RADIO RATINGS ROUNDUP, March 2025, Part II

April 23, 2025

As we traipse through the latest ratings jungle, we find ourselves knee-deep in numbers that only a true data aficionado could love. But fear not, dear friends, for we are here to guide you through the murky waters of MARCH’s radio ratings with nothing less than fervent gusto.

The Ratings Experts at RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC., alongside XTRENDS’ mystical data wizards, have brewed up a concoction of insights that will make your head spin faster than a QRK turntable at 78 RPM. So grab your metaphorical machete and join us as we hack our way through the underbrush of percentages, shares, demos and mixed metaphors.

This book ran from MARCH 6^TH through APRIL 2^ND. We boldly sprang forward into spring, many were feasting on kreplach and, for some, turning green was a thing. Shall we proceed?

HOUSTON-GALVESTON: Sunshine On A Cloudy Day

iHEARTMEDIA AC KODA (SUNNY 99.1) extended its 6+ winning streak to eight but with its smallest share since AUGUST (9.0-7.1). Meanwhile, URBAN ONE Urban AC KMJQ (MAJIC 102.1) leapt from #5 to #2 with its highest score in over a year, which made this more than a one-horse race (5.8-6.3). RADIO ONE Country KKBQ (93Q COUNTRY) stood alone in third place (6.0-6.0), while RADIO ONE Classic Rock KGLK (THE EAGLE 106.9 & 107.5) dipped to #4(6.0-5.6). It was paired with HOPE MEDIA Contemporary Christian KSBJ, which fell from #2 with its lowest total in over a year (6.4-5.6). KODA shed 4.3% of its cume but remained the leader in that category (2,032,400-1,944,000). The market was down 0.9%. Market PUMM rose 3.6% from FEBRUARY and 27.6% from 2024.

While KODA was down for the third book in a row, it was still sturdy enough to finish at #1 25-54 for the fifth straight survey. However, it was not alone. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTBZ (94.5 THE BUZZ) moved up from #3 to capture a share of the lead. iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary KQBT (93.7 THE BEAT) landed its largest share in over a year as it vaulted from #8 to #3. KKBQ slipped to #4 and was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Rhythmic CHR KBXX (97.9 THE BOX), which remained in place. KGLK stepped down to #6 with a modest share loss. Market PUMM was off 0.9% from last month but up 26.1% from a year ago.

KTBZ repeated as the 18-34 leader with its best outing since JUNE. The race here was for second place as the pacesetter was three shares clear of the field. The next four stations were within a half-share of one another, beginning with KQBT, which leapt from #6 to #2 with its best book in over a year. KODA repeated at #3 and was tied with KGLK. Both stations had down books. KBXX stayed at #5 with a slight increase, while KKBQ fell from #2 to #7 with a large share loss. Market PUMM grew 1.6% on a monthly basis and 39.5% from last year.

Last month KTBZ and KODA were the 18-49 co-leaders. The relationship did not last. KTBZ stood alone at #1 with a slight decrease, while KODA stepped down to #2 with its smallest share since JULY. KQBT landed its third up book in a row as it jumped from #6 to #3. KBXX inched up to #4 with a slight decrease, while KSBJ dipped to #5, ending a three-book surge. KKBQ fell from #3 to #7. Market PUMM increased by 0.1% from the previous survey and 26.2% from a year ago.

ATLANTA: Watchin’ The River Flow

COX MEDIA Classic Hits WSRV (97.1 THE RIVER) regained all of last month’s lost share (7.5-8.0), and that was enough to propel the station from #3 to #1. This snapped the nine-book winning streak for COX MEDIA N/T WSB-A, which dipped to #2 with its smallest share in over a year (7.9-7.0). AUDACY Urban AC WVEE (V-103) was up for the fourth straight survey (6.3-6.9) as it moved up to #3. URBAN ONE Urban AC WAMJ (MAJIC 107.5/97.5) slipped to #4 as it gave back all of last survey’s share gain (7.6-6.8). COX MEDIA AC WSB-F (B98.5) was up to #5 with its best outing since AUGUST (6.1-6.4). COX MEDIA Urban AC WALR (KISS 104.1FM) stepped down to #6 (6.2-5.7). WSB-F continued to have the most cume (888,100-908,400) – a 2.3% rise. The market grew by 1.3%. Market PUMM rose 1.2% from FEBRUARY and 5.4% from 2024.

WVEE had its best 25-54 share in over a year. The station finished at #1 for the last four books and six of the last seven surveys. WAMJ was back at #2 but with its least productive outing since OCTOBER. It trailed the leader by more than three shares. Three stations were massed together at #3. WALR remained in place with lowest mark since APRIL, while WSB-F moved up a spot despite surrendering most of last month’s big increase. Moving up from #10 with its best book in over a year was iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WRDG (96.1 THE BEAT). A flat WSRV dipped to #6. Market PUMM was up 3.4% from the previous survey and 3.6% year over year.

Despite a small share loss, WSB-F was #1 18-34 for the second straight survey. It held a share-and-a-half edge over the two stations at #2. WVEE remained in place with a slight decrease, while WRDG vaulted from #7 with its best showing in over a year. WSRV repeated at #4 with a small increase, while EMF Contemporary Christian WAKL (106.7 K-LOVE) inched up to #5. WAMJ at #3 and RADIO TRAINING Contemporary Christian WVFJ (THE JOY FM) at #4 landed together at #6. They were partnered with AUDACY Rhythmic AC WSTR (STAR 94), which advanced from #12 as it bounced back from a down book. Market PUMM was up 3.2% from FEBRUARY and 35.4% from last year.

WVEE was the 18-49 leader for the fourth straight survey. WSB-F moved up to #2 with a slight decrease and was three shares off the pace. WRDG leapt from #7 to #3. It was #13 just two books ago. WAMJ slid from #2 to #4 with its lowest mark since NOVEMBER. WALR dipped to #5, while WSRV moved down to #6 and was tied with WAKL. Market PUMM rose 0.6% from last month and 12.7% from last year.

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Double Your Pleasure

If you’re of a certain age, that will likely trigger a jingle in your brain…. You may have heard of some newsworthy events emanating from our nation’s capital. For the fourth straight survey, the top two 6+ stations specialized in spoken word programming and were in double figures. AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU was #1 (12.3-11.4), while HUBBARD News WTOP was #2 (11.7-11.3). iHEARTMEDIA AC WASH was again the leading music station at #3 (6.5-6.7), while HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR stood alone at #4 (5.5-5.4). iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WWDC (DC101) dipped to #5 (5.5-5.3). Adding to the spoken word fray was CUMULUS N/T WMAL (NEWSTALK 105.9), which stepped up to #6 with its best book in a year (3.9-4.7). WASH stepped up with the most cume (824,500-955,500) – a 15.9% increase. The market was up 1.4%. Market PUMM rose 6.2% from FEBRUARY and 12.0% from 2024.

Last month WAMU and WTOP were the 25-54 co-leaders. WAMU remained in place for its third win in a row, while WTOP slipped to #3 as it snapped a five-book surge. Moving up to #2 was WASH, which experienced a slight decrease. WWDC repeated at #4, while WHUR was back at #5. Both stations had slight gains. Market PUMM grew 4.5% from last month and 2.9% from a year ago.

WASH had its best Frosty-free 18-34 share in over a year as it ascended the demo throne. This ended the two-book winning streak for iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WIHT (HOT 99.5), which dipped to #2. There was a threesome at #3. iHEARTMEDIA Country WMZQ and WWDC moved up from #4 and #5, respectively, with down books. AUDACY Classic Hits WIAD (94.7 THE DRIVE) advanced from #7 with a slight increase. WTOP dropped three slots to #6, while iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WBIG (BIG 100) slid to #7. Market PUMM was up 16.3% from the previous survey and 10.4% from a year ago.

In our last visit, we saw WASH and WTOP tied for the 18-49 lead. WASH remained in place with a small share loss, while WTOP slipped to #3 with its first down book since OCTOBER. WAMU stepped up to #2 with a slight decrease. WWDC and WIHT remained at #4 and #5, respectively. WBIG moved up to #6 with its best showing in over a year and was dangerously close to cracking the top five. Market PUMM grew 8.4% on a monthly basis and 9.9% when compared to last year.

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PHILADELPHIA: We Have Both Rock And Roll

For the second book in a row, the top two spots on the 6+ leaderboard had a distinct edge to them. However, this month featured a role reversal as BEASLEY Classic Rock WMGK stepped up to #1 (8.0-8.8), while its younger cluster bruh BEASLEY Album Oriented Rock WMMR dipped to #2 (8.2-7.9). iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS stepped up to #3 (6.7-7.2), while BEASLEY Country WXTU (92.5 XTU) advanced to #4 with its best outing in over a year (4.4-5.5). AUDACY Sports WIP (SPORTSRADIO 94WIP) had the expected postseason swoon as it slipped to #5 (7.5-5.3). The station did garner a 1.6 share from its digital assets. AUDACY AC WBEB (B101) had its best Frosty-free share since JUNE as it inched up to #6 (4.2-5.1). AUDACY News KYW-A ended its three-book surge as it dropped to #7 (5.6-4.7). It did add a 0.8 share from the stream. WBEB added 13.2% to its market leading cume total (1,036,600-1,173,800). The market was up 0.7%. Market PUMM grew 3.0% from FEBRUARY and 17.5% from 2024.

WMMR remained in first place 25-54 and was back in double figures for the first time since DECEMBER. WDAS stepped up to #2 with a slight increase but was almost four shares off the lead. WMGK was a click behind at #3 with its best book in over a year. WBEB stepped up to #4 as it rebounded from a down book. WIP fell from #2 to #5, though its stream came in at #17. Market PUMM was up 3.5% from last month and 23.4% from a year ago.

Last month WMGK and WBEB were #2 and #3, respectively, on the 18-34 chart. Both stations were granted a massive influx of share as they rose to meet at the #1 position. WDAS vaulted from #8 to #3 with its highest score since AUGUST. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WRFF (ALT 104.5) and WXTU were also last seen at #3. Both stations took the exact same share hit as they stepped down in unison to #4. WMMR had its least productive outing in over a year as it dropped from #1 into a tie at #6 with iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WUSL (POWER 99). Market PUMM gained 9.0% from the previous survey and 14.1% from the previous year.

WMMR was #1 18-49 for the third straight survey, while WMGK stepped up to #2 with its fifth up book in a row. WDAS moved up to #3 as it halted a three-book slide, while WBEB made it to #4 with its highest Frosty-free share in over a year. WIP fell three places to #5, while WXTU dipped to #6. Market PUMM was 4.2% larger than last month and 30.3% bigger than a year ago.

BOSTON: Oh, Ho, Ho, It’s Magic

Time to break out the Ozempic jingle! For the second straight survey, AUDACY AC WMJX (MAGIC 106.7) was #1 6+ (7.0-7.2). It also got a 0.3 share from cyberspace. BEASLEY Sports WBZ-F (98.5 THE SPORTS HUB) repeated at #2 with its smallest share in over a year (6.8-6.2), while iHEARTMEDIA N/T WBZ-A was back at #3 (6.2-5.8). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WZLX moved up to #4 with its third up book in a row (5.2-5.7). BEASLEY Classic Hits WROR stepped up to #5, also with its third straight up performance (4.8-5.1). BOSTON UNIVERSITY N/T WBUR slipped to #6 (5.6-4.8) and was tied with AUDACY Hot AC WWBX (MIX 104.1) (4.8-4.8). WMJX maintained its cume lead with a 15.4% increase (765,300-882,900). The market was up 5.9%. Market PUMM grew 6.8% from FEBRUARY and 16.8% from 2024.

For the ninth time in the last 14 surveys, WBZ-F was #1 25-54. WWBX had to step down to #2 as it returned about half of last month’s large share increase. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WXKS (KISS 108) moved up to #3 with a small share loss. WBUR dipped to #4 and was tied with WZLX, which advanced from #6 with a solid increase. AUDACY Adult Hits WBGB (BIG 103) had its best outing since MAY to climb up to #6, while WROR slid to #7. Market PUMM grew 12.1% from last month and 14.4% from a year ago.

Last month WWBX picked up a ton of new share as it moved up to #1 18-34. This time the station remained in first place but ceded all of that gain plus a bit more. WMJX leapt from #5 to #2 and was a half-share off the pace. iHEARTMEDIA Rhythmic CHR WJMN (JAM’N 94.5) stood alone at #3 with a small decrease, while WBZ-F dipped to #4 with its lowest score since JULY. BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WBQT (HOT 96.9) fell three places to #5 with a noticeable loss of share. Market PUMM was up 6.5% from the previous survey and 31.6% from a year ago.

WBZ-F was #1 18-49 for the third straight survey. WWBX was back at #2 but the gap between the two grew from a share and a half to better than two shares. WBGB landed its largest share since APRIL as it advanced from #10 to #3. WXKS inched up to #4 with a small decrease, while WZLX landed at #5 with a slight increase. Three stations were circling one another at #6. WROR remained in place while WBUR and WBQT fell from #3 and #4, respectively. Market PUMM was up 11.1% from last month and 17.3% from 2024.

Prepare for more three-minute reveals tomorrow, as we delve into the realm of SEATTLE, MIAMI, PHOENIX, DETROIT and MINNEAPOLIS. Don’t forget to subscribe to our blog. And remember, sharing is caring – spread the word far and wide.

-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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