Research Director Inc., Exclusive November '22 PPM Analysis For New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, And Dallas - Ft. Worth

November '22 PPM Ratings

The purpose of today’s TED talk is to parse the results of the so-called NOVEMBER survey. A curious thing about that. This book actually began on OCTOBER 13^th (it did end on NOVEMBER 9^th). That means the first three weeks (or so) of the survey were normal radio stuff. However, once Week 4 rolled around, we had the dreaded return of BURL IVES and his minions. Was this enough to gum up the works? Rest assured, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with the elves in the numbers workshop at XTRENDS – will get to the bottom of this.

NEW YORK: Three-Peat 

Do we have to pay PAT RILEY any royalties for that headline? The GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT did not rear its ugly head in this survey, so the results are pure radio. This was good news for MEDIACO Urban AC WBLS, which notched its third 6+ win in a row (6.9-7.0). This was also the station’s fifth up book in a row. iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (106.7 LITE FM) stood alone in second place (5.5-5.6), while its former partner in that space – SBS Tropical WSKQ (MEGA 97.9) – dipped to #3 (5.5-5.5). AUDACY Classic Hits WCBS posted its lowest share since MARCH (5.5-5.2) as it drifted from the three-way tie at #2 into a tie at #4 with iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3), which stepped up from #5 (5.2-5.2). Though it only added its new FM digs for half the survey, AUDACY News WINS had its highest score since APRIL (3.0-3.5) as it moved from a tie at #12 to #10. WLTW continued as the cume leader but with a 4.9% decrease (3,459,500-3,291,300). The market was off by 1.5%.

Though it was flat, WSKQ cruised to its sixth straight 25-54 win. WBLS was up to #2 with its best book in over a year but remained about a share behind the leader. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHTZ (Z100) slipped to #3 but was a heartbeat out of second place. WLTW repeated at #4, while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKTU stepped up to #5. Both stations had slight increases. AUDACY Hot AC WNEW (NEW 102.7) dipped to #6 with a small share loss.

As recently as AUGUST, WBLS was sitting at #12 18-34. The station exploded last month and continued to grow this survey as it repeated at #1 with a double-digit share. It has more than tripled its AUGUST number. WHTZ remained at #2, though it ended a strong three-book surge. It was paired with WSKQ, which moved up a slot with a slight increase. WCBS was back at #4 but with its lowest score since MARCH. MEDIACO Top 40/R WQHT (HOT 97) was up two places to #5 with a slight increase. WAXQ dipped to #6 as it returned about half of last survey’s large share increase.

The top four 18-49 stations were as we last saw them. WSKQ was off slightly but won the demo for the seventh time in the last nine books. WHTZ was back at #2 with a slight loss and was less than a half share off the lead. WBLS repeated at #3 but with its largest share in over a year. WLTW remained at #4 with a slight increase. WKTU inched up to #5, also with a slight increase. This pushed WNEW down to #6.

LOS ANGELES: The Trifecta

What would the odds be on a prop bet having three stations tied at #1 6+? Well, if you had picked this parlay, you would have been a big winner. The specter of CHRISTMAS did not spoil this survey. iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST was in the top spot for the fourth book in a row but with its lowest share in over a year (5.7-5.1). AUDACY Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH 101) was up from #2 (5.2-5.1), while iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (104.3 MYFM) joined the fray from #3 (5.1-5.1). iHEARTMEDIA Talk KFI-A remained at #4 (4.7-4.6), while AUDACY Urban AC KTWV (94.7 THE WAVE) remained at #5 (4.2-4.4). For the eighth straight survey, KRTH had the most listeners (2,216,300-2,294,800) – an increase of 3.5%. The market gained 0.2%.

KBIG widened its 25-54 lead as it won the demo for the fifth straight survey and landed its largest share in over a year. TELEVISAUNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KLVE (K-LOVE 107.5) stepped up to #2 with a slight decrease and was a share and a half behind the leader. KRTH dipped to #3 with its lowest mark since you were hearing what I was hearing. It was tied with KOST, which remained in place with a small loss. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KYSR (ALT 98.7) repeated at #5 with a slight increase. Next in line was TELEVISAUNIVISION Regional Mexican KSCA (LA 101.9), which moved in from #6 with its fourth up book in a row.

KYSR has been on quite the 18-34 roll of late. The station landed its largest share in over a year to advance to #1. iHEARTMEDIA Urban KRRL (REAL 92.3) dipped to #2 as it returned a good portion of last month’s big increase. KOST was back at #3 while KBIG repeated at #4, both with a small decrease. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KIIS (102.7 KISS FM) stood alone at #5, also with a slight decrease. MERUELO Top 40/R KPWR (POWER 106) was up four places to #6 with its best outing since APRIL. KTWV dropped from the tie at #5 into a tie at #7 with KSCA.

KBIG was your 18-49 leader for the fourth book in a row. KYSR moved from a tie at #4 to #2 with a slight increase and was about a share off the pace. KLVE repeated at #3 with a slight decrease. KRRL slipped from #2 to #4 and was tied with KTWV, which stepped up from #6. KOST slid from a tie at #4 into a tie at #6 with a flat KRTH (see what we did there?)

CHICAGO: A Bit Of Ho-Ho-Ho?

iHEARTMEDIA AC WLIT (93.9 LITE FM) flipped the Santa switch with about a week left in the survey. Could that be the reason its 6+ share was up (5.7-6.0)? Perhaps. We do know the station moved up and into a tie at #1 with HUBBARD Classic Rock WDRV (97.1 THE DRIVE), which remained in first place for the seventh straight survey (6.1-6.0). iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WVAZ (V103) was back at #3 (5.4-5.1), while AUDACY News WBBM-A remained at #4 with its first down book since JULY (5.3-4.8). TELEVISAUNIVISION Regional Mexican WOJO (QUÉ BUENA 105.1) stayed at #5 (4.4-4.4). WLIT still had the most listeners (1,410,200-1,411,900) – a modest 0.1% increase. The market dropped by 1.4%.

WOJO made it eight straight 25-54 wins as the station posted its best number since MAY. WLIT was up three places to #2 with its best Frosty-free share in over a year. It was still almost two shares off the pace, but winter is coming. AUDACY AAA WXRT was flat but still stepped down to #3. HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (101.9 THE MIX) remained at #4 with its third up book in a row. WBEZ ALLIANCE N/T WBEZ moved up to #5 with a slight increase, while WDRV dropped from a tie at #2 to #7 with its smallest share since MAY.

There was a lot going on in 18-34 world as the top three stations all had down books. WOJO was back at #1 but returned most of last month’s huge increase. CUMULUS Classic Hits WLS remained at #2 but with a solid share loss. WDRV was still #3 as it ended a two-book surge but it had company. WLIT arose with a clatter from #11 to forge a tie at #3 with – once again – its best Frosty-free share in over a year. AUDACY Country WUSN (US99) had a solid increase as it jumped from a tie at #9 to #5. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WGCI dipped to #6 despite a slight increase, while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKSC (103.5 KISS FM) dropped three places to #7 with its lowest mark in over a year. CUMULUS Alternative WKQX (Q101) fell from a tie at #5 into a tie at #9 with TELEVISAUNIVISION Spanish AC WPPN (AMOR 106.7).

Though it was off slightly, WOJO captured the 18-49 flag for the eleventh straight survey. It led the pair of stations at #2 by about two and a half shares. Those would be AUDACY Rhythmic AC WBMX (104.3 JAMS), which was up slightly, and WBEZ, which rose from a tie at #7 as it bounced back from a down book. A flat WXRT dipped to #4 while WLIT leapt from #10 to #5 with its best outing since JANUARY. WDRV reversed course from #2 to #6, thus ending its three-book surge. WKSC and WLS had been tied at #5. Both stations had down books and landed at #7 and #13, respectively.

SAN FRANCISCO: Same As It Ever Was

Last month was unusual as BONNEVILLE AC KOIT had a share of the 6+ lead without the benefit of performance-enhancing music. The station did not flip the Santa switch in this survey. It also dropped from a tie at #1 to #3 as it surrendered most of last month’s large increase (7.0-6.3). KQED INC. N/T KQED moved from #3 to #1 as it regained most of last survey’s big share loss (6.6-7.6). In between was AUDACY News KCBS-A, which dipped to #2 with its best showing in over a year (7.0-7.5). iHEARTMEDIA AC KISQ (98.1 THE BREEZE) remained at #4 (5.0-5.1), while BONNEVILLE Top 40/M KMVQ (99.7 NOW) was back at #5 with its highest score in over a year (4.1-4.5). KOIT still had the largest cume, despite a 7.3% decrease (1,215,100-1,126,500). The market was off by 0.5%.

A pair of stations could legitimately claim to be #1 25-54. KOIT remained in place though it did return a good portion of last month’s huge increase. KMVQ stepped up from #2 with its seventh up book in a row. That, my friends, qualifies as a trend. KQED remained at #3 as it ended a three-book slide, while KISQ repeated at #4 with its best book in over a year. A couple of cluster buds swapped places. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KYLD (WiLD 94.9) stepped up to #5 with its highest mark since MAY, while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KMEL dipped to #6 with a slight decrease.

For the eighth straight survey, KOIT was the leading 18-34 station, though its lead over the rest of the pack shrunk dramatically. KYLD was back at #2 with a small increase. The gap between the two stations went from over two and a half shares to about a half-share. KMEL repeated at #3 with its third up book in a row. KMVQ stood alone at #4 as it rebounded from a down book, while AUDACY Rhythmic AC KRBQ (102.1 JAMS) was up two places to #5 with its best performance in exactly one year. BONNEVILLE Urban AC KBLX dropped from a tie at #4 into a three-way tie at #15 with CUMULUS Sports KNBR-A and CUMULUS Classic Rock KSAN (107.7 THE BONE).

The top five 18-49 was virtually unchanged from last month. KOIT was #1 for the eighth book in a row but saw its lead over #2 KMVQ drop from a share and a half to about a half share. KYLD stepped up to #3 with its highest score since MARCH, while KISQ slipped to #4 with a slight decrease. KMEL remained at #5 with a small share gain.

DALLAS-FT.WORTH: Lone Star Statement

For the first time since JANUARY, a station other than TELEVISAUNIVISION Regional Mexican KLNO (QUÉ BUENA 94.1) was #1 6+. That honorific was bestowed upon iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZPS (LONE STAR 92.5), which rose to the top spot thanks to its highest share in over a year (5.0-6.5). KLNO dipped to #2 (5.2-5.1) – its fifth down book in a row. AUDACY Classic Hits KLUV (98.7 K-LUV) stepped up to #3, also with its best showing in over a year (4.4-4.9). SERVICE Urban AC KRNB (SMOOTH R&B 105.7) was up two slots to #4 with its fourth up book in a row (4.3-4.7). CUMULUS N/T WBAP-A slipped to #5 (4.8-4.5), while CUMULUS Sports KTCK-A (1310AM/96.7FM THE TICKET) fell from a tie at #4 to #8 (4.4-4.2). Though the CHRISTMAS hostilities did not begin until after this survey concluded, iHEARTMEDIA AC KDGE (STAR 102.1) was back on top of the cume leaderboard with a 8.0% increase (1,019,800-1,100,900). The market shrank by 0.8%.

As with the previous demo, KZPS had its best 25-54 book in over a year. This vaulted the station into first place and ended the nine-book run for KLNO, which slid to #2. How dramatic was this? KZPS went from being about a share out of top spot to leading by about a share. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KHKS (106.1 KISS FM) slipped to #3 despite ending a two-book slide. CUMULUS Country KPLX (99.5 THE WOLF) also had its best outing in over a year as it jumped from #10 to #4. A flat KDGE remained at #5 but was hearing footsteps from a pair of stations at #6. AUDACY Alternative KVIL (ALT 103.7) landed there from #4 as it halted a three-book surge, while KRNB advanced from #8 with its highest score since MARCH.

So this happened. KVIL went from a solid #1 18-34 to a dominant one. The station had its best book in over a year to widen its lead over #2 KHKS – which had a small decrease – from a half share to about two and a half shares. Three stations were well back and in a holding pattern at #3. A flat KPLX moved up a spot, while SERVICE Urban KKDA (K104) was up two places with a small increase. KDGE advanced from a tie at #10 as it ended a three-book slide. KLNO slid to #6 – its first appearance outside of the top five in over a year.

KLNO landed its eleventh straight 18-49 win despite posting its lowest share since we last roasted chestnuts. KDGE repeated at #2 and KVIL was back at #3. Both stations had small increases. KRNB rose from #7 to #4 while KPLX advanced from #9 to #5. Both stations had their best book in over a year. AUDACY Regional Mexican KMVK (LA GRANDE 107.5) slipped to #6 where it was tied with AUDACY Adult Hits KJKK (100.3 JACK FM). KHKS fell from a tie at #5 to #8 with its smallest share since APRIL.

Thank you for taking the time to slog through this. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. shall return shortly the next installment of the NOVEMBER ratings saga. This one involves HOUSTON, ATLANTA, WASHINGTON D.C., PHILADELPHIA and BOSTON.

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