Exclusive September PPM Analysis

Exclusive PPM Analysis

RADIOCRUNCH Principals KEVIN MCCABE and ANTHONY ACAMPORA take us through SEPTEMBER demographic results for NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, CHICAGO and SAN FRANCISCO.

New York: Clear Channel Stays Dominant, Hot Wins 18-34 Again

* CLEAR CHANNEL's NEW YORK cluster remained the PPM winner with AC WLTW, Classic Rock WAXQ, Top 40 WHTZ (Z100), Rhythmic AC WKTU, and Urban WWPR (POWER 105).

* CLEAR CHANNEL had the Top 4 18-49 and four of the top five 25-54.

* WLTW was 1st 18-49 and 25-54.

* Z100 ranked 2nd 18-34 and 18-49 and 5th 25-54.

* WAXQ was 2nd 25-54, while WKTU ranked 4th 25-54 and 3rd 18-49

* POWER 105 ranked 3rd 18-34 and 6th 18-49.

* Classic Hits WCBS-F was the star of that cluster -- ranking 3rd 25-54.

* Sports WFAN-A was the only other CBS property top 10 25-54, ranking 10th.

* CBS Top 40 WXRK (92.3 NOW) ranked 9th 18-34, 14th 18-49, and tied for 16th 25-54 -- so still well behind Z100 in all areas.

* However, the launch of 92.3 NOW knocked Z100 down in share enough to propel EMMIS Rhythmic WQHT (HOT 97) into the top spot 18-34. HOT 97 was up in share yet again -- landing its third-best 18-34 share in PPM.

* EMMIS also saw good news in its Urban AC battle as WRKS rose from 10th to 7th, just two-tenths behind INNER CITY rival WBLS -- which ranked 6th.

* Triple A WRXP tied for 16th 25-54

* CBS AC WWFS ranked 14th 25-54 -- with less than half the share of rival WLTW.

* For the most part, recent launches in the BIG APPLE have not been met with open arms. WXRK, WWFS and WRXP continue to be out of the competitive demographic loop.

* Ironically, the most competitive of the launches the last few years -- CBS Adult Hits JACK-FM was discarded despite being top 10 25-54.

Los Angeles: KIIS Takes 18-49, 25-54; POWER Holds 18-34; KLOS Soars

* After a tough AUGUST, especially in the younger demos, CLEAR CHANNEL Top 40 KIIS retained the #1 spot 18-49 in LOS ANGELES, but also regained the #1 position 25-54. KIIS moved from 3rd to 2nd 18-34, beating CBS rival KAMP.

* A big month for CITADEL Classic Rock KLOS. Following a retooled music mix, KLOS surged from 12th to 3rd 25-54, pulling a full share from CBS Adult Hits KCBS-F (JACK) - which moved from 1st to 2nd.

* CLEAR CHANNEL had three of the top 5 25-54. AC KOST was 3rd and Hot AC KBIG was 5th.

* CBS Classic Hits KRTH scored bragging rights with the #1 12+ position among music stations, however, looking inside the money demos tells a much different story. While sister stations WCBS-FM/NEW YORK and WOGL/PHILADELPHIA were 25-54 monsters, KRTH only ranked 10th in that cell. As a matter of fact, KRTH saw three sister stations perform better 25-54: KCBS-FM, Alternative KROQ and KAMP.

* While CLEAR CHANNEL Talk KFI continued to be a big 6+ performer (ranking #1), a large percentage of their audience is over the age of 55. KFI ranks 13th in the 25-54 cell.

* Smooth AC format pioneer KTWV (THE WAVE) slipped to 17th place 25-54 -- its worst PPM performance to date.

* KROQ took  control of L.A.'s Alternative battle from CLEAR CHANNEL's KYSR. KROQ opened up nearly a 2-1 share lead in most demos. KROQ was 3rd 18-34, tied for 4th 18-49 and 8th 25-54. Meanwhile, KYSR was 9th 18-34, tied for 17th 18-49, and slid to 20th 25-54.

* For a third straight month, EMMIS Rhythmic KPWR (POWER 106) was #1 18-34. POWER 106 was ranked 2nd 18-49.

* After beating KIIS in AUGUST, KAMP dropped to 4th 18-34. The upstart Top 40 ranked a solid #3 18-49. Top 40 and Rhythmic remain firmly entrenched in the younger demos.

* On the Spanish-language front, GROUPO RADIO CENTRO Spanish Contemporary KXOS is slowly growing, but has really put the hurt on UNIVISION. KXOS jumped to 18th 25-54, but is within striking distance of two UNIVISION perennial market leaders.

* UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KLVE plummeted from 6th to 12th, falling out of the top 10 25-54 for the first time. Spanish Adult Hits KRCD (RECUERDO) ranked 16th 25-54.

* UNIVISION is losing the Regional Mexican battle. SBS Regional outlet KLAX was 7th 18-49 and tied for 6th 18-49. Meanwhile, UNIVISION's KSCA was 15th 18-49 and 25-54. LIBERMAN's KBUE was 11th 18-49 and 14th 25-54.

Chicago: US99, WOJO Take Demo Crowns; MEGA On A Roll

* For the first time, CBS Country WUSN (US99) took the 25-54 crown in CHICAGO. They unseatws BONNEVILLE Hot AC WTMX (THE MIX), which had held that position the last five months.

* WTMX tied for 2nd with sister Classic Rock WDRV (THE DRIVE) and UNIVISION Regional Mexican WOJO.

* Speaking of WOJO, it moved to the top spot with adults 18-34 and 18-49

* CLEAR CHANNEL Spanish Contemporary WNUA (MEGA 95.5) was up again in share 18-34, and ranked 5th in SEPTEMBER. They also jumped to 11th 18-49.

* CLEAR CHANNEL Top 40 WKSC reached a new share high 18-34, despite sliding from 1st to 2nd in rank. WKSC did move from 4th to 3rd 18-49.

* CBS Rhythmic WBBM-F (B96) was 4th 18-34 and 6th 18-49 -- keeping ahead of CLEAR CHANNEL Urban rival WGCI, which was 6th 18-34 and 8th 18-49.

* BONNEVILLE '80s-based AC WILV rose to 9th 25-54, putting it just ahead of CLEAR CHANNEL AC WLIT -- which returned to the top 10 25-54, tied for 10th place. CBS AC WWFS, which has begun an aggressive transition to Hot AC, ranked 23rd.

* CITADEL Classic Hits WLS-F (TRUE OLDIES 94.7) drops out of the top 10 -- sliding to 12th 25-54.

* Unlike LOS ANGELES, CHICAGO has an AM inside the top 10 25-54. CBS News WBBM-A ranked 7th 25-54.

* However, TRIBUNE Talk WGN may be #1 6+, but it is only 16th 25-54.

* While new Triple A sign-ons in NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES have been challenged, heritage CBS outlet WXRT continued to be a PPM winner in CHICAGO, ranking 6th 25-54.

* EMMIS saw mixed results in the WINDY CITY. Rock WLUP remained a steady performer, ranking 8th 25-54. However, Alternative WKQX remained really challenged, ranking 11th 18-34, 19th 18-49, and 24th 25-54.

San Francisco: KOIT, WILD, KSOL Share BAY AREA Demo Crowns

* ENTERCOM AC KOIT, CLEAR CHANNEL Rhythmic KYLD (WILD 94-9), and UNIVISION Regional Mexican KSOL (ESTEREO SOL) shared demo wins in SAN FRANCISCO in SEPTEMBER.

* UNIVISION Regional Mexican KSOL was #1 18-34 and #2 18-49 -- by far the market's leader. 

* KOIT was the 25-54 champ for a fifth straight month. They also tied for 4th 18-49.

* Just like LOS ANGELES and CHICAGO, an AM outlet took the 6+ crown. And just like those markets, that station is very heavy 55+. CITADEL Talk KGO only ranked 15th 25-54.

* KYLD took over the top spot 18-49 for the first time, ranking 3rd 18-34.

* CBS Top 40 KMVQ moved up 18-49 and 25-54, but slid back 18-34. KMVQ was a solid 6th 18-49, rising from 14th to 11th 25-54. They ranked 5th 18-34.

* The BAY AREA loves its News, Talk and Sports. However, two of these stations have FM facilities. CBS News KCBS-A/KFRC-F ranked 2nd 25-54, tying for itshighest share yet.

* Meanwhile, CUMULUS Sports KNBR was 3rd and NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PUBLIC RADIO News/Talk KQED-F ranked 4th 25-54.

* CUMULUS saw Rock KSAN tie with Triple A sister KFOG for 6th place. KFOG had seen a steady decline since CLEAR CHANNEL launched Classic Hits/Classic Rock hybrid KKSF (THE BAND), but rose from 12th in AUGUST.

* Meanwhile, KKSF moved from 8th to 6th 25-54. They were 22nd with Smooth AC.

* The 25-54 Hot AC war remained tight with CLEAR CHANNEL's KIOI (STAR 101.3) 10th and CBS KLLC (ALICE) 11th. With 18-49, STAR was 7th and ALICE 11th.

* After placing in the top 10 for a few months, ENTERCOM Country KBWF (THE WOLF) has fallen on hard times, dropping to 19th 25-54 and 16th 18-49.

* CBS Alternative KITS ranked 9th 18-34, 17th 18-49, and 20th 25-54. 

You can reach KEVIN at kevin@radiocrunch.com or ANTHONY at anthony@radiocrunch.com.

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