Radio Ratings Roundup, October 2023, Part IV

November 2, 2023

Rounding third and heading for home, we have time for one last blast of OCTOBER ratings magic. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – in close proximity with the math wizards from XTRENDS – once again reach into our bag of tricks in an attempt to read the NIELSEN tarot cards. This particular mishegoss began on SEPTEMBER 14^TH and ground to a halt on OCTOBER 11^TH. We had ROSH HASHANAH, YOM KIPPUR, the semi-official start of pumpkin spice season and that federal holiday almost no one takes off. Here’s what happened to our final group of five markets.

TAMPA-ST. PETERSBURG-CLEARWATER: On The Wings Of A Dove

For as long as we can remember, which is about 14 surveys, COX MEDIA AC WDUV (105.5 THE DOVE) has been #1 6+. The station also had its best book since JUNE (8.0-8.6). BEASLEY Country WQYK had its best showing in over a year (5.4-6.7) as it moved up two spaces to #2. COX MEDIA Classic Hits WXGL (107.3 THE EAGLE) descended to #3 with its lowest score in over a year (5.6-5.0). It was paired with iHEARTMEDIA Country WFUS (US 103.5), which remained in place (5.5-5.0). BEASLEY Top 40/R WLLD (WiLD 94.1) was promoted to #5, thanks to its fourth up book in a row (4.5-4.9). COX MEDIA Talk WHPT (102.5 THE BONE) slipped to #6 with its smallest share since MARCH (5.3-4.7). It was tied with BEASLEY Classic Hits WRBQ (Q105), which moved up a spot (4.5-4.7). WDUV was still the cume leader and was bonused with a 14.2% increase (515,000-588,000). The market rose by 2.8%.

WLLD has been on quite the 25-54 roll of late. As recently as JULY, it was sitting at #11. This time it became the third different #1 station over the last three surveys and posted its largest number in over a year. WQYK advanced four squares to #2, also with its best book in over a year. Interestingly enough, the station was ranked #14 in MAY. WHPT slid from #1 to #3, while WFUS stepped up to #4 with a slight increase. iHEARTMEDIA AC WMTX (MIX 100.7) dropped from #2 to #5 as it ended a strong two-book surge. It was tied with BEASLEY Spanish Contemporary WYUU (92.5 MAXIMA), which dipped from #4.

Oh, the 18-34 space was a hot mess. WLLD was #1 for the second book in a row but was forced to share as WFUS moved up from #3 to forge the tie. WQYK moved up two spots to #3, while the station formerly known as WPOI – COX MEDIA Urban AC WTBV (101.5 THE VIBE) – arrived at the same location but from #7. WRBQ and iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock WXTB had been tied at #13. Both had strong books to move up to #5 and #6, respectively. COX MEDIA AC WWRM (MAGIC 94.9) slid to #7 with its smallest share in over a year. It was surrounded by iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WFLZ, RADIO TRAINING Christian Contemporary WCIE (THE JOY FM), and WDUV – which vaulted into that space from #17. WMTX and WXGL dropped out of the top five and joined five other stations at #11. The other participants were WYUU, BEASLEY Classic Rock WPBB (98.7 THE SHARK), SBS Spanish Contemporary WSUN (EL ZOL 97.1), WHPT and iHEARTMEDIA Urban WBTP (95.7 THE BEAT). Whew!

WLLD made it back-to-back 18-49 wins with its best book in over a year. WFUS repeated at #2 with a slight increase, while WQYK stepped up to #3 with its highest mark since NOVEMBER. WYUU slipped to #4 with its smallest share since DECEMBER. WXTB made it a twosome as it moved up from #7 with a bounce-back book. WRBQ made the leap o’ the month as it rose from #15 to #6. WMTX slid into a tie at #7 with WDUV.

DENVER-BOULDER: Mile High & Tight

The top five 6+ stations were all within a share of one another. BONNEVILLE Country KYGO was #1 for the third book in a row (6.2-5.6), while KSE VENTURES Classic Hits KXKL (KOOL 105) moved up a spot to claim its share of the lead (6.1-5.6). Both stations posted their lowest scores since APRIL. BONNEVILLE AC KOSI had its best outing since FEBRUARY (4.8-5.5) to move up two places to #3. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KRFX (103.5 THE FOX) dipped to #4 (5.6-5.0), while iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTCL (CHANNEL 93.3) inched up to #5 (4.7-4.9). AUDACY Classic Rock KQMT (99.5 THE MOUNTAIN) slipped to #6 (4.9-4.5). It had two partners in that space. BONNEVILLE Sports KKFN (104.3 THE FAN) was up from #7 (4.6-4.5), while iHEARTMEDIA Talk KOA advanced from #13 with its biggest share in over a year (3.7-4.5). KOSI remained in cume command (450,000-478,600) – a 6.4% increase. The market fell by 1.1%.

Last month KTCL and KRFX were tied atop the 25-54 leaderboard. We’ll get to them in a second. Your new #1 station was KOSI, which rose from #4 with its highest grade since FEBRUARY. KTCL had a slight increase but dipped to #2 as its three-book winning streak was snapped. KXKL repeated at #3 with a small decrease, while KRFX landed at #4 as it returned all of last month’s solid share increase. EMF Christian Contemporary KLDV (K-LOVE) was off slightly but still moved back up to #5. KYGO slipped to #6 with its least productive outing since MAY. It was joined in that space by KQMT, KSE VENTURES Hot AC KIMN (MIX 100), and ENTRAVISION Regional Mexican KXPK (LA TRICOLOR 96.5).

KTCL continued to have its way with the 18-34 crowd as it sat at #1 for the eighth straight survey. It held a better than two-share lead over AUDACY Hot AC KALC (ALICE 105.9), which leapt from #6 to #2 with its best book since APRIL. KRFX dipped to #3 and was tied with AUDACY Top 40/R KQKS (KS 107.5), which moved up a slot with its highest score in over a year. KOSI and KQMT has been tied at #6. Both renewed the agreement as they moved up to #5. Also joining that party was KIMN, which rose from #9. All three stations rebounded from down books.

A flat KTCL was the 18-49 winner for the third book in a row. KXKL was back at #2 with a small decrease, while KOSI moved up three places to #3 with a solid ratings gain. KRFX repeated at #4 with its smallest share since MAY. It had to share the ride with KXPK, which stepped up from #5, despite a small decrease. KYGO dropped from #3 into a tie at #6 with KALC.

How much time do you spend every month downloading and analyzing your Nielsen reports? We can dramatically streamline that process and provide more depth and insight. We’d be happy to show you how that works. Just click on the link below.

SAN DIEGO: A Close Race

The 6+ competition remained closely contested as the top four players were within a share of one another. AUDACY Classic Hits KXSN (SUNNY 98.1) finished at #1 for the eighth time in the last nine surveys (6.8-6.7). LOCAL MEDIA Rhythmic AC XHRM (MAGIC 92.5) repeated at #2 (6.4-6.4), while SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY N/T KPBS was back at #3 with its third up book in a row (6.2-6.3). AUDACY Country KSON held firm at #4 with its best showing in over a year (5.2-6.0). iHEARTMEDIA Talk KOGO-A stood alone at #5 with its highest mark since APRIL (4.7-5.4). AUDACY Sports KWFN (97.3 THE FAN) left the tie at #5 as it descended to #6 with its fourth down book in a row (4.7-4.2). It was partnered with AUDACY AC KYXY, which advanced from #9 (3.7-4.2). Despite a 3.0% decrease, KXSN was still the cume leader (533,800-517,800). The market was off by 0.4%.

For the seventh straight survey, XHRM was the most popular station with the 25-54 crowd. Last month three stations from the same cluster were tied at #2. This time only one remained. That honor belonged to KSON, which landed its largest share in over a year. KXSN dipped to #3despite a small share increase. KWFN landed at #4 with a small share loss. TELEVISAUNIVISION Regional Mexican KLNV (QUÉ BUENA 106.5) advanced to #5 with its third up book in a row. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KHTS (CHANNEL 933) drifted from #2 to #6 with its lowest total since MAY.

XHRM was #1 18-34 for the third straight survey and received its best grade in over a year. Once again, KSON had its best outing in over a year as it jumped from #5 to #2. Alas, it still trailed the leader by two shares. Two stations came charging up from outside of the top five to form an alliance at #3. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KSSX (JAM’N 95.7) was up from #7 as it halted a four-book slide. LOCAL MEDIA Top 40/M XHTZ (Z90.3) advanced from #8 with its highest score since MARCH. Three stations were huddled together at #5. iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KIOZ remained in place with a small decrease, while KXSN dipped from #4 with its smallest share since APRIL. KHTS dropped from #2 with its least productive outing since DECEMBER.

This was the fourth book in a row that had XHRM as the leading 18-49 station. It also held nearly a two-share lead over a trio of competitors at #2. KXSN and KWFN were tied at #3 and moved up in tandem, despite a uniform slight decrease. KLNV arrived from #6 with a slight increase. KHTS fell from #2 to #5 with its lowest number since MAY, while KIOZ slipped to #6 as it returned most of last month’s strong increase.

NASSAU-SUFFOLK (LONG ISLAND): The Great Eight

COX MEDIA Classic Rock WBAB posted its largest 6+ share in over a year (8.0-8.6) as the station cruised to its eighth straight victory. AUDACY Classic Hits WCBS stepped up to #2 with its best outing since NOVEMBER (4.6-5.0). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHTZ (Z100) dipped to #3 with its lowest score in over a year (5.3-4.7). It had company as COX MEDIA Top 40/M WBLI rose from #8 with its best performance since MARCH (3.9-4.7). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3) repeated at #5 (4.1-4.6). iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (106.7 LITE FM) slid three places to #7 (4.2-3.7). AUDACY News WINS (1010 WINS) shared that space (4.0-3.7), and it is worth noting that WINS did gain an additional 0.6 share from its stream.  CONNOISSEUR Hot AC WALK (WALK FM) fell from #5 to #9 (4.1-3.6). WBAB had the most cume (412,500-426,300) – a 3.3% increase. The market grew by 1.3%.

The top five 25-54 stations were unchanged from last time. WBAB was #1 for the second book in a row with its highest share in over a year. WHTZ repeated at #2 but with its first down book since JUNE. WCBS returned as the #3 station with a slight increase, while WBLI stepped up to #4 with, again, its best outing since MARCH. WLTW dipped to #5, ending a two-book surge.

WBLI had its best 18-34 book since APRIL to secure its grip on the demo. WBAB was up three slots to #2 with its highest mark since MAY but trailed the leader by better than two shares. WLTW and WHTZ had been tied at #2. They both had down books and ended up at #3 and #4, respectively. Last month SBS Tropical WSKQ (MEGA 97.9) fell from #3 to #15. This time the station rebounded as it advanced to #5. CONNOISSEUR AC WKJY (KJOY 98.3) leapt from #11 into a tie at #6 with WCBS. CONNOISSEUR Classic Hits WBZO (103.1 MAX FM) slid four places to #8 and was paired with GOOD KARMA Sports WEPN (ESPN NY 98.7FM).

WHTZ was #1 18-49 for the third book in a row but was not alone. WBLI moved up from #3 with its highest number since APRIL and forced a jump ball. WBAB repeated at #3 with a solid increase. WCBS also ended up at #3 – advancing from #5 – with its best outing since JUNE. WLTW fell from #2 to #5.

A reminder to sign up for our Hot Topics blog. This guarantees delivery of the Radio Ratings Roundup. We promise not to bombard your inbox.

CHARLOTTE-GASTONIA-ROCK HILL: V Is For…

Velocity, apparently. BEASLEY Urban AC WBAV (V101.9) had its best 6+ book since APRIL (6.0-8.4) as it raced up the chart from #4 to #1. URBAN ONE Urban AC WOSF (105.3 RnB) repeated at #2 (7.3-7.1), while BEASLEY Country WSOC went from first to third as it ended a strong three-book surge (7.4-6.7). iHEARTMEDIA Adult Hits WLKO (102.9 THE LAKE) dipped to #4 with its smallest share since APRIL (6.2-5.9). URBAN ONE Talk WBT-A and UNIVERSITY RADIO N/T WFAE were tied last month at #5. WBT-A did not move (5.2-5.4), while WFAE fell to #10 (5.2-4.0). WLKO was swimming in the most cume (407,200-447,100) – a 9.8% rise. The market gained 3.0%.

WSOC was the 25-54 leader for the third book in a row. WOSF was back at #2 with its best book in over a year and narrowed the gap to under a share. BEASLEY Urban WPEG (POWER 98) also had its best outing in over a year as it stepped up to #3. WBAV bounced back from a down book to move up to #4. WLKO was down to places to #5 with its third straight down book.

For the third straight survey, WSOC was both #1 and in double digits 18-34. However, WBAV was not far off the pace. It moved from #5 to #2 and also hit the double-digit mark. WLKO dipped to #3 with its lowest number since MAY. It was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Country WKKT (96.9 THE KAT), which had been part of a threesome at #5 but advanced as it recovered from a down book. BEASLEY AC WKQC (K 104.7) stood alone at #5 with its best book since it was fouling the air with the likes of BURL IVES. WPEG slid three places to #6 with its smallest share in over a year. WOSF was down to #7, even though it regained some of last month’s share loss. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WEND (106.5 THE END) fell four places to #8 as it gave back most of last month’s large share increase. It was tied with BEASLEY Top 40/M WNKS (KISS 95.1).

Over the last two surveys, WOSF and WSOC were the 18-49 co-leaders. The third time was not the charm. WOSF remained in first place with its best performance in over a year, while WSOC drifted down to #3 with a small share loss. In between those former partners was WBAV, which moved up to #2 with its highest score since APRIL. It was also less than a half share behind the leader. WPEG repeated at #4 with its biggest number in exactly a year. WEND and WLKO remained tied at #5 but welcomed a new member to the club. WNKS rose from #7. All three stations had down books.

This concludes our Radio Ratings Roundup for OCTOBER. Thank you for participating. To ensure prompt delivery of the NOVEMBER edition, subscribe to our blog here. Also, please share this with other ratings-obsessed individuals.

As always, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. stand ready to help you grow your ratings and revenue. Click here to find out more.

– Steve Allan, Programming Research Consultant

About XTrends: XTrends creates simple pictures of sometimes complex and difficult-to-understand information.  To more easily navigate Nielsen ratings click here!

About Research Director, Inc.: Research Director, Inc. is based in Annapolis, Maryland. We help radio stations’ programming and sales departments maximize the value of their research. For more information, visit www.ResearchDirectorInc.com, call 410-295-6619, or e-mail info@ResearchDirectorInc.com or sallan@ResearchDirectorInc.com.

• Tweet