Research Director Inc., PPM Exclusive July '22 Analysis For Houston-Galveston, Atlanta, Washington DC, Philadelphia And Boston

July '22

The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – in league with the math masters from XTRENDS – are back with yet another thrilling, action-splattered episode of the ratings game. A reality show like no other that features drama, tension-building competitions, triumph, and tragedy. All emanating from a single 28-day period. This one began on JUNE 23rd and concluded on JULY 20th and is commonly known as “JULY.” It featured record-breaking heat, wildfires, vacations, and one long three-day weekend. How this affected radio listening is what we are about to find out.

HOUSTON-GALVESTON: The Race For Second Place    

As per usual, iHEARTMEDIA AC KODA (SUNNY 99.1) toyed with the market as it secured yet another runaway 6+ victory. The station posted its largest share since FEBRUARY (7.7-8.0). Behind it was a huddled mass of stations yearning to be #2. Two did move up and lay claim to that position. URBAN ONE Urban AC KMJQ (MAJIC 102.1) rose from #4 (5.7-5.7), while KSBJ EDUCATIONAL Christian Contemporary KSBJ arrived from #6 as it ended a three-book slide (5.2-5.7). Nipping at their collective heels was COX MEDIA Classic Rock KGLK (THE EAGLE 106.9 & 107.5), which stepped up to #4 (5.3-5.6). A beat behind was iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTBZ (94.5), which had its first down book since we were singing tidings of comfort and joy (6.6-5.5). AUDACY Adult Hits KKHH (95.7 THE SPOT) inched up to #6 (5.1-5.2), while TELEVISIAUNIVISION Regional Mexican KLTN (QUÉ BUENA 102.9) fell four places to #7 with its smallest share in over a year (6.2-4.7). KODA still had the most listeners, despite a 5.8% reduction (1,607,900-1,515,100). The market was basically flat.

After a three-book hiatus, KODA was back at #1 25-54 with its third up book in a row. KTBZ had been the demo leader for the last two months but slipped to #2 as it returned all of last survey’s rather large increase. KKHH crept up to #3 as it bounced back from a down book. Three – count ‘em – three stations were crammed together at #4. KLTN stepped down from #3 with its third straight down book, while KMJQ moved up from #5 despite a slight loss. URBAN ONE Top 40/R KBXX (97.9 THE BOX) advanced from a tie at #7 with its highest share in over a year. AUDACY Hot AC KHMX (MIX 96.5) also had a solid showing. It leapt from #11 to #7 with its best outing in over a year and was dangerously close to landing in the top five.

KTBZ had won the 18-34 competition for the last three surveys, posting double-digit shares in the last two books. Both those streaks came to an end as it dipped to #2. This was largely due to the fact that KODA had its biggest Frosty-free share in a year as it moved up to #1. The two stations were very close together and well clear of KBXX, which remained at #3 but with its highest mark in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Urban KQBT (93.7 THE BEAT) stood alone at #4 – also with its biggest number in over a year. Its former partner in that space – AUDACY Spanish Contemporary KLOL (MEGA 101 FM) – dipped to #5.

As with the previous two demos, KTBZ and KODA traded spaces. KODA was back at #1 with its best book since FEBRUARY, while KTBZ drifted to #2 with its first down book since JANUARY. KKHH stepped up to #3 with a slight increase, while KBXX advanced three spaces to #4 with a strong increase. KHMX was up four slots to #5 with its third straight up book. Two stations exited the top five. KMJQ slipped to #6 while KLTN dropped four places to #7.

ATLANTA: Rolling On The River

For the third book in a row, the top five 6+ stations remained unchanged. However, it should be noted that COX MEDIA Classic Hits WSRV (97.1 THE RIVER) was flowing rather strongly. The station was #1 for the seventh straight survey and had its highest water mark in over a year (9.7-11.0). COX MEDIA Urban AC WALR (KISS 104.1) was at #2 for the fifth book in a row (6.7-6.8), while COX MEDIA AC WSB (B98.5) occupied the #3 slot once again (6.3-6.3). COX MEDIA Talk WSB-A was back at #4 (5.7-5.7) but had company as URBAN ONE Urban AC WAMJ (MAJIC 107.5/97.5) worked its way up from #5 (5.5-5.7). Despite a 9.8% decrease, WSB remained in cume control (983,300-886,800). The market shrank by 2.7%.

For the first time since NOVEMBER, WSRV was #1 25-54. The station advanced from #4 in style by posting its largest share in over a year. WAMJ also had its best outing in over a year as it jumped from #6 to #2, though it was about two and a half shares off the lead. This ended the two-book winning streak for CUMULUS Top 40/M WWWQ (Q99.7), which slid to #3 with its lowest mark since NOVEMBER. AUDACY Urban WVEE (V-103) returned most of last month’s large increase as it slipped to #4. WSB fell three places to #5 with its first down book since MARCH, while WALR stepped down to #6 as it, too, gave back most of last month’s big increase.

WSRV was #1 18-34 for the second book in a row as it crashed through the double-digit barrier. WWWQ remained at #2 with a modest decrease and found itself trailing the leader by three shares. WSB repeated at #3, though it lost most of last month’s huge increase. AUDACY Rhythmic AC WSTR (STAR 94) moved from a tie at #5 up to #4 as it regained some of last survey’s big loss. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WWPW (POWER 96.1) fell from #3 to #7 last month but recovered enough share this time to move up to #5. WVEE and WALR fell out of the top five and landed softly together at #6.

Completing the demo sweep, WSRV jumped from #4 to #1 18-49 with – naturally – its best book in over a year. This pushed last month’s champ – WSB – back to #2 where it was tied with WWWQ. Both stations had down books. WVEE dipped to #4 with its first down book since MARCH, while WAMJ inched up to #5 with its fourth up book in a row. WALR slipped to #6 after returning most of last survey’s big increase.

WASHINGTON DC: A Triple Double 

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU continued its torrid pace this month. The station was #1 6+ for the seventh straight survey and posted a double-digit share for the third book in a row (10.2-10.1). HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR was in at #2 for the fourth consecutive month (7.9-8.3). Previously, ATLANTIC GATEWAY Christian Contemporary WGTS and HUBBARD News WTOP had been tied at #3. Both stations had up books, but one was a little better than the other. WGTS remained at #3 but with its highest share in over a year (6.9-7.9). As recently as MARCH, it was sitting in a tie at #10, and it has doubled its share since then. WTOP stepped down to #4 as it ended a three-book slide (6.9-7.5). iHEARTMEDIA AC WASH remained at #5 (6.7-6.3), while URBAN ONE Urban AC WMMJ (MAJIC 102.3/92.7) repeated at #6 but with its best outing since DECEMBER (5.0-5.5). WASH was still the cume leader, despite a 6.9% decrease (829,500-772,500). The market was down 2.9%.

Last month WGTS and WASH were co-leaders of the 25-54 space. That relationship did not endure. WGTS stood alone at #1 and landed a double-digit share. WASH slid to #3 as it surrendered all of last month’s large increase. In between those two stations was WHUR, which moved up to #2 with its best book in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIHT (HOT 99.5) was up for the fourth book in a row as it moved from a tie at #6 to #4. WAMU remained at #5 while WTOP stood alone at #6. Both stations had slight decreases. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WWDC (DC101) fell three places to #7 with its smallest share in over a year.

For the first time since NOVEMBER, WIHT was #1 18-34 and posted a double-digit share. WAMU was also in double digits as it stepped up to #2. This was the third time in the last four surveys that the station accomplished this feat. WASH exited double-digit territory and went from first to third with its lowest score since FEBRUARY. AUDACY Urban WPGC remained at #4 with its first up book since MARCH, while URBAN ONE Urban WKYS repeated at #5 with its lowest total since that very same month.

WGTS took sole possession of first place 18-49 with its fourth straight up book. The station was in double digits and has nearly doubled the share it had when this streak began. WIHT posted its biggest number in over a year as it broke out of a tie at #4 and landed at #2. WASH gave up its share of first place and slipped to #3 with its lowest mark since OCTOBER. It was joined in that space by WAMU, which had a small increase. WHUR stepped up to #5 as it rebounded a bit from a down book, while WWDC fell from #3 to #6 with its fourth straight down book.

PHILADELPHIA: A Two-Team Race

Much like the NL East, the 6+ competition was down to two stations. (There’s some PHILLIES shade in there somewhere.) iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS was back at #1 with its best outing since drummer boys were little (8.0-8.5). This pushed BEASLEY Active Rock WMMR down to #2, despite the station landing its largest share in over a year (8.2-8.4). Coming in at a distant #3 once again was BEASLEY Classic Rock WMGK, which ended a solid three-book surge (7.3-6.9). AUDACY AC WBEB (B101.1) repeated at #4 (5.5-5.5), while AUDACY Classic Hits WOGL (BIG 98.1) stood alone at #5 (5.4-5.1). AUDACY News KYW-A was up to #6 (5.0-4.9), while WHYY INC. Public Radio WHYY slid from the #5 tie to #7 with its smallest share in exactly a year (5.4-4.3). WBEB remained the cume champ, despite a 1.0% decrease (1,075,800-1,064,900). The market was off by 2.4%.

“Utter domination” is the best way to describe what WMMR does to the 25-54 demo. The station was, of course, #1 again and, of course, in double digits. WDAS was off a bit as it remained at #2 and was better than five shares off the pace. It did, however, hold a commanding lead over WOGL, which was up three spots to #3 with its fifth up book in a row. WMGK slipped to #4 with a modest decrease, while WHYY stepped down to #5 with its lowest score since NOVEMBER. WBEB moved up to #6, while iHEARTMEDIA Urban WUSL (POWER 99) advanced from #10 to #7. BEASLEY Country WXTU dropped three places to #8 with its lowest total since the maids were a-milking.

Last month WBEB saw its eight-book 18-34 winning streak come to an end as it slipped to #3. Well, the station was back this survey, moving to #1 as it regained a good portion of last month’s large loss. This pushed WMGK – which was previously #1 and in double digits – down to #2. Coming in at a rather distant #3 was a flat WUSL. WMMR surrendered most of last month’s massive increase and fell from #2 and into a tie at #4 with iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIOQ (Q102) – which was down for the third book in a row. WDAS went from #9 to #6 with its best performance since MARCH.

For the third book in a row – and sixth time in the last seven surveys – WMMR was both #1 18-49 and in double digits. WDAS repeated at #2 with a slight increase but was almost four shares behind the leader. WBEB crept up to #3 as it bounced back from a down book, while WMGK dipped to #4 with a solid share loss. WUSL moved up two places to #5 as it ended a three-book slide. WOGL stepped down to #6 with a slight decrease.

BOSTON: Five For Six

No, that’s not from a box score, it refers to BEASLEY Classic Hits WROR, which was #1 6+ for the second book in a row and fifth time in the last six surveys (8.3-8.7). Two stations that had been tied at #4 moved up the chart. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WXKS (KISS 108) landed at #2 with its highest share since FEBRUARY (5.2-6.4). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WZLX stepped up to #3 with its third straight up book (5.2-5.9). BEASLEY Sports WBZ-F (98.5 THE SPORTS HUB) had a JULY in line with the RED SOX win/loss record as it slipped from #2 to #4 with its smallest share since AUGUST (7.3-5.8). AUDACY AC WMJX (MAGIC 106.7) slipped to #5 with its lowest mark since NOVEMBER (6.7-5.7). The station continued to have the most listeners despite a 12.4% decrease. The market was off by 3.9%.

WBZ-F did maintain its long string of #1 finishes with the 25-54 crowd but saw its streak of double-digit books end at four. WXKS repeated at #2 but with its highest share in over a year. And just like that the gap between the two stations shrank from about five shares to under a share. WROR ended a three-book slide as it moved up to #3, while WZLX advanced to a very close #4 with a strong increase. AUDACY Adult Hits WBGB (BIG 103) moved up to #5 with its best performance in over a year. WMJX dropped from #3 to #6 and was tied with BEASLEY Country WKLB (COUNTRY 102.5). AUDACY Hot AC WWBX (MIX 104.1) dropped four places to #8 with its first down book since someone’s friends were calling “Yoo Hoo.” It was tied with BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WBQT (HOT 96.9).

It’s been a hot minute since WXKS was #1 18-34. Last OCTOBER, to be precise. The station moved up into that coveted spot by landing its largest share in over a year. WROR remained at #2 with its third straight up book. WBZ-F saw its six-book demo winning streak halted as it drifted down to #3 with its lowest score in exactly a year. It was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R WJMN (JAM’N 94.5), which moved up from #4 despite a small decrease. WKLB crept up to #5 with a slight decrease. WBQT fell from #5 into a tie at #10 with WMJX.

WBZ-F kept its long 18-49 winning streak alive. However, the station just missed out on a double-digit share and that ended its stretch of such surveys at 11. WXKS was #2 for the fourth book in a row but with its highest share in over a year. WROR inched up to #3 thus ending its three-book slide. WBGB leapt from #8 to #4 with its largest share in over a year. WBQT stepped down to #5 as it halted a solid three-book surge. It was tied with WJMN, which moved up from #7 with a slight increase. WMJX dropped from #3 into a tie at #8 with WKLB. WWBX fell from a tie at #4 to #10.

This concludes chapter two of our seemingly never-ending story. Thanks for taking the time to peruse it. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. will take a short break as we ponder the fates of SEATTLE, MIAMI, DETROIT, PHOENIX, 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 e-mail info@ResearchDirectorInc.com or sallan@ResearchDirectorInc.com.

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