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Research Director, Inc.: Exclusive April PPM Analysis For Detroit, Miami, Phoenix, Seattle, Minneapolis
May 11, 2016
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. Detroit: Play Ball!
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Back from the shadows again - The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC., in conjunction with the numbers nerds from XTRENDS, dig deeply into the finely processed data of more radio markets. This month’s theme is APRIL, which featured MLB’s opening day, The EASTER holiday, and several Republican candidates calling each other names. The specific dates were 3/24 through 4/20 and the results played out something like this...
Detroit: Play Ball!
There were two things of note with the 6+ ratings in the MOTOR CITY. First, the top six stations were separated by less than a share. Second, this is a good baseball town. The return of the TIGERS also fueled a dramatic rise for CBS RADIO Sports WXYT-F (THE TICKET). The station went from #7 to #1 with its best outing since DECEMBER (5.2-6.5). The stay at the top was all too brief for CUMULUS Talk WJR-A as the station dropped back to #2 (6.7-6.2). CBS RADIO Classic Hits WOMC was flat and stable at #3 (6.1-6.1)while GREATER MEDIA Classic Rock WCSX moved up a spot to #4 as it ended a two-book slide (5.7-6.0). CBS RADIO News WWJ-A was down for the third book in a row to fall three places to #5 (6.5-5.7). GREATER MEDIA Active Rock WRIF was down for the third straight survey (5.8-5.6) to fall back to #6.
However, WRIF did much better 25-54. Even though the station was down this month, it captured – by a wide margin – its fourth straight #1 title. WXYT-F moved up to a solid but distant #2 while WCSX slipped back to #3 with its second down book in a row. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WJLB was flat and motionless at #4 where it was partnered with iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKQI (CHANNEL 955). That station dropped a spot while losing a chunk of share. WOMC and iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WMXD (MIX) were both up slightly and paired at #6. CBS RADIO Country WYCD had its best outing since DECEMBER to move up to #8.
To say that WRIF has been on fire 18-34 would be a gross understatement. The station was #1 for the fourth book in a row – all in double digits. WKQI was again #2 but its down book allowed the gap to widen to over two shares. WJLB was off slightly but remained at #3. Last month’s #4 tie was shattered. WGPR INC Urban AC WGPR (HOT) remained in place with a slight increase while CBS RADIO Top 40/M WDZH (AMP) fell back to #5 with a slight decrease.
The top four positions 18-49 remained unchanged from last month. WRIF was down but still a dominant #1 for the fourth book in a row. WKQI had its first down book since DECEMBER to remain at #2. WJLB stayed at #3 but ended a four-book surge. WCSX was still #4 but with its best showing since OCTOBER. WXYT-F rebounded from last month’s downer to move back to #5 while CUMULUS Hot AC WDVD fell flat to #6.
Miami-Ft.Lauderdale-Hollywood: Five For Fighting
Talk about your consistency – the placement and order of the top five stations 6+ were exactly the same as last month. Only the numbers changed to protect the innocent. ENTERCOM AC WLYF (LITE) was #1 for the third book in a row and posted its best grade in over a year (8.1-8.7). COX RADIO Urban AC WHQT (HOT) had its lowest share since DECEMBER (7.7-7.5) but remained #2. COX RADIO AC WFEZ (EASY) was up a bit at #3 (6.3-6.5) while UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary WAMR (AMOR) came in at #4 as it ended a two-book slide (5.4-5.6). COX RADIO Urban WEDR (99JAMZ) was #5 with a small decrease (5.2-4.9). If we’re being completely truthful, the status quo extended to #6 – SBS Tropical WCMQ (Z92.3) ended a string of flat performances (4.9-4.8).
The cut-and-paste rankings of 25-54 were not quite as predictable. Only the top three spots remained unaltered from last survey. WHQT was flat but #1 for the seventh book in a row. WLYF had its largest share since OCTOBER but remained at #2. WEDR was down but steady at #3. WFEZ was off slightly but managed to worm its way up to #4. SBS Tropical WXDJ (EL ZOL) was flat but up to #5 while UNIVISION Tropical WRTO (MIX) dropped back to #6 with its lowest score since MAY.
The predictable pattern continued 18-34 as, once again, the top five stations were exactly as we last saw them. WEDR was in its customary #1 position and surpassed the double-digit threshold for the second book in a row. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WMIB (THE BEAT) was off a bit at #2 while WLYF came in at #3 with a slight increase. WHQT was up slightly at #4 while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHYI (Y100) was up a bit at #5. One mover of note was CBS RADIO Country WKIS (KISS). The station had its best book in over a year to turn it up to #11.
Unlike the previous three demos, upheaval was the watch word 18-49. WLYF assumed control after landing its largest share in over a year. WEDR dropped back to #2 with a modest decrease. WHQT was the only station in the top five to remain unmoved. The station was #3 with a slight increase. WMIB was down but up to #4. Two stations moved up and into a tie at #5. WFEZ took one step forward with a small decrease while WXDJ advanced from #7 with a slight increase. WRTO again had its lowest number since MAY and that sent the station packing back to #7.
Phoenix: EZ Does It (Again)
Another one in the books and as per usual iHEARTMEDIA AC KESZ (99.9KEZ) was #1 6+ (7.7-7.7). HUBBARD Classic Rock KSLX remained a strong #2 with its highest share in over a year (6.1-6.5). HUBBARD Active Rock KUPD remained #3 with a flat performance (5.7-5.7). iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KMXP (MIX) broke out of a tie at #5 and raced up to #4 with its best book in over a year (5.0-5.4). CBS RADIO Classic Hits KOOL was a step too slow and had to settle for being #5 again (5.0-5.3). iHEARTMEDIA Adult Hits KYOT (THE MOUNTAIN) took a bit of a hit (5.2-4.2) and dropped three places to a tie at #7.
After two flat books in a row, KUPD was down slightly 25-54. It didn’t affect much as the station was #1 for the fourth book in a row and maintained a comfortable advantage over cluster bro’ KSLX, which moved up to #2 with its best performance in over a year. KESZ was off a bit but unmoved at #3. Two cluster mates moving in opposite directions joined forces at #4. KYOT fell from #2 with its smallest share since DECEMBER while KMXP was up from #6 with its largest output in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KZZP (KISS) was down for the second straight survey and stepped back to #6.
That CBS RADIO Top 40/M KZON (LIVE 101.5) was #1 18-34 came as no surprise. After all, the station ascended to the throne last month. It was the way the station did it – landing a huge increase while posting its largest share in over a year. RIVIERA Top 40/R KKFR (POWER) also had its best book in over a year. It moved up to #2 but trailed the leader by two full shares. KMXP was up to #3 with its highest score in over a year. KZZP dropped back to #4. The station has lost about a third of its share over the last two surveys. KESZ remained at #5 but was down for the fourth book in a row. Two stations moved up and into a tie at #6. KSLX took one step forward with a flat outing while CBS RADIO Country KMLE advanced from a tie at #10 with a nice increase.
The 18-49 demo was in a state of flux at just about every position except #1. That remained the domain of KUPD as it copped its fourth straight win. KSLX made a lot of noise as it advanced from #7 to #2. KZON was also up, just not quite as dramatically. It only rose two places to #3. Three stations took up residence at #4. KESZ fell from a tie at #2 with its lowest share since NOVEMBER. KKFR was up from a tie at #5 while KMXP jumped from #8 with its best showing in over a year. KZZP was down only a bit but through the magic of minuscule rating differences, fell five spots to #7.
Seattle-Tacoma: A Big Move
As you are about to see, it was a good month to be HUBBARD Top 40/M KQMV (MOVIN). The station was #1 6+ for the sixth time in the last seven surveys (6.9-6.0). However, due to the down nature of MOVIN’s performance, iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KJR-F (THE JET) was able to close the gap at #2. Of course, it didn’t hurt that THE JET landed its largest share since SEPTEMBER (5.4-5.8). BONNEVILLE Talk KIRO-F remained at #3 with its lowest share since JUNE (5.3-5.0) and was embedded with CBS RADIO Classic Rock KZOK. It moved up from #5, ending a two-book slide (4.7-5.0). HUBBARD AC KRWM (WARM) dropped back to #5 as it endured its fourth straight down book (5.0-4.9).
Though it has lost a substantial part of its share over the last two surveys, KQMV remained #1 25-54 for the fourth book in a row. KJR-F moved up to #2 despite a small loss but still trailed the leader by more than a share. ENTERCOM Active Rock KISW had its least productive outing in over a year as it stepped back to #3. Meanwhile, ENTERCOM Rhythmic AC KHTP (HOT) was up to #4 with its most productive outing in over a year. CRISTA Christian Contemporary KCMS (SPIRIT) was off slightly and stepped back to #5. KRWM had its lowest total since OCTOBER to drop four places to a tie at #9.
KQMV was down sharply 18-34 but was still #1 in the demo with about a share lead over the two at #2. Though KISW had its lowest mark since NOVEMBER, it remained in place at #2. KJR-F was up from #3 with a slight increase. KHTP was stationary at #4 with a slight increase, as well. ENTERCOM Alternative KNDD (THE END) moved up to #5 with a small increase while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KPWK (POWER) dropped to #6 with its lowest share since DECEMBER.
Normally, landing your lowest share in over a year would cause quite the commotion. Perhaps that is true within the halls of KQMV but in the 18-49 rankings, it only drew the station closer to the pack. And, it’s still not that close as #2 KISW was more than a share behind. KJR-F remained at #3 with its highest share since SEPTEMBER. KHTP moved up to #4 with its best performance in over a year while KNDD stepped back to #5 with a slight decrease. SINCLAIR Hot AC KPLZ (STAR) was up to #6 (from a tie at #11) with a solid increase.
Minneapolis-St.Paul: KS Is Bliss
Make it four dominant 6+ performances in a row for HUBBARD Hot AC KSTP (KS95). Ever since Santa left town, the station has been crushing the competition and even though it was flat this time (9.8-9.8), it kept its closest pursuers at a safe distance away. Rising up to #2 was iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KDWB, which had its best book since OCTOBER (6.5-7.2). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KQQL (KOOL) dropped back to #3 as it ended a two-book run (8.0-6.7). CUMULUS Classic Rock KQRS stepped back to #4 (6.9-6.2). The two members of the #5 club from last month went their separate ways. iHEARTMEDIA Country KEEY (K-102) remained in place (5.9-6.1) while UNIVERSITY OF NORTHWESTERN-ST.PAUL Christian Contemporary KTIS fell back to #6 (5.9-5.5).
Though both KSTP and KEEY were up slightly 25-54, the former maintained its two-share lead over the latter. KDWB was up to #3 with its best book since SEPTEMBER. KQRS dropped a couple of places to #4 as it lost a chunk of share. iHEARTMEDIA Sports KFXN (KFAN) also lost some chunks and dropped back to #5. It was tied with CBS RADIO Adult Hits KZJK (JACK), which remained in place but with a somewhat lower number.
KDWB had a solid increase 18-34, which only strengthened the station’s stranglehold on the 18-34 demo. CUMULUS Active Rock KXXR (93X) was down but remained a solid #2, albeit more than two shares behind the leader. KSTP was up slightly at #3, posting its highest share in over a year. KEEY slid back to #4 with its smallest share since OCTOBER. Still, it remained well ahead of format rival CBS RADIO Country KMNB (BUZ’N), which remained at #5 with a small increase.
The 18-49 race has certainly gotten interesting. KDWB reasserted its authority this time with a big gain. However, even though KSTP dropped back to #2, the stations were separated by the margin of error. KEEY was up to #3 with a slight increase. Two stations positioned themselves at #4. KXXR was immobile with a flat performance while KFXN dropped back from #3 with a modest decrease.
Once again, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. appreciate your eyeballs. (Yea, that’s a digital term but it just sounds weird). We threaten to return next month. In the meantime, please reach out if we can help you take advantage of your numbers.
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