RADIO RATINGS ROUNDUP, July 2025, Part I

August 14, 2025

Due to an unanticipated data processing issue the RRR for JULY has been delayed. We traced the issue to some rogue elements of our power supply. Specifically, the hamsters we have trained to provide (somewhat) renewal energy to our systems. Alas, they proved to be unreliable, so they have been sacked. We replaced them with AI rodents and they seem to be performing satisfactorily…so far.

The JULY book ran from JUNE 26^TH through JULY 23^RD. Vacation season was in full swing and there was a long holiday weekend wedged in there. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – with a healthy boost from our compatriots at XTRENDS – are here to regale you with the stories and sagas of the most recent ratings reveal. Let us begin…

NEW YORK: Same As It Ever Was

The 6+ leaderboard was relatively unaltered from the previous survey. iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (106.7 LITE FM) was again #1 but with its best Frosty-free share since SEPTEMBER (7.5-8.4). AUDACY News WINS (1010 WINS) inched up to #2 (6.1-5.8) and was granted a 0.5 share from the interwebs. SBS Spanish Tropical WSKQ (MEGA 97.9) dipped to #3 (6.2-5.6). However, it was gifted a 1.3 share from the digital sphere. AUDACY Classic Hits WCBS stepped up to #4 (5.3-5.3), while iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WHTZ (Z100) moved down to #5 (5.4-5.1). It was paired with iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3), which rose from #8 with its best showing since FEBRUARY (4.8-5.1). WLTW continued to have the most listeners (3,781,900-3,775,400) – a 0.2% decrease. The market was off 0.9%. Market PUMM went down 4.5% from JUNE but up 4.2% from 2024.

For the third book in a row WLTW was given the coveted 25-54 crown. WHTZ moved up to #2 but with its smallest share since MARCH. It was more than a share off the lead. WSKQ went from a tie for first place to #3 with its lowest number since JANUARY. WCBS repeated at #4, while iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC WKTU (103.5 KTU) was up two places to #5 with a slight increase. AUDACY Hot AC WNEW (NEW 102.7) slipped to #6. It was partnered with MEDIACO Rhythmic CHR WQHT (HOT 97) and iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WWPR (POWER 105.1). Market PUMM was down 5.9% from last month but grew by 7.4% when compared to a year ago.

Last month WLTW saw its long string of #1 18-34 books grind to a halt as it slipped into a tie for second place. The station was back on top this survey as it ended a steep two-book slide. A flat WNEW stood alone at #2 and was more than two shares behind the leader. WHTZ advanced two spaces to #3 with a small increase, while WQHT rose from #8 to #4 as it bounced back from a down book. WSKQ dipped to #5 with its lowest mark since AUGUST. It was tied with WWPR, which moved up from #7 with its fourth up book in a row. WCBS fell from first to seventh with its smallest share since DECEMBER. Market PUMM was up 2.4% from the previous month but off 8.3% from last year.

WLTW rebounded from a down book as it moved from #3 to #1 18-49. WSKQ stepped down to #2 and was a half share off the pace. WHTZ dipped to #3 with its lowest mark since FEBRUARY. WQHT remained at #4 with a slight increase, while WNEW inched up to #5 with its third up book in a row. WCBS slid from #5 to #8. Market PUMM was down 5.1% from JUNE and 2.7% from 2024.

LOS ANGELES: The Good Earth

For the third book in a row AUDACY Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH 101FM) was #1 6+. The station also landed its best number in over a year (6.6-7.4). iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST was back at #2 with its first up book since MARCH (5.6-6.1). iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (104.3 MYFM) broke out of a three-way tie for fourth place to move up a spot to #3 (4.5-4.9). AUDACY Urban AC KTWV (94.7 THE WAVE) and AUDACY News KNX remained behind at #4 with the exact same flat books (4.5-4.5). Though KNX did pick up a 0.3 share from its online presence. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KIIS (102.7 KISS FM) slipped three places to #6 (4.7-4.2). KRTH was your new cume leader despite a 0.6% decrease (2,162,900-2,146,700). This ended the seven-book run at #1 for KOST. The market was down 2.0%. Market PUMM was off 5.0% from JUNE but up 15.7% from 2024.

KRTH extended its 25-54 win streak to four and again had its best outing in over a year. KBIG was up to #2 as it bounced back from a down book, while KOST was up to #3 with its best book since MARCH. KIIS slipped to #4 with its smallest share in over a year, while MERUELO Classic Rock KLOS was down two slots to #5 ending a strong three-book surge. Market PUMM was down 6.1% from the previous survey but up 10.5% from a year ago.

KRTH took control of the 18-34 space as it moved up to #1 with its highest mark in over a year. It had about a share and a half lead over KOST, which stepped up to #2 with its best Frosty-free share in over a year. KLOS inched up to #3 with a small increase, while KIIS fell from first to fourth as it gave up all of last month’s large increase, plus quite a bit more. KBIG repeated at #5 with a small share loss. Market PUMM was down 6.6% from last month and 3.1% from last year.

KRTH completed the demo sweep as it captured the 18-49 flag for the fourth straight survey. KBIG rose two places to #2 with its highest score since NOVEMBER. KOST repeated at #3 with a small increase. KIIS had been tied at #1 last month but dropped to #4 this time with its smallest share in over a year. TELEVISAUNIVISION Mexican Regional KSCA (LA NUEVA 101.9) stepped up to #5 with a slight increase. KLOS fell from #5 to #8 and was partnered with TELEVISAUNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KLVE (K-LOVE 107.5). Market PUMM was down 8.4% from JUNE but up 5.9% from 2024.

CHICAGO: The Magnificent Seven

The top seven 6+ stations were all less than a share off the 6+ lead. Two of those stations were taking the lead roles. HUBBARD Classic Rock WDRV (97.1FM THE DRIVE) was back at #1 (5.8-4.9) but was forced to share the limelight with iHEARTMEDIA AC WLIT (93.9 LITE FM), which moved up from #3 (4.8-4.9). CUMULUS Classic Hits WLS-F inched up to #3 (4.7-4.8) and was paired with AUDACY AAA WXRT (93XRT), which advanced from #7 (4.3-4.8). HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (101.9 THE MIX) repeated at #5 (4.5-4.6). AUDACY Country WUSN (US99) slid from #2 to #6 (5.0-4.5). And AUDACY News WBBM-A dipped to #7 (4.5-4.3). It did get a 0.6 share from the stream. WLIT continued as the cume leader despite an 8.6% decrease (1,375,000-1,265,100). The market fell 0.6%. Market PUMM was down 2.5% from JUNE but up 19.6% from 2024.

iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WKSC (103.5 KISS FM) had its best 25-54 book in over a year as it rose from #2 to #1. This snapped the six-book winning string for WTMX, which slipped to #2 with its third straight down book. WXRT advanced from #9 to #3 with its best outing since JANUARY. WUSN stepped down to #4 with its smallest share since FEBRUARY. CUMULUS Alternative WKQX (Q101) dipped to #5 with a small share loss. WDRV fell four places to #9 as it returned most of last month’s share increase. It was tied with WLS-F. Market PUMM was off 2.4% from the previous survey but grew 15.3% from last year.

WKSC was a dominant #1 18-34 for the second straight survey. It maintained its two-share lead over #2 WLIT as both stations had slight decreases. WLS-F also had a slight share loss as it moved up to #3. There was a threesome at #4. iHEARTMEDIA Mainstream Rock WCHI (ROCK 95.5) remained in place as it surrendered a good portion of last month’s large increase. TELEVISAUNIVISION Mexican Regional WOJO (QUÉ BUENA 105.1) moved up from #6 with a slight decrease, while iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WGCI advanced from #10 with its best showing since that awful Grinch song was fouling the airwaves. WDRV dropped from #3 to #12. Market PUMM was down 2.6% from last month but up 8.6% from a year ago.

WKSC and WTMX were back at #1 and #2, respectively, 18-49. They continued to be separated by under a half share. WUSN stepped up to #3 and was joined there by WGCI, which rose from #7. The former had a slight decrease while the latter had a slight increase. WLIT slipped to #5 and was paired with WXRT, which advanced from #10. WKQX and WLS-F went from a tie at #4 into the same arrangement at #8. Market PUMM was off 0.5% from JUNE but up 21.5% from 2024.

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SAN FRANCISCO: Maintaining The Status Quo

The top 5 6+ stations were unchanged from last month, with one small addition. KQED INC. N/T KQED was #1 for the seventh straight survey (11.3-9.8). AUDACY News KCBS-A was back at #2 but with its highest mark in over a year (7.2-8.2). BONNEVILLE AC KOIT was again the leading music station at #3 (6.5-6.1), while USC Classical KDFC remained at #4 (4.3-4.9). iHEARTMEDIA AC KISQ (98.1 THE BREEZE) pressed on at #5 (3.9-4.2). However, it was forced to share as AUDACY Hot AC KLLC (ALICE @ 97.3) moved up from #9 with its best book in over a year (3.4-4.2). Despite a 2.4% decline KOIT was still the overall cume leader (1,090,400-1,064,400). The market was down 1.9%. Market PUMM was off 0.9% from JUNE but up 17.9% from 2024.

Despite posting its lowest score since OCTOBER, KQED was #1 25-54 for the fifth book in a row. KOIT was back at #2 but narrowed the gap to a half share. BONNEVILLE Pop CHR KMVQ (99.7 NOW) stepped up to #3 with its best showing since FEBRUARY. AUDACY Alternative KITS (LIVE 105) dipped to #4 with a slight decrease, while KISQ stepped down to #5 with a small increase. Market PUMM was down 3.7% from last month and 1.4% from a year ago.

KOIT was #1 18-34 for the sixth straight survey and landed its largest Frosty-free share in over a year. KISQ and iHEARTMEDIA Rhythmic CHR KMEL were tied at #6. KISQ advanced to #2 with its highest mark since NOVEMBER, while KMEL rose to #3 as it rebounded from a down book. Last month four stations were huddled together at #2. They all moved down the chart. KMVQ alit at #4 even though it regained a good portion of last month’s share loss. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KYLD (WiLD 94.9) landed at #5 with its lowest total since JANUARY. KITS and KQED parachuted together down to #6. Market PUMM was down 2.2% from the previous survey and 3.6% from last year.

KMVQ made the leap o’ the month as it vaulted from #7 to #1 18-49. It narrowly defeated KOIT, which stepped up to #2 with a small share loss. KISQ inched up to #3 with a solid increase. This stopped the four-book winning streak for KQED, which slipped to #4 with its least productive outing since AUGUST. KITS also had a share of the lead last month, but it fell to #5 with its lowest score since NOVEMBER. KYLD and iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KOSF (CLASSIC HITS 103.7) were last seen at #5. They resurfaced at #7 and #8, respectively. Market PUMM was down 1.4% from JUNE but up 4.5% from 2024.

DALLAS-FT. WORTH: Good Ole Country Comfort

Country music was cookin’ as the top two 6+ stations specialized in that format. CUMULUS Country KPLX (99.5 THE WOLF) repeated at #1 (5.3-5.4), while CUMULUS Country KSCS (NEW COUNTRY 96.3) moved up to #2 (5.0-5.2). The cluster also had the #3 station. CUMULUS Sports KTCK (96.7FM & 1310AM THE TICKET) dipped to #3 with its least productive outing since AUGUST (5.1-4.7). AUDACY Mexican Regional KMVK (LA GRANDE 107.5) rose from #10 to #4 as it bounced back from a down book (3.8-4.4). It also added a 0.3 share from cyberspace. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZPS (LONE STAR 92.5) leapt from #8 to #5 with its highest mark in over a year (4.0-4.3). iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KDMX (MIX 102.9) dropped to #6 (4.5-4.2), while AUDACY Adult Hits KJKK (100.3 JACK FM) slid to #7 (4.4-4.1). It was tied with iHEARTMEDIA AC KDGE (STAR 102.1), which moved down a slot (4.3-4.1). KDGE maintained its cume edge despite a 5.0% drop (1,116,600-1,061,000). The market was down 2.1%. Market PUMM was down 3.5% from JUNE but up 18.7% from 2024.

Despite a slight decrease KPLX was #1 25-54 for the second straight survey. KTCK was back at #2 and less than a half share behind its cluster mate. TELEVISAUNIVISION Mexican Regional KLNO (QUÉ BUENA 94.1) repeated at #3 with its highest share since FEBRUARY, while a flat KDMX remained at #4. SERVICE Urban Contemporary KKDA (K104) had its best showing in over a year as it advanced from #8 to #5. It was paired with KMVK, which rose from #11 as it regained some of last month’s large share loss. AUDACY Alternative KVIL (ALT 103.7) slipped to #7 and was paired with iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KHKS (106.1 KISS FM), which moved up from #10. KSCS slid from #5 to #10 with its lowest mark since the place was lousy with leaping noblemen. Market PUMM was down 5.3% from last month but up 17.5% from a year ago.

KHKS was #1 18-34 for the fifth book in a row. It held about a half share lead over the pair of stations at #2. A flat KLNO remained in place, while KSCS moved up a notch with its best book since MARCH. KDMX inched up to #4 with a small decrease. It was tied with EMF Contemporary Christian KYDA (AIR1), which advanced from #14. That station has been on quite the four-book run, going from #5 to #17 to #14 to #4. TELEVISAUNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KDXX (LATINO MIX 107.9 & 107.1) fell from #3 to #8. Market PUMM was up 0.4% from the previous survey and 16.4% from last year.

KPLX remained in first place 18-49. However, it held the slimmest of possible leads over the two stations at #2. KLNO and KHKS were previously spotted at #4. Both stations had solid increases. KDMX slipped to #4. It was partnered with KKDA, which advanced from #8 with its seventh up book in a row. KSCS slipped three slots to #6. Market PUMM was down 3.6% from JUNE but up 25.4% from 2024.

Thank you for your attention to these matters because, well, they matter. We’re just getting warmed up and are currently preparing our next roundup.  It will spotlight HOUSTON, ATLANTA, WASHINGTON D.C., PHILADELPHIA, and BOSTON in that order.

If you’re a first-time caller but long-time listener, be sure to sign up for this here missive. And feel free to pass it along to others in your chat group.

-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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