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Research Director, Inc.: Exclusive May PPM Analysis For New York., L.A., Chicago, S.F., Dallas
June 7, 2016
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. NEW YORK: Mega Lite
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Sure, right now you’re in the throes of a JUNE swoon. Thinking about your vacation and cranking out logs like nobody’s business. However, back when the MAY book was in full bloom, you were dealing with incessant rain, Mother’s Day, and the beginning of graduation season. Those are basically the highlights of that period, which spanned 4/21 through 5/18. Now, it falls to the semi-capable hands of the Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – in careful cooperation with the numbers crunchers from XTRENDS – to tell you what really happened.
NEW YORK: Mega LiteA Spanglish oxymoron or a foreshadowing of what’s to come? iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (LITE) was the #1 station 6+ for the third month in a row – and for the thirteenth time in the last fourteen surveys (6.5-6.4). CBS RADIO Classic Hits WCBS-F was in the trail position again but did land its largest share since DECEMBER (5.6-5.7). EMMIS Urban AC WBLS also had its best book since DECEMBER (5.2-5.6) and that allowed the station to take one small step forward to #3.
iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHTZ (Z100) was flat (5.4-5.4) and relegated back to #4. SBS Tropical WSKQ (MEGA) was also flat (5.1-5.1) but remained at #5. CBS RADIO News WINS-A was stationary at #6 though it did end a rather strong four-book surge (4.8-4.3). So, how was MLB treating the flagships? CBS RADIO Sports WFAN-F (THE FAN) parlayed the YANKEES’ lousy start into a one-step move to #9 (3.5-3.8). Meanwhile, iHEARTMEDIA Talk WOR-A did not reap any immediate benefit from the defending NATIONAL LEAGUE champs and dropped to #19 (2.1-2.1).
Though it was down to its lowest point since the HOLIDAY book, WSKQ managed to capture the 25-54 crown for the fifth straight survey. WHTZ strengthened its hold on #2 with its best performance since JULY. WLTW was off slightly to remain at #3 where it was paired with iHEARTMEDIA Urban WWPR (POWER), which had a tiny increase. Just this far behind was WBLS, which moved up to #5 with its highest share since we were trying to remember the words in that song about Good King Wenceslas. WCBS-F advanced to #6 with its best book since DECEMBER.
There was a changing of the guard in the 18-34 demo. WSKQ ended a rather dramatic two-book slide to return to the top spot. This pushed WHTZ back to #2 where it was joined by EMMIS Top 40/R WQHT (HOT), which moved up a slot thanks to its highest share since NOVEMBER. WWPR was up slightly but remained at #4 while WLTW held steady at #5 with its second down book in a row.
WSKQ recovered enough from last month’s big downturn to return to the top of the 18-49 leaderboard for the fourth time in the last five surveys. WWPR was up a bit and remained at #2. It had a new partner this month as WHTZ dropped from the top spot with a slight loss of share. WLTW was also off slightly but firmly entrenched at #4 while WQHT was up for the second month in a row at #5.
LOS ANGELES: iWinning
Loyal readers of this monthly column are well aware that we cover four separate demos in each market. This month, LA saw a different station leading each cell and all have the same logo on their parking passes. We begin with 6+ where iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST was declared the winner for the seventh consecutive survey (5.3-5.4). iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (MY FM) had its best book since DECEMBER (4.8-5.1) to move up two notches to #2. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KIIS (KISS) slipped back to #3 with a slight loss (5.1-4.9). CBS RADIO Urban AC KTWV (THE WAVE) was up for the third book in a row (4.4-4.7) and moved up to #4 – its highest ranking in over a year. CBS RADIO Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH) was off a bit (4.9-4.6) as it dropped two places to #5. This quintet of stations was well ahead of the rest of the field. The next closest station at #6 was UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KLVE (K-LOVE), which was up slightly (3.6-3.8) but still nearly a share out of the top five.
For the second month in a row, KBIG was #1 25-54 as the station posted its highest score since DECEMBER. KIIS was flat and steady at #2. There was a three-way tie at #3. KRTH remained in place with a slight decrease while KOST took one step forward just by being flat. The third member of the triumvirate was iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KYSR (ALT 98.7), which moved up two places with its fifth straight up book.
As recently as JANUARY, KYSR was #8 18-34. That’s when the surge began and it culminated – this time – with the station moving to #1 with its highest share in over a year. #2 KIIS was up slightly but saw its four-book winning streak come to an end. KBIG was down slightly but stuck at #3 while CBS RADIO Top 40/M KAMP (AMP) remained mired in fourth place with a small loss. Two stations moved up and into a tie at #5. EMMIS Top 40/R KPWR (POWER) took one step forward despite landing its lowest share in over a year. CBS RADIO Alternative KROQ made a two-step jump just by being flat. iHEARTMEDIA Urban KRRL (REAL 92.3) also had its smallest share in over a year and fell back to #7.
As alluded to earlier, this is the fourth demo in the chain and featured yet a different station at #1. KIIS took 18-49 honors for the fifth book in a row thanks to a flat performance. If you look closely, you’ll see that the top four stations in this demo all hail from the same cluster confines. KBIG relinquished its share of the lead and dropped back to #2 while KYSR was up slightly and stable at #3. KOST ended a four-book slide to remain at #4. KLVE jumped four places to #5 with its best showing since JANUARY while KTWV made a five-step advance to #6 with its highest score in over a year. KRRL fell six places to #11 with its lowest total since we were all dashing away.
CHICAGO: A Dying Cubs Fan’s Last Request
The top three stations 6+ remained unchanged from last survey but that may not be the case as the baseball season progresses. CBS RADIO News WBBM-A was #1 for the fifth book in a row (6.5-6.4) while iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WVAZ (V103) continued its streak of #2 books with a flat performance (6.1-6.1). HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (MIX) was up slightly (4.8-4.9) to remain at #3. CBS RADIO Sports WSCR-A (THE SCORE) picked a good year to become the CUBS flagship. Of course, the fact that they are the best team in baseball right now may have fueled the station’s rise in the standings from a tie at #9 to #4 with easily its best book in over a year (3.2-4.2). iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC WLIT (MY FM) was flat (3.9-3.9) and steady at #5. It was joined by cluster sister iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKSC (KISS), which moved up from #7 (3.7-3.9). TRIBUNE N/T WGN-A gave up those primo seats at WRIGLEY FIELD and a few shares as well. The station fell three places to #7 (4.3-3.7). iHEARTMEDIA Urban WGCI dropped to #8 with its lowest score since JANUARY (3.9-3.6). And what of the other hometown nine? CUMULUS N/T WLS-A is now the flagship of the surprising WHITE SOX. The station was only up slightly (2.0-2.2) but that was twice the share it had a year ago, bringing it in at a tie for #20.
The top five 25-54 remained relatively unchanged from a month ago. WTMX was flat but #1 for the fifth book in a row. WVAZ was also flat and #2 for the twelfth straight survey. WKSC remained at #3 with a slight increase. WGCI wrested control of the #4 slot just by being flat while WBBM-A slid back to #5. WSCR-A jumped from #17 to a tie at #8 thanks to, well, you know.
WGCI was up slightly 18-34 and held on to the #1 position for the fifth consecutive survey. WTMX moved back to #2 as it bounced back from last month’s down performance. WKSC was up slightly but still slid back to #3. UNIVISION Regional Mexican WOJO (QUE BUENA) has seen its numbers yo-yo the last few months. This time the spinning discs were in the up position and the station moved up three places to #4. CUMULUS Alternative WKQX was off slightly and dropped back to #5. CBS RADIO Top 40/M WBBM-F (B96) fell to #6 with its lowest score in over a year.
The top two stations 18-49 were flat and unchanged from last month. WTMX was #1 for the fifth straight survey while WGCI was #2 for the sixth month in a row. WKSC was also flat but managed to move up a slot to #3. WVAZ had a modest decrease as it dropped back to #4 while WOJO moved up to #5 with a modest increase. WKQX stepped back to #6 with a slight decrease.
SAN FRANCISCO: The Giants Win The Pennant!
Ok, so it’s not exactly the shot-heard-round-the-world and it is a little premature to crown anyone champion. Still, the GIANTS did propel CUMULUS Sports KNBR-A to its highest 6+ share in over a year (6.0-6.8) as the station was #1 for the second straight survey. The next four positions were mostly unchanged from last time. CBS RADIO News KCBS-A was #2 (5.5-5.4) while KQED INC. N/T KQED was #3 (5.1-4.8). ENTERCOM AC KOIT held firm at the #4 slot (4.6-4.3) but with its lowest share in nearly a year (JUNE). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KYLD (WILD) took sole control of the #5 position with its highest share since OCTOBER (3.9-4.0). iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KIOI (STAR) dropped back to #6 with a flat score (3.9-3.9). This was the first full survey in its new incarnation for iHEARTMEDIA Rhythmic AC KISQ (THE BREEZE). The station jumped from a tie at #16 to #8 with a rather large share increase (2.2-3.6).
There was no change in the top five batting order for 25-54. KNBR remained #1 with its highest share in over a year. KYLD was #2 with its best showing in over a year. KOIT was flat and happy at #3 while CBS RADIO Hot AC KLLC (ALICE) remained at #4 with its best score since we were pretending a lump of snow was a religious figure. KQED was also flat and happy, just at #5. KISQ picked up almost a full share as it rose four places to #12.
The iHEARTMEDIA one-two punch 18-34 remained the same as iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KMEL was #1 for the fifth book in a row while KYLD was flat for the second month in a row and remained at #2. ENTERCOM Top 40/R KRBQ (Q102) had its best performance since NOVEMBER and moved up two slots to #3. CBS RADIO Alternative KITS (LIVE 105) could not hold on to last month’s big gain and slid back to #4. CBS RADIO Top 40/M KMVQ (NOW) was up to #5 with its best book since we were dashing through the snow. KIOI dropped to #6 as it shed a chunk of share. KNBR-A kept it turned down to #11 as the station was off slightly.
Last month’s tie atop the 18-49 leaderboard was broken. KYLD was up slightly to assume control while KMEL was off slightly as it dropped back to #2. KNBR-A was up two places to #3 with its fifth up book in a row. Last month’s squatters at #3 broke up and moved down. KRBQ landed at #4 despite posting its best book since OCTOBER while KOIT ended up at #5 despite a slight increase.
DALLAS-FT.WORTH: A Close Kiss
Do you know how hard it is every month trying to wring drama out of this market when one station continues to dominate every demo? The more important question is – do you really care? Thankfully (for us) iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KHKS (KISS) made things interesting (for us, certainly not them). The station was #1 for the fourth book in a row (6.7-6.2). However, the race suddenly got interesting (for us) because #2 CBS RADIO Classic Hits KLUV (K-LOVE) had a very nice increase to narrow the gap to the smallest of possible margins (5.5-6.1). CUMUMUS Country KPLX (THE WOLF) remained at #3 (4.7-4.7) but was joined by SERVICE Urban AC KRNB, which moved up from #6 with its best showing since JANUARY (4.0-4.7). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZPS (LONE STAR) dropped back to #5 with a flat book (4.6-4.6) while UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLNO (QUE BUENA) dropped to #6 with its lowest total since OCTOBER (4.5-4.1).
The 25-54 race also got very interesting this time. KHKS was #1, but its slight loss, combined with #2 KLUV’s small gain, drew the stations very, very close together. Who knew this market was a hockey hotbed (well, some probably did – it just wasn’t us). CUMULUS Sports KTCK-A (THE TICKET) rode the STARS to its highest share in over a year and a two-step rise to #3. Of last month’s #2 triumvirate, two dropped down. KZPS was off slightly and slid to #4 while KLNO dropped to #5 with its second down book in a row.
There was no drama in the 18-34 demo. Though KHKS lost a full share, it still led the #2 station by three full shares. iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KEGL (EAGLE) was flat but took sole control of second place while KLNO dropped back to #3 with its lowest share since OCTOBER. RADIO ONE Top 40/R KBFB (THE BEAT) remained at #4 but with its lowest score since we had visions of sugar plums dancing in our collective heads. KLUV moved up two slots to share the #4 position with its best Frosty-free book in over a year. KPLX dropped to a tie at #6 as it lost a chunk of share.
KHKS gave back all the 18-49 gains it realized last survey but still led KEGL by two full shares. THE EAGLE moved up to #2 with its highest score in over a year. Two stations moved up and into a tie at #3. KLUV took one step forward with a slight increase while KTCK-A advanced five squares with its best performance in over a year. KLNO dropped three places to #5 while KZPS fell to a tie at #6 despite a flat book.
And so it goes … round one of our exclusive ALL ACCESS ratings analysis comes to an end. Fret not, the Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR INC. will return shortly with our spin on the ratings fortunes of HOUSTON-GALVESTON, WASHINGTON, DC, PHILADELPHIA, ATLANTA, and BOSTON. -
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