RADIO RATINGS ROUNDUP, July 2025, Part III

August 19, 2025

The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – in conjunction with the numbers nerds from XTRENDS – are all about doing our own research. As we continue to dive deeper into the unexpected data processing glitch that has delayed these roundups, we have discovered a deeper conspiracy. Apparently, some of our computers still operate on Windows 97. While that was a bit of concern, we consulted with Clippy (the OG AI) and it said all systems are a go. For now.

The JULY book ran from JUNE 26^TH through JULY 23^RD. It was hot and humid and featured a long holiday weekend. Now, let’s dive in.

SEATTLE-TACOMA: Lucky Number Seven

For the seventh book in a row, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON N/T KUOW was the 6+ leader (7.9-8.4). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KJEB (95.7 THE JET) continued to circle around the #2 position (5.7-5.6), while BONNEVILLE Sports KIRO-A (SEATTLE SPORTS 710AM) advanced to #3 with its fourth up book in a row. Isn’t it amazing what a hot baseball team can do for ratings? HUBBARD AC KRWM (WARM 106.9) remained settled in at #4 (5.2-4.7), while CLASSIC RADIO Classical KING leapt from #12 to #5 with its best book since FEBRUARY (3.5-4.5). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZOK had its least productive outing in over a year as it dropped from #3 to #6 (5.6-4.4). It was tied with CRISTA Contemporary Christian KCMS (SPIRIT 105.3) (4.2-4.4). KJEB continued as the cume leader (641,600-593,100) – a 7.6% decline. The market was down 4.3%. Market PUMM was off 4.9% from JUNE but up 20.9% from 2024.

The 25-54 leaderboard continued to have an edge to it. AUDACY Alternative KNDD (107.7 THE END) moved into first place for the first time since its three-book win streak concluded in MARCH. AUDACY Active Rock KISW (THE ROCK) stepped down to #2 as its three-book run came to an end. It was joined there by FRIENDS OF KEXP Alternative KEXP, which posted its largest share in over a year. KUOW stood alone at #4, while KJEB stepped up to #5, also with its best outing in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KBKS (HITS 106.1) slid to #7 but with only a slight decrease. Market PUMM was down 7.1% from the previous survey but went up 23.4% from last year.

KNDD was #1 18-34 for the third straight survey and hit double figures, as well. HUBBARD Pop CHR KQMV (MOViN’ 92.5) was up two slots to #2 with its best showing since FEBRUARY. KISW leapt from #7 to #3 with its highest mark since AUGUST. Four stations were resting comfortably at #4. KBKS remained in place while AUDACY Country KKWF (100.7 THE WOLF) moved up from #6. KRWM and KJEB fell from #2 and #3, respectively. Market PUMM was down 13.0% from last month but was up 16.9% from a year ago.

KNDD ran its 18-49 #1 string to seven. It held better than a share advantage over a flat KBKS, which remained at #2. KJEB was back at #3 but with its fifth up book in a row. KEXP rose from #7 to #4 with its best showing in over a year. KUOW repeated at #5, while KISW slipped to #6 and was tied with KIRO-A. Market PUMM was off 11.0% from JUNE but was up 12.6% from 2024.

MIAMI-FT. LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD: Flat Wins

AUDACY AC WLYF (101.5 LITE FM) was flat for the second book in a row 6+ (6.6-6.6), but that was enough to nudge the station up to #1. COX MEDIA Urban AC WHQT (HOT 105) dipped to #2 (6.9-6.5). It was partnered with COX MEDIA AC WFEZ (EASY 93.1), which rose from #3 (6.0-6.5). TELEVISAUNIVISION Spanish Hot AC WAMR (AMOR 107.5) stood alone at #4 (5.3-5.2), while AUDACY Classic Hits WMXJ (102.7 THE BEACH) stepped down to #5 (5.3-5.1). WLYF still had the most cume (750,800-764,500) – a 1.8% rise. The market was down 3.7%. Market PUMM was off 5.7% from JUNE but up by 9.6% from 2024.

WFEZ was the 25-54 winner for the seventh straight survey. It held about a share and a half edge over iHEARTMEDIA Spanish Adult Hits WMIA (MAGIC 93.9), which remained at #2 but with its best book since NOVEMBER. COX MEDIA Rhythmic AC WFLC (HITS 97.3) jumped from #8 to #3 with its highest mark since DECEMBER. WLYF dipped to #4, while WHQT slipped to #5 – both with small share losses. WMXJ dropped to #7 with its lowest score since DECEMBER. Market PUMM was down 4.8% from last month but rose 10.3% from last year.

As is often the case, the 18-34 contest was a jumbled mess. Last month three stations were tied at #1. Only one remained this time and it was WLYF, which was up for the fourth book in a row. SBS Latino Urban WRMA (RITMO 95.7) dipped to #2, while iHEARTMEDIA Spanish Contemporary WZTU (TÚ 94.9) moved down to #3. COX MEDIA Urban Contemporary WEDR (99 JAMZ) repeated at #4, while three stations were huddled together at #5. WAMR and TELEVISAUNIVISION Spanish Contemporary WRTO (MIX 98.3) rose from a tie at #11, while SBS Spanish Tropical WXDJ (EL ZOL 106.7 FM) arrived from #8. WMIA fell from #4 to #8 and was aligned with WFLC and WFEZ. Market PUMM was down 10.9% from the previous survey but rose 0.7% from a year ago.

WFEZ rebounded from a down book to extend its 18-49 win streak to seven. WFLC advanced from #5 to #2 with its best outing since NOVEMBER. WLYF dipped to #3 with a slight decrease. WHQT repeated at #4 but was joined there by a flat WMIA, which leapt from #7. WZTU and WEDR were at 3 and #5, respectively. They fell into a tie at #10. Market PUMM was down 6.3% from JUNE but up by 5.7% from 2024.

PHOENIX: Renewing Their Vows

For the second book in a row, HUBBARD Classic Rock KSLX and iHEARTMEDIA AC KESZ (99.9 KEZ) were the 6+ co-leaders. The stations have been on fire. KSLX was up for the seventh straight survey and was in the #1 spot for the fourth book in a row. KESZ was up for the third book in a row with its best Frosty-free share since SEPTEMBER. Coming in at a distant #3 again was iHEARTMEDIA Adult Hits KYOT (95.5 THE MOUNTAIN), which was flat (4.4-4.4). iHEARTMEDIA Country KNIX moved up to #4 (4.1-4.3), while AUDACY Classic Hits KOOL (BIG 94.5) repeated at #5 (4.3-4.2). iHEARTMEDIA N/T KFYI-A slipped three places to #6 (4.4-3.8). KESZ remained the cume commander with a 4.3% decline (964,600-923,400). The market was off 2.5%. Market PUMM was down 6.5% from JUNE but up by 19.3% from 2024.

KESZ extended its long, uninterrupted string of #1 25-54 books with a slight increase. KSLX was back at #2 and about two shares off the pace. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KMXP (MIX 96.9) leapt from #7 to #3 with its highest mark in over a year. HUBBARD Active Rock KUPD rebounded from a down book to move from #8 to #4. KYOT advanced from #12 to #5 with a solid increase. HUBBARD Alternative KDKB (ALT AZ 93.3) and KNIX were #3 and #4, respectively. They fell together into a tie at #6. KOOL dropped from #5 to #8 where it was met by AUDACY Country KMLE and TELEVISAUNIVISION Spanish Adult Hits KOMR (AMOR 106.3). Market PUMM was down 6.8% from last month but grew by 20.7% from a year ago.

KESZ made it back-to-back 18-34 wins and crashed through the double-digit barrier. KDKB  repeated at #2 but with its lowest score since  JANUARY. The gap between the two stations grew from about a share to over five shares! KMXP remained at #3 and was paired with KSLX, which rose from #5 with its best book in over a year. KMLE dipped to #5 despite landing its largest share since FEBRUARY. KUPD fell from #5 into a tie at #8 with RIVIERA Hot AC KMVA (HOT 97.5/103.9). Market PUMM was down 7.7% from the previous survey but was up by 12.4% from last year.

For the fifth book in a row KESZ was #1 18-49. The station also had its best Frosty-free share since SEPTEMBER. KMXP rebounded from a down book to move up to #2, while KSLX remained at #3 but with its best outing in exactly a year. KDKB slipped to #4 with its lowest score since JANUARY, while KUPD stood alone at #5. ENTRAVISION Mexican Regional KLNZ (LA TRICOLOR 103.5) fell from a tie at #5 to #9. Market PUMM was off 6.3% from JUNE but up by 15.3% from 2024.

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DETROIT: Yeah, That’s The Ticket

For the fourth book in a row AUDACY Sports WXYT (97.1 THE TICKET) was #1 6+ (8.0-7.7). The station also added a 2.8 share from the interwebs. AUDACY Classic Hits WOMC was back at #2 (7.0-6.7) and was paired with iHEARTMEDIA AC WNIC, which stepped up from #3 (6.4-6.7). iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WMXD (MIX 92.3) repeated at #4 (6.2-6.2), while AUDACY Country WYCD remained at #5 (5.6-5.3). Despite an 11.5% decline, WNIC was still the cume leader (1,101,600-974,400). This was the first time since NOVEMBER that the station did not top the one million mark. Market cume was down 2.1%. Market PUMM fell 9.3% from JUNE but was up by 18.8% from 2024.

As with the previous demo WXYT was #1 25-54 for the fourth straight survey. Its stream came in at #14. BEASLEY Active Rock WRIF was back at #2 with a small decrease, while iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WKQI(CHANNEL 955) repeated at #3 with a slight share loss. WYCD remained at #4, also with a down book. WOMC dipped to #5 with its smallest share since JANUARY. It was partnered with CUMULUS Hot AC WDVD, which arrived from #7 with its fourth up book in a row. Market PUMM was down 9.8% from last month but up by 15.3% from a year ago.

Sometimes, all you need to do is show up. WKQI was flat 18-34 but still moved from third to first place. WRIF and WYCD were the co-leaders last month. WRIF dipped to #2, which ended its three-book winning string, while WYCD landed at #4. In between was WOMC, which moved up thanks to a small increase. A flat AUDACY Alternative WDZH (ALT 98.7) stepped up to #5. It was joined there by BEASLEY Classic Rock WCSX , which advanced from #10 with its best outing in over a year. WXYT fell from #4 to #7 with its smallest share in over a year. Market PUMM was down 13.3% from the previous survey but up by 14.2% from last year.

WRIF and WKQI remained #1 and #2, respectively, with the 18-49 crowd. The stations were separated by the slimmest of possible margins. WXYT dipped to #3 with its third down book in a row. It was matched with WDVD, which rose from #5 with its highest mark in over a year. WYCD slipped to #5 with its smallest share since APRIL. Market PUMM was down 10.3% from JUNE but up by 12.7% from 2024.

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL: Fan-tastic

Despite being down for the third book in a row iHEARTMEDIA Sports KFXN (KFAN FM 100.3) was #1 6+ for the seventh straight survey (8.4-8.1). UNIVERSITY OF NORTHWESTERN/ST. PAUL Contemporary Christian KTIS moved up to #2 with its best showing since NOVEMBER (6.9-7.2). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KQQL (KOOL 108) was back at #3 (7.0-7.0). It was paired with HUBBARD Hot AC KSTP (KS95), which dipped from #2 (7.1-7.0). MPR N/T KNOW remained at #5 (6.6-6.3). It was granted a 1.3 share from cyberspace. KQQL lost 11.0% of its cume but remained #1 in that category (793,800-706,400). The market was down 3.7%. Market PUMM was off 5.5% from JUNE but up by 5.5% from 2024.

The top five on the 25-54 chart was relatively unchanged from last month. MPR AAA KCMP (89.3 THE CURRENT) was back at #1, while KFXN repeated at #2, though with its lowest score since AUGUST. KSTP repeated at #3 with a slight increase. AUDACY Adult Hits KZJK (104.1 JACK FM) stepped up to #4 with a solid increase, which pushed KQQL down to #5. Market PUMM was down 9.0% from last month but rose by 12.0% from a year ago.

Two months ago, KCMP was #8 18-34. Last month it jumped up to #3 and this time the station finished in first place. KZJK was unable to match last month’s double-digit share as it dipped to #2. KFXN stepped down to #3 and was met there by CUMULUS Active Rock KXXR (93X), which moved up from #5 with its best book since DECEMBER. Also coming in at #3 was KQQL, which got back some of last month’s huge share loss. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KDWB landed its lowest share in over a year as it fell from #5 into a tie at #8 with iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KTCZ (CITIES 97.1). Market PUMM was down 12.0% from the previous survey but up by 2.3% from last year.

KFXN extended its #1 18-49 streak to seven but this time it was forced to share as KCMP stepped up from #2 with its highest mark in over a year. KSTP was back at #3, KQQL remained at #4 and KZJK held steady at #5. All three stations had small share losses. Market PUMM was down 10.2% from JUNE but rose by 8.4% from 2024.

It ain’t over yet. One last data dump to absorb. Up next in the queue are TAMPA, DENVER, SAN DIEGO, CHARLOTTE, and NASSAU-SUFFOLK.

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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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