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Research Director, Inc.: Exclusive February PPM Analysis For Detroit, Miami, Seattle, Phoenix And Minneapolis
March 16, 2016
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. Detroit: They Heard The News Today
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Wouldn’t it be great if the ratings game was a bracket challenge? Where a #13 could beat a #4? Alas, the NIELSEN game always goes chalk so there are no upsets here. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC., along with the numbers crunchers from XTRENDS, are taking precious time away from our own brackets to bring you another round of exclusive ratings analysis. The so-called FEBRUARY survey covered 1/28 through 2/24 with one holiday weekend. We’ve also been tracking how well the holiday-themed stations have been doing in a post-Claus world.
Detroit: They Heard The News Today
The news business is alive and well in the MOTOR CITY as CBS RADIO News WWJ-A topped the 6+ chart for the second book in a row (7.8-7.6). GREATER MEDIA Classic Rock WCSX remained a share behind in second place (6.8-6.6) while its more tattooed brother GREATER MEDIA Active Rock WRIF held on at #3 (6.1-5.9). Last month’s #6 tandem decided to keep the act together and move up to #4. CUMULUS Talk WJR-A matched its best book of the last year (5.6-5.8) while CBS RADIO Classic Hits WOMC ended a two-book slide (5.6-5.8). WOMC was one of the evergreen-scented stations and was a little off last year’s pace when it was #2 with a 6.4 share. CBS RADIO Sports WXYT-F (THE TICKET) can’t wait for spring training to end. The station dropped to #6 – its lowest rank in over a year (5.9-5.5). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKQI (CHANNEL 955) only moved up to #7 but had its best showing in over a year (4.8-5.3). The main Yule station was iHEARTMEDIA AC WNIC and it dropped three places to #8 (5.7-5.2). A year ago it was tied at #9 with a 4.8 share.
There was a decidedly rock lean to the 25-54 chart. WRIF was #1 for the eighth time in the last nine surveys. WCSX moved up to #2 with its highest share since OCTOBER. WXYT-F slipped back to #3 with its lowest score in over a year. WKQI had its highest total since MAY and inched its way up to #4. WOMC made a three-step jump to #5 with a nice increase. Last year, the station was at #6 but with a better share. WNIC slid two places to #6, which was way better than last year’s #13 finish. The two former occupants of the #5 position parted company and moved down. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WJLB ended up at #7 with a small decrease while iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WMXD (MIX) landed at #8 with a somewhat larger decrease.
WRIF continued to dominate 18-34 as it hit double digits for the second book in a row. However, last month’s three-share lead over the #2 station shrank to just over a share because WKQI had a huge increase – its best share in over a year. WJLB was up slightly to remain at #3 while WGPR INC Urban AC WGPR moved up to #4 thanks to a strong gain. CBS RADIO Top 40/M WDZH (AMP) held steady at #5 even though it posted its largest share in over a year. It was joined by CUMULUS AC WDVD, which stepped back one slot as it gave back all the share increase it experienced last time. WOMC almost matched its HOLIDAY share as it moved up to #7. Last year at this time it was tied at #11. On the other mitten, WNIC fell three places to #10 with its smallest share in over a year. Last FEBRUARY it was tied at #5.
For the second book in a row, WRIF was #1 18-49 and was this close to hitting double digits again. WKQI took sole possession of second place with its best book in over a year while WJLB moved up to #3 with its highest score since SEPTEMBER. WDVD fell two places to #4 as it shed a chunk of share. WXYT-F was down but remained at #5 for the third straight survey. It was partnered with cluster buddy WOMC, which moved up from #8 – a bit better than last year’s #7 closing. WNIC dropped three slots to a tie at #8, which was a bit better than last year when it was #10.
Miami-Ft.Lauderdale-Hollywood: The Lite’s Back On
As this is one of the few markets that lacks a full market holiday purveyor, there is no year-to-year comparisons to be made. However, when looking month-to-month, we see that ENTERCOM AC WLYF (LITE) returned to the #1 spot 6+ after a brief interlude (8.0-7.9). This was the station’s tenth win in the last eleven surveys. COX RADIO Urban AC WHQT (HOT) slipped back to #2 (8.5-7.6). Over the last fourteen books (with the exception of AUGUST), these are the only two stations to rank #1. The next two stations traded spaces. COX RADIO AC WFEZ (EASY) moved up to #3 with its highest share since AUGUST (when it was the exception at #2) (5.8-6.6) while UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary WAMR (AMOR) dropped back to #4 (6.0-5.8). SBS Tropical WCMQ (Z92) maintained its even keel (4.9-4.9) to continue to hold down the #5 position. One of the few gainers to be seen as we gaze down the list was iHEARTMEDIA Spanish Contemporary WMGE (MEGA). The station moved up to #9 with its best showing since SEPTEMBER (3.2-4.0).
For the fifth book in a row, WHQT was #1 25-54. The station was off a bit this time but maintained a healthy lead over #2 WLYF, which was down slightly. WFEZ stepped forward two paces to #3 with its best performance since JULY. There were a number of ties last time. Some were broken and some re-forged. WAMR was locked with another at #3 but dropped back to #4 with a slight decrease. UNIVISION Tropical WRTO (MIX) remained at #5 with a small increase and had a new partner. It was joined by COX RADIO Urban WEDR (99JAMZ), which dropped down from its share of #3 with a small decrease. SBS Tropical WXDJ (EL ZOL) gave up its portion of the #5 position and moved into new digs at #7 with its smallest number since JULY. WMGE had its best showing since SEPTEMBER as it advanced two squares to #8.
The song remained the same 18-34 as WEDR captured the crown for the twelfth book in a row. The station was up and stretched its lead over the two who were #2 to a share and a half. WLYF remained in place behind the leader with a flat performance while iHEARTMEDIA Urban WMIB (THE BEAT) moved up two slots as it ended a two-book slide. WHQT dropped a spot to #4 as it ended a four-book rise. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHYI (Y100) was steady at #5 with a small increase. A few other stations down the line posted some pretty strong gains. WFEZ moved up to #6 with its highest share since AUGUST. WRTO advanced to #8 with its best book in over a year, and WMGE rose to #9 with its largest total since OCTOBER.
The top three positions 18-49 remained unaltered from the previous survey. WHQT was #1 for the third book in a row though it was off slightly. WLYF also had a slight decrease at #2 while WEDR was up a bit at #3. WFEZ jumped three places to #4 with its highest share since AUGUST. WRTO dropped back to #5 despite a small increase. It was joined by the hard chargin’ WMGE, which made a seven-step leap thanks to its largest share since SEPTEMBER. WAMR dropped four slots to #8 thanks to its lowest score since OCTOBER.
Seattle-Tacoma: Nice Move
There were a lot of switches and swaps that had their first full-book hearing this month. Alas, none of the changes had a major impact on the top of the 6+ chart. HUBBARD Top 40/M KQMV (MOVIN) was #1 again (7.7-7.6) while iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KJR-F (THE JET) soared to #2 with its highest share since SEPTEMBER (4.8-5.7). CBS RADIO Classic Rock KZOK was off slightly as it dropped back to #3 (5.6-5.4) and into a tie with HUBBARD AC KRWM (WARM), which took a step forward (5.5-5.4). A year ago WARM was at #2 with a 5.5 share. BONNEVILLE Talk KIRO-F dropped three places to #5 thanks to its lowest share since JUNE (5.6-5.1).
For the second consecutive survey, KQMV was not only #1 25-54 but the station was flat. That’s okay because that meant it eclipsed the double-digit barrier again. ENTERCOM Active Rock KISW remained at #2 with a small decrease. It was about three shares behind the leader but almost two shares clear of the rest of the field so the station had a comfortable niche. KRWM was up slightly at #3 (last year it was in a tie #9). KJR-F requested flight-level clearance to #4 thanks to its best showing since OCTOBER. Last month’s cozy gathering at #4 was broken up. ENTERCOM Alternative KNDD (THE END) fell back to #5, despite posting its best number in over a year. KZOK ended up at #6 with a small decrease.
As with the previous demo, KQMV was #1 18-34 again with a double-digit share – again. The station was at its highest point in over a year and led the #2 station by over two shares. That would be KISW, which ended a three-book run. KJR-F came pretty darned close to doubling its share as it climbed five levels to #3. The station had more than doubled its share since the HOLIDAY book when it was tied at #11. KNDD was up slightly but still dropped back to #4. The station formerly known as KUBE – iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KPWK (POWER) was up for the third book in a row to remain at #5. KRWM dropped three places to #6, but that was still much better than last year when it was sitting at #12.
Alas, poor KQMV. It was flat. Oh, but that meant the station was still #1 18-49 and in double digits for the fourth time in the last five books. KISW was off slightly at #2 and more than three shares out of the lead. KJR-F moved up two spots to #3 with a strong increase while KNDD dropped to #4 with a slight gain. Last month four stations claimed to be #5. Now, only one station holds the title, and it wasn’t one of the previous contenders. Instead, KRWM remained flat, which dropped it a step to #5. However, back to the #5s from last month. While the previously mentioned KJR-F gained in altitude, the others fell off the pace, though two were still paired together. KPWK was up slightly but dropped to #7 along with ENTERCOM Rhythmic AC KHTP (HOT). iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBKS (KISS) dropped from the top five to #9.
Phoenix: Another Easy Win
Though iHEARTMEDIA AC KESZ (99.9KEZ) lost a chunk of 6+ share (7.9-7.1), the station easily led the way again. Last year it was also #1 but with a paltry 6.2 share. CBS RADIO Classic Hits KOOL advanced two paces to #2 with its best book since MAY (5.1-6.2). HUBBARD Classic Rock KSLX was up (5.9-6.1) but still dropped back to #3. Its cluster bro – HUBBARD Active Rock KUPD – had its best book in over a year (5.3-5.5) yet also dropped a slot – to #4. iHEARTMEDIA Adult Hits KYOT (THE MOUNTAIN) remained at #5 with its own version of the “best book in over a year” game (4.8-5.3). The two stations previously at #6 had strong gains but could not crack the top five. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KMXP (MIX) had its highest share since OCTOBER (4.4-5.2) to remain in place. Meanwhile, iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KZZP (KISS) had its best performance in over a year (4.4-5.1) but slid back to #7.
The 25-54 chart had a decidedly different aroma to it. KUPD was flat but also #1 for the second book in a row. KYOT moved up a slot to #2 with its highest share in over a year while KZZP took one step forward to #3 as it, too, had its best showing in over a year. KESZ dropped two places to #4 but was actually slightly ahead of last year’s pace when it was #2. KSLX ended a two-book slide to remain at #5. KMXP moved up to a tie at #6 with its largest score since APRIL.
Way back in NOVEMBER, KZZP moved into a share of the 18-34 lead. Then someone started playing TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA records and the station fell back. Well, for the second month in a row, KISS was #1 and had its best book in over a year. CBS RADIO Top 40/M KZON (LIVE 101.5) – which was also #1 in NOVEMBER – moved up to #2 this time with its largest number in over a year. KESZ slid back to #3 (it was #10 a year ago) and was tied with RIVIERA Top 40/R KKFR (POWER), which remained motionless, despite posting its best book in over a year. KYOT became the sole proprietor of the #5 position with – stop us if you’ve heard this before in this paragraph – its finest output in over a year. KMXP only had its best book since OCTOBER so it was content with a two-slot rise to #6. CBS RADIO Country KMLE had its least productive outing since JULY and dropped six slots to #11. Still, it was ahead of arch rival iHEARTMEDIA Country KNIX, which had its lowest share in over a year and fell to #13.
From MAY through NOVEMBER, KUPD was the undisputed 18-49 champ. The station took a couple of surveys off but was back on top for the second month in a row. And, with its largest share since SEPTEMBER. KZZP moved up to #2 with a large increase while KYOT was up for the third straight survey at #3. KESZ fell two places to #4, which compared favorably to last year’s #6 finish. KSLX had a solid increase as it rose to #5 while KKFR slipped back to a tie at #6 as it ended a four-book run.
Minneapolis-St.Paul: Double Your Pleasure
Last month HUBBARD Hot AC KSTP (KS95) had an amazing book – adding about 50% to its 6+ share and moving up to #1. This time the station was up again – crashing through the double-digit barrier (9.7-10.2). The only other time in the last year any station was able to do this had a lot to do with adding BOBBY HELMS to the playlist. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KDWB was a distant #2 even though it posted its best share since OCTOBER (6.9-7.1). It was joined by iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KQQL (KOOL), which advanced from #4 (6.6-7.1). Last year it was also the designated holiday outlet but it was #2 with an 8.4 share. CUMULUS Classic Rock KQRS moved up to #4 with its best showing since DECEMBER (5.8-6.9). iHEARTMEDIA Country KEEY (K-102) remained at #5 with a small loss (6.5-6.1). It has seemed that FEBRUARY is not a great month for sports stations as several across the country experienced noticeable losses. That trend continued here as iHEARTMEDIA Sports KFXN (KFAN) fell five places in the standings – to #8 – with its lowest point total since AUGUST (6.7-5.0).
KSTP came this close to hitting double digits 25-54 last time when it zoomed to #1. This time it made the grade though its previously massive lead shrank to just under two shares. That was because KQRS jumped four places to #2 as it ended a three-book slide. KEEY was flat and stable at #3 while KDWB held firm at #4 with its highest share since OCTOBER. KFXN again had its lowest score since AUGUST to drop three places to #5. CBS RADIO Adult Hits KZJK (JACK) was off slightly and slid to #6. KQQL dropped two notches to #10 – it was #3 a year ago.
Once again, a station crashed the double-digit barrier 18-34 and was #1 for the second book in a row. However, this time it was KDWB and the station has accomplished that double-digit feat in thirteen out of the last fourteen surveys. KEEY was up for the second book in a row and moved to #2 – just two shares behind the leader. CUMULUS Active Rock KXXR (93X) lost a chunk of share as it slid back to #3 while KSTP remained at #4 with its highest total since SEPTEMBER. KZJK moved up a slot to #5 with its highest number since JUNE. This forced CBS RADIO Country KMNB (BUZ’N) to take a step back to #6 as it also lost a chunk of share.
There were no double-digit shares 18-49 but KDWB missed it by that much as the station continued its post-holiday recovery. KSTP also had a strong book – its best since MAY – to remain a close #2. KEEY stepped up to #3 with its second up book in a row while KXXR moved up to #4 despite a small decrease. KFXN dropped to #5 thanks to its lowest score since – yep – AUGUST.
We are all now free to return to filling out our brackets. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. will only say this – Fear The Turtle! Until next month, when we will probably have to eat those words, feel free to reach out to us via the listed platforms.
Email: sallan@researchdirectorinc.com
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