RADIO RATINGS ROUNDUP, January 2025, Part II

February 25, 2025

The big reveal continues as The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – in close proximity to our fellow numbers nerds from XTRENDS – are back to see what AMERICA’S new radio ratings reality has produced. If you tuned in for our previous episode, you saw that the growth in market PUMM across the four demos we examined was all over the place. Will that trend continue with our latest installment? Read on.

The JANUARY survey ran from JANUARY 9^TH through FEBRUARY 5^TH. It contained one three-day weekend, playoff football, and some really lousy weather. Oh, yeah, it also measured listening differently than ever before.

HOUSTON-GALVESTON: The Sunny Will Come Out…

…pretty much every survey. iHEARTMEDIA AC KODA (SUNNY 99.1) was #1 6+ for the sixth straight survey (14.7-8.9). Last year it was #1 with an 8.3 share. RADIO ONE Country KKBQ (93Q COUNTRY) blasted up the chart, rising from #6 to #2 with its best book in over a year (we sense a theme coming) (4.7-6.9). HOPE MEDIA Contemporary Christian KSBJ dipped to #3 (6.3-6.0), while the two stations formerly in cahoots at #3 moved were seen in new positions. URBAN ONE Urban AC KMJQ (MAJIC 102.1) slipped to #4 (5.5-5.7), while RADIO ONE Classic Rock KGLK (THE EAGLE 106.9 & 107.5) alit at #5 (5.5-5.6). iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTBZ (94.5 THE BUZZ) stepped down to #6 with its lowest score since JULY (4.9-4.6). KODA still had the most listeners (2,126,200-1,935,000) – a 9.0% decline. The market grew by 0.6%. The market’s 6+ PUMM was up 17.4%.

KODA made it three 25-54 wins in a row, despite shedding a lot of that HOLIDAY weight gain. KKBQ rose from #4 to #2 with, yup, its best outing in over a year. The stations were less than a share apart. URBAN ONE Rhythmic CHR KBXX (97.9 THE BOX) slipped from a tie at #2 to #3, despite being up for the fifth book in a row. KTBZ was also a former #2 player. It landed at #4 with a small share loss. KSBJ repeated at #5 with a small increase. It was forced to share the spotlight with CUMULUS Pop CHR KRBE, which advanced from #12 with its highest mark since AUGUST. The market’s 25-54 PUMM rose 24.1%.

KKBQ more than doubled its previous 18-34 share – and hit double figures – as it vaulted from #8 to #1. KTBZ remained at #2 with a small decrease, while KGLK moved up to #3 as it rebounded from a down book. KBXX dipped to #4 with a small share loss. It was tied with the stationary AUDACY Spanish Contemporary KLOL (MEGA 101FM), which had a small share increase. KODA surrendered about two-thirds of its previous share as it fell from #1 to #6. The market’s 18-34 PUMM was up 15.9%.

Despite ceding about half of last survey’s share, KODA was #1 18-49 for the sixth book in a row. KTBZ was back at #2 but was feeling the heat from KKBQ, which advanced from #7 to #3. KBXX dipped to #4 with a slight increase, while KSBJ stepped down to #5. It was partnered with KRBE, which arrived from #13 with its highest mark since AUGUST. KLOL fell from #5 to #9 and was hanging out with AUDACY Hot AC KHMX (MIX 96.5). The market’s 18-49 PUMM grew by 19.1%.

ATLANTA: Eight Is Enough

For the eighth straight survey, COX MEDIA N/T WSB-A was #1 6+ (8.1-9.0). COX MEDIA Classic Hits WSRV (97.1 THE RIVER) rose to #2 with its highest water mark since JUNE (6.3-8.0). URBAN ONE Urban AC WAMJ (MAJIC 107.5/97.5) repeated at #3 (6.5-6.8), while AUDACY Urban Contemporary WVEE (V-103) was up two places to #4 with its best showing in over a year (5.7-6.1). COX MEDIA Urban AC WALR (KISS 104.1) returned at #5 but with its smallest share since APRIL (5.9-5.4). One of the market’s bigger stories was the demise of local programming on the station formerly known as THE FISH. SALEM Contemporary Christian WAIA (AIR1) flipped from local to national with less than a week to go in the book. It fell from #2 to #8 (6.9-4.4). To put this into context, the station was the annual home of the holiday hits, so that would explain the bulk of the share loss. A year ago, it landed at #5 with a 4.7 share. COX MEDIA AC WSB-F (B98.5) remained the cume leader with a 10.7% increase (703,800-779,100). The market was up 1.9%. 6+ PUMM in the market rose by 15.9%.

WVEE widened its 25-54 lead with, again, its best book in over a year. WAMJ was back at #2 with a small increase but was about two shares off the pace. WALR repeated at #3 but with its smallest share since JUNE. It was partnered with WSRV, which advanced from #8 as it halted a five-book slide. Also coming in at #3 was WSB-A, which moved up from #5 with a slight increase. WAIA fell from #4 to #12 and was tied with JDJ COMMUNICATIONS Urban Contemporary WWSZ-A (STREETZ 94.5). The market’s 25-54 PUMM was up 16.1%.

WSRV landed its largest 18-34 share in over a year as it climbed from #5 to #1. This ended the three-book winning string for WVEE, which dipped to #2. It was joined there by WSB-A, which was stationary, and WAMJ, which rocketed up from #10 with its best book in over a year. WSB-F was up two slots to #5 as it began its post-holiday recovery. Three stations exited the top five. URBAN ONE Urban Contemporary WHTA (HOT 107.9) fell from a tie at #3 to #9. RADIO TRAINING Contemporary Christian WVFJ (THE JOY FM) was also last seen at #3. It landed at #10 along with WWSZ-A. WAIA dropped from #5 to #12. 18-34 PUMM in the market rose 17.9%.

WVEE was #1 18-49 for the second book in a row and for the fourth time in the last five surveys. It had a comfortable lead over WAMJ, which repeated at #2. WSB-A stepped up to #3 as it ended a three-book slide. WSRV leapt from #10 to #4 with its best outing since SEPTEMBER. WALR slipped to #5, while the two stations formerly championing the #4 position were sent packing. WHTA ended up at #8, while WAIA fell to #14. The market’s 18-49 PUMM grew by 21.8%.

WASHINGTON, D.C.: An Inaugural Look

There were market conditions that likely had an effect on this survey. There was this thing called the Presidential Inauguration. It meant locals had to deal with thousands of out-of-towners who don’t know how to drive in this city. (There are loads of one-way streets). AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU kept its long string of #1 6+ books alive and landed its largest share in over a year (12.3-13.4). HUBBARD News WTOP also posted its biggest number in over a year (10.1-11.4) as it remained #2. HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR moved up to #3 (6.2-5.7), while Santa’s station – iHEARTMEDIA AC WASH – dipped to #4 (8.7-5.2). It was also #4 a year ago but with a 6.5 share. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WWDC (DC101) stepped up to #5 with its highest mark in over a year (4.6-5.1). WETA Classical WETA stepped down to #6 (5.2-4.5). WTOP became the cume leader (traffic on the 8’s!) with a 16.0% increase (704,800-817,400). The market was up 3.8%. The 6+ PUMM for the market grew by 27.8%.

Information ruled the 25-54 crowd as WAMU moved up to #1 and missed double figures by the smallest of possible margins. WTOP was up to #2 with its fourth up book in a row. WWDC advanced three spaces to #3 with its best showing since AUGUST. WHUR repeated at #4 with a slight decrease, while WASH dropped from #1 to #5. AUDACY Classic Hits WIAD (94.7 THE DRIVE) returned nearly all of last survey’s share increase as it slipped to #7. The market’s 25-54 PUMM was up 33.3%.

So, back in OCTOBER and NOVEMBER, iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WIHT (HOT 99.5) was both #1 and in double digits in the 18-34 space. Then that whole holiday thing happened. Well, the station was back on top and in double figures this survey. WASH dipped to #2 with the expected share loss. What did we say about traffic? WTOP more than doubled its previous number as it advanced from #10 to #3. WIAD exactly doubled last survey’s share as it motored from #11 to #4. WWDC dipped from a tie at #4 to #5 and was tied with URBAN ONE Urban Contemporary WKYS, which vaulted from #9 with a strong share gain. AUDACY Rhythmic CHR WPGC and ATLANTIC GATEWAY Contemporary Christian WGTS were also last seen at #4. WPGC slipped into a tie at #7 with WAMU and WHUR. WGTS landed at #11 along with iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WBIG (BIG 100). iHEARTMEDIA Country WMZQ plunged from #3 to #10. The market’s 18-34 PUMM was up 42.0%.

WAMU had its best 18-49 book since FEBRUARY as it moved up to #1. WTOP improved to #2 with its fourth up book in a row. WIHT was up three places to #3 as it bounced back from a down book. WWDC slipped to #4 despite a solid share gain. WASH fell from #1 to #5, while WKYS slid from #5 to #8. The market’s 18-49 PUMM was up 31.5%.

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PHILADELPHIA: Fly Eagles Fly

You have no idea how painful it was to write that headline. AUDACY Sports WIP rose from #1 to #1 6+ (7.3-9.8). The station also pulled a 3.0 share from its stream, which tied it for tenth place. Pretty darned impressive. BEASLEY Classic Rock WMGK rose from #5 to #2 with its best outing since MAY (6.7-7.8). It’s younger and more-inked cluster brother – BEASLEY Album Oriented Rock WMMR – stepped up to #3 (7.2-7.6). iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS landed its lowest share in over a year (8.0-6.6) as it slid to #4. AUDACY News KYW-A reported its best number since APRIL (4.3-5.5) to move up to #5. It also picked up a 0.9 share from its digital asset. Audacy AC WBEB (B101) dropped from #1 to #6 (15.7-4.9). It was also #6 last year with a 5.5 share. WBEB kept its cume lead despite a 33.3% decline (1,653,500-1,102,200). The market was up 2.4%. The 6+ PUMM in the market grew by 21.8%.

WIP rose from #4 to #1 25-54 and hit double figures. The station’s stream came in at #9. WMMR repeated at #2 with a modest increase, while WDAS was back at #3 with its lowest mark since JULY. WMGK stepped up to #4 with its best showing since FEBRUARY, while WBEB dropped from #1 to #5. 25-54 PUMM in the market was up 32.9%.

BEASLEY Country WXTU (92.5 XTU) got back most of last survey’s big share loss as it leapt from #5 to #1 18-34. WMMR remained at #2 with a small decrease, while WBEB went from first to third as it coughed up more than half its previous share. WMGK and WDAS last tied at #3. Both stations experienced down books and ended up at #4 and #5, respectively. iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WUSL (POWER 99) regained all of last survey’s lost share and was knocking at the door to the top five. WIP rose from #10 to #8. The market’s 18-34 PUMM was up 18.3%.

For the twelfth time in the last 14 surveys, WMMR was #1 18-49. WIP was up two places to #2 and was about a half share off the lead. WDAS remained at #3 with a small decrease. It was paired with WXTU, which rose from #6 as it rebounded from a down book. WMGK repeated at #5 with a slight increase, while WBEB dropped from #1 to #6. The market’s 18-49 PUMM grew by 27.2%.

BOSTON: Hubba Hubba

For the tenth time in the last 14 surveys, BEASLEY Sports WBZ-F (98.5 THE SPORTS HUB) was #1 6+ (7.8-9.0). AUDACY AC WMJX (MAGIC 106.7) dipped to #2 after Rudolph’s timely departure (15.4-7.9). The station was #2 last year with a 6.7 share. iHEARTMEDIA N/T WBZ-A remained at #3 (5.5-5.8), while BOSTON UNIVERSITY N/T WBUR stepped up to #4 with its best book since APRIL (3.9-5.6). AUDACY Sports WEEI landed its largest share in over a year (2.3-4.7) as it roared from #14 to #5. BEASLEY Classic Hits WROR slipped to #6 (4.5-4.6). WMJX remained the cume commander despite a 29.3% decline (1,061,300-750,700). The market was up 0.4%. The 6+ PUMM for the market rose 16.4%.

Last survey WBZ-F ended a three-book double-digit streak by the slimmest of margins as it bowed to #2. The station was back on top this month and also in double figures again. AUDACY Hot AC WWBX (MIX 104.1) regained a small portion of last survey’s large share loss as it moved up two slots to #2. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WXKS (KISS 108) repeated at #3 with a slight increase, while WBUR jumped from #7 to #4 with, again, its best outing in over a year. WROR stayed at #5 as it rebounded from a down book. WMJX dropped from #1 to #6, while iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WZLX slid to #8 with only a slight decrease. The market’s 25-54 PUMM was up 19.5%.

WMJX lost almost half its previous 18-34 share but was still in double figures and in first place for the third straight survey. WBZ-F remained at #2 with a slight increase, while WWBX repeated at #3 as it halted a steep two-book slide. It was accompanied in that space by BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WBQT (HOT 97.1), which vaulted from #11 as it more than doubled its previous number. iHEARTMEDIA Rhythmic CHR WJMN (JAM’N 94.5) slipped to #5 despite a solid share increase. WXKS stepped down to #6 with a small decrease. The market’s 18-34 PUMM was up 8.0%.

WBZ-F was in double figures for the third book in a row as it moved back to #1. WMJX slipped to #2 and was four shares behind the leader. WWBX inched up to #3 as it regained some of last survey’s massive share loss. WBQT rose from #8 to #4 with its highest score in over a year. WXKS slipped to #5 with a small increase. WJMN had a slight share gain but was moved down into a tie at #7 with WBUR. The market’s 18-49 PUMM rose by 12.6%.

We’re halfway through this process. More three-minute reveals to come tomorrow.  Round three will focus on SEATTLE, MIAMI, PHOENIX, DETROIT, and MINNEAPOLIS.

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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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