RADIO RATINGS ROUNDUP, February 2025, Part II

March 25, 2025

Back from the shadows again, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with the black ops number generators from XTRENDS – are here to reveal another set of data points from the FEBRUARY survey. This is the second book in the new three-minute reality series. We will reveal how market PUMM has been affected from both the previous survey and this same time last year.

It’s a somewhat complicated plot line so you may want to turn on the subtitles, so you don’t miss any nuances in our dialog. The book ran from FEBRUARY 6^TH through MARCH 5^TH. It did have one three-day weekend and the requisite bad weather. Here’s how it unfolded ….

HOUSTON-GALVESTON: Yee-Hah!

We’re jumping the gun a bit because the Houston Rodeo did not begin until the final day of the survey. iHEARTMEDIA AC KODA (SUNNY 99.1) notched its seventh 6+ win in a row (8.9-9.0). HOPE MEDIA Contemporary Christian KSBJ had its best showing since SEPTEMBER as it stepped up to #2 (6.0-6.4). RADIO ONE Country KKBQ (93Q COUNTRY) returned some of last month’s huge increase (6.9-6.0) as it dipped to #3. It was met there by cluster mate RADIO ONE Classic Rock KGLK (THE EAGLE 106.9 & 107.5), which rose from fifth place with its best book in over a year (5.6-6.0). URBAN ONE Urban AC KMJQ (MAJIC 102.1) moved down to #5 (5.7-5.8). iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTBZ (94.5 THE BUZZ) ended a two-book slide as it stood alone at #6 (4.6-5.4). KODA retained the cume championship with a 5.0% increase (1,935,000-2,032,400). The market grew by 2.2%. In the PUMM situation, the market was up 6.8% from JANUARY and 20.3% from 2024.

The top two 25-54 stations – KODA and KKBQ, respectively – had down books but remained in place. They were about a half share apart. KTBZ stepped up to #3, while URBAN ONE Rhythmic CHR KBXX (97.9 THE BOX) dipped to #4 with a small share loss. KGLK moved from #7 to #5 with, again, its best showing in over a year. KSBJ and CUMULUS Pop CHR KRBE had been tied at #5. Both stations had the identical slight increase as they moved, in tandem, down to #6. Market PUMM rose by 8.2% from last month and 20.6% from the previous year.

For the first time since AUGUST, KTBZ was atop the 18-34 leaderboard. It had better than a share lead over KKBQ, which was relegated to second place as it was unable to match last month’s double-digit performance. KODA advanced three spaces to #3 with a strong share increase. KGLK dipped to #4, despite posting an up book. KBXX dropped a spot to #5 despite a small share gain. AUDACY Spanish Contemporary KLOL (MEGA 101 FM) fell from a tie at #4 to #9 with its least productive outing in over a year. Market PUMM was up 11.8% from the previous survey and 24.2% from last FEBRUARY.

KODA was #1 18-49 for the seventh straight survey. However, it was forced to share as KTBZ stepped up to forge the tie. That dynamic duo had better than a two-share lead over KKBQ, which remained at #3 but with a modest share loss. KSBJ landed its largest share since JUNE as it stepped up to #4. KBXX dipped to #5 as it halted a three-book surge. KRBE fell from a tie at #5 into a situation at #8 along with TELEVISAUNIVISION Spanish Adult Hits KOVE (AMOR 106.5). Market PUMM increased 6.8% from last month and 23.0% from this time a year ago.

ATLANTA: A Photo Finish

COX MEDIA N/T WSB-A was #1 6+ for the ninth book in a row (9.0-7.9). However, it was feeling the heat from URBAN ONE Urban AC WAMJ (MAJIC 107.5/97.5), which was up to #2 with its highest mark in over a year (6.8-7.8). Not far behind was COX MEDIA Classic Rock WSRV (97.1 THE RIVER), which ebbed to #3 (8.0-7.5). AUDACY Urban Contemporary WVEE (V-103) repeated at #4 with its third up book in a row (6.1-6.3). COX MEDIA Urban AC WALR (KISS 104.1) was back at #5 (5.4-6.2). It narrowly defeated COX MEDIA AC WSB-F (B98.5), which held steady at #6 with its best showing since SEPTEMBER (5.1-6.1). This was the first full survey that the station formerly known as THE FISH was no longer a local product. SALEM Contemporary Inspirational WAIA (AIR1) dropped four places to #12 (4.4-3.0). WSB-F kept the cume crown with a 14.0% increase (779,100-888,100). The market was up 3.9%. Market PUMM grew 9.4% from JANUARY and 4.9% from 2024.

WVEE was #1 25-54 for the third book in a row and fifth time in the last six surveys. However, WAMJ was nipping at its heels as it repeated at #2 with its highest share in over a year. WALR was back at #3 as it ended a steep two-book slide. WSB-F moved up two places to #4 with its fourth up book in a row. WSRV and WSB-A were last seen at #3. Both stations were down this month and landed at #5 and #6, respectively. Market PUMM grew 9.3% from last month and 0.7% from this time a year ago.

WSB-F had its largest 18-34 share in over a year as it vaulted from #5 to #1. WVEE stood alone at a somewhat distant second place with a small share increase. WAMJ slipped from the tie at #2 to #3, while two stations moving in opposite directions slammed into each other at #4. WSRV fell from first place as it surrendered most of last month’s huge share increase. RADIO TRAINING Christian Contemporary WVFJ (THE JOY FM) arose from #10 as it rebounded from a down book. WSB-A dropped from #2 to #10. Market PUMM surges. It was up 27.3% from JANUARY and 43.2% from last FEBRUARY.

Despite a down book, WVEE was #1 18-49 for the third straight survey. WAMJ was back at #2 but with its best outing in over a year. As a result, it cut WVEE’s advantage from almost three shares to less than a full share. WSB-F posted its largest number since AUGUST as it leapt from #7 to #3. WALR stepped up to #4 with a solid increase, while WSRV slipped to #5 with a noticeable share loss. WSB-A fell from #3 to #9. Market PUMM was up 12.2% from last month and 14.3% from a year ago.

WASHINGTON, DC: News You Can Use

As usual, the top of the 6+ chart was dominated by a pair of stations that do not play songs for a living. AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU was #1 (13.4-12.3), while HUBBARD News WTOP was back at #2 (11.4-11.7). If you do the math – and we did – that meant that almost a quarter of all listening went to these two stations. iHEARTMEDIA AC WASH became the leading music station as it moved up to #3 (5.2-6.5). HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR slipped to #4 (5.7-5.5). It was not alone as iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WWDC (DC101) moved up a spot with its largest share in over a year (5.1-5.5). Perhaps there was a reason that a population containing a significant amounts of federal and federal-adjacent employees would make WTOP the leading cume station for the second book in a row (817,400-825,400) – a 1.0% increase. Fun fact: WTOP nipped WASH in the cume wars by a mere 900 listeners. Market cume was up 2.5%. In the PUMM gestalt, the market rose 1.6% from JANUARY and 8.2% from 2024.

WAMU was back at #1 25-54 as it ended a four-book surge. WTOP moved up for a share of the demo lead with its fifth up book in a row. WASH rose two places to #3 as it rebounded from a down book. WWDC slipped to #4 with a slight increase, while WHUR dipped to #5 with its third down book in a row. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WBIG (BIG 100) vaulted from #12 to #6 with its highest score in over a year. It was tied with a stationary iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WIHT (HOT 99.5). Market PUMM was up 5.5% from last month and 4.6% from the previous year.

Though it was not able to replicate last month’s double-digit feat, WIHT remained on top of the 18-34 chart. WASH was back at #2, while WTOP repeated at #3. Both stations had down books. iHEARTMEDIA Country WMZQ bounced back from a down book as it rose from #10 to #4. WWDC remained at #5 with a solid increase but was forced to share the moment with its balder cluster brother WBIG, which leapt from #11 with its highest score since AUGUST. AUDACY Classic Hits WIAD (94.7 THE DRIVE) slid from #4 to #7, while URBAN ONE Urban Contemporary WKYS fell from a tie at #5 to #12. Market PUMM increased by 3.3% from the last book and 1.1% from last year.

WTOP had its best 18-49 book in over a year as it rose to #1. Meanwhile, WASH bounced back from a down book to advance from #5 and a share of first place. WAMU went from first to third as it halted a three-book surge. A flat WWDC repeated at #4, while WIHT slipped to #5 with a modest share loss. What is up with SIGNAL ABOVE Spanish Variety WDCN (DC 87.7FM). This is actually a low-power TV station that has gone from #18 to #10 to #6. It was tied with WHUR. Market PUMM was up by 6.3% from last survey and 8.4% from a year ago.

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PHILADELPHIA: We Have Both Rock And Roll

The top of the 6+ chart had quite the edge to it. BEASLEY Album Oriented Rock WMMR was back at #1 after a two-book hiatus (7.6-8.2), while its analog cousin – BEASLEY Classic Rock WMGK – remained at #2 (7.8-8.0). All the big game hoopla ended early in the survey, which led AUDACY Sports WIP (SPORTSRADIO 94WIP) to slip from first to third (9.8-7.5). The station did garner an additional 2.2 share from the interwebs. iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS repeated at #4 (6.6-6.7), while AUDACY News KYW-A was back at #5 (5.5-5.6). It also benefitted from the stream with an additional 0.9 share. AUDACY AC WBEB (B101) still had the most listeners (1,102,200-1,036,600) – a 6.0% decline. The market was off by 0.3%. The PUMM changes saw a 3.1% decrease from JANUARY but a 21.2% increase from last FEBRUARY.

WMMR looks poised to begin another long 25-54 winning streak. It stepped up to #1 and held a commanding lead over WIP, which dipped to #2 as it returned a good portion of last month’s football-infused share increase. WDAS remained at #3 with a slight decrease, while WMGK was back at #4 with a small share loss. WBEB repeated at #5 but with its lowest mark since OCTOBER. Market PUMM was off 8.1% from last month but up 21.7% from last year.

It took only a slight share increase to push WMMR from #2 to #1 18-34. WMGK was up two places to #2 as it bounced back from a down book. Three – count ’em – three stations were at #3. WBEB remained in place with a small share loss. BEASLEY Country WXTU (92.5 XTU) slid from #1 as it gave back about half of last month’s large share gain. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WRFF (ALT 104.5) arrived from #8, thanks to its best outing in over a year. WDAS dropped from #5 to #8. Market PUMM was down 4.5% from JANUARY and up 7.5% from last FEBRUARY.

WMMR completed the demo sweep as it returned as the 18-49 market leader. It had better than a share and a half lead over WIP, which repeated at #2. WMGK moved up two slots to #3 with a small increase. WDAS and WXTU were last spotted at #3. Both stations were down this month as they slipped to #4 and #5, respectively. They were barely ahead of the two stations at #6 – WBEB and iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WUSL (POWER 99). Market PUMM decreased by 4.6% from last month. This was sharply contrasted by the year-over-year growth, which stood at 28.4%.

BOSTON: Nothing Up My Sleeve…

Despite posting its smallest share since NOVEMBER (7.9-7.0), AUDACY AC WMJX (MAGIC 106.7) was back at #1 in the 6+ space. The station also tacked on a 0.3 share courtesy of its stream. BEASLEY Sports WBZ-F (98.5 THE SPORTS HUB) dipped to #2 with its smallest share in over a year (9.0-6.8). iHEARTMEDIA N/T WBZ-A was back at #3 with its best performance in over a year (5.8-6.2). BOSTON UNIVERSITY N/T WBUR repeated at #4 (5.6-5.6), while iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WZLX moved up to #5 with its best showing since NOVEMBER (4.5-5.2). AUDACY Sports WEEI dropped from #5 to #9 (4.7-4.5). WMJX remained the market cume leader (750,700-765,300) – a 1.9% increase. The market shrank by 0.6%. Market PUMM was down 3.3% from JANUARY but grew by 11.3% from 2024.

There was a changing of the guard in the 25-54 ranks. For the first time since SEPTEMBER, AUDACY Hot AC WWBX (MIX 104.1) was #1. It had less than a half share lead over WBZ-F, which dipped to #2. WBUR stepped up to #3 with its highest score in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WXKS (KISS 108) moved down to #4 with a slight increase. BEASLEY Classic Hits WROR repeated at #5 with a small share loss. Market PUMM was off 5.5% from the previous survey but rose 10.0% from last year.

WWBX received a huge 18-34 share boost as it leapt from a tie at #3 to #1. BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WBQT (HOT 96.9) was also last seen at #3. It stepped up to #2 this month despite a down book. WBZ-F moved down to #3 with its third down book in a row. It was paired with iHEARTMEDIA Rhythmic AC WJMN (JAM’N 94.5), which rose from #5, also with a down book. WMJX fell from #1 to #5, losing more than half its previous share in the process. Market PUMM was off 0.8% from last month but up 26.1% from last year.

Though WBZ-F continued a comfortable #1 18-49, it did not remain in double-digit territory. WWBX stepped up to #2 as it continued its post-HOLIDAY redemption tour but was still a share and a half off the lead. WBUR vaulted from #7 to #3 with its highest score in over a year, while WBQT held steady at #4 with a small share loss. A flat WXKS was back at #5, while WMJX dropped from #2 to #9. Market PUMM was down 3.0% from the last survey but up 12.7% from last year.

And there you have it sports, uh, ratings fans.  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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