Hot Topics
Radio Ratings Roundup, December 2025, Part II
January 2, 2026
In our first roundup we saw that’s Santa’s scorched earth policy was quite effective. Will that carnage continue in our second batch of subjects? This is the DECEMBER survey, after all. A book that ran from NOVEMBER 13th through DECEMBER 10th. In theory the entire 28-day period was drenched by the sounds of the season. Which stations showed restraint and which ones jumped the gun? That’s what The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC.—along with the number’s nerds from XTRENDS—are here to find out. Besides the Santa scourge, this survey also had the long travel nightmare that is THANKSGIVING. Read on…
SAN FRANCISCO: Santa Stymied
The holiday crush was unable to break the spoken word blockade at the top of the 6+ chart. KQED INC. N/T KQED was #1 for the twelfth straight survey (9.3-9.1). AUDACY News KCBS (ALL NEWS 106.9FM/740AM) remained #2 (8.1-8.1). It also garnered a 0.3 share from the upside down. BONNEVILLE AC KOIT flipped the Frosty switch the day before THANKSGIVING. That moved the station up to #3 (4.7-7.0). A year ago, it was #2 with a 7.2 share. USC Classical KDFC (CLASSICAL CALIFORNIA) dipped to #4 (5.1-5.0), while BONNEVILLE Hot AC KMVQ (99.7 NOW) stepped up to #5 (4.3-4.1). iHEARTMEDIA Soft AC KISQ (98.1 THE BREEZE) landed its lowest share in over a year as it drifted down to #7 (4.6-3.3). KOIT increased its #1 cume by 8.8% (1,068,400-1,162,300). The market was down 0.5%. Market PUMM was off 3.3% from NOVEMBER but up 16.6% from 2024.
The incessant jingling of the bells was a boon for KOIT as it moved from #4 to #1 25-54 with its best book since FEBRUARY. KQED stepped down to #2 as its three-book winning string was snapped. KMVQ dipped to #3 while iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KYLD (WiLD 94.9) stepped up to #4. Both stations had slight decreases. AUDACY Alternative KITS (LIVE 105) posted its lowest score since MARCH as it slid from #2 to #5. Market PUMM was up 0.4% from last month and 18.0% from a year ago.
KOIT was #1 18-34 for the fourth book in a row but the elves pushed the station into double figures. SBS Mexican Regional KRZZ (LA RAZA 93.3) leapt from #13 to #2 as it more than doubled its previous share. iHEARTMEDIA Rhythmic CHR KMEL ended a somewhat steep three-book slide as it rose from #7 to #3. Thanks to a slight increase KMVQ was up two slots to #4. AUDACY Hot AC KLLC (ALICE @ 97.3) had its best showing in over a year as it advanced from #10 to #5. Several stations were excused from the top five. KQED and KYLD went from a tie at #3 into the same arrangement at #6. KISQ slid from #2 to #8. KITS dropped from #5 into a tie at #12 with CONNOISSEUR Hot AC KEZR (MIX 106.5) and AUDACY Rhythmic AC KRBQ (102 JAMS). Market PUMM was up 19.7% from the previous survey and 18.2% from last year.
KOIT went from #3 to #1 18-49, which knocked KQED down to #2. KMEL leapt from #7 to #3 with its highest mark since AUGUST. KYLD stood alone at #4 with a small decrease. Its former partner in that space – KMVQ – dipped to #5 with its smallest share since JUNE. KITS slid from #2 to #6. Market PUMM was up 0.4% from NOVEMBER and 20.7% from 2024.
ATLANTA: Who’s Next?
For the longest time the home of the holiday hits resided with the station formerly known as THE FISH. It swam away, so who picked up the red coat with the white fur trim? Stay tuned. COX MEDIA N/T WSB-A was #1 6+ for the fourth book in the row though it returned all of last month’s share increase (8.5-7.4). COX MEDIA Classic Hits WSRV (97.1 THE RIVER) ended a five-book slide as it rose from #5 to #2 (5.6-6.2). COX MEDIA AC WSB-F (B98.5) dipped to #3 (6.8-6.1), while COX MEDIA Urban AC WALR (KISS 104.1) stepped down to #4 (6.5-6.0). URBAN ONE Urban AC WAMJ (MAJIC 107.5/97.5) was down a spot to #5 (6.2-5.9), while AUDACY Urban AC WVEE (V-103) settled in at #6 with its lowest mark in over a year (5.6-5.1). The Santa station was AUDACY Rhythmic AC WSTR (STAR 94). It flipped the day before THANKSGIVING and went from #10 to #8 (3.6-4.2). WSB-F was still the cume leader despite a 4.1% decline (851,300-816,100). The market was up 0.1%. Market PUMM was down 5.2% from NOVEMBER and 4.6% from 2024.
Despite a down book WVEE was #1 25-54 for the third straight survey. WSB-F was back at #2 as it halted a three-book surge. AUDACY Sports WZGC (92.9 THE GAME) was up to #3 with a slight decrease, while WSB-A dipped to #4 as it ended a four-book surge. It was paired with WALR, which remained in place but with its smallest share in over a year. WSTR moved from #10 to #8. Market PUMM was down 5.3% from last month and 1.8% from a year ago.
WSB-F was #1 18-34 for the third book in a row though it was unable to replicate last month’s double-digit performance. WSRV stepped up to #2 with a small increase, while WVEE stayed behind at #3 with a small decrease. iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WRDG (96.1 THE BEAT) inched up to #4 with its third down book in a row. WALR slid three places to #5 with its lowest mark since JULY. WSTR went from #9 to #8. Market PUMM was down 2.9% from the previous survey but up 7.1% from last year.
WSB-F repeated at #1 18-49 as it returned all of last month’s share increase. WVEE remained at #2. The stations were separated by a half share. WSRV vaulted from #8 to #3 with a solid share gain, while a flat WZGC moved up to #4. CUMULUS Pop CHR WWWQ (Q99.7) held steady at #5 but with its lowest score since JUNE. WALR and WSB-A were #3 and #4, respectively, last time. They dropped into a tie at #7 with JDJ COMMUNICATIONS Urban Contemporary WWSZ (STREETZ 94.5). WSTR rose from #11 to #6. Market PUMM was down 6.3% from NOVEMBER and 7.4% from 2024.
WASHINGTON, DC: Santa Denied
As we saw with an earlier market, the polar express was unable to blast through the information blockade atop the 6+ leaderboard. HUBBARD News WTOP was #1 for the sixth book in a row (12.1-12.2), while AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU repeated at #2 (11.6-10.9). iHEARTMEDIA AC WASH went all holly and jolly on day two of the survey. That propelled the station from #5 to #3 (4.9-8.7). Last year it was #3 with a 7.3 share. HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR dipped to #4 (7.0-6.0), while iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WWDC (DC101) stepped down to #5 (5.0-5.2). WASH increased its #1 cume total by 13.9% (794,200-904,500). The market was up 0.4%. Market PUMM was off 5.1% from NOVEMBER but grew by 19.9% from 2024.
WASH leapt from #3 to #1 25-54 and landed in double figures. Despite remaining in double digits WAMU was forced down to #2. This ended an eleven-book reign for the station. WTOP was down to #3 as it halted a two-book surge. WWDC repeated at #4 as it rebounded from a down book. WHUR was up to #5 with its best outing in exactly a year. ATLANTIC GATEWAY Contemporary Christian WGTS stepped down to #6 with a large share loss. Market PUMM was off 1.2% from last month but up 22.6% from a year ago.
WASH moved from #3 to #1 18-34 and narrowly defeated WTOP, which slipped to #2 despite landing its largest share since AUGUST. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WBIG (BIG 100) vaulted from #7 to #3 with its, uh, biggest book in over a year. WHUR inched up to #4 with its highest score since MAY. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WIHT (HOT 99.5) slipped three places to #5 with its lowest total since JULY. It was paired with iHEARTMEDIA Country WMZQ, which dropped from #3. Market PUMM was off 6.5% from the previous survey but up 24.4% from last year.
WASH hit double figures 18-49 as it rose from #3 to #1. This ended the eight-book winning string for WAMU, which drifted down to #2. WTOP dipped to #3 with a slight decrease, while WWDC held firm at #4 as it bounced back from a down book. WHUR landed its largest share in over a year as it progressed from #7 to #5. WGTS and WIHT were last seen at #5. This time they arrived at #6 and #7, respectively. Market PUMM was down 5.1% from NOVEMBER but up 20.7% from 2024.
Shameless plug: You know, we can help you track the ebbs and flows of the shifting holiday audience. You’d be amazed.
PHILADELPHIA: Be The Sleigh
AUDACY AC WBEB (B101) crossed over to the dark side on day two of the survey and reaped all the benefits, moving from #5 6+ to #1 (5.0-10.1). Last year it was #3 with a 7.8 share. BEASLEY Active Rock WMMR dipped to #2 (7.7-6.4), while iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS was up to #3 with its best book since MAY (5.4-6.3). AUDACY Sports WIP (94 WIP SPORTSRADIO) stepped down to #4 (6.6-5.8), though it did add a 2.3 share from cyberspace. BEASLEY Classic Rock WMGK landed its smallest share in over a year as it fell from #2 to #5 (6.7-5.5). WBEB increased its leading cume total by 28.2% (1,088,900-1,396,200). The market was up 1.1%. Market PUMM was off 1.2% from NOVEMBER but up 20.5% from 2024.
WBEB came close to doubling its previous 25-54 share. It rose from #4 to #1 and hit double figures. This ended the ten-book winning streak for WMMR, which stepped down to #2. WDAS repeated at #3 with its third straight up book. EMF Contemporary Christian WKVP (106.9 K-LOVE) slid to #4 as it gave back about half of last month’s share increase. WIP and WHYY INC. N/T WHYY went from being tied at #4 to #5 and #6, respectively. Market PUMM was down 2.3% from last month but rose 25.8% from a year ago.
WBEB more than doubled its previous 18-34 share as it rose from #6 to #1 and hit double figures. It led the three stations at #2 by more than six shares. WMMR remained in place as it surrendered a good portion of last month’s increase. BEASLEY Country WXTU (92.5 XTU) stepped up from #3 despite a down book, while WDAS advanced from #4 with a slight increase. WMGK fell from first to fifth and was paired with BEASLEY Adult Hits WBEN (95.7 BEN FM), which rose from #7. WIP slid from #5 to #8. Market PUMM was down 9.3% from the previous survey but up 0.9% from last year.
WBEB exactly doubled last month’s 18-49 share as it leapt from #5 to #1. Yes, it was in double digits, as well. WMMR stepped down to #2 and just missed hitting double figures again. WDAS dipped to #3 despite being up for the third book in a row. WIP moved down to #4, while WBEN worked it from #9 to #5 with its third consecutive up book. WMGK fell four places to #8 and was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WIOQ (Q102). Market PUMM was down 5.1% from NOVEMBER but up 13.6% from 2024.
BOSTON: Holiday Magic
AUDACY AC WMJX (MAGIC 106.7) hit the ho, ho, ho button on the day before THANKSGIVING. As a result, the station rose from #2 to #1 6+ (6.1-10.3). Last year it was #1 but with an 8.3 share. BEASLEY Sports WBZ-F (98.5 THE SPORTS HUB) dipped to #2 as its four-book surge ground to a halt (6.9-6.2). BEASLEY Classic Hits WROR remained at #3 (5.6-5.3), while iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WXKS (KISS 108) was back at #4 (5.3-4.9). Two stations moved up to forge a tie at #5. iHEARTMEDIA N/T WBZ-A stepped up from #6 (4.7-4.6), while AUDACY Sports WEEI advanced from #7 (4.4-4.6). BOSTON UNIVERSITY N/T WBUR fell four places to #9 with its smallest share since Santa’s last visit (5.0-4.0). WMJX exceeded the one million cume mark as it added 19.9% to that total (843,600-100,400). The market was down 0.3%. Market PUMM was off 4.0% from NOVEMBER but up 2.0% from 2024.
WMJX vaulted from #7 to #1 25-54 as it more than doubled last month’s number. The station was also in double figures. WBZ-F stepped down to #2 as its three-book winning string came to an end. WMJX went from trailing WBZ-F by five shares to leading by more than a share. WXKS dipped to #3 as its four-book surge ended. AUDACY Hot AC WWBX (MIX 104.1) moved down to #4 with a slight decrease, while iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WZLX was down to #5 with its lowest score since JUNE. WBUR fell from #5 to #8. Market PUMM was off 0.9% from last month but rose 12.6% from a year ago.
WMJX stepped up to #1 18-34 for its third win in the last four surveys. Again, it reached double figures. iHEARTMEDIA Rhythmic CHR WJMN (JAM’N 94.5) moved down to #2, while WROR advanced from #7 to #3 as it rebounded from a down book. WEEI leapt four places to #4 with its best offensive performance in over a year. WWBX dipped to #5 and was tied with a flat WXKS, which remained in place. BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WBQT (HOT 106.9) cooled off as it fell from #3 to #8, while WBUR dropped from #5 to #10. Market PUMM was up 4.9% from the previous survey and 3.1% from last year.
WMJX went from third to first 18-49 as it hit double digits once again. This ended the two-book winning streak for WBZ-F, which moved down to #2. WROR was up two slots to #3 with a small increase, while WWBX repeated at #4 with a slight decrease. WXKS fell from #2 to #5 with its smallest share since March. Market PUMM was up 0.6% from NOVEMBER and 6.0% from 2024.
We’re halfway through the DECEMBER reading. Thank you for your participation. Stay tuned for another action splattered episode. On tap are MIAMI, SEATTLE, PHOENIX, DETROIT, and MINNEAPOLIS. Don’t forget to subscribe to our blog at www.ResearchDirectorInc.com/Hot-Topics. And remember, sharing is caring – spread the word far and wide.
About XTrends: XTrends is radio’s favorite Nielsen ratings analysis tool, used by all major groups. Learn why here.
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 email info@ResearchDirectorInc.com or sallan@ResearchDirectorInc.com.
Comments are closed.