RADIO RATINGS ROUNDUP, May 2025, Part IV

June 20, 2025

Welcome back for our final tour of the MAY radio ratings landscape. So far we have seen the usual spate of the usual suspects scoring their usual numbers. We have also had some surprising plot twists to keep us entertained. Not to mention seeing how the three-minute rule has changed PUMM levels as compared to last year. The one consistent theme of that data is that there is no consistency from market to market.

As always, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC., would be unable to bring you this vital information 13 times a year without the strong support from the crew at XTRENDS.

The MAY book ran from MAY 1^ST through the 28^TH and did feature the Memorial Day holiday. Buckle up, here we go…

TAMPA-ST. PETERSBURG-CLEARWATER: The Bird Returns

Last month we were shocked – shocked I tell you – to see that COX MEDIA Soft AC WDUV (105.5 THE DOVE) was not #1 6+. That had not happened in a very long time. Well, bird nerds can relax as the station was #1 once again (8.6-8.6). The reign of RADIO TRAINING NETWORK Contemporary Christian WCIE (THE JOY FM) was short lived as it stepped down to #2 (8.8-7.1). iHEARTMEDIA Country WFUS (US 103.5) was up three places to #3 (4.9-6.0), while BEASLEY Country WQYK (99.5 QYK) advanced from #7 to #4 (4.8-5.9). Both stations had their best books since SEPTEMBER. COX MEDIA Classic Hits WXGL (107.3 THE EAGLE) slid to #5 (7.2-5.3). iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock WXTB (98 ROCK) landed its smallest share since DECEMBER (5.8-4.0) as it fell from #4 to #10. It was tied with COX MEDIA Urban AC WTBV (101.5 THE VIBE) (3.8-4.0). WDUV molted 11.8% of its cume but was still #1 (743,300-655,500). The market was off 2.2%. Market PUMM was down 3.1% from APRIL but up 13.3% from 2024.

For the first time since it was all jolly and bright, WDUV was back at #1 25-54. COX MEDIA AC WWRM (MAGIC 94.9) stepped up to #2 despite a down book. A flat WCIE moved up to #3. It was paired with WFUS, which advanced from #10 with its best outing since DECEMBER. WXTB saw its four-book winning streak grind to a halt as it fell from first to fifth. BEASLEY Classic Hits WRBQ (Q105) dipped to #6. Market PUMM was off 1.1% from last month but grew 13.6% from a year ago.

There was some serious country cookin’ going on in the 18-34 world. WFUS moved up to #1 with a massive share increase that put the station in double figures. WQYK vaulted from #7 to #2 with its highest mark since DECEMBER. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WFLZ (93.3 FLZ) went from first to third, while four stations were huddled together at #4. WWRM dipped from #3 as it ended a strong two-book surge, while WDUV moved up from #6 with a slight decrease. WXTB and BEASLEY Rhythmic CHR WLLD (WiLD 94.1) were in the same place last time but both stations suffered a large share decrease. Market PUMM rose 3.1% from the previous survey and 6.9% from last year.

Country was also the format of choice for the 18-49 crowd. WFUS rose from a tie at #4 to #1 with its highest mark since JUNE, while WQYK leapt from #6 to #2 with its best book since DECEMBER. WWRM dipped to #3 as it returned most of last month’s large increase. It was paired with WDUV, which moved up a notch with a small share gain. WXTB dropped from #1 to #5 as its four-book winning streak was snapped. WCIE slid from #3 to #6. Market PUMM was down 1.2% from APRIL but up 19.7% from 2024.

DENVER-BOULDER: Game On

The top five stations on the 6+ leaderboard were within about a share of each other. BONNEVILLE AC KOSI (KOSI 101.1) was #1 for the third book in a row (6.5-6.4), while KSE RADIO VENTURES Classic Hits KXKL (KOOL 105) jumped from #5 to #2 as it ended a two-book slide (5.5-6.1). BONNEVILLE Country KYGO dipped to #3 (6.1-5.9), where it was met by iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTCL (CHANNEL 93.3) (5.8-5.9). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KRFX (103.5 THE FOX) stepped down to #5 ending a strong two-book surge (5.6-5.3). AUDACY Modern AC KALC (ALICE 105.9) went from #5 to #6 (5.5-5.2). KOSI maintained its cume lead with a 1.0% decline (552,500-546,800). The market was up 0.5%. Market PUMM rose 0.2% from APRIL and 8.0% from 2024.

The 25-54 race was anything but close. KTCL was #1 for the fifth book in a row and maintained a better than three share lead over a flat KOSI, which remained at #2. A bit farther back at #3 was KALC, which gave back all of last month’s solid share increase. KYGO repeated at #4 but with a large share loss. It was paired with AUDACY Rhythmic CHR KQKS (KS107.5), which advanced from a tie at #7 with a modest share gain. ENTRAVISION Spanish Adult Hits KJMN (LA SUAVECITA 92.1) dropped from #5 into a tie at #9 with KRFX. Market PUMM was down 0.3% from last month but up 2.8% from a year ago.

KTCL continued to dominate the 18-34 space. The station was #1 for the fifth straight survey and was almost three shares clear of the two stations at #2. KOSI remained in place with a small increase. KQKS moved up a spot to forge the tie as it rebounded from a down book. KYGO had its best showing since DECEMBER as it rose from #6 to #3. AUDACY Classic Rock KQMT (99.5 THE MOUNTAIN) dipped to #5. It was joined there by KRFX, which moved up from a tie at #7. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KDHT (HITS 95.7) slid from #4 into a tie at #7 with KXKL. Market PUMM was down 3.6% from the previous survey and flat from last year.

KTCL was #1 18-49 for the fourth book in a row. However, its lead over #2 KOSI was now under a share. This was because KTCL experienced a small decrease while KOSI had a small increase. KQKS maintained its presence at #3 as it bounced back from a down book. ENTRAVISION Mexican Regional KXPK (LA TRICOLOR 96.5) stepped up to #4 with a slight increase. There was a threesome at #5. KALC dipped from #4, while KYGO moved up from #6. KJMN advanced from #10 as it regained most of last month’s share loss. Market PUMM was down 0.2% from APRIL and 1.1% from 2024.

SAN DIEGO: It’s Always Sunny In…

For the fifth book in a row AUDACY Classic Hits KXSN (SUNNY 98.1) was #1 6+ by a wide margin (8.9-9.0). LOCAL MEDIA Rhythmic AC XHRM (MAGIC 92.5) was back at #2 (6.6-6.7), while SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY N/T KPBS repeated at #3 (6.0-6.0). AUDACY AC KYXY held steady at #4 (5.4-5.8). The station also picked up a 1.1 share from the interwebs.  AUDACY Sports KWFN (97.3FM THE FAN) rounded out the top five once again (5.4-5.5). KXSN was still the cume leader (628,900-629,400) – a 0.1% increase. The market was down 0.5%. Market PUMM was off 4.6% from APRIL but rose 6.9% from 2024.

KXSN was #1 25-54 for the fourth book in a row and landed in double-digit territory. XHRM was back at #2 with a small increase but trailed the leader by more than three shares. LOCAL MEDIA Alternative XTRA (91X) remained at #3 with a slight increase. Three stations were massed together at #4. KWFN moved up a spot with a slight decrease, while a flat AUDACY Alternative KBZT (ALT 94.9) moved up from #6. iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KIOZ (ROCK 105.3) completed the trio as it arrived from #7 with a slight increase. TELEVISAUNIVISION Mexican Regional KLNV (QUÉ BUENA 106.5) slid from #3 to #7 with its smallest share in over a year. It was partnered with KYXY and AUDACY Country KSON. Market PUMM was down 8.2% from last month and 1.8% from a year ago.

KXSN had a strong share increase as it stepped up to #1 18-34. This pushed XHRM down to #2 as it experienced its first down book since there were lords leaping all over the place. Four stations were hanging out at #3. KSON and KWFN remained in place, while XTRA moved up from #5. All three stations had down books. KPBS advanced from #7 as it regained most of last month’s share loss. Market PUMM was down 4.9% from the previous survey and up 5.4% from last year.

KXSN completed the demo sweep as it captured the 18-49 flag for the fourth book in a row. XHRM was back at #2 with a slight increase but was a bit more than a share off the pace. XTRA stood alone at #3 with a slight increase, while a flat KBZT dipped to #4. KWFN slipped to #5 and was paired with KIOZ, which moved up from #7. Market PUMM was down 7.5% from APRIL but up 1.3% from 2024.

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CHARLOTTE-GASTONIA-ROCK HILL: mmmmm…k

After taking the last two books off, BEASLEY Classic Hits WKQC (K104.7) was back at #1 6+ with its best Frosty-free share in over a year (6.5-8.1). BEASLEY Country WSOC (COUNTRY 103.7) dipped to #2 (7.1-7.1), while PACIFIC BROADCASTING GROUP Classic Hits WXRC (95.7FM THE RIDE) drove down to #3 (6.9-6.5). BEASLEY Urban AC WBAV (V101.9) dipped to #4 with its smallest share in over a year (6.5-5.9). URBAN ONE AC WLNK (MIX 107.9) posted its best score in over a year as it went from #9 to #5 (4.6-5.6). URBAN ONE Urban Oldies WOSF (105.3 RnB) dropped from #5 to #8 (5.9-5.2). Thanks to an 11.7% increase, WLNK went from #3 to #1 in cume (374,200-417,800). The market was down 0.6%. Market PUMM was down 2.7% from APRIL but grew 27.8% from 2024.

WKQC was back at #1 25-54 as it crashed through the double-digit barrier. It had better than a three-share lead over the two stations at #2. URBAN ONE Sports WFNZ (SPORTS RADIO 92.7) moved up a spot with a slight decrease, while iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WEND (106.5 THE END) advanced from #5 with a strong share gain. WSOC repeated at #4 with a slight increase, while BEASLEY Urban Contemporary WPEG (POWER 98) went from second to fifth with its smallest share in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Country WKKT (96.9 THE KAT) had its best showing in over a year as it rose from #10 to #6. WBAV was down for the third book in a row as it slipped from #5 to #7. Market PUMM was down 3.5% from last month but grew 23.1% from a year ago.

WBAV stood alone atop the 18-34 leaderboard with its best outing since OCTOBER. The station was in double figures. WEND rose from #6 to #2 with its best book in over a year. BEASLEY Pop CHR WNKS (KISS 95.1) stepped up to #3 with its highest score since AUGUST. WPEG inched up to #4, while three stations were socializing at #5. WSOC slipped from #3 as it surrendered most of last month’s huge increase. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WRFX (99.7 THE FOX) moved up from #7 with a slight increase, while WLNK advanced from #9. WOSF dropped from a tie at #1 to #8 as it halted a three-book surge. Also landing at #8 were WKKT and WKQC. Market PUMM was down 13.5% from the previous survey but up 25.8% from last year.

WKQC leapt from #3 to #1 18-49 with its best Frosty-free share in over a year. WBAV dipped to #2 despite a small increase. WEND vaulted from #10 to #3 with its best showing since folks were eating figgy pudding. WNKS was up to #4 as it rebounded from a down book, while WKKT was up two slots to #5 with its largest number in over a year. WPEG fell from #2 to #6. It was tied with WSOC, which had been tied at #3. WOSF dropped from a tie at #3 to #8. Market PUMM was down 2.8% from APRIL but grew 23.1% from 2024.

NASSAU-SUFFOLK (LONG ISLAND): It’s Easy As 1, 2, 3…

This was kind of a surprise. RED APPLE MEDIA N/T WABC-A leapt from #5 to #1 6+ with its third up book in a row (5.3-6.5). iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WHTZ (Z100) dipped to #2 (6.2-5.8) and was paired with the stationary AUDACY News WINS (1010 WINS) (5.6-5.8). WINS did add a 1.3 share from its online presence. CONNOISSEUR Hot AC WALK (WALK FM) repeated at #4 (5.5-5.0), while two stations moved up to force a tie at #5. CONNOISSEUR AC WKJY (K-JOY 98.3) was up from #7 (4.3-4.9), while COX MEDIA Pop CHR WBLI (106.1 BLI) advanced from #9 (4.1-4.9). Both stations ended two-book slides. AUDACY Sports WFAN (SPORTS RADIO 66AM 101.9FM) fell from #2 to #8 (5.6-4.7). It did pick up a 2.1 share from the interwebs. Thanks to a 5.5% increase, WALK moved up to #1 in cume (394,800-416,400). The market was up 3.2%. Market PUMM was down 1.0% from APRIL and 3.6% from 2024.

Despite a down book WHTZ was the runaway 25-54 leader for the second straight survey. WALK returned as the #2 player but was three shares off the lead. CONNOISSEUR Mainstream Rock WWSK (94.3 THE SHARK) was back at #3 with a small share increase. WBLI advanced from a tie at #7 to force a tie at #3 thanks to its best book since JULY. WABC-A moved from a tie at #7 to #5. In FEBRUARY it was sitting at #19 and has come close to quintupling its share since then. WKJY slipped to #7 with a slight decrease, while iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3) fell from #4 to #8. Market PUMM was down 1.4% from last month and 2.7% from a year ago.

Consider the journey WABC-A has been on in the 18-34 space. Over the last four books it has progressed from #21 to #15 to #3 and now to #1. It has also experienced about a 15-fold increase in share. WBLI repeated at #2 with a small decrease, while WHTZ slipped from #1 to #3. It was paired with WKJY which stepped up from #4 with a slight increase. WALK rose from #7 to #5 as it regained some of last month’s huge share loss. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC WKTU (103.5 KTU) fell from #4 to #8. It was joined there by AUDACY Classic Hits WCBS, iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (106.7 LITE FM) and WFAN. Market PUMM was down 2.6% from the previous survey but up 0.5% from last year.

The 18-49 race got a bit closer. Despite a large share loss WHTZ was still #1. WBLI stepped up to #2 and was about a share and a half behind the leader. WALK slipped to #3 with its least productive outing since DECEMBER. WABC-A was up three places to #4, while WKTU dipped to #5. WAXQ moved down to #6 and was joined there by WLTW, WCBS, and WKJY. Market PUMM was down 0.9% from APRIL and 7.5% from 2024.

Thank you for your attention to these matters. We’ll be back next month with our JUNE analysis. In the meantime – happy motoring!

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