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RADIO RATINGS ROUNDUP, February 2025, Part I
March 24, 2025
When the JANUARY numbers were released, there were a myriad of hot takes about what the new three-minute qualifier wrought upon the radio world. The reality we witnessed – and wrote about – was a bit more nuanced. When comparing JANUARY to HOLIDAY, there were dramatic increases in AQH persons. The year-over-year metrics were quite a bit less dramatic. The one solid conclusion? Every market was different.
Now we move on to FEBRUARY. Will the AQH leap from the previous survey be as profound as last time? What about when compared to 2024? Read on ….
This book ran from FEBRUARY 6TH through MARCH 5TH and did feature one federally mandated holiday weekend. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – working hand in glove with the algorithmic alchemists from XTRENDS – are here to tell the story of FEBRUARY.
NEW YORK: Go To The Lite
As is usually the case, iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (106.7 LITE FM) was the leading 6+ station (7.7-8.2). AUDACY Classic Hits WCBS had its best showing in over a year (5.3-5.9) as it stepped up to #2. AUDACY News WINS (1010 WINS) dipped to #3 (5.8-5.8) but was granted an additional 0.8 share attributed to its stream. SBS Spanish Tropical WSKQ (MEGA 97.9) moved up two places to #4 (5.1-5.5) and also picked up a 0.7 share from its online presence. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3) moved from a tie at #4 to #5 (5.2-5.1). Its former partner in that place was NEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO N/T WNYC, which landed at #7 (5.2-4.9). It was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WHTZ (Z100), which rose from a tie at #9 with its best book since OCTOBER (4.6-4.9). WLTW was still the cume leader (3,696,100-3,615,900) – a 2.2% decline. The market was off by 0.3%. In the PUMM space, the market was down 0.2% from JANUARY but up 4.9% from 2024.
WSKQ vaulted to the top of the 25-54 leaderboard with its best book in over a year. A flat WHTZ was up to #2, while WLTW went from first to third with its smallest share since AUGUST. WCBS rose three places to #4 with its highest mark in over a year. Both AUDACY Hot AC WNEW (NEW 102.7) and iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC WKTU (103.5 KTU) experienced small share losses. The stations slipped to #5 and #6, respectively. Market PUMM was off 1.3% from last month but up 3.0% from last year.
WLTW was in double figures 18-34 for the 13th time in the last 14 books and kept its long, uninterrupted #1 streak alive. WCBS had a rather large share increase as it leapt from #4 to #2. A flat WSKQ dipped to #3 and was paired with the stationary WHTZ, which posted its largest number since SEPTEMBER. WNEW advanced three spaces to #5 with a modest share gain. WAXQ slid from #5 into a tie at #9 with SBS Spanish Contemporary WPAT (93.1 AMOR). Market PUMM rose 1.7% from JANUARY but was off 1.2% from 2024.
Despite a down book, WLTW was #1 18-49 for the seventh straight survey. However, WSKQ repeated at #2 with its best book in over a year as it narrowed the gap between the two stations to less than a half-share. WCBS jumped from #7 to #3 with a huge increase. WHTZ was down a bit to land at #4. WKTU and WNEW were off this survey as they slipped to #5 and #6, respectively. Market PUMM was down 0.5% from the previous survey and down 3.9% from last year.
LOS ANGELES: KOSTing
The horrific wildfires that devastated this city were raging for a good portion of this survey. The disaster’s effects on radio listening, however, seem to have been minimal. iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST was #1 6+ for the fourth straight survey (6.1-6.1). AUDACY Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH 101 FM) stayed at #2 (5.8-5.6), while iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (104.3 MYFM) moved up to #3 (5.0-5.2). iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KIIS (102.7 KISS FM) stepped up to #4 (4.7-5.0). AUDACY News KNX slipped to #5 (5.2-4.9), though it is worth noting that a year ago at this time it was sitting at #10. The station did add a 0.3 digital share. KOST kept the cume crown with a 1.4% increase (2,361,600-2,395,200). The market was up 0.3%. In PUMM news, the market grew 4.3% from JANUARY and 11.2% from 2024.
Last month KIIS and KOST were tied at #1 25-54. KIIS remained in place with a small increase, while KOST dipped to #2 with a slight decrease. KRTH repeated at #3 but with its best outing since AUGUST. KBIG remained at #4 with a small share gain. AUDACY Adult Hits KCBS (93.1 JACK FM) was up two places to #5 with its best book since JULY. TELEVISAUNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KLVE (K-LOVE 107.5) dipped to #6 and was partnered with iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KYSR (ALT 98.7) and SBS Mexican Regional KLAX (LA RAZA 97.9). Last month KNX rose from #20 to #11. It slipped to #13 this time. Market PUMM was up 2.9% from last month and 1.0% from last year.
On our last visit, KIIS and KRTH were both claiming to be #1 18-34. KIIS landed its largest share since OCTOBER to remain in place, while KRTH slipped to #2 with a noticeable share loss. KOST was still at #3 with a slight increase, while KBIG stepped up to #4 with its third up book in a row. MERUELO Classic Rock KLOS had its best showing since AUGUST as it moved up to #5. SBS Spanish Contemporary KXOL (MEGA 96.3) dropped to #6. Market PUMM was off 1.0% from the previous book and down 11.5% from last FEBRUARY.
KIIS extended its lead over the rest of the 18-49 field, thanks to its best book in over a year. KRTH remained at #2 with a down book and was paired with KOST, which moved up thanks to its best Frosty-free share in exactly a year. KBIG repeated at #4 with a slight increase, while KCBS advanced two places to #5 with its highest mark in over a year. KLVE dipped to #6 as it surrendered most of last month’s huge share increase. Market PUMM was up 2.8% from last month but down 0.7% from last year.
CHICAGO: It’s News To Us
AUDACY News WBBM-A was back at #1 6+ with its highest share in over a year (5.9-6.8). The station padded its lead with an additional 1.3 share from the interwebs. iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WVAZ (V103) was back at #2 (5.2-5.0) but it was not alone as iHEARTMEDIA AC WLIT (93.9 LITE FM) rose from #8 to forge a tie (4.2-5.0). HUBBARD Classic Rock WDRV (97.1 THE DRIVE) reversed itself to #4 (4.8-4.7), while two stations moved up to the #5 position. HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (101.9 THE MIX) stepped up from #6 (4.5-4.4), while NEXSTAR N/T WGN-A (RADIO 720) advanced from #10 with its highest score in over a year (3.4-4.4). AUDACY AAA WXRT (93 XRT) fell from a tie at #3 to #7 (4.8-4.3). AUDACY Country WUSN (US99) was also formerly at #3. It dropped to #9 (4.8-3.7). It was partnered with iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WKSC (103.5 KISS FM) (3.6-3.7) and TELEVISAUNIVISION Mexican Regional WOJO (QUÉ BUENA 105.1) (3.4-3.7). WLIT increased its cume leading figure by 3.8% (1,207,100-1,253,400). The market was down 0.4%. Market PUMM was up 2.5% from JANUARY and 10.0% from 2024.
A flat WTMX repeated as the leading 25-54 station. WKSC remained at #2 with a slight decrease but it had company CHICAGO PUBLIC MEDIA N/T WBEZ leapt from #6 with its highest mark in over a year. WXRT held steady at #4 with a slight decrease. WUSN dropped from a tie at #2 into a three-way arrangement at #5 with WOJO and iHEARTMEDIA Urban CONTEMPORARY WGCI. Market PUMM was up 2.7% from last month and 12.0% from last year.
There were some impressive share increases atop the 18-34 chart. WKSC was back at #1 with its best book in over a year. WLIT rose from #5 to #2 with its best Frosty-free outing in over a year, while WTMX leapt from #6 to #3 with, yup, its highest mark in over a year. WOJO dipped to #4 with a slight decrease, while WVAZ moved up to #5 with a slight increase. WUSN tumbled from #2 to #6 with its smallest share in over a year. CUMULUS Classic Hits WLS-F dropped from #3 to #7. Market PUMM was down 2.2% from JANUARY but rose 4.3% when compared with last year.
WTMX and WKSC moved up to #1 and #2, respectively, with the 18-49 crowd with their highest shares in over a year. They were separated by a half share. WGCI stepped up to a somewhat distant #3, while WOJO inched up to #4. The former was off slightly while the latter was flat. CUMULUS Alternative WKQX (Q101) had its best book in over a year as it rose from #8 to #5. WUSN fell from #1 to #6. Market PUMM was up 2.2% from last month and 12.3% from last year. Shameless plug: Still trying to make sense out of all this new three-minute data? We can help ’cause data analysis is our thing.
DALLAS-FT. WORTH: The Race For Second Place
For the second book in a row, CUMULUS Sports KTCK (96.7 & 1310 THE TICKET) was the runaway 6+ leader (7.1-6.4). The next four contestants were battling it out for the runner-up position. TELEVISAUNIVISION Mexican Regional KLNO (QUÉ BUENA 94.1) stepped up to #2 (4.8-4.9), while iHEARTMEDIA AC KDGE (STAR 102.1) dipped to #3 (5.2-4.8). AUDACY Adult Hits KJKK (100.3 JACK FM) was down to #4 (4.8-4.6) and was met there by iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KHKS (106.1 KISS FM), which rose from #5 (4.3-4.6). KDGE added 3.0% to its market-leading cume total (1,243,300-1,280,000). The market grew by 1.8%. In the PUMM wars, the market was up 7.6% from JANUARY and 18.7% from a year ago.
Though KTCK returned a good portion of last month’s massive share increase, the station was still #1 25-54 by a comfortable margin. KLNO stood strong at #2 with a slight increase but still trailed the leader by almost two shares. CUMULUS Country KSCS (NEW COUNTRY 96.3) had its best outing since SEPTEMBER as it rose from #7 to #3. KDGE remained at #4 with a small increase. AUDACY Alternative KVIL (ALT 103.7) worked it from #9 to #5 with its best book since MARCH. A flat KHKS slipped to #6. AUDACY Mexican Regional KMVK (LA GRANDE 107.5 FM) fell from #3 into a tie at #7 with iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KDMX (MIX 102.9). Market PUMM was up 7.9% from last month and 20.2% from last year.
KLNO had its best 18-34 book since MARCH as it stepped up to #1. Meanwhile, KHKS jumped from #6 to #2 with its highest score since JULY. This ended the three-book winning streak for KDGE, which slipped into a tie at #3 with KDMX. KSCS dipped to #5 with a slight decrease while two stations rose up to forge a tie at #6. KVIL moved up a spot, while EMF Christian Contemporary KYDA (AIR1) advanced from #10 as it halted a three-book slide. KTCK dropped from #5 into a tie at #9 with CUMULUS Country KPLX (99.5 THE WOLF). Market PUMM was up 12.3% from JANUARY and 7.5% from 2024.
Last month KLNO and KTCK were the 18-49 co-leaders. KLNO was off slightly but remained in first place as KTCK stepped down to #2 with a larger loss of share. KHKS has its best showing in over a year as it moved up to #3. KDGE moved down to #4 with a small share loss. KDMX inched up to #5 with a slight increase, while KMVK slipped to #7. Market PUMM rose 10.2% from the previous month and 23.7% from the previous year.
SAN FRANCISCO: We Built This City…
…on news and talk! Doesn’t quite have the same ring, does it? But you’re welcome for the earworm. KQED INC N/T KQED returned as a dominant #1 6+ station (10.7-9.7). AUDACY News KCBS-A (ALL NEWS 106.9FM/740AM) was in its customary #2 position (6.9-7.2). It also picked up a 0.5 share from its stream. The leading music station was, once again, BONNEVILLE AC KOIT, which remained at #3 (6.1-6.1). USC Classical KDFC (CLASSICAL CALIFORNIA) was back at #4 (5.2-4.6), while BONNEVILLE Pop CHR KMVQ (99.7 NOW) rounded out the top five again (3.9-4.2). KOIT still had the most listeners (1,119,600-1,201,800) – a 7.3% increase. The market was up 1.9%. In the PUMM sphere, the market was basically flat from January but up 19.0% from a year ago.
Despite a slight decrease, KOIT was back at #1 25-54 for the 12th time in the last 14 surveys. KQED dipped to #2 as it gave back all of last month’s large share increase, plus a little extra. KMVQ remained at #3 with a small share loss. AUDACY Hot AC KLLC (ALICE @ 97.3) was up three slots to #4 with its best showing since NOVEMBER. It was tied with AUDACY Alternative KITS (LIVE 105), which held steady with a small decrease. AUDACY Rhythmic AC KRBQ (102.1 JAMS) dropped from a tie at #4 to #8 as it surrendered most of last month’s solid increase. Market PUMM was up 1.3% from JANUARY and 9.8% from 2024.
Last month KMVQ narrowly edged out KOIT for the top spot in the 18-34 bracket. Their roles were reversed this month as KOIT was back at #1 with a slight increase, while KMVQ was down to #2 with a small share loss. iHEARTMEDIA Rhythmic CHR KMEL jumped from #6 to #3 with its highest number since NOVEMBER. KITS dipped to #4, while iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KOSF (CLASSIC HITS 103.7) remained at #5. SBS Mexican Regional KRZZ (93.3 LA RAZA) fell five places to #9 as it halted a strong two-book surge. It was tied with CUMULUS Classic Rock KSAN (107.7 THE BONE). Market PUMM gained 1.8% from last survey and 5.0% from the previous year.
KOIT regained a small portion of last month’s huge 18-49 share loss but that was enough to push the station up to #1. KQED stepped down to #2 with its lowest score since SEPTEMBER. It was tied with KMVQ, which levelled up despite a slight loss. KITS was stationary at #4, while KMEL rebounded from a down book to advance from #9 to #5. KRZZ fell from #5 to #14. Market PUMM grew by 2.9% on a monthly basis and 5.4% from last year.
The fun has merely begun. The three-minute revue continues tomorrow with HOUSTON, ATLANTA, WASHINGTON D.C., PHILADELPHIA and BOSTON in that order.
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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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