PPM Analysis September 2010 -- New York, Chicago, Houston, San Jose

Here is a recap of some select PPM market highlights from SEPTEMBER 2010, compiled by dmr for ALLACCESS and powered by Xtrends, radio's #1 PPM and diary analysis tool.

NEW YORK’s Keeping It Lite

CLEAR CHANNEL AC WLTW (106.7 LITE FM) maintains its traditional top spot in NEW YORK for SEPTEMBER with 6.9 P6+, followed by CBS RADIO Classic Hits WCBS-F (5.3) and CLEAR CHANNEL Top 40 WHTZ (Z100) (5.1). LITE FM also took the #1 spots in P25-54 and P35-64.

Z100 was hot, #1 and up 29% from a year ago P18-34, with EMMIS Top 40/R WQHT (HOT 97) #2, and CLEAR CHANNEL Rhythmic AC WKTU #3. While CLEAR CHANNEL Urban WWPR (POWER 105.1) was #4 and CBS Top 40 WXRK (92.3 RADIO NOW) was #5 (up 38% from a year ago), CITADEL Hot AC WPLJ is making it interesting in the demo, moving up from #15t in AUGUST to #8 in SEPTEMBER, right behind #7 LITE FM.

MORNING moves: THE BIG SHOW with SCOTT and TODD on WPLJ rocketed up to #3 (P18-34) from #18t in AUGUST. And election season may have helped CBS RADIO News WINS-A move into the top 3 (P25-54), well ahead of NEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO News-Talk WNYC-F (#8t) and CBS RADIO News WCBS-A (#10t).

Snapshot Trends (3 consecutive months, up or down)

Trending UP - CITADEL Talk WABC-A (P6+, P18-49, P25-54), INNER CITY BROADCASTING Urban AC WBLS (P25-54), WLTW (P35-64)

Trending DOWN - WCBS-F (P6+, P18-49, P25-54), EMMIS Alternative/Triple A hybrid WRXP (ROCK 101.9 RXP) (P25-54)

It's A Grown-Up World In CHICAGO

News, Talk, and adult-music formats dominated the top 10 in the WINDY CITY in SEPTEMBER with CBS RADIO News WBBM-A at #1 P6+ with a 5.7, followed by CLEAR CHANNEL Urban AC WVAZ with a 5.2, and TRIBUNE Talk WGN at 5.0.

WVAZ was a strong #1 in the P25-54 demo, while BONNEVILLE Hot AC WTMX held its own at #3. BONNEVILLE Classic Hits WDRV (#2), CBS RADIO Country WUSN (#4), and CBS RADIO Triple A WXRT rounded out the top 5 in the demo.

The battle for younger ears is tight as the top-four players P18-34 were stacked closely starting with #1 UNIVISION Regional Mexican WOJO, followed by CBS RADIO Top 40/Rhythmic WBBM-F, CLEAR CHANNEL Urban WGCI, and CLEAR CHANNEL Top 40/Mainstream WKSC. Though EMMIS Alternative WKQX was #5 in the demo, its share trend has been down for three months in a row, as WXRT has likely benefited with share growth in both 18-34 and 25-54 demos. (see Snapshot Trends below).

At the upper end, CITADEL Oldies WLS-F had its fourth up book in a row, proving that Oldies sound best in the SUMMER, landing at #4t P35-64 in a demo whose top 5 look like this: WVAZ (#1), WDRV (#2), WBBM-A (#3), WLS-F (#4t), WUSN (#4t).

Snapshot Trends (3 consecutive months, up or down)

Trending UP - WXRT (P25-54), WLS-F (P35-64)

Trending DOWN - WTMX (P25-54), WKQX (P18-34), WGN-A (P35-64)

Alternate(ive) Universe In HOUSTON

CLEAR CHANNEL Alternative KTBZ (94.5 THE BUZZ) was clearly dominating its universe, blasting to #1t P6+ in SEPTEMBER and improving on already dominant numbers in almost every key demo.

Check these numbers: THE BUZZ moved 7.0-7.5 P6+ to tie at the top with RADIO ONE Top 40/Rhythmic KBXX (97.9 THE BOX), followed by CLEAR CHANNEL AC KODA with a 7.3. And it just got better as the demos went up. While THE BOX (#1) edged THE BUZZ (#2) P18-34, the rest of it belongs to THE BUZZ (see Snapshot Trends below).

Fighting for the second tier of P18-34 pop listeners were KODA (#4), CBS RADIO Top 40 KKHH (#5), RADIO ONE Urban AC KMJQ (#6t), CUMULUS Top 40/Mainstream KRBE (#8), and CBS RADIO Hot AC KHMX tied for #9 with UNIVISION's KAMA, which had had four straight months of share growth in the demo.

MORNINGS: THE MADD HATTA MORNING SHOW on KBXX cracked the top-5 P25-54 (#4) with a big SEPTEMBER, pushing WALTON & JOHNSON out of the top 5 (#7) at CLEAR CHANNEL Classic Rock KKRW.

Snapshot Trends (3 consecutive months, up or down)

Trending UP - KTBZ (P6+, P18-49, P25-54, P35-64), KAMA (P18-34)

Trending DOWN - KLTN (P25-54), KMJQ (P25-54, P35-64), KKRW (P25-54, P35-64)

KBAY And KQED Dominate In South Bay

NEXT MEDIA AC KBAY was #1 P6+ in SEPTEMBER with a 6.3, followed by NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PUBLIC RADIO News/Talk KQED-F and UNIVISION Spanish Adult Hits KBRG tied for #2 with a 5.5. KQED-F moves to #2 from #14 one year ago (3.2-5.5 P6+), and from #10t to #2 P25-54 versus one year ago.

KBRG dominated the Spanish-language formats, as well as most of the non-Spanish formats, boasting #1 rankings in P18-34 and P18-49 and #4 in both P25-54 and P35-64. UNIVISION Regional Mexican KSOL wasn’t far behind, though, less than a share off in all but the oldest demo.

CLEAR CHANNEL Classic Rock KUFX (#1) and EMPIRE BROADCASTING Country KRTY (#5) had their formats to themselves in the Top 10, P25-54.

CUMULUS Sports KNBR-A looked like it’s benefiting from an exciting season of GIANTS baseball, up as much as 50% from a year ago in most male demos (see Snapshot Trends below).

The battle for adult women was, naturally, almost all-AC. KBAY, CBS Hot AC KEZR(MIX 106.5) and ENTERCOM AC KOIT were #1, #2, and #3t W25-54 and #1, #2, and #3 W35-64. Let the world know, however, that South Bay women like to rock a little, too, as KUFX was #3 W25-54 and #4 W35-64.

Snapshot Trends (3 consecutive months, up or down)

Trending UP - KBRG (P18-34, P18-49), KMEL (18-34), KNBR (P18-49, P25-54, P35-64)

Trending DOWN - KUFX (P18-49, P35-64), KBAY (P18-49, P25-54, P35-64)