RADIO RATINGS ROUNDUP, February 2024, Part IV

March 21, 2024

Ahhh, FEBRUARY. The time of winter’s nadir. The buzz from the holidays has receded and the warmth of spring is still a dream in the distance. The days are still too dang short, and football is over. Sure, pitchers and catchers report, but that only intensifies the gloomy nature of the month.

Sorry, we need a moment…

OK, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with the logarithmic legends from XTRENDS – will get it together so we can bring you another round of ratings results. The month in question began on the 1st and ceased to be on the 28th. There was a holiday weekend, meteorological predictions from a fat rat, and the stress of choosing just the right romantic gift. Hopefully, we will also see a return to more normal listening behavior.

TAMPA-ST. PETERSBURG-CLEARWATER: When Doves Don’t Cry

It was quite the book for COX MEDIA Soft AC WDUV (105.5 THE DOVE) as the station hit double digits 6+ without the benefit of that performance-enhancing holiday music (9.7-10.0). Oh, and as usual, it was also #1. iHEARTMEDIA Country WFUS (US 103.5) had its best book since AUGUST (4.6-6.2) as it moved up two slots to #2. COX MEDIA Classic Hits WXGL (107.3 THE EAGLE) dipped to #3 (5.7-5.6), while BEASLEY Country WQYK ended a four-book slide as it moved up to #4 (4.5-5.1). It was sharing the moment with COX MEDIA Urban AC WTBV (101.5 THE VIBE), which posted its best number in its newer formatic attire as it arrived from #13 (3.7-5.1). COX MEDIA N/T WHPT (102.5 THE BONE) slid to #6 (5.3-4.9), while BEASLEY Classic Hits WRBQ (Q105) fell from #4 to #10 with its smallest share since AUGUST (4.6-4.2). It was tied with iHEARTMEDIA N/T WFLA-A (4.1-4.2). WDUV remained perched atop the cume leaderboard with a 3.7% increase (609,900-632,500). The market was up 0.5%.

It has been an interesting 25-54 journey for WFUS. It was #1 in AUGUST and as high as #2 in NOVEMBER. Then the reindeer games began, and it fell as low as #13. Well, the station moved from #11 to #1 this survey with its highest score since it was last the market leader. It held nearly a share lead over the three challengers at #2. WHTP dipped from #1 with a modest share loss, while iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock WXTB remained in place with a slight decrease. WTBV joined the party from #9 with a rather large share increase. WDUV slipped to #5 with a small increase, while iHEARTMEDIA AC WMTX (MIX 100.7) slid three places to #6. BEASLEY Rhythmic CHR WLLD (WiLD 94.1) dropped from #4 to #9 with its lowest score since JULY.

Not only was WDUV #1 18-34 for the third book in a row, it was also back in double figures. WFUS jumped from #8 to #2 with its best book since JULY, yet it was still two and a half shares off the lead. WQYK slipped to #3 despite landing its largest share in over a year. WLLD stepped down to #4 with a slight decrease, while three stations formed an alliance at #5. WXTB moved down a slot with a slight decrease. RADIO TRAINING Contemporary Christian WCIE (THE JOY FM) and WHPT advanced from their tie at #8. WMTX fell from a tie at #4 into a tie at #10 with BEASLEY Classic Rock WPBB (98.7 THE SHARK).

WDUV was #1 18-49 for the third book in a row and with its best Frosty-free share in over a year. However, it was not alone. WFUS forged the tie as it rose from #8 with its best showing since AUGUST. WXTB dipped to #3, despite posting its best number since MAY. WQYK and COX MEDIA AC WWRM (MAGIC 94.9) moved up and into a tie at #4. WLLD fell from #2 into a tie at #7 with WHPT, while WMTX slid from #4 to #9.

DENVER-BOULDER: A Fox Hunt

BONNEVILLE Country KYGO made it back-to-back 6+ wins (7.2-7.0) but it had a companion. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KRFX (103.5 THE FOX) slyly moved up from #6 with its best showing in over a year (4.6-7.0). BONNEVILLE AC KOSI (KOSI 101.1) continued to shed its excess holiday baggage as it dipped to #3 (6.9-6.0). iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTCL (CHANNEL 93.3) repeated at #4 but with its highest mark since JULY (5.0-5.5). KSE VENTURES Hot AC KIMN (MIX 100) slipped to #5 with its third down book in a row (5.1-4.8). It was met there by its cluster buddy KSE VENTURES Classic Hits KXKL (KOOL 105), which remained in place (4.9-4.8). Despite a 2.9% reduction, KOSI was still the cume champion (521,300-506,300). The market grew by 1.3%.

Don’t change the channel! KTCL repeated as the 25-54 leader with its highest score in over a year. KOSI had its best Frosty-free share in over a year to remain at #2 but was more than a share behind the leader. KXKL advanced two places to #3 with its second up book. KIMN held steady at #4 with a slight decrease, while KYGO slid to #5 with its first down book since OCTOBER.

Last month KTCL and AUDACY Rhythmic CHR KQKS (KS 107.5) were branded co-leaders of the 18-34 cohort. KTCL assumed sole control of the demo with a strong increase, while KQKS dipped to #2 but with its highest share in over a year. There also had been a five-station congregation at #3 but that did not endure. KYGO and iHEARTMEDIA AAA KBCO remained in that spot with slight increases. They added a new member as KXKL rose from #10 with its best outing in over a year. KOSI and KIMN fell from that #3 tie to #6 and #7, respectively. The final member of that quintet was KRFX. It landed in another five-way tie but farther down the ladder at #12.

The top of the 18-49 leaderboard was feeling the listener love. KTCL was #1 again with its best book in over a year, while KOSI repeated at #2 with its highest Frosty-free share in over a year. KXKL came back at #3 with its largest number since JULY. KIMN stepped up to #4 with a slight increase, while KYGO dipped to #5 with its lowest score since NOVEMBER. EDUCATIONAL MEDIA FOUNDATION Contemporary Christian KLDV (K-LOVE) went from a tie at #5 into a three-way situation at #6 with KBCO and ENTRAVISION Mexican Regional KXPK (LA TRICOLOR 96.5).

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SAN DIEGO: Considering All Things

You don’t have to wait, wait – we’ll tell you. SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY N/T KPBS moved up to #1 6+ with its highest share in over a year (6.2-7.3). AUDACY Classic Hits KXSN (SUNNY 98.1) stepped up to #2 (6.1-6.4), while LOCAL MEDIA Rhythmic AC XHRM (MAGIC 92.5) went from first to third (6.6-6.3). AUDACY Country KSON was up to #4 (4.9-5.1), while AUDACY AC KYXY dipped to #5 (5.0-4.9). iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KHTS (CHANNEL 933) landed its largest share in over a year (4.3-4.8) to advance three spaces to #6. iHEARTMEDIA N/T KOGO-A slipped two slots to #7 (4.9-4.6). KXSN continued to have the most listeners (494,300-531,300) – a 7.5% increase. The market was up a mere 0.1%.

Though XHRM was off slightly 25-54, the station landed at #1 for the first time since OCTOBER. iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KIOZ was the previous leader. However, the station surrendered a good chunk of last survey’s massive share increase as it stepped down to #2. KHTS was up a spot to #3, again with its best outing in over a year. It was partnered with KXSN, which arrived from #6 with a strong share increase. LOCAL MEDIA Pop CHR XHTZ (Z90.3) and KSON had been tied at #6. Both stations had the exact same small share increase and continued their arrangement at #5. KYXY slid from #4 to #7, while iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KMYI (STAR 94.1) fell from #3 to #8 and was tied with TELEVISAUNIVISION Mexican Regional KLNV (QUÉ BUENA 106.5).

So XHRM was cruising along on a five-book 18-34 winning streak when it got run over by a reindeer in the HOLIDAY book. The station was back on top this month with its highest mark in over a year. KIOZ moved from first into a three-way situation at #2. KPBS moved up from #10 while LOCAL MEDIA Alternative XTRA (91X) advanced from #16. Both stations more than doubled their previous numbers. Next, we need to sort out the four stations that had been massed at #3. KHTS slipped to #5 despite a modest increase. It was tied with KSON, which moved up from #7 with a strong showing. Also occupying that #5 space were XHTZ and iHEARTMEDIA Rhythmic CHR KSSX (JAM’N 95.7), which were also a part of that #3 quartet. KXSN dropped from that #3 logjam down to #9. Whew.

XHRM stepped up to #1 18-49 with a slight increase, which pushed KIOZ down to #2. And we have more ties to deal with. KLNV repeated at #3 with a small increase but had two new roommates. KHTS moved up from #5 while KXSN moved in from #7. Both stations had solid share increases. XHTZ dropped out of a tie at #3 with a slight increase and landed at #6. KYXY fell from #5 to #8 and was sharing that moment with KSSX and KSON.

NASSAU-SUFFOLK (LONG ISLAND): Can’t Beat The Classics

Heading into the HOLIDAY book, COX MEDIA Classic Rock WBAB was cruising along on a 10-book 6+ winning streak. Then Santa brought the hammer down. Well, the station just notched its second win in a row (7.2-6.9) and had a comfortable lead over iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WHTZ (Z100), which stepped up to #2 with its best book in exactly a year (5.1-5.5). CONNOISSEUR AC WKJY (K-JOY 98.3) repeated at #3 (5.1-5.1). It was paired with AUDACY News WINS (1010 WINS), which posted its biggest number in over a year (4.8-5.1) and gained an additional 0.7 share from its stream. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3) had its best showing since JULY (3.8-4.8) as it rose three places to #5. AUDACY Classic Hits WCBS dropped four slots to #6 (5.8-4.4). WBAB took over cume command with an 18.8% increase (365,900-434,700). The market was off by 0.1%.

For the second book in a row – and fourth time in the last five surveys – WHTZ was #1 25-54. WAXQ advanced from #6 to #2 with its best outing in over a year, while a flat WBAB repeated at #3. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC WKTU was up for the third book in a row as it rose from #7 to #4. WCBS fell three places to #5 as it returned most of last month’s huge share increase. WINS dipped to #6 and was tied with WKJY. CONNOISSEUR Hot AC WALK (WALK FM) had its lowest mark since OCTOBER as it dropped from #5 into a tie at #9 with COX MEDIA Pop CHR WBLI.

The gap between the top two 18-34 stations grew wider as #1 WHTZ had a small increase while WBLI experienced a modest decrease. SBS Spanish Tropical WSKQ (MEGA 97.9) stepped up to #3 with its fourth up book in a row. WKJY slipped to #4 and was joined by WBAB, which advanced from #8. WCBS moved from #4 to #6.

WHTZ was #1 18-49 for the seventh time in the last eight surveys. WBAB bolted from #6 to #2 with its biggest number since JULY but was still better than two shares off the lead. WKTU vaulted from #9 to #3 with its fifth straight up book. WINS dipped to #4 as it gave back most of last month’s rather large share increase. Three stations were huddled together at #5. WKJY remained in place, while WBLI stepped down from #4 and WSKQ inched up from #6. All three stations had down books. WCBS slid from #2 to #8 and was hanging out with WALK.

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CHARLOTTE-GASTONIA-ROCK HILL: Country Comfort

We have to set the Wayback Machine to SEPTEMBER to find the last time BEASLEY Country WSOC was #1 6+ (6.8-7.0). BEASLEY Urban AC WBAV (V101.9) moved up to #2 but with its smallest share in over a year (6.4-5.7). iHEARTMEDIA Adult Hits WLKO (102.9 THE LAKE) rose from #7 to #3 (4.6-5.6), while iHEARTMEDIA Country WKKT (96.9 THE KAT) leapt from #11 to #4 with its best book since JUNE (4.2-5.4). BEASLEY AC WKQC (K104.7) dropped to #5, which ended its three-book run at #1 (7.1-5.2). UNIVERSITY RADIO FOUNDATION N/T WFAE and URBAN ONE Urban Oldies WOSF (105.3 RnB) had been tied at #5. WFAE stepped down to #6 as it gave back a good portion of last month’s huge increase (5.7-4.9). WOSF landed at #7 with its lowest score since MARCH (5.7-4.8). BEASLEY Urban Contemporary WPEG (POWER 98) fell from #4 to #10 (6.0-4.1). It was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WRFX (99.7 THE FOX) (4.4-4.1). WLKO maintained its cume lead with a 6.6% increase (388,900-414,600). The market dipped by 0.1%.

Though it returned most of last month’s solid share increase, WPEG repeated as the 25-54 winner. WSOC was back at #2 with a modest share loss. The stations were a bit over a half share distant. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WEND (106.5 THE END) stepped up to #3 with a slight decrease. WOSF held steady at #4 but with its lowest score since JULY. It was paired with WLKO, which arrived from #7 with a solid increase. WKQC fell from #3 to #8.

Last month WKKT and WEND were in a tie at #3. With its best book since April, WKKT rose to #1, while WEND stepped up to #2 with its best book in over a year. This ended the three-book winning streak for WKQC, which drifted down to #3. It was in league with WSOC, which had its least productive outing since APRIL. WBAV moved up to #5 as it regained some of last month’s huge share loss. WPEG and WOSF had also been in that tie at #3. WPEG dropped into a tie at #6 with WLKO, while WOSF fell into a tie at #9.

Thanks to a slight share increase, WEND, ahem, ended up at #1 18-49. Despite a down book, WSOC moved up to #2. The stations were better than a half share apart. WOSF had its lowest score in over a year as it went from first to third. WKKT posted its biggest number since JUNE to move from #7 to #4. It had company as WLKO advanced from #9 to forge the tie. WKQC slipped to #6, while WPEG dropped into a tie at #7 with WBAV.

That’s all there is for this survey (at least as far as this blog is concerned). Hopefully we’ll be in your inbox a month from now as we dissect the MARCH book. Thank you for your time.

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-Steve Allan, Programming Research Consultant

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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.

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