 THE RIVER) dipped to #3 with its lowest total since MARCH (7.2-6.6). It did retain the cume crown (805,000-825,800) with a 2.6% increase. The market was basically flat as it grew by a mere 0.1%. ENTERCOM Urban WVEE (V-103) moved up to #4 (5.3-5.1) while COX MEDIA AC WSB-F (B98.5) advanced to #5 (4.3-4.7). URBAN ONE Urban AC WAMJ (MAJIC 107.5/97.5) slipped to #6 with its smallest share since JUNE (5.4-4.6). SALEM Christian Contemporary WFSH (104.7 THE FISH) is the market’s designated holiday station. However, it was only in that format for the last ten days of the survey. It remained at #7 (4.2-4.5).

For the fifth book in a row, WSRV was #1 25-54. However, the station posted its lowest number since MARCH. Meanwhile, WALR had its best showing since MAY and leapt from #5 to claim its share of the lead. WVEE dipped to #3 with a slight loss but was very close to making this a three-way tie. WAMJ repeated at #4 but with its lowest mark since JUNE. WSB-A dropped from a tie at #2 to #5 with a noticeable loss of share. CITY OF ATLANTA BOE N/T WABE had its best book in over a year as it rose from #12 to #6. It is entirely possible both of these results were based on the election.

WALR had its best 18-34 book since APRIL and that propelled the station to #1 in the demo. WSRV saw its four-book winning streak come to an end, stepping down to #2 as it lost a rather large portion of its previous share. WVEE remained at #3 with a small increase while WSB-F repeated at #4 with its third straight up book. It seems like an underperforming football team that fires its coach was the winning ticket for ENTERCOM Sports WZGC (92.9 THE GAME). The station more than doubled last month’s share as it rocketed from a tie at #14 to #5. It was just ahead of URBAN ONE Urban WHTA (HOT 107.9), which stepped up to #6 as it ended a four-book slide. WFSH and WAMJ had been tied at #5. Their togetherness was short-lived as this survey they landed at #7 and #9, respectively.

This was a little unusual. WVEE had its lowest 18-49 share in over a year. WALR had its best since APRIL. Both stations moved up the chart and ended up tied at #1. WSRV, which had been in first place the last three books, dropped to #3. WZGC advanced from #11 to #4 with a large gain. Two similarly named stations ended up at #5. WSB-A slipped from #3 while WSB-F moved up from #7. WAMJ fell from #5 to a tie at #9 with its lowest total in over a year.

WASHINGTON, DC: Santa By A Nose

There were two things on the minds of listeners in the NATION’S CAPITAL – post-election dickering and simply having a wonderful CHRISTMAS time. iHEARTMEDIA AC WASH made its annual flip to Frosty at the beginning of week #2 and that pushed the station to #1 6+ (7.0-9.8). It easily outdistanced last year’s 8.1 share. As a bonus, WASH became the market’s cume leader (764,500-838,500) with an increase of 9.7%. The market was down by 2.6%. HUBBARD News WTOP stepped down to second, by the aforementioned nose, thus ending its four-book winning streak (9.3-9.7). Nipping at their collective noses was AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU, which posted its largest share in over a year (8.2-9.5). HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR remained at #4 (7.4-7.2) while CUMULUS Talk WMAL slid to #5 with its lowest score since Santa’s last visit (7.5-6.8). GWET Classical WETA repeated at #6 with its highest share in over a year (6.1-6.4).

The top two stations 25-54 remained unchanged from last month and both landed in double-digit territory. WASH repeated at #1 with a number close to last year’s HOLIDAY mark. WAMU remained #2 with a massive increase. WTOP stepped up to #3 as it regained a portion of last month’s big loss. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WWDC (DC101) dipped to #4 with a slight loss while a flat WHUR remained at #5.

WASH announced its 18-34 presence with authority. The station was #1 for the sixth straight survey and crashed through the double-digit barrier. WHUR stepped up to #2 as it ended a two-book slide. WTOP advanced from #6 to #3 with easily its best book in over a year. WAMU accomplished the same feat as it rose from a tie at #7 to #4. WWDC dropped three places to #5 as it ended a robust three-book surge. URBAN ONE Urban WKYS bounced back from a down book and moved up to #6. A couple of stations exited the top five. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WBIG (BIG 100) slid to #7 as it returned most of last month’s big increase. WBIG was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIHT (HOT 99.5), which had its lowest total in over a year.

Santa did not rule the day 18-49. That honor went to WAMU, which stepped up to #1 with another double-digit performance. WASH was up to #2 with a huge increase but remained about two shares off the lead. WWDC saw its two-book winning streak halted. The station dipped to #3 despite a slight increase. WTOP remained at #4 as it rebounded from a down book. WHUR repeated at #5 with its highest share in over a year. No other station was within two shares of breaking into the top five.

PHILADELPHIA: #9 Dream

Neither Dasher nor Dancer could prevent iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS from winning the 6+ contest for the ninth straight survey. The station bounced back from a down book (7.4-8.3) as it held off the holiday challenger – ENTERCOM AC WBEB (B101.1). It made the move to elf music at the beginning of week #2 and advanced three places to #2 (4.8-7.2). It was off from last year’s 8.9 debut. However, it did continue to lead the cume wars (943,500-984,500) with a 4.3% increase. The market was down by 0.2%. BEASLEY Active Rock WMMR repeated at #3 (6.7-6.5). Its cluster bruh – BEASLEY Classic Rock WMGK – had been tied for the demo lead last month. It dropped to #4 this time as it ended a strong three-book surge (7.4-6.0). ENTERCOM Sports WIP-F stepped down to #5 despite bouncing back from a down book (5.3-5.7). The post-election buzz may have helped WHYY INC. N/T WHYY. It remained at #6 but with its highest share since MARCH (4.7-5.3).

Two stations were the far-and-away leaders of the 25-54 pack. WDAS was off slightly but repeated at #1. It was, however, forced to share as WMMR moved up from #3 as it ended a long seven-book slide. WMGK dipped to #3 with a big loss. It was inches ahead of WBEB, which advanced to #4 with a big gain. BEASLEY Adult Hits WBEN (95.7 BEN FM) stepped down to #5 with a small loss and was tied with the stationary WIP-F, which had its best offensive output since MARCH.

WBEB was definitely on the 18-34 “nice” list. The station more than doubled its previous share, crashed through the double-digit barrier, and landed firmly at #1. Meanwhile, WMMR was more on the naughty side as it surrendered all of last month’s massive increase as it stepped down to #2. It was met in that spot by WDAS, which advanced from a tie at #7 with its best performance in over a year. Two stations hurtling in opposite directions collided at #4. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WRFF (ALT 104.5) slipped from #2 with its lowest score since MARCH. ENTERCOM Top 40/M WTDY vaulted from #10 with its best number, also since MARCH. WIP-F slid to #6 while BEASLEY Country WXTU fell three places to a tie at #7.

Two stations with rather large share gains commanded the top of the 18-49 leaderboard. WDAS stepped up to #1 with its third up book in a row. It was a little more than a half share in front of WBEB, which inched up to #2 with a stocking stuffed with shares. This ended the eleven-book winning streak for WMMR as it dropped to #3 with its lowest share since the last time everyone was in a sugar plum delirium. WIP-F was up to #4 with a small increase while WHYY advanced from #10 to #5 as it regained almost all of last month’s big loss. WMGK fell from #4 to #12 with its smallest share in over a year.

BOSTON: Not Enough Magic

ENTERCOM AC WMJX (MAGIC 106.7) stayed true to form as it made the move to MARIAH at the beginning of week #2. That drove the station from #7 to #2 6+ (5.5-7.3) though it was off from last year’s 8.0 share. The station also became the cume leader (776,400-847,200) with an increase of 9.1%. The market shrank by 2.4%. The station that did land at #1 was BEASLEY Classic Hits WROR, which posted its best share since FEBRUARY (6.9-7.5). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WZLX repeated at #3 (6.7-7.1) while iHEARTMEDIA News WBZ-A ended a two-book winning streak and fell to #4 (7.0-6.8). BEASLEY Sports WBZ-F (98.5 THE SPORTS HUB) returned as the #5 station (6.2-6.1). iHEARTMEDIA Talk WRKO-A slid to #6 as its three-book surge came to a halt (6.6-5.8).

For the third book in a row, WBZ-F was #1 25-54 though the station fell below the double-digit threshold it had reached in the two previous surveys. Still, it had enough juice left to lead #2 WROR, which was off slightly, by a share. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WXKS (KISS 108) remained at #3 but with its lowest share since the last time some guy named Jack was nose nipping. WMJX was up to #4 with a strong increase while WZLX dipped to #5 with a slight loss. WGBH FOUNDATION N/T WGBH had its best outing in over a year to move up to #6. The station has more than doubled its share since SEPTEMBER. BOSTON UNIVERSITY N/T WBUR slipped to #7 with a slight decrease.

Showing much more offensive prowess than the local NFL team, WBZ-F was in double-digits 18-34 for the third straight survey as it repeated at #1. WXKS was over two shares behind at #2 as it landed its lowest number since JUNE. WZLX remained at #3 but with a huge increase. WMJX rode the Polar Express from a tie at #10 to #4 as it nearly doubled its previous share. WROR was up two slots to #5 with a strong increase. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R WJMN (JAM’N 94.5) and ENTERCOM Hot AC WWBX (MIX 104.1) had been tied at #4. WJMN dropped to #6 as it returned about half of last month’s large increase. WWBX landed at #11 with its smallest share since APRIL.

WBZ-F was both #1 and in double-digits 18-49 for the third straight survey. WMJX was up four slots to #2 with a huge increase but still trailed the leader by over three shares. WXKS dipped to #3 with its third straight down book. WROR stepped down to #4 despite a small increase. WZLX slipped to #5 despite being up for the third straight survey. WGBH was up to #6 with its best outing in over a year. As recently as SEPTEMBER it was sitting at #15. WBUR dropped three spots to #8.

We are going to take a short recess as we gird ourselves for the final round this month. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC., once fully girded, will sift through the numbers in MIAMI, SEATTLE, PHOENIX, DETROIT, and MINNEAPOLIS. 

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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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