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Research Director, Inc.: Exclusive April PPM Analysis For Houston, Washington, D. C., Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston
May 10, 2016
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. HOUSTON-GALVESTON: The Forecast Is Sunny
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The stories you are about to read are based on the facts available. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – after careful consultation with the data doctors from XTRENDS – have prepared another ratings analysis feast for your eyes. This one focuses solely on the APRIL survey. A time when the Boys of Summer were returning to their natural habitats, when Easter was the designated holiday, and when there were still several Republican candidates duking it out. To be more specific, it was a time defined as beginning on 3/24 and ending on 4/20. And now, it’s time to move on …
HOUSTON-GALVESTON: The Forecast Is Sunny
For those of you who remember cueing up vinyl, this will sound like a broken record. Once again iHEARTMEDIA AC KODA (SUNNY) was #1 6+. The station has been down and up ever since it abandoned Santa and this was an up month (7.2-7.7). RADIO ONE Urban AC KMJQ (MAJIC) assumed total control of second place with a slight increase (6.6-6.7). COX RADIO Classic Rock KGLK (THE EAGLE) returned some of the gain it acquired last month (6.6-6.1) to slip back to #3. Its cluster mate – COX RADIO Country KKBQ (93Q) – had its best book since AUGUST (5.3-5.8) but had to be content with sitting still at #4. The pair of #5s from last month were split this time. KSBJ EDUCATIONAL Christian Contemporary KSBJ remained in place as it landed its best share in over a year (4.9-5.6). UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLTN (ESTEREO LATINO) was also up (4.9-5.4) but not enough to prevent it from dropping back to #6. A little farther down the line was iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTBZ (THE BUZZ). It moved up five places to a tie at #7 with its best showing since NOVEMBER (3.7-4.2).
It was the ninth straight month of sunny skies as KODA was again #1 25-54. Even though KLTN moved up to #2 with its highest score since DECEMBER, SUNNY held a two-share lead in the demo. KGLK was off slightly and slid back to #3 while KKBQ dropped to #4 despite – once again – posting its best total since AUGUST. KTBZ had a solid showing here and moved up to #5. KSBJ used its best book in over a year to move up two places to #6. KMJQ was down for the third straight survey and slid a couple of slots to #7.
There were a lot of things happening 18-34 but these did not affect the top three from the previous survey. RADIO ONE Top 40/R KBXX (THE BOX) was down for the second month in a row but remained a solid #1. iHEARTMEDIA Urban KQBT (THE BEAT) also had its second consecutive loss but that did not really affect its #2 ranking. KKBQ was still #3 but it was up for the second straight survey. Then, the fun began. KLTN experienced a rapid recovery from last month’s big loss and climbed back into contention at #4. KTBZ moved up to #5 with its best performance since OCTOBER. LIBERMAN Regional Mexican KTJM (LA RAZA) had a huge increase as it jumped from a tie at #12 to #6. The station has more than doubled its share since the DECEMBER book. A couple of stations took hard falls out of the top five. CUMULUS Top 40/M KRBE fell five places to #10 with its smallest share since JULY. CBS RADIO Country KILT-F (THE BULL) could not sustain the momentum from the previous two surveys and fell from #4 to #11.
After a brief time-out, SUNNY is back. KODA had its best Frosty-free 18-49 share in over a year to strengthen its hold on the #1 position. KLTN ended a two-book slide to move back up to #2. KKBQ stepped back to #3 despite posting its best share since AUGUST. KTBZ was also on the rise as it jumped three places to #4 with its best book since NOVEMBER. A couple of stations moving in opposite directions ran into each other at #5. KBXX was down from #3 with its second down book in a row while KSBJ moved up from #10 with its highest score in over a year. KRBE dropped to #7 with its smallest share since the HOLIDAY book.
WASHINGTON, DC: Hot Air In The Capitol
No, we’re not talking filibuster here. As has been the case in 13 out of the last 14 surveys, the spoken-word format captured the top two slots 6+. HUBBARD News WTOP was #1 again with another very strong showing (9.2-9.6). AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU was down for the second straight survey (8.0-7.8) but remained a very solid #2. It was a good month for Urban AC. HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR remained at #3 but with its highest share since AUGUST (6.1-6.3). Not far behind was RADIO ONE Urban AC WMMJ (MAJIC), which scored its best book in over a year (4.7-5.5) to move up a couple of places to #4. On the other hand, it was not a particularly great month for a couple of cluster sisters, which had their lowest numbers in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA AC WASH dropped to #5 (5.5-5.2) while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIHT (HOT) cooled off and slid to #6 (5.1-4.5).
Information also led the way 25-54 but there was a changing of the guard. WAMU parlayed a small increase into a two-step jump to #1. This dropped WTOP back to #2 as the station had its lowest total since BURL IVES was on the radio. WHUR had a slight increase to move up to #3 where it was tied with WIHT, which took one step back with – once again – its lowest score in over a year. A year ago WMMJ was languishing at #15. This time the station vaulted four places to #5 and has almost doubled its share from last year. WASH continued its post-holiday decline as it landed at #7 – its first time out of the top five in this demo in over a year.
One thing that did not change was WIHT’s appearance as the #1 station 18-34. However, it is worth noting that this was only the second time in over a year that the station failed to reach double digits. The other time was due to someone playing reindeer games. RADIO ONE Urban WKYS (KISS) had its best performance since OCTOBER to remain an island unto itself at #2. WAMU had a huge increase, leading to its best share in over a year and a three-step move up to #3. CBS RADIO Top 40/R WPGC was steady at #4 with a small increase. Two cluster buddies were hanging out at #5. iHEARTMEDIA Country WMZQ was stationary with a slight decrease. It was joined by iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WWDC (DC-101), which moved up five slots with its largest output since MAY. WASH took a big hit as it recorded its lowest number since OCTOBER. As a result, the station fell six stories to a tie at #9.
WIHT saw its 18-49 lead cut almost in half. The station was still #1 but suffered through its least productive outing in over a year. WAMU drew closer though, through no fault of its own, as it was flat at #2. WKYS moved up three spots to #3 with its best book since DECEMBER. WTOP was down for the third book in a row and took a step back to #4. WPGC had a small increase but advanced two squares to #5. WASH had its smallest share in over a year as it fell to #6 while WHUR dropped to #7, thanks to a modest loss.
PHILADELPHIA: More Of The Same
The 6+ winning streak for JERRY LEE RADIO AC WBEB (MORE) was extended to ten even though the station posted its lowest number since SEPTEMBER (7.7-7.0). Meanwhile, #2 CBS RADIO Classic Hits WOGL had its best book since AUGUST (6.3-6.6). A closer inspection of their respective numbers revealed that this was the narrowest gap in nine surveys. GREATER MEDIA Active Rock WMMR was flat (5.6-5.6) as it wrested control of the #3 position. iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS was also flat (5.2-5.2) but managed to move up two places to #4. CBS RADIO News KYW-A held steady at #5 despite some loss of share (5.5-5.1). Three stations found themselves spending quality time together at #6. GREATER MEDIA Classic Rock WMGK joined the party from its previous perch at #3 (tied) as it was down for the second book in a row (5.6-5.0). iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WRFF (RADIO 104.5) moved up a spot despite a slight loss (5.1-5.0). CBS RADIO Country WXTU moved in from #9 with its highest share since OCTOBER (4.4-5.0).
The 25-54 race remained very tight. WBEB was #1 again but also down for the fourth book in a row. WMMR was also down slightly but was within easy striking distance at #2. WRFF was flat and happy to remain at #3 while WDAS had a similar result at #4. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIOQ (Q102) advanced three squares to #5 with its best performance since AUGUST. WXTU posted its highest total since NOVEMBER to climb five rungs to #6. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WUSL (POWER) ended a solid three-book run as it dropped from #5 to #9.
Rock ruled the 18-34 demo as two stations shared the lead. WRFF was last month’s leader and remained in place though with a somewhat smaller share. WMMR moved into the tie from #4 with its hottest month since NOVEMBER. WUSL slipped back to #3 as it shed some share. WXTU was hot here, as well. It moved up three places to #4 with its highest score since NOVEMBER. WIOQ remained at #5 as it recovered a bit from last month’s loss. WBEB had its least productive outing in over a year as it dropped from #3 to #6. It was tied with CBS RADIO Top 40/M WZMP (AMP), which moved up a couple of places thanks to its best book since SEPTEMBER.
WBEB had its lowest 18-49 share since OCTOBER but managed to win the demo for the seventh book in a row. #2 WRFF was off slightly but, thanks to MORE’s loss, the gap narrowed to the slimmest of possible margins. WMMR was again #3 with a slight increase while WIOQ jumped back up to #4 as it regained all of last month’s share loss. WUSL dropped back to #5 as it ended its three-book surge. WXTU was up a couple of places to #6 with a strong increase. WDAS dropped back to #7 even though it only experienced a slight loss.
ATLANTA: The Big Three
The 6+ chart is dominated by three stations. This survey all three remained in place with down books. However, there was also a big gulf between this trio and all the rest. COX RADIO Talk WSB-A was #1 for the fourth book in a row (9.0-8.7). COX RADIO Urban AC WALR (KISS) had its first down book since DECEMBER as it remained at #2 (8.8-7.6). CBS RADIO Urban WVEE (V-103) had its lowest score in over a year (7.7-7.3) as it kept its #3 designation. Then came the pack. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WWPW (POWER) ended a two-book slide as it moved up to #4 (4.6-5.0). RADIO ONE Gospel WPZE (PRAISE) had its highest share since NOVEMBER (4.2-4.9) as it moved up three places to #5. A couple of cluster buddies were hanging out at #6. COX RADIO AC WSB-F (B98.5) remained in place (4.6-4.5) while COX RADIO Classic Hits WSRV (THE RIVER) dropped down a spot (4.7-4.5). RADIO ONE Urban WHTA (HOT) fell four places to #8 with its lowest score since AUGUST (4.9-4.4).
Last month, thanks to a confluence of factors, we saw WVEE’s 25-54 lead shrink to one lousy share. This time it was nearly two shares larger. V-103 was off slightly but was, of course, #1. WALR was still #2 but gave back about half of last month’s huge gain. WSB-A was also down a bit at #3 but was thiiiis close to moving up to #2. WHTA was flat and stable at #4. WWPW moved up to #5 as it ended a three-book slide. WSB-F dropped back to #6 thanks to a slight decrease.
The 18-34 arena has been a battle royal ever since NOVEMBER. In the intervening surveys, either WVEE or WHTA was #1. This time HOT returned to the top spot even with its lowest score since NOVEMBER. V-103 slid back to #2 with its lowest total in over a year. WWPW was up slightly at #3 while CUMULUS Top 40/M WWWQ (Q100) was down a bit but remained at #4. WSB-F rebounded from last month’s big dip and rose two places to #5. This forced WSRV to take one step back to #6 as it suffered a moderate share loss. Close behind was iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WRDA (RADIO 105.7), which advanced four squares to a tie at #7 with its highest share since AUGUST.
While the players remained the same, the order of the top five 18-49 was altered a bit. WVEE was still a dominant #1 but with its lowest total in over a year. WHTA moved up a spot to #2 despite a slight decrease. WWPW took two steps forward to #3 as it ended a two-book slide. WALR dropped a couple of places to #4 as it gave back all of last month’s huge increase. WSB-A slid a slot to #5 with a down book.
BOSTON: Killer Classic
For the fourth consecutive survey, GREATER MEDIA Classic Hits WROR was the leading station 6+. And, this time the station posted its largest share in over a year (7.7-8.0). Cluster sister GREATER MEDIA AC WMJX (MAGIC) moved into the runner-up slot with its third positive performance in a row (6.8-7.2). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WXKS (KISS) had its lowest number since bells were ringing the sad, sad news (7.0-6.0) and fell back to #3. It was paired with CBS RADIO News WBZ-A, which stepped up a spot just by being flat (6.0-6.0). As hope springs eternal for the hometown nine, the two sports stations reaped the benefit. ENTERCOM Sports WEEI-F moved up to #5 as it ended a two-book slide (4.7-5.2). Not far behind was CBS RADIO Sports WBZ-F (THE SPORTS HUB), which remained at #6 with a slight increase (4.7-4.8).
The 25-54 race suddenly got a lot tighter. Last month the top four stations were separated by about two-and-a-half shares. This time it was down to one share. WXKS was #1 again but lost a painfully large chunk of share. WBZ-F was flat to remain at #2 and was joined by WMJX, which advanced two slots with its best Frosty-free share since NOVEMBER. WROR is feeling the blues as the station is on a two-book downward trend, and dropped a spot to #4. GREATER MEDIA Rhythmic AC WBQT (HOT) moved up to #5 with its best showing in over a year. The same could be said for CBS RADIO Top 40/M WODS (AMP), which moved up four places to #8 where it got real cozy with CBS RADIO Classic Rock WZLX. That station dropped three places as it ended a three-book surge.
This was the second straight survey – and third time in the last four – that demo leader WODS crashed through the double-digit barrier 18-34. #2 WBQT was not that far behind as it was up for the sixth straight survey. WXKS fell back to a secure location at #3 with a big share loss. WROR had its best performance in over a year to advance four squares to #4. As we saw last month, there was a tie at #5. However, this time it featured two new players. WBZ-F moved up from #7 with a nice increase while WMJX dropped back from #4 while being flat. The two former occupants of that position were … iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R WJMN (JAM’N), which slid to #7 with its second down book in a row, and GREATER MEDIA Alternative WBOS (RADIO 92.9), which fell to #8 as it ended a three-book surge.
WXKS was #1 18-49 for the fourth book in a row but was noticeably lighter than last time we saw it. Three stations were in a logjam at #2. WODS was flat and remained in place while WBZ-F took one step forward with a slight increase. WBQT took two steps up with its highest share in over a year. WMJX received a healthy injection of share as it moved up to #5. WROR was off slightly and stepped back to #6.
But wait … there’s more. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. are now in game mode. We will return shortly with the ratings stories of DETROIT, MIAMI, PHOENIX, SEATTLE-TACOMA, and MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL. Until then, feel free to discuss among yourselves or reach out to us via the platforms listed below.
E-mail: sallan@researchdirectorinc.com
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