RADIO RATINGS ROUNDUP, October 2024, Part IV

October 31, 2024

As you prepare to carve your pumpkins, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – in cooperation with the algorithmic shape-shifters from XTRENDS – are ready to slice and dice another round of the OCTOBER survey. Which stations reaped ratings gold and which ones turned into pumpkins? This book ran from SEPTEMBER 12^TH through OCTOBER 9^TH. There were no big holidays to contend with, football was in full swing, and schedules had settled into more familiar patterns. Prepare your favorite pumpkin-spiced concoction and play along with us.

TAMPA-ST. PETERSBURG-CLEARWATER: The Race For Second Place

Book after book, the 6+ crown is consistently on the head of COX MEDIA Soft AC WDUV (105.5 THE DOVE). The station cruised to another victory with its ninth double-digit book in a row (10.9-10.7). BEASLEY Country WQYK stayed at #2 with its third down book in a row (6.0-5.6). It was hearing footsteps from COX MEDIA Urban AC WTBV (101.5 THE VIBE), which stepped up to #3 (5.7-5.5). The station also gained a 0.7 share from its stream. iHEARTMEDIA AC WMTX (MIX 100.7) was up to #4 as it bounced back from a down book (4.9-5.4). iHEARTMEDIA Country WFUS (US 103.5) slid to #5 (6.0-5.3) and was feeling the heat from COX MEDIA Classic Hits WXGL (107.3 THE EAGLE), which was up two slots to #6 as it got back some of last month’s big share loss (4.5-5.2). WDUV lost 2.9% of its cume but was still the leader in that category (649,200-630,300). The market was up 1.3%.

Though it shed all of last month’s solid 25-54 share gain – plus a bit more, WDUV repeated as the market leader. The country format gained control of the #2 position. WFUS jumped from #5 to #2 with its first up book since JUNE. It was joined in that space by WQYK, which rose from #4 with its best book since people were debating if DIE HARD is a CHRISTMAS movie (it’s not). WMTX moved up two places to #4, while BEASLEY Rhythmic CHR WLLD (WiLD 94.1) advanced to #5 with its best book in a year. iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock WXTB slid to #6 with its lowest score since SANTA was cruising the streets. COX MEDIA N/T WHPT (102.5 THE BONE) fell from #2 to #8, ending a two-book surge. It was tied with WTBV.

WDUV was #1 and in double figures 18-34 for the third straight survey. WMTX narrowly missed hitting double-digits as it stepped up to #2. WQYK dipped to #3 as it ended a robust three-book surge. WFUS repeated at #4 with a slight increase, while WXTB remained at #5 but with a modest share loss.

Three – count ’em – three stations were perched atop the 18-49 leaderboard. WDUV was there for the second book in a row. It was joined by WQYK, which stepped up from #2 with a slight increase, and WMTX, which rose from #4 as it got back most of last month’s big share loss. WFUS stepped up to #4 with a solid increase, while WLLD was up to #5 with its best showing since last OCTOBER. WXTB slid three places to #6 with its smallest share since the maids were tending the cows.

DENVER-BOULDER: Keep On Going

For the second book in a row, BONNEVILLE Country KYGO was #1 6+ (7.3-7.4). Coming in at #2 again was its cluster cousin BONNEVILLE AC KOSI (KOSI 101.1) (6.8-6.6). Moving up to #3 with its sixth up book in a row was AUDACY Modern AC KALC (ALICE 105.9) (5.6-6.2). KSE VENTURES Classic Hits KXKL (KOOL 105) landed its smallest share since APRIL as it drifted down to #4 (6.8-6.1). AUDACY Classic Rock KQMT (99.5 THE MOUNTAIN) was up two places to #5 (4.7-4.8). The station also garnered a 0.6 share from its online presence. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KRFX (103.5 THE FOX) and iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTCL (CHANNEL 93.3) had been an item at #5. KRFX dipped to #6 with its lowest score since JANUARY (5.3-4.7), while KTCL moved down to #7 (5.3-4.5). It was paired with iHEARTMEDIA AAA KBCO, which rebounded from a down book (3.8-4.5). Despite a 6.1% decline, KOSI remained the cume leader (530,700-498,300). The market grew by 0.3%.

Despite a slight decrease, KYGO stepped up to #1 25-54. This stopped the three-book winning streak for KTCL, which dipped to #2 with its first down book since JUNE. KALC landed its largest share in over a year as it stepped up to #3. This pushed KXKL down to #4 as it posted its lowest number since FEBRUARY. The station was tied with KBCO, which rose from #7 as it ended a steep two-book slide. KOSI had its smallest share in over a year as it dropped down to #7.

KYGO was both #1 and in double figures 18-34 for the second straight survey. KOSI was up to #2 with its best outing since JUNE but was still about three shares off the lead. KRFX stepped down to #3 with its lowest mark since MAY, while KTCL rose from a tie at #6 to #4 as it halted a two-book slide. Three stations were huddled together at #5. KXKL slipped from #3, while AUDACY Rhythmic AC KQKS (KS 107.5) remained in place with a modest share loss. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KDHT (HITS 95.7) moved up from the tie at #6 with its highest score in over a year.

A couple of stations charged up the 18-49 chart to forge a tie at #1. ENTRAVISION Mexican Regional KXPK (LA TRICOLOR 96.5) rose from #3 with its best book in over a year, while KBCO advanced from #7 as it stopped a two-book slide. Last month’s leader – KYGO – slipped to #3 as it gave back most of its previous gain. KALC stood alone at #4 with its sixth straight up book, while KOSI dipped to #5 with a slight increase. It was paired with KTCL, which was up from #6 as it ended a six-book skid. KXKL fell from #2 to #7 with its lowest total since Grandma hit the pavement.

SAN DIEGO: Pennant Fever

AUDACY Classic Hits KXSN (SUNNY 98.1) was #1 6+ for the fourth book in a row (6.4-6.2). However, it as company as the ill-fated postseason run for the PADRES drove AUDACY Sports KWFN (97.3 THE FAN) to its best book in over a year (5.4-6.2). TELEVISAUNIVISION Mexican Regional KLNV (QUÉ BUENA 106.5) was up two places to #3 as the station landed its fourth up book in a row (5.3-6.0). SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY N/T KPBS slid to #4 (5.7-5.6), while LOCAL MEDIA Adult Hits KFBG (100.7 BIG FM) dropped to #5 (5.4-5.4). KXSN continued to lead the cume parade with a 5.8% increase (510,200-539,900). The market rose by 0.6%.

KLNV solidified its hold on the #1 position 25-54 with its best book in over a year. LOCAL MEDIA Rhythmic AC XHRM (MAGIC 92.5) jumped from #5 to #2 but was still nearly two shares off the pace. KWFN advanced from #7 to #3 with its third up book in a row. KXSN slipped to #4 with its smallest share since JANUARY. It was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KIOZ, which dipped from a tie at #3 with a slight increase. LOCAL MEDIA Alternative XTRA (91X) was previously tied at #3 but slid to #6 with a small share loss. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KHTS (CHANNEL 933) dialed it down to #7, also with a small share decrease.

X marked the spots atop the 18-34 chart. XTRA stood strong at #1 with a solid increase, while XHRM repeated at #2. The gap between the two stations stood at a share and a half. KWFN and KPBS remained tied at #3 with strong share gains. KXSN dropped from the tie at #3 to #5 as it regained some of last month’s share loss. KFBG had also been part of that #3 conglomerate. It fell to #9 as it surrendered a good portion of last month’s massive increase. It was partnered with iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KMYI (STAR 94.1) and iHEARTMEDIA N/T KFI-A

KLNV had its best 18-49 book in over a year as it captured the demo for the third straight survey. XHRM repeated at #2 with its largest share since APRIL, while KWFN was up three places to #3, also with its best outing in over a year. A flat XTRA dipped to #4 and was tied with the stationary KIOZ, which had a small increase. KXSN slipped to #6 with its third straight down book.

CHARLOTTE-GASTONIA-ROCK HILL: A Great Lake

iHEARTMEDIA Adult Hits WLKO (102.9 THE LAKE) had its best 6+ book in over a year (7.0-8.8) as it moved back up to #1. BEASLEY Urban AC WBAV (V101.9) dipped to #2 with its first down book since MARCH (7.7-7.1). BEASLEY Country WSOC repeated at #3 (6.6-6.6), while iHEARTMEDIA Country WKKT (96.9 THE KAT) clawed its way up to #4 (5.4-5.7). PACIFIC Classic Hits WXRC (95.7 THE RIDE) backed up to #5 as it returned most of last month’s solid share increase (6.4-5.5). URBAN ONE N/T WBT-A stepped down to #6 (5.8-5.2). For the tenth straight survey, WLKO was the cume leader (375,500-438,900) – a 16.9% increase. The market rose by 3.7%.

Last month BEASLEY Urban Contemporary WPEG (Power 98) narrowly defeated iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WEND (106.5 THE END) in the 25-54 race. That all changed this time. WEND moved up to #1 with a slight increase, while WPEG slipped to #2 as it surrendered all of last month’s strong increase, plus a little extra. WLKO stepped up to #3 as it rebounded from a down book, while URBAN ONE Sports WFNZ stayed behind at #4, even though it regained all of last month’s lost share. WSOC inched up to #5 with a slight increase and was tied with WBAV, which dropped from #3.

WBAV was #1 18-34 for the third straight survey and made it back-to-back double-digit performances. WPEG remained at #2 but narrowly missed hitting double figures. WFNZ repeated at #3 but with its highest output since MAY. WSOC advanced four places to #4, also with its best outing since MAY. Last month there was a threesome at #5. WLKO remained in place with its highest score since that little boy was incessantly drumming. URBAN ONE Urban Oldies WOSF (105.3 RnB) slipped to #6 with a slight decrease, while WEND, ahem, ended up at #7. It was sharing that moment with two other stations. BEASLEY Pop CHR WNKS (KISS 95.1) dropped from #3 with a rather large share loss, while iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WHQC (HITS 96.1) moved up from #9 with its highest score in over a year.

For the last two books, WPEG and WBAV were shuffling between #1 and #2 18-49. It was WPEG’s turn to lead this month, even with a small share loss. WBAV was down to #2 as it gave back most of last month’s huge increase. WEND repeated at #3 as it halted a two-book surge. WLKO stepped up to #4 as it rebounded from a down book, while WSOC advanced to #5 with a strong share gain. WFNZ dipped to #6 with a small increase, while WNKS dropped three places to #7, ending its three-book surge. The station was tied with WOSF.

NASSAU-SUFFOLK (LONG ISLAND): A Ten Spot

COX MEDIA Classic Rock WBAB continued its 6+ tear as it was #1 for the tenth straight survey (7.9-8.5). iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WHTZ (Z100) was back at #2 (6.1-5.7), while AUDACY News WINS (1010 WINS) repeated at #3 (4.9-5.6). The station also notched an additional 1.1 share from its stream. CONNOISSEUR Hot AC WALK (WALK FM) stepped up to #4 with its best showing since MAY (4.6-5.0). AUDACY Sports WFAN (WFAN SPORTS RADIO) scored its best number in over a year (2.6-4.7) as it vaulted from #14 to #5. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3) dipped to #6 (4.6-4.3), while AUDACY Classic Hits WCBS dropped from #3 to #7, thus ending its two-book surge (4.9-4.0). It was tied with COX MEDIA Pop CHR WBLI (3.8-4.0), which picked up a 0.3 share from its stream. After a one-book layoff, WBAB was back as the cume leader (437,000-433,000) – a 0.9% decrease. The market was off 1.4%.

WHTZ continued to dominate the 25-54 space as it collared its tenth #1 book in a row. WBAB moved back up to #2 as it rebounded from a down survey. It was nearly two shares behind the leader. WALK rose from #5 to #3 with its first up book since MAY. WAXQ slid to #4 with a modest share loss. CONNOISSEUR Mainstream Rock WWSK (94.3 THE SHARK) advanced three squares to #5 with its largest share in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC WKTU fell four places to #7 as it gave back most of last month’s big share increase.

There were loads of changes in the 18-34 sphere. Last month WBAB stepped down to #2 and out of double-digit territory. This time the station recovered all of that lost share to move back to #1. CONNOISSEUR Country WWWF (103.1 THE WOLF) dipped to #2 and ended a two-book double-digit streak. WHTZ repeated at #3 as it surrendered a good portion of last month’s large increase. It was tied with WBLI, which rebounded from a down book to move up a slot. Also coming in at #3 was CONNOISSEUR AC WKJY (K-JOY 98.3), which leapt from #10, more than doubling its previous number. iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (106.7 LITE FM) slipped to #7 and was paired with WALK.

Last month WBAB had its three-book 18-49 winning streak upended by WHTZ. This survey WBAB was back at #1 while WHTZ stepped down to #2. WBAB regained a lot of last month’s lost share, while WHTZ gave back a good portion of its previous increase. WAXQ repeated at #3, though it ended a eight-book surge. WBLI and WALK were previously seen at #7 and #6, respectively. Both stations had solid share increases as they moved up and into a tie at #4. WKTU slipped to #7 and was paired with WFAN, which advanced from #15.

That’s a wrap on our OCTOBER ratings excursion. Thank you for tagging along. We’ll be back in a month to dissect the NOVEMBER survey.

If you haven’t done so already, please subscribe to our blog right now. Feel free to share it with your network.

As always, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. are ready to help you grow your ratings and revenue. Click the link below to get the gruesome details.

-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