Research Director, Inc Exclusive December PPM Analysis For Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Seattle-Tacoma, Phoenix, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul

December Day Three

Before the ratings experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. and our partners in data from XTRENDS deliver the final analysis of 2020, we turn our attention to another pressing problem. Yes, it is holiday related. 

After careful consideration and intense study, we have come to the unshakeable conclusion that "DIE HARD" is not a CHRISTMAS movie. Don’t fight us on this. As we have seen in the already released results, Santa had a profound effect on the DECEMBER survey. The book ran from 11/5 through 12/2 and most markets were inundated with holiday cheer. There was also the long THANKSGIVING weekend. Here’s what happened…

MIAMI-FT.LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD: That Was Easy
No sooner do we wax on about the BURL IVES effect then we come upon a market that saw the injection of holiday music come later in the book. More on that shortly. But first, COX MEDIA AC WFEZ (EASY 93.1) repeated as the leading 6+ station (7.5-7.1). COX MEDIA Urban AC WHQT (HOT 105 FM) was back as #2 (6.9-6.6) while SBS Spanish Contemporary WCMQ (Z92.3) ended a two-book slide as it advanced three spaces to #3 (4.6-6.1). ENTERCOM Classic Hits WMXJ (102.7 THE BEACH) remained at #4 (5.6-5.8) while UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary WAMR (AMOR 107.5) stood still at #5 (5.0-5.5). ENTERCOM AC WLYF (101.5 LITE FM) made the Frosty flip in the middle of week #3. This did not provide the boost we normally see. The station slipped to #6 as it ended a three-book surge (6.3-5.2). It remained the cume leader but with a decrease of 3.1% (860,000-833,500). The market was down by 1.6%.

Last month WHQT and WMXJ were tied at #3 25-54. WHQT was up slightly as it took control of the demo. WMXJ had a modest loss but still stepped up to #2. WLYF had its three-book winning streak halted as it slipped to #3. WFEZ gave back all of last month’s solid increase as it dropped from #2 to #4. Three stations had been tied at #5. WAMR stood alone in that space with a slight increase. SBS Tropical WXDJ (EL ZOL 106.7 FM) slipped to #6 with a smaller slight increase. iHEARTMEDIA Spanish Contemporary WZTU (TU 94.9 FM) fell to #11 with its smallest share in over a year.

Last month mouths were agape – and arms slightly akimbo – to find that COX MEDIA Urban WEDR (99JAMZ) was not #1 18-34. The station bounced back with its first up book since MAY to resume control of the demo. WMXJ remained #2 with its highest share in over a year. WFEZ dropped from first to third as it returned a good portion of last month’s huge increase. COX MEDIA Top 40/M WFLC (HITS 97.3) posted its largest share in over a year as it leapt from a tie at #11 to #4. WLYF dipped to #5 and was tied with cluster mate ENTERCOM Country WKIS (KISS COUNTRY 99.9). WHQT stepped down to #7 with a small loss. Meanwhile, WCMQ almost doubled its previous share as it rocketed from a tie at #16 to a tie at #8.

Though WLYF had its smallest 18-49 share since AUGUST, the station finished at #1 for the fourth straight survey. A flat WHQT stepped up to #2 while WFEZ dipped to #3 with its lowest score since MAY. WXDJ moved up to #4 with its highest mark since FEBRUARY while WEDR advanced from #11 to #5 with a strong increase. WMXJ slid to #6 as it ended a three-book surge and was just ahead of WAMR, which stepped up to #7. WZTU dropped from #5 to #11 with its lowest share in over a year.

SEATTLE-TACOMA: The Christmas Conflict
Every year this market is flooded with stations that take the twelve days theme to the ultimate extreme. This DECEMBER was no different as six – count ‘em – six stations made the switch before the end of the survey. However, Santa was no match for the twin forces of the election meltdown and SEAHAWKS football. BONNEVILLE Talk KIRO-F enjoyed seeing RUSSELL WILSON feast as the station moved up to #1 6+ with its highest share since MAY (6.6-7.2). UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON N/T KUOW slipped to #2 (6.9-6.9) while iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZOK dipped to #3 with its smallest share since MARCH (6.6-5.5). SINCLAIR News KOMO-A stepped up to #4 (5.1-5.3), which meant three of the top four stations were devoid of musical accompaniment. HUBBARD Top 40/M KQMV (MOVIN 92.5) was up to #5 with its highest share since MAY (4.6-5.2). It was also the market cume leader again (574,800-579,700) – an increase of 0.9%. The market was off by 0.8%. ENTERCOM Active Rock KISW slipped to #6 (5.2-5.0). Two of the early holiday adopters had mixed results. HUBBARD AC KRWM (WARM 106.9) moved up to a tie at #8 (3.7-3.4) but fell well short of last year’s 6.6 share. CRISTA Christian Contemporary KCMS (SPIRIT 105.3) did better as it rose from a tie at #23 to a tie at #10 (2.0-3.2). Both stations made the switch prior to the beginning of the survey.

KUOW increased its lead over the rest of the 25-54 field as it landed its largest share in over a year. KQMV had a solid increase as it moved up to tie KISW at #2 but both stations were two shares off the pace. KIRO-F advanced three spaces to #4 as it got back most of last month’s share loss. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KJR-F (95.7 THE JET) propelled itself from a tie at #14 to #5 as it ended a three-book slide. KZOK slipped to #6 with a modest loss and was tied with UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON Alternative KEXP, which leapt from #11 thanks to a slight gain. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KBKS (HITS 106.1) dropped to a tie at #8 as its five-book surge came to a halt.

It was rock on top again 18-34 but with a new flavor. KISW moved into first place as it regained most of last month’s big loss while KZOK stepped down to #2 with its lowest total since JULY. KUOW moved up to #3 with a small increase and was tied with KQMV, which slipped from a tie at #2 with a modest decline. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KUBE had its best book in over a year as it zoomed from #15 to #5. KRWM slipped to a tie at #6 but KCMS advanced from a tie at #21 to a tie at #9, more than tripling its previous share.

For the seventh book in a row, KISW was #1 18-49. The station was up slightly. KQMV stood alone at #2 with its third straight up book while KUOW stepped down to #3 even though it was up slightly. KZOK repeated at #4 but with a down book while HUBBARD Country KNUC (98.9 THE BULL) moved up to #5 despite a small loss. KBKS dropped from #5 to a tie at #10, ending its strong five-book surge.

PHOENIX: No Surprises Here
It is widely accepted that the originator of the all-Yule format was iHEARTMEDIA AC KESZ (99.9 KEZ). And, like Santa on CHRISTMAS EVE, the station delivered again. It made the switch early in week #1 and that drove it from #3 to #1 6+ (6.0-11.4). It was a bit better than last year’s 11.0 share and kept the station as the cume leader (920,700-1,092,700) – an increase of 18.7%. The market was up by a mere 0.3%. ENTRAVISION Regional Mexican KLNZ (LA TRICOLOR 103.5) had a massive increase (2.5-6.9) and made an amazing leap as it vaulted from #17 to #2. iHEARTMEDIA Talk KFYI-A ended a three-book surge and slid to #3 (7.5-6.3). iHEARTMEDIA Country KNIX dipped to #4 (6.1-5.6) while HUBBARD Classic Rock KSLX stepped down to #5 (5.5-5.4). iHEARTMEDIA Adult Hits KYOT (95.5 THE MOUNTAIN) slipped to #6 with its smallest share in over a year (4.9-4.1).

KESZ more than doubled its previous 25-54 share, landed in double-digit territory, and easily captured the demo. KLNZ came close to doubling last month’s number as it advanced from #10 to #2. KNIX, which was down slightly, dropped to #3 as its three-book winning streak came to an end. HUBBARD Active Rock KUPD moved up to #4 as it ended a four-book slide while KSLX repeated at #5 with a slight loss. KFYI-A dropped three places to #6 and was tied with UNIVISION Regional Mexican KHOT (QUE BUENA 105.9), which moved up from #9. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KZZP (104.7 KISS FM) fell four slots to #8 with its lowest score in over a year.

KLNZ’s magical mystery tour continued 18-34. The station more than quadrupled last month’s share as it surged from a tie at #12 to #1. KESZ had its own massive increase as it leapt from #6 to #2. KNIX had been #1 for the last three surveys but ended up at #3 this go around. KZZP dipped to #4 with a large loss while KSLX advanced four spaces to #5 with its best outing since MAY. UNIVISION Spanish Adult Hits KQMR (100.3 LATINO MIX) dropped from #2 to #7 as it returned most of last month’s massive increase. It was tied with ENTERCOM Top 40/M KALV (LIVE 101.5), which slipped from #5. KYOT fell from #4 to #9 and was tied with KUPD.

Though KESZ only moved from #2 to #1 18-49, the station did more than double its previous share. KLNZ more than doubled its last number as it advanced from #12 to #2. As we saw in other demos, KNIX slid to #3 as its three-book winning streak was halted. KUPD was up from a tie at #8 to #4 as it regained some of last month’s huge loss. KYOT had been at #3 while KZZP was formerly tied at #4. Both dropped into a four-way tie at #7 with KALV and HUBBARD Alternative KDKB (93.3 ALT AZ).

DETROIT: Jolly Ole St. NIC
Right on schedule, iHEARTMEDIA AC WNIC changed format near the beginning of the survey and ended up on the nice list. The station soared from #12 to #1 (4.1-10.0) as it eclipsed last year’s 9.5 share. It also was the station with the most listeners (844,000-858,000) – an increase of 1.7%. The market’s cume was down by 1.4%. iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WMXD (MIX 92.3 FM) was up (5.9-6.1) but had to settle for second place. BEASLEY Classic Rock WCSX dipped to #3 (5.6-5.6) while ENTERCOM Classic Hits WOMC advanced from #8 to #4 (4.9-5.3). BEASLEY Active Rock WRIF and ENTERCOM News WWJ-A had been tied at #4. Both stations went 5.4-5.1 to remain together but a step down at #5. ENTERCOM Sports WXYT-F (97.1 THE TICKET) – with lousy or non-existent local football at the pro and college levels – had its lowest share since JULY (5.5-4.3) as it fell from #3 to a tie at #9.
25-54 was a cakewalk for WNIC as it more than doubled last month’s share in moving from #7 to #1. WRIF had been the demo leader over the last four surveys but dropped to #2 this month with a modest loss. WCSX stepped up to #3 while iHEARTMEDIA Urban WJLB advanced to #4. Both stations had small increases. WXYT-F dropped to #5 as it ended a two-book surge. Two stations moving in opposite directions collided at #6. WOMC slid from #3 with a modest loss while WMXD leapt from #13 with its best book in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKQI (CHANNEL 955) fell five slots to a tie at #9 with its lowest mark in over a year.

WNIC came close to tripling its last 18-34 share as it marched from #15 to #1. WRIF ended its two-book reign and slipped to #2. WJLB stepped up to #3 with a modest increase. WMXD was off slightly as it dipped to #4. It was tied with WKQI, which dropped from #2 with its third down book in a row. CUMULUS Country WDRQ and CUMULUS Hot AC WDVD had been tied at #5. Both stations fell in the standings and landed at #9 and a tie at #10, respectively.

Completing the demo sweep, WNIC again more than doubled its previous share. This time it was 18-49 as the station zoomed from #12 to #1. WRIF had to step aside and assume the second position with a modest loss while WJLB slipped to #3 despite a small increase. WMXD was up from #7 to #4 with a slight loss while WCSX stepped down to #5 with its smallest share since MAY. It was just ahead of ENTERCOM Country WYCD, which moved up to #6. WKQI fell to a tie at #7 while WXYT-F dropped from a tie at #4 to a tie at #11.

MINNEAPOLIS-ST.PAUL: Almost, Santa
As we have seen in other markets, the competing forces of holiday cheer and election angst weighed heavily on market listening. In this instance, the angst won out as MPR N/T KNOW remained #1 6+ with its largest share in over a year (7.8-9.0). The home for the holiday hits was iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KQQL (KOOL 108). It flipped very early in the survey and moved from #4 to #2 (6.9-7.8). This was off from last year’s 7.0 share. The station also continued to lead in cume but was down by 16.4% (725,500-606,500). The market dropped by 1.9%. iHEARTMEDIA Sports KFXN (K-FAN Sports Radio FM 100.3) lost a yard to #3 (7.6-7.4) while HUBBARD Hot AC KSTP (KS95) stepped down to #4 (7.5-7.0). CUMULUS Classic Rock KQRS was immobile at #5 (6.0-6.0).

KNOW moved into double-digit territory 25-54 as it advanced to #1. Meanwhile, KFXN exited the land of double-digits after a two-book run and stepped down to #2. KQQL had a small increase as it inched up to #3. CUMULUS Active Rock KXXR (93X) was up to #4 with its best outing since AUGUST. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KDWB stepped up to #5 with a small increase. KSTP dropped three places to #6 as it ended a two-book surge. iHEARTMEDIA Country KEEY (K102) had its best book in over a year, which moved the station from #10 to #7.

There was a changing of the guard 18-34 and it had nothing to do with the elves. KDWB stepped up to #1 with a slight increase. This pushed KXXR – which dropped out of double-digits – down to #2. KQQL had a very strong increase as it went from #5 to #3. KNOW had its best book since MARCH, which led to it advancing from #7 to #4. KSTP had a solid gain as it leapt from #8 to #5. Last survey ENTERCOM Adult Hits KZJK (104.1 JACK FM) and KFXN were tied at #3. Both had the exact same share loss and remained together at #6.
The 18-49 contest was very close. KNOW jumped from #4 to #1 with its best outing in over a year. KQQL remained at #2 but with a healthy increase. KXXR was a somewhat distant #3 with a small loss. It was just ahead of KDWB, which was up to #4 with a slight loss. KFXN was close behind as it fell from first to fifth. KSTP repeated at #6 but with a solid increase.
The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC., along with our buddies from XTRENDS, wish you a safe and healthy holiday. Thank you for reading and thank you for the feedback. We’ll be back in (yay) 2021.

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