RADIO RATINGS ROUNDUP, November 2025, Part II

December 4, 2025

In our previous episode we went on a bit of a rant about how the NOVEMBER survey was “sus,” as the kids say, because of the early arrival of the elfin horde. Well, as it turned out, only one of the five markets we dissected had an early adopter. (To be fair, it went very well for that station.) As we were preparing this batch of markets, we thought it would be prudent to see if any stations jumped the shark, as it were. The answer is—none did. So, the NOVEMBER book is completely legit, only subject to the whims of the audience. Which is how things normally are.

This book ran from OCTOBER 16^TH through NOVEMBER 12^TH. The times changed (don’t they always), there were elections, and we honored our Veterans. Let’s dive in…

SAN FRANCISCO: Turn It Up To Eleven

That is not a Stranger Things reference. Nothing strange about the 6+ leaderboard as the top five 6+ stations remained the same as last month. KQED INC. N/T KQED was #1 for the eleventh straight survey (8.8-9.3). AUDACY News KCBS was back at #2 (8.7-8.1). The station also added a 0.3 share from the upside down. At #3, USC Classical KDFC (CLASSICAL CALIFORNIA) was still the leading music station (5.7-5.1). BONNEVILLE AC KOIT repeated at #4 (4.8-4.7), while iHEARTMEDIA Soft AC KISQ (98.1 THE BREEZE) was steady at #5 (4.6-4.6). KOIT maintained its cume lead with a 3.6% increase (1,031,000-1,068,400). The market declined by 0.5%. Market PUMM was off 0.4% from OCTOBER but was up 18.9% from 2024.

KQED made it three 25-54 wins in a row with its best outing since APRIL. BONNEVILLE Pop CHR KMVQ (99.7 NOW) was back at #2 but with its third straight down book. It was paired with AUDACY Alternative KITS (LIVE 105), which moved up a slot with a slight decrease. KOIT stepped up to #4 as it bounced back from a down book. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KYLD (WiLD 94.9) had its best book since DECEMBER as it advanced two squares to #5. KISQ landed its lowest share since MAY as it slipped to #6. It was tied with AUDACY Hot AC KLLC (ALICE @ 97.3). Market PUMM was up 1.6% from last month and 11.8% from a year ago.

For the third book in a row the top two 18-34 stations were not ones you normally associate with that demo. KOIT was #1 with a slight increase, while KISQ was back at #2 with a small share loss. KYLD repeated at #3 but was forced to share the moment with KQED, which advanced from #9 with its highest mark since JANUARY. KITS stepped up to #5, which pushed KMVQ down to #6. iHEARTMEDIA Rhythmic CHR KMEL fell to #7 with its lowest score in over a year. Market PUMM was down 3.4% from the previous survey and 1.3% from last year.

KQED was #1 18-49 for the third book in a row, while KITS repeated at #2. However, the gap between the two stations widened from less than a half share to more than a full share. KOIT was up two places to #3 as it regained some of last month’s share loss. KMVQ remained at #4 but was partnered with KYLD, which moved up from #6 with its best performance since DECEMBER. KISQ slid to #6 with its lowest total since FEBRUARY. Market PUMM was down 0.1% from OCTOBER but up 16.0% from 2024.

ATLANTA: Gold, Silver, & Bronze

Once again, COX MEDIA made a clean sweep of the top three positions on the 6+ chart. COX MEDIA N/T WSB-A was #1 for the third book in a row and landed its largest share since JANUARY (7.7-8.5). COX MEDIA AC WSB-F (B98.5) stepped up to #2 (6.8-6.8), while COX MEDIA Urban AC WALR (KISS 104.1) dipped to #3 (7.3-6.5). URBAN ONE Urban AC WAMJ (MAJIC 107.5/97.5) inched up to #4 as it regained a bit of last month’s rather large share loss (5.9-6.2). AUDACY Urban AC WVEE (V-103) stepped down to #5 (6.1-5.6) and was paired with COX MEDIA Classic Hits WSRV (97.1 THE RIVER), which was there last month (5.9-5.6). WSB-F still had the most listeners (861,700-851,300)—a 1.2% decline. The market was up 0.2%. Market PUMM was down 5.0% from OCTOBER and 7.6% from 2024.

WVEE was back at #1 25-54 with a slight share increase. WSB-F repeated at #2 but was closing in on the leader thanks to landing its largest share in over a year. WSB-A stepped up to #3 with its fourth up book in a row. WALR dipped to an extremely close #4 with a small share loss. AUDACY Sports WZGC (92.9 THE GAME) inched up to #5 with its best offensive output in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WRDG (96.1 THE BEAT) fell from #5 to #9. Market PUMM was off 6.7% from last month and 1.4% from a year ago.

WSB-F remained at #1 18-34 and hit double figures for the second time in 2025. WALR repeated at #2 with its fifth straight up book. WVEE and WSRV moved up to forge a tie at #3. WVEE had its best book since MAY, while WSRV rebounded from a down book. WRDG slid from #2 to #5. CUMULUS Pop CHR WWWQ (Q99.7) dropped two places to #6 with a small share loss. The BERT SHOW departed during week #2 of the survey. Market PUMM was down 12.3% from the previous survey and 2.3% from last year.

WSB-F stepped up to #1 18-49 with its best book in over a year. This coerced WVEE, which was up slightly, to step down to #2. WALR dipped to #3, while WSB-A inched up to #4. WWWQ stood alone at #5 with a slight decrease, while WRDG dropped from #4 to #7. Market PUMM was off 7.5% from OCTOBER and 9.8% from 2024.

 WASHINGTON, DC: Status, Meet Quo

The thirst for information continued to drive the 6+ arena. HUBBARD News WTOP was #1 for the fifth straight survey (11.9-12.1). AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU remained at #2 (11.0-11.6). If you’re keeping score (and we do) nearly a quarter of all listening is flowing to just these two stations. HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR was still the leading music station at #3. It had its best book since DECEMBER (6.6-7.0). iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WWDC (DC101) remained at #4 (5.5-5.0), while iHEARTMEDIA AC WASH was back at #5 (4.9-4.9). WTOP continued to lead the cume wars with a 2.6% increase (812,100-833,200). The market was off 1.9%. Market PUMM was down 1.5% from OCTOBER and up 17.2% from 2024.

WAMU was #1 25-54 for the eleventh book in a row and hit double figures for the fifth time during this run. WTOP repeated at #2 with a slight increase. It was more than two shares behind the leader but led the third-place station by more than a share. That honor was bestowed on WASH, which moved up a slot with a slight increase. WWDC dipped to #4 as it surrendered about half of last month’s share increase. A flat ATLANTIC GATEWAY Contemporary Christian WGTS maintained its presence at #5. Market PUMM was down 8.6% from last month but rose by 12.6% from a year ago.

WTOP moved up to #1 18-34 with a slight increase. It held a slim advantage over iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WIHT (HOT 99.5), which saw its two-book winning streak come to a close. A flat iHEARTMEDIA Country WMZQ remained at #3 but was paired with WASH, which stepped up from #4 with a small share gain. WHUR vaulted from #8 to #5 with its highest mark since JULY. WWDC slipped to #6  as it gave back all of last month’s share increase, plus a little extra. Market PUMM was down 5.4% from the previous survey but up a whopping 36.3% from last year.

For the eight straight survey spoken word dominated the 18-49 sphere as WAMU and WTOP were again #1 and #2, respectively. WASH was up two slots to #3 with its best showing since MARCH. WWDC dipped to #4, while two stations moved up and into a tie at #5. WGTS and WIHT had been at #6 and #7, respectively. AUDACY Spanish Contemporary WLZL (EL ZOL 107.9FM) fell from #4 to #9. Market PUMM was down 8.0% from OCTOBER but up 21.6% from 2024.

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 PHILADELPHIA: Back On Top

Last month BEASLEY Active Rock WMMR had its nine-book 6+ winning string snapped at the hands of cluster bruh BEASLEY Classic Rock WMGK. Well, WMMR returned to the top spot this time with its best book since MARCH (6.1-7.7). WMGK dipped to #2 (7.0-6.7). With the PHILLIES ousted from the playoffs, AUDACY Sports WIP (94WIP SPORTSRADIO) went from first to third (9.2-6.6). The station did gain a 2.5 share from the digital realm. iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS stepped up to #4 (5.4-5.4), while AUDACY AC WBEB (B101) slipped to #5 with its smallest share since MAY (5.6-5.0). AUDACY News KYW was back at #6 (4.4-4.9) and picked up a 1.5 share from the interwebs. WBEB was still the cume commander with a 3.4% increase (1,053,500-1,088,900). The market fell 1.8%. Market PUMM was up 1.1% from OCTOBER and 14.8% from 2024.

WMMR extended its 25-54 winning string to ten as it opened up a more than three share lead over the new #2 station. EMF Contemporary Christian WKVP (K-LOVE) vaulted from #6 to #2 with easily its best book ever (most probably). WDAS remained at #3 with a slight increase, while a flat WBEB was back at #4. It was joined in that space by WIP, which dropped from #2. WIP’s stream came in at #18. WHYY INC. N/T WHYY landed its largest share in over a year as it also came in at #4, advancing from #7. WMGK slipped from #5 to #7. Market PUMM was up 2.1% from last month and 20.7% from a year ago.

WMGK made it back-to-back 18-34 wins but could not quite duplicate last month’s double-digit experience. WMMR bounced back from a down book to rise from #5 to #2. BEASLEY Country WXTU (92.5 XTU) repeated at #3 with a slight increase, while WDAS moved up two spots to #4 with its best showing since

MARCH. WIP slid three places to #5, while WBEB landed at #6 with its lowest score in over a year. Market PUMM was off 1.0% from the previous survey but up 1.6% from last year.

WMMR moved back up to #1 18-49 with a double-digit performance. WDAS jumped from #5 to #2 but was nearly four shares off the lead. WIP went from first to third again, narrowly missing out on second place. WMGK dipped to #4 as it returned most of last month’s huge increase. WBEB stepped down to #5. Market PUMM was up 0.4% from OCTOBER and 10.3% from 2024.

BOSTON: They Do Sports

For the first time since JANUARY, BEASLEY Sports WBZ-F (98.5 THE SPORTS HUB) was #1 6+ (6.4-6.9). This dethroned last month’s co-leaders in AUDACY AC WMJX (MAGIC 106.7) and BEASLEY Classic Hits WROR. WMJX dipped to #2 (6.5-6.1), while WROR alit at #3 (6.5-5.6). iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WXKS (KISS 108) moved up to #4 (5.1-5.3), while BOSTON UNIVERSITY N/T WBUR landed its largest share since JUNE. It rose from #8 to #5 (4.2-5.0). As the RED SOX season sputtered to a halt, so did the ratings fortunes of AUDACY Sports WEEI. It dropped from #4 to #7 (5.7-4.4). Despite a 2.8% decline WMJX still had the most cume (867,800-843,600). The market was down 1.4%. Market PUMM was up 0.4% from OCTOBER and 0.1% from 2024.

WBZ-F was #1 25-54 for the third consecutive month and made it back-to-back double-digit outings. WXKS repeated at #2 but with its highest mark in over a year. AUDACY Hot AC WWBX (MIX 104.1) remained at #3 with a small share loss, while a flat iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WZLX stepped up to #4. WBUR worked it from #9 to #5, while WROR slipped to #6 as it returned all of last month’s share increase. Market PUMM was down 5.1% from last month but up 6.3% from a year ago.

In a move that likely turned market heads, iHEARTMEDIA Rhythmic CHR WJMN (JAM’N 94.5) rose from #3 to #1 18-34. The station did land its largest share in over a year. This ended the two-book run for WMJX, which dipped to #2. BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WBQT (HOT 96.9) had its best showing since JANUARY as it moved up to #3. WWBX inched up to #4 as it rebounded from a down book. WBUR vaulted from #13 to #5 with its best book in over a year—by far. WROR fell from #2 to #7, while WEEI slid from #5 to #8. It was tied with AUDACY Adult Hits WBGB (BIG 103). Market PUMM was down 0.9% from the previous survey and 2.2% from last year.

WBZ-F was back at #1 18-49. WXKS leapt from #5 to #2 but was still a share and a half off the lead. WMJX repeated at #3 with a small share loss, while WWBX was back at #4 with a slight decrease. WROR dropped from #2 to #5 as it surrendered all of last month’s large share increase. Market PUMM was down 5.3% from OCROBER and 0.1% from 2024.

Thank you for listening, uh, reading. Stay tuned for another action splattered episode. On tap are MIAMI, SEATTLE, 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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