Research Director Inc., Exclusive April '22 PPM Analysis for New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco And Dallas-Fort Worth

April '22 PPM Ratings

Every 28 days as we prepare this here series of missives, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with our cohorts from XTRENDS – always look for an angle. Sometimes these spawn furiously from our id. Other times we trust in GOOGLE. So, when we typed in “APRIL is … ” the first suggestion was “ … the cruelest month.” That made little sense as APRIL has never been known to be menacing or spiteful in any way. It’s a month of religious significance and spring awakenings. However, given that none of us were English majors, we were completely unaware that the above line was the opening to the T.S. ELIOT poem “The Waste Land.” Now you know, too. This survey ran from MARCH 31st through APRIL 27th and yielded the following results:

NEW YORK: The Hits Keep On Coming

MEDIACO Urban AC WBLS continued its torrid 6+ streak. Though the station was flat (6.5-6.5), it captured the demo for the fourth straight survey. However, that object in its rearview mirror was AUDACY Classic Hits WCBS, which stepped up to #2 with its best outing in over a year (5.2-6.3). After landing its lowest share in over a year (5.9-5.1), iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (106.7 LITE FM) dipped to #3. SBS Tropical WSKQ (MEGA 97.9) repeated at #4 (4.9-5.0). The station has not had a down book since Santa was roaming the streets. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3) returned all of last month’s solid increase (4.8-4.3) as it remained at #5. Nipping at its heels was AUDACY News WINS-A (1010 WINS), which moved up to #6 (4.1-4.2). Though it shed 10.6% of its previous number, WLTW remained the cume leader. The market was essentially flat.

Though it was off slightly, WSKQ led the 25-54 way for the fourth book in a row. As with the previous demo, WCBS posted its largest share in over a year. This pushed the station from #5 to #2 and just a few small steps behind the leader. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHTZ (Z100) slipped to #3 with a small share loss. WLTW and WBLS had been tied at #3. WLTW again had its smallest share in over a year, while WBLS returned most of last month’s large increase. They remained a duo but at #4. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKTU had its best showing since the city streets were lousy with chestnut carts as it stepped up to #6.

Last month, WBLS increased its 18-34 share by about a third. This drove the station to #1. This month, it returned most of that massive increase though it did hang on to the top spot. WHTZ repeated at #2 with a slight increase. The gap between the two stations shrank from better than three shares to under a share. WSKQ stood alone at #3 with its highest mark since OCTOBER. WCBS rose from a tie at #7 to #4 with its best book since MAY. WKTU leapt seven spaces to #5 as it ended a rather steep four-book slide. MEDIACO Top 40/R WQHT (HOT 97) slid from a tie at #3 to #6 with its smallest share in over a year. WLTW dropped from #5 into a tie at #7 with UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary WXNY (LA X 96.3), which advanced from #14 with its highest score in over a year.

WSKQ was flat 18-49 but won the demo for the second book in a row. WHTZ remained at #2 but fell a bit farther off the pace thanks to a small share loss. WCBS jumped from #10 to #3 with its best showing since JUNE. WLTW remained at #4 as it returned all of last month’s solid increase. It was sharing the moment with WKTU, which stepped up from #5 with a slight share gain. WBLS fell three places to #6 as it gave back all of last month’s massive gain.

LOS ANGELES: A 10 Spot

A couple of things of note happened in the 6+ contest this time around. First, iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST was the market leader for the tenth straight survey (5.5-5.8). The other noteworthy stat was that four of the top five stations had at least a five share. That has not happened in over a year. The next two stations in the standings also posted their best numbers in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (104.3 MYFM) moved up to #2 (4.8-5.2), while iHEARTMEDIA Talk KFI-A took two steps upwards to #3 (4.7-5.1). AUDACY Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH 101) ended a two-book slide (4.9-5.0) but dropped to #4. AUDACY Urban AC KTWV (94.7 THE WAVE) was up for the fourth straight survey (4.8-4.9) but still slipped to #5. KRTH became the cume captain for the first time since SEPTEMBER thanks to a 7.0% increase (2,136,700-2,287,200). The market grew by 0.2%.

Last month KOST and KBIG were tied at #2 25-54. KOST had its best Frosty-free share since NOVEMBER, while KBIG landed its best book in over a year. The net result was that the stations remained an item but at #1. A flat KRTH stepped up to #3 and was tied with UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KLVE (K-LOVE 107.5), which slid from #1 with its first down book since DECEMBER. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KIIS (102.7 KIIS FM) stood alone at #5 as it rebounded from a down book. Its former partner in that space – SBS Regional Mexican KLAX (97.9 LA RAZA) – dipped to #6 with a slight decrease. It was tied with KTWV.

There was an interesting turn of events 18-34. KIIS retained its share of the #1 spot with a slight increase. Its former stable mate – KTWV – slipped to #3 with a flat performance. Moving up to claim a share of the lead was KBIG, which advanced from a tie at #4 with its highest score in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Urban KRRL (REAL 92.3) dipped to #4 with its third down book in a row. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KYSR (ALT 98.7) ended a two-book slide as it rose from #8 to #5. KRTH fell from a tie at #4 to #6.

KBIG repeated as the 18-49 leader with its fourth up book in a row. KIIS bounced back from a down book to move up to #2, while KLVE slipped to #3 despite a slight increase. This trio of stations was separated by less than a half share. A flat KRTH remained at #4, while KTWV was #5 again with a slight increase. It was not far in front of KOST, which stood alone at #6.

CHICAGO: 4!

For the fourth book in a row, iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WVAZ (V103) was the #1 station 6+ (5.8-6.0). However, coming up on the inside was HUBBARD Classic Rock WDRV (97.1 FM THE DRIVE). The station motored from #5 to #2 with its largest share in over a year (4.8-5.7). iHEARTMEDIA AC WLIT (93.9 LITE FM) stepped up to #3 (5.0-5.1). It was not a stellar survey for the spoken word contingent. WBEZ ALLIANCE N/T WBEZ dipped to #4 with its lowest score since the lords were a-leaping (5.4-4.8). AUDACY News WBBM-A dropped three places to #5 with its lowest reported number in over a year (5.5-4.6). HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (101.9 THE MIX) had its best book since DECEMBER (2.9-3.8) as it climbed out of a tie at #13 to perch at #6. Thanks to a 9% increase, CUMULUS Classic Hits WLS was your new cume leader. This ended WLIT’s six-book winning streak. The market was off by 0.3%.

The 25-54 competition was thrown into a tizzy as all the players had new addresses. UNIVISION Regional Mexican WOJO (QUÉ BUENA 105.1) stepped up to #1 – after a two-book hiatus – with a strong share increase. WLIT soared from a tie at #8 to #2 as it halted a three-book slide. WTMX advanced from #12 to #3 as it regained most of last month’s big share loss. It had a couple of partners in that space. WVAZ stepped up from a tie at #4 with a slight decrease, while iHEARTMEDIA Rock WCHI (ROCK 95.5) slipped out of a tie at #2 with a slight decrease. WBEZ dropped from #1 into a tie at #6 with UNIVISION Spanish AC WPPN (AMOR 106.7 FM).

There was also a bit of commotion among the 18-34 ranks. For the fourth book in a row, iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKSC (103.5 KISS FM) was #1. However, it was forced to share with WDRV, which sped up from #11 with its best performance in over a year. WOJO and WVAZ had been tied at #8. Both stations had strong increases to move up to #3 and #4, respectively. AUDACY Top 40/M WBBM (B96) fell three places to #5. AUDACY Country WUSN (US99) slipped to #6 as it ended a three-book surge. It was joined there by HUBBARD AC WSHE (SHE 100.3), which advanced from a tie at #8 with a slight increase. AUDACY Rhythmic AC WBMX (104.3 JAMS) dropped from #4 to #8 with its third down book in a row. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WGCI fell from #3 into a tie at #9 with CUMULUS Alternative WKQX (the newly re-commissioned Q101). 

There was a bit less turmoil in 18-49 world. WOJO had its first up book since the swans were swimming to capture the crown for the fourth straight survey. WKSC stepped up to #2 with a slight increase, while a flat WPPN stayed behind at #3. WVAZ was up three slots to #4 with a small gain. WBEZ ended a three-book surge as it dropped from #2 into a tie at #5 with WLIT, which rose from #12 as it got back all of last month’s share loss. WUSN moved down to #7, while WGCI slipped into a tie at #8 with WCHI.

SAN FRANCISCO: An Unusual Turn Of Events

Normally, the top two places on the 6+ chart are reserved for stations that don’t play songs for a living. True to form, KQED INC N/T KQED was #1 for the fourth straight survey even though it shed all of last month’s huge increase – plus a little extra (9.0-7.7). Moving up to the #2 spot was BONNEVILLE AC KOIT, which regained all of last month’s share loss (5.8-6.6). Slipping to #3 was AUDACY News KCBS-A, which posted its lowest number since OCTOBER (7.0-6.1). iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KIOI (STAR 101.3) remained at #4 (4.8-4.7), while iHEARTMEDIA AC KISQ (98.1 THE BREEZE) moved up to #5 with its best outing since OCTOBER (3.3-4.6). Baseball was back and that was good news for CUMULUS Sports KNBR-A (THE SPORTS LEADER). The station more than doubled its previous share (2.1-4.3) as it rose from #15 to #6. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KYLD (WiLD 94.9) ended a three-book surge as it dropped to #8 (3.7-3.2). Despite a 1.6% decline, KOIT was still the cume commander (1,204,700-1,185,300). The market shrank by 0.5%.

KIOI got back all of last month’s lost 25-54 share as it jumped from #3 to #1. It had a half-share lead over #2 KOIT, which remained in place with a small share loss. KQED dropped from #1 to #3 as it surrendered most of last month’s big share increase. A flat AUDACY Hot AC KLLC (ALICE @ 97.3) stepped up to #5. KYLD and iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KMEL had been cojoined at #4. KYLD returned all of last month’s strong share increase and slipped to #6, while KMEL had its lowest total since NOVEMBER as it dropped to #7.

KOIT had a monster 18-34 book. The station crashed through the double-digit barrier and even surpassed one of its pine scented numbers. It moved from #2 to #1. KYLD ended a robust three-book surge as it slipped to #2. The stations were separated by better than five shares. KMEL stood alone at #3 but with its lowest mark since MAY. KISQ more than doubled its previous share as it leapt from a tie at #15 to #4. KIOI posted its lowest number since AUGUST as it slipped to #5. BONNEVILLE Top 40/M KMVQ (99.7 NOW) dipped to #6.

KOIT had its best Frosty-free 18-49 share in over a year as it claimed the top spot. KIOI was off slightly but moved up to #2 where it trailed the leader by almost two-and-a-half shares. KISQ had some solid tail winds as it rose from #7 to #3 with its best book in over a year. KYLD went from first to fourth as it halted a three-book surge. KLLC ended a two-book slide to move from #8 to #5. It was joined there by KMVQ, which stepped up from #6 despite a small share loss. KQED and KMEL exited the top five and were huddled together at #7.

DALLAS-FT.WORTH: KLNO Está En Llamas

Even though UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLNO (QUÉ BUENA 94.1) was down for the second straight survey (6.8-6.1), the station easily cruised to its third consecutive 6+ victory. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZPS (LONESTAR 92.5) remained at #2 (5.4-5.3). Back in MARCH, CUMULUS Country KPLX (99.5 THE WOLF) became a gold-based version of the format. It may be paying dividends as the station leapt from #11 to #3 with its best book in over a year (3.4-4.4). Three stations found themselves entangled at #4. SERVICE Urban AC KRNB (SMOOTH R&B 105.7) remained in place (4.3-4.1), while AUDACY Adult Hits KJKK (100.3 JACK FM) slipped from #3 (4.8-4.1). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KHKS (106.1 KISS FM) stepped up from #5 (4.2-4.1). iHEARTMEDIA AC KDGE (STAR 102.1) dropped from a tie at #5 into a tie at #7 (4.2-4.0). It was partnered with AUDACY Classic Hits KLUV (98.7 KLUV), which leapt from #14 with its highest score since DECEMBER (3.1-4.0). KDGE remained the cume champion with a 20% increase (936,700-1,123,700). The market was up by 2.2%.

KLNO had a down 25-54 book but remained in complete control of the demo for the third straight survey. KZPS stepped up to #2 with a slight increase but remained about a share behind the leader. KJKK slipped to #3 as it ended a two-book surge, while KHKS was up two slots to #4 with a slight increase. KRNB repeated at #5 but with its lowest mark since DECEMBER. It was joined in that space by KPLX, which advanced from #10 with – once again – its best outing in over a year. SERVICE Urban KKDA (K104) fell to #7 with its third straight down book.

The song remained the same in the 18-34 arena for KLNO. The station was down but easily swept to its third win in a row. KPLX was up for the third straight survey as it loped from #5 to #2. It trailed KLNO by about a share. KDGE repeated at #3 though it returned a good portion of last month’s large increase. KHKS slipped to #4 as it ended a strong two-book surge. KJKK stepped down to #5 as it gave back a good chunk of last month’s massive share increase.

For the fourth book in a row, KLNO completed the demo sweep as it cruised to another #1 18-49 finish. KJKK repeated at #2 but with a large share loss. The two stations were about three shares distant. KDGE stepped up to #3 despite a small share loss. KPLX moved from #7 to #4 with its highest score in exactly one year. AUDACY Regional Mexican KMVK (LA GRANDE 107.5 FM) launched itself from #15 to #5 with its biggest number in over a year. KKDA fell three places to #6 with its lowest score since OCTOBER. KHKS dropped into a tie at #7 with KRNB.

Fun Fact. The above-mentioned T.S. ELIOT poem was written after the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918. He contracted the illness and survived. So, given our current situation, perhaps there is a bit of symmetry here. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. will continue with our snarky takes on the results from HOUSTON, ATLANTA, WASHINGTON DC, PHILADELPHIA, and BOSTON. Stay tuned.

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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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