Research Director Inc., Exclusive September 2021 PPM Analysis For Houston-Galveston, Atlanta, Washington DC, Philadelphia and Boston

September '21 PPM Ratings

Our annual SEPTEMBER swoon continues as The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with our fellow journeymen from XTRENDS – delve as deeply as we are allowed into the most recently completed NIELSEN survey. This one ran the usual 28 days, which began on AUGUST 19th and reached its conclusion on SEPTEMBER 15th. Those four weeks featured a long federally-mandated holiday weekend, the return of in-class learning, and the beginning of the much-anticipated football season. It all added up to this:

HOUSTON-GALVESTON: Sunny & Share

Last month three stations were breathing down each other’s necks trying to wrest control of the 6+ ratings battle. Alas, those three stations remained in their same positions as before, but the leader pulled away a bit. Of course, that was iHEARTMEDIA AC KODA (SUNNY 99.1), which finished in first place for the fifth book in a row (6.3-6.6). KSBJ EDUCATIONAL Christian Contemporary KSBJ remained in second place (6.2-5.8), while UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLTN (QUÉ BUENA 102.9) repeated at #3 (6.1-5.6). AUDACY Adult Hits KKHH (95.7 THE SPOT) was again the #4 station though the it had its first down book since MARCH (5.7-5.5). URBAN ONE Urban AC KMJQ (MAJIC 102.1) stepped up to #5 as it ended a small two-book slide (5.0-5.4). COX MEDIA Classic Rock KGLK (THE EAGLE 106.9 & 107.5) dipped to #6 with its third down book in a row (5.4-5.2). KODA continued as the cume leader (1,501,000-1,537,700) with a 2.4% increase. The market shrank by 0.3%.

The 25-54 book was a kind of return to form for the top two stations. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTBZ (94.5 THE BUZZ) was back at #1 as it regained most of last month’s share loss. Meanwhile, KLTN stepped down to #2 as it returned most of last month’s share gain. KODA moved up to #3 as it ended a somewhat steep two-book slide, while KKHH dipped to #4 with a small loss. KSBJ was down to #5 with a slight loss. Two stations made strong moves to sit just outside the top five. AUDACY Spanish Contemporary KLOL (MEGA 101 FM) went from #12 to #6 with a strong increase, while KMJQ advanced from #11 to #7 with its highest share in over a year.

KLOL ended its rather steep two-book slide 18-34 as it leapt from a tie at #5 back to #1 for the first time since JUNE. KTBZ was forced to step down to #2 with its lowest mark in over a year. KODA repeated at #3 with a slight increase, while iHEARTMEDIA Urban KQBT (93.7 THE BEAT) remained at #4 with a slight decrease. URBAN ONE Top 40/R KBXX (97.9 THE BOX) returned most of last month’s large increase as it slipped from #2 to #5. As in the previous demo, a couple stations were bubbling outside of the top five after making bold moves. UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KAMA (104.9 & 93.3 LATINO MIX) went from #11 to #7 with its best outing since NOVEMBER. ESTRELLA Regional Mexican KTJM (LA RAZA 98.5 & 103.3 FM) had its highest share since JANUARY as it advanced from a tie at #14 to #8. KKHH returned all of last month’s huge increase as it slid from a tie at #5 to #12.

Though it was off a bit, KLTN was able to repeat as the 18-49 leader. KTBZ moved up to #2 as it rebounded from a down book and was about a share off the lead. KODA stood alone at #3 with a slight increase, while two stations ran into each other at #4. KKHH slipped from #2 as it gave back most of last month’s big increase, while KLOL advanced from a tie at #9 as it halted a two-book slide. KBXX had its lowest share since MAY as it dropped from a tie at #3 to #7.

ATLANTA: Yakety-Yak

As is usually the case, COX MEDIA Talk WSB-A was the leading 6+ station. The station also posted its best share since FEBRUARY (9.0-9.7). As has been the case the entire year, the next two stations also came from the COX MEDIA cluster. COX MEDIA Classic Hits WSRV (97.1 THE RIVER) was up to #2 with its best outing since MAY (6.7-7.1), while COX MEDIA Urban AC WALR (KISS 104.1) dipped to #3 as it ended a four-book surge (7.0-6.8). Moving from #8 to #4 on the strength of its best book in over a year was iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WWPW (POWER 96.1) (4.1-5.1). COX MEDIA AC WSB (B98.5) repeated at #5 (5.1-4.9), while SALEM Christian Contemporary WFSH (104.7 THE FISH) slipped to #6 thus ending a strong two-book surge (5.2-4.8). WSB was the cume leader again (853,600-843,300) – a 1.2% decline. The market was up by 2.1%.

Looks like the creeks done rise as WSRV rose to #1 25-54 with its best outing since MAY, which also happens to be the last time the station was in first place. This ended the two-book winning streak for WSB-A, which dipped to a not very distant #2. CUMULUS Top 40/M WWWQ (Q99.7) stepped down to #3 but was comfortably ahead of WSB, which moved up to #4 with its highest share in over a year. WWPW also had its best outing in over a year as it climbed from #8 to #5. AUDACY Urban WVEE (V103) dropped from #4 to #7. It was the station’s lowest share in over a year and marked the first time it was outside of the top five during that span.

Well, it looks like we have an 18-34 donnybrook. WWWQ was the demo leader for the fifth straight survey but with its lowest share since the streak began. Meanwhile, WWPW leapt from a tie at #4 to #2 with a massive increase and trailed the leader by a half share. WALR also made an impressive gain as it moved from a tie at #6 to #3 with its best book since EARTHA KITT was being so materialistic. WVEE dipped to #4 with its third down book in a row. WFSH lost a serious chunk of share (that’s a technical term) as it fell from #2 and into a tie at #5 with WSB-A, which rose from a tie at #8 with its best outing in over a year. WSRV fell from a tie at #4 to #7.

There was considerable movement among the 18-49 rank and file. WWPW zoomed to #1 (from #6) with (again) its best book in over a year. This ended the two-book winning streak for WSB-A, which dipped to #2 and tied with a flat WSRV. Two other stations moved into the top five. WSB was up three places to #4 with its best outing since MARCH, while WALR advanced the same number of spaces to #5 with its best showing since the geese were layin’ something. Of course, with three new entrants to the top five, three other stations were asked to leave. WWWQ dropped from #3 to #6 with its smallest share since APRIL, while WVEE dropped to #7 with its lowest number in over a year. WFSH ended up at #8 as it ended a two-book surge.

WASHINGTON, DC: Majic Is In The Air

Do you believe in magic? You should because URBAN ONE Urban AC WMMJ (MAJIC 102.3 & 92.7) was the #1 6+ station this survey. This despite having a down book (8.9-8.8). It ended the two-book winning streak for HUBBARD News WTOP, which stepped down to #2 (9.2-8.5). AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU ended its four-book slide (6.6-7.4) as it inched up to #3. HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR had its smallest share in over a year (8.0-6.7) as it dipped to #4. iHEARTMEDIA AC WASH regained some of last month’s big share loss (5.5-6.1) to move up to #5. This pushed iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WWDC (DC101) – which saw its four-book surge come to a screeching halt – down to #6 (6.4-5.4). After taking two books off, WASH was back as the cume leader (802,100-915,600) – a whopping 14.2% increase. The market decreased by a modest 0.3%.

The, ahem, magic continued for WMMJ in the 25-54 realm. The station was up for the fifth straight survey posting its best number in over a year. Naturally, it moved up to the #1 position. This ended WWDC three-book winning streak as it stepped down to #2 with its first down book since APRIL. WAMU got back all of last month’s large share loss as it moved up to #3. Previously, WASH and AUDACY Classic Hits WIAD (94.7 THE DRIVE) had been tied at #6. Both stations had the exact same solid increase and rose, as a pair, to #4. For WIAD, it was the station’s best outing since JANUARY. WHUR slipped to #6 with its third down book in a row, while WTOP dropped four places to #7 – the first time it has been outside of the top five in over a year.

Numbers are funny. Last month, iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIHT (HOT 99.5) moved up to #1 18-34 despite losing a large chunk of share. This time the station remained the demo leader and regained all of that share loss as well. It held nearly a two-share lead over the pair of stations squatting at #2. WTOP remained in place by landing its largest share since DECEMBER, while WAMU stepped up from a tie at #3 as it got back a portion of last month’s huge share loss. AUDACY Urban WPGC moved up to #4 with a small increase, while URBAN ONE Urban WKYS advanced from a tie at #9 to #5 as it rebounded from a down book. A couple of stations exited the top five. WHUR fell from a tie at #3 to #11, while iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WBIG (BIG 100) fell from a tie at #5 to a tie at #12 with iHEARTMEDIA Country WMZQ.

WWDC continued to crush the 18-49 competition. The station was #1 for the fourth book in a row – the last three of which have been in double digits. WAMU bounced back from a down book to remain #2 yet still trailed the leader by nearly three shares. WASH was up three places to #3 with its best Frosty-free share since NOVEMBER. WIHT regained all of last month’s large share loss as it stepped up to #4, while WPGC posted its best number in over a year as it rose three places to #5. WTOP slid to #6 and was tied with WIAD. WHUR dropped into a tie at #9 with WMMJ. 

PHILADELPHIA: They Call Me The Streak

There are some impressive winning streaks we need to outline, and they certainly do not include the PHILLIES. iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS captured the 6+ flag for the ninth book in a row (8.3-8.3). BEASLEY Active Rock WMMR stood alone at #2 (6.6-7.1). This was the eighth straight survey that had the station in second place. BEASLEY Classic Rock WMGK stepped down to #3 (6.6-6.1), while AUDACY News KYW-A bounced back from a down book (5.0-5.4) to move up to #4. WHYY INC Public Radio WHYY had its best showing since FEBRUARY (4.7-5.1) as it rose from #7 to #5. AUDACY AC WBEB (B101.1) slipped to #6 (5.3-4.9), while AUDACY Sports WIP had its lowest score in exactly a year to fall to #7 (5.6-4.8). WBEB was the leading cume station for the twelfth book in a row (905,200-913,700) – an increase of 0.9%. The market was down 0.3%.

Speaking of streaks, WMMR was #1 for the ninth book in a row 25-54, the last eight of which have been in double digits. WDAS repeated at #2 with its best book since JANUARY yet was over four shares behind the leader. A flat WMGK stepped up to a distant #3, while WBEB slipped to #4 with its lowest mark since NOVEMBER. WHYY had its highest total since MARCH as it advanced from #8 to #5. It was just ahead of #6 BEASLEY Country WXTU. Even the torrid bat of BRYCE “too little, too late” HARPER could not carry WIP as it slid to #7 with its lowest number in exactly a year.

WBEB lost an alarming amount of 18-34 share but was still strong enough to win the demo for the fourth book in a row. WMMR had its lowest total since figgy pudding was on the menu. The stations remained about two shares apart. Two stations crashed the top five party and landed in a heap at #3. WXTU got back some of last month’s huge share loss as it moved up from #6, while AUDACY Top 40/M WTDY advanced from #7 with its best showing in over a year. WMGK slipped to #5 as it returned most of last month’s huge increase. We will not continue to pile on the local baseball nine, but suffice it to say, WIP dropped from #5 to #9. WDAS fell from #4 and into a tie at #10 with WHYY and URBAN ONE Urban Oldies WRNB.

WMMR notched its eighth straight 18-49 victory and was this close to hitting double digits. WDAS repeated at #2 with a slight increase and was about two and a half shares behind the leader. WMGK remained a distant #3 as it gave back a portion of last month’s massive increase. WHYY advanced from #7 to #4 with its highest number since JANUARY. A flat WXTU was #5 again, while WBEB slipped to #6 with its smallest share in over a year and was tied with WIP. 

BOSTON: The Hub, Bub

BOSTON sports fans may not agree on everything their teams do. However, they are united on two things. Those yellow unis have got to go and, BEASLEY Sports WBZ (98.5 THE SPORTS HUB) was the #1 station 6+. The station advanced from #6 with its best book in over a year (5.8-7.4). This ended the three-book winning streak for BEASLEY Classic Hits WROR, which stepped down to #2 (7.5-7.2). iHEARTMEDIA News WBZ-A repeated at #3 with its third straight up book (6.2-6.6). BEASLEY Country WKLB remained at #4 (6.0-5.8) but was paired with iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WXKS (KISS 108 FM), which slid from #2 with its smallest share since JANUARY. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WZLX was just a bit behind at #6 (5.9-5.7). WROR remained the cume leader despite a 5.5% decrease (908,600-858,900). The market was up by 0.5%.

WBZ was the 25-54 leader for the third straight survey. The station also crashed through the double-digit barrier for the seventh time in the last 14 books. WXKS repeated at #2 though with its smallest share since MARCH. It was nearly four shares off the pace. WZLX rebounded from a down book to move up three slots to #3, while WKLB was at #4 again with a modest loss of share. WROR slid to #5 with its lowest score in over a year, while BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WBQT (HOT 96.9) dipped to #6 as it ended a strong three-book surge.

The top five players 18-34 remained the same with a few changing places. WXKS repeated at #1 as it ended a three-book slide, while a flat WROR remained in second place. It was a share and a half out of first place. WBZ moved up to #3 with a small increase, while WBQT moved up to #4 with a slight gain. WKLB dropped to #5 with its lowest mark since APRIL. AUDACY's  AC WMJX (MAGIC 106.7) moved up to #6 with its best outing since JANUARY.

The top four players 18-49 remained the same with WBZ continuing to dominate. The station was #1 for the third book in a row and cracked double digits for the tenth time in the last 14 surveys. WXKS was #2 again with a modest loss and stood about four shares off the lead. WROR repeated at #3 but with its lowest total since JANUARY. WKLB was still at #4 with its lowest mark since MAY. WBQT held on at #5 despite a down book and was joined in that moment by WZLX, which ended a four-book slide.

As we progress in the SEPTEMBER of our years, we anxiously await part three of this month’s missive. Stand by as The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. will return shortly to focus on MIAMI, SEATTLE, DETROIT, PHOENIX, and MINNEAPOLIS. It will be a must read. 

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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 e-mail info@ResearchDirectorInc.com or sallan@ResearchDirectorInc.com.

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