Radio Ratings Roundup, February 2026, Part 3

March 25, 2026

We often see blogs and columns that downplay the importance of ratings to radio stations. While we never believe anyone should program their station(s) TO NIELSEN, to ignore the ratings entirely would deprive you of important data and feedback. Let’s face it, radio people are highly competitive. We love to keep score.

But since we are The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC., we’re kind of biased. The same can be said of our data partners from XTRENDS. That’s why we perform this labor of love every survey.

Here’s our third foray into the FEBRUARY book. It ran from FEBRUARY 5^th through MARCH 9^th. There was a federally mandated three-day weekend, some ridiculously cold weather, and some football stuff. Let us proceed…

MIAMI-FT. LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD: When You’re Hot…

The 6+ contest is usually a two-horse race. The winning entry this month belonged to COX MEDIA Urban AC WHQT (HOT 105), which rose to the occasion with its best outing since SEPTEMBER (6.7-7.2). This ended the three-book winning string for COX MEDIA AC WFEZ (EASY 93.1), which dipped to second place (7.5-7.0). AUDACY AC WLYF (101.5 LITE FM) moved up to #3 with its highest mark since OCTOBER (4.9-6.3). AUDACY Classic Hits WMXJ (102.7 THE BEACH) stepped down to #4 (5.4-5.1), where it met up with the rising SBS Spanish Contemporary WCMQ (Z92.3), which was last seen at #5 (5.0-5.1). WFEZ still had the most listeners (746,900-790,600) – a 5.9% rise. The market was off 0.7%.

WFEZ continued to run away with the 25-54 situation. Though it had a down book it maintained better than a share lead over WHQT, which was up to #2 with its best book in over a year. WLYF moved down a spot to #3 with a slight increase, while COX MEDIA Rhythmic AC WFLC (HITS 97.3) was up to #4 as it ended a two-book slide. WMXJ dipped to #5 with a slight decrease, while a flat AUDACY Classic Hip Hop WPOW (POWER 96) slipped to #7.

COX MEDIA Urban Contemporary WEDR (99 JAMZ) was #1 18-34 for the third book in a row. WHQT has been on quite the ascent. It has gone from #11 to #5 and was granted second place in this book. The station has more than doubled its share during this run. iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WMIB (103.5 THE BEAT) was up to #3 with its best showing in over a year. Two stations were circling each other at #4. SBS Spanish Tropical WXDJ (EL ZOL 106.7) slipped from #2 with its smallest share since SEPTEMBER. WCMQ rose from #8 with its best book in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Spanish Contemporary WZTU (TÚ 94.9) fell from #3 to #13 with its least productive outing in over a year.

A flat WFEZ was #1 18-49 for the sixth straight survey. WHQT stepped up to #2 with its best book in over a year and was now only about a share off the lead. WLYF dipped to #3 with a slight increase, while two stations moved up to #4. WFLC made the small step from #5 with a slight increase, while WPOW moved up two places as it bounced back from a down book. WMXJ dropped from #4 to #8 with a small share loss.

 SEATTLE-TACOMA: To The Nines

For the eighth book in a row UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON N/T KUOW topped a nine share 6+ (9.7-9.5). It led the rest of the field by a wide margin. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KJEB (95.7 THE JET) cruised up to #2 (5.5-5.6), while CRISTA Christian AC KCMS (SPIRIT 105.3) dipped to #3 (5.7-5.4). AUDACY Active Rock KISW (THE ROCK) was up two places to #4 (5.0-5.1), while FRIENDS OF KEXP Alternative KEXP worked it from #9 to #5 with its best outing in over a year (4.3-4.7). HUBBARD AC KRWM (WARM 106.9) cooled off a bit as it slipped to #6 (5.3-4.6). It was paired with AUDACY Country KKWF (100.7 THE WOLF), which was up from #8 (4.5-4.6). With the big game now a distant memory BONNEVILLE Sports KIRO-A (SEATTLE SPORTS 710AM) slid from #5 to #10 (5.1-3.8). It was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZOK (3.6-3.8). Despite a 5.4% drop KRWM was still in cume control (648,000-613,200). The market was down 2.3%.

KEXP and KISW were still #1 and #2, respectively, 25-54. However, the gap between the two stations went from about two shares to less than a share. KUOW repeated at #3 with a slight increase, while AUDACY Alternative KNDD (107.7 THE END) rose from #7 to #4 as it rebounded from a down book. KCMS remained at #5 but was joined there by HUBBARD Pop CHR KQMV (MOViN’ 92.5), which advanced from #10 as it halted a steep three-book skid. KJEB descended from #4 to #7 as it returned some of last month’s large share increase.

KISW and KNDD were back at #1 and #2, respectively, 18-34. However, the gulf between the two stations expanded from about a half share to more than two shares. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KBKS (HITS 106.1) dipped to #3 with a noticeable share loss. It was partnered with KKWF, which rose from #6 with its best outing since MAY. KJEB stepped down to #5 and was tied with AUDACY Hot AC KSWD (EMMA 94.1), which advanced from #9 with its third consecutive up book. KRWM fell from #5 to #13 and was paired with LOTUS Country KPLZ (101.5 HANK FM).

Despite a large share loss KEXP was back at #1 18-49. KUOW moved up to #2 with a small increase, while KISW was down to #3 with a slight decrease. KNDD was up two slots to #4 and was joined there by KQMV, which advanced from #10 as it halted a three-book slide. KCMS slipped to #6, while KJEB fell from #3 to #8.

 PHOENIX: The Easy Button

For the fifth book in a row iHEARTMEDIA AC KESZ (99.9 KEZ) was #1 6+ (7.5-8.0). HUBBARD Classic Rock KSLX was back at #2 with its best outing since NOVEMBER (6.2-6.8). iHEARTMEDIA N/T KFYI-A moved up to #3 (4.6-4.6), while four stations were languishing at #4. iHEARTMEDIA Adult Hits KYOT (95.5 THE MOUNTAIN) dipped from #3 (5.2-4.5), while MARICOPA COMMUNITY COLLEGE Classical KBAQ (K-BACH 89.5) remained in place (4.9-4.5). AUDACY Classic Hits KOOL (BIG 94.5) was up from #6 (4.4-4.5), while iHEARTMEDIA Country KNIX advanced from #7 with its best book in over a year (4.3-4.5). KESZ retained the cume crown despite a 3.5% drop (1,044,300-1,007,700). The market was down 1.4%.

KESZ was #1 25-54 for the sixth straight survey but with its smallest share since SEPTEMBER. Say that three times fast. KYOT was back at #2. It narrowly defeated ENTRAVISION Mexican Regional KLNZ (LA TRICOLOR 103.5), which leapt from #7 to #3 with its highest score in over a year. KSLX repeated at #4 with a solid increase, while KOOL slipped to #5 with a slight decrease.

KESZ led the 18-34 field for the fourth book in a row. It held almost a share and a half lead over HUBBARD Alternative KDKB (ALT AZ 93.3), which jumped from #6 to #2 with its best outing since OCTOBER. KYOT remained at #3 with a solid increase, while KOOL slipped to #4 with a down book. KSLX and AUDACY Pop CHR KALV (LIVE 101.5) rose from a tie at #9 to one at #5. Both stations had strong share increases. KNIX dropped from #4 to #8 as it gave back half of last month’s huge increase.

KESZ was the 18-49 champ for the sixth book in a row. KLNZ leapt from #8 to #2 with its best showing in over a year but was still about two shares off the pace. KOOL repeated at #3 with a small increase, while KSLX stepped up to #4. KYOT fell from #2 to #5 with a small share loss. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KZZP (104.7 KISS FM) and iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KMXP (MIX 96.9) fell in tandem from #4 to #7.

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 DETROIT: Yea, That’s The Ticket

AUDACY Sports WXYT (97.1 THE TICKET) made it back-to-back 6+ wins (8.9-8.6). AUDACY Classic Hits WOMC was back at #2 with its best outing in over a year (7.4-7.7). iHEARTMEDIA AC WNIC stepped up to #3 (6.3-6.3), while iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WMXD (MIX 92.3) dipped to #4 with its smallest share since MAY (6.4-6.1). AUDACY Country WYCD was up to #5 (5.4-5.5), while AUDACY News WWJ-A moved down to #6 (5.5-5.3). WNIC padded its cume lead by 6.4% (924,200-983,600). The market was up 1.5%.

WXYT was both #1 and in double figures 25-54 for the second straight survey. WOMC inched up to #2 with its highest mark since MARCH. Beasley Active Rock WRIF stepped down to #3 as it gave back some of last month’s large increase. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WKQI (CHANNEL 955) repeated at #4, also with its best book since MARCH. iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WJLB was up to #5 with its largest share in over a year. WMXD dipped to #6 with its lowest score since JULY.

Last month WKQI and WXYT were tied at #1 18-34. Both stations had down books this month. The end result saw WKQI stand alone in first place while WXYT slipped to #3. In between was WJLB, which again had its best book in over a year. WOMC stepped up to #4 as it bounced back from a down book. AUDACY Alternative WDZH (ALT 98.7) leapt from #11 to #5 with a massive share increase. WRIF slipped to #6 with its lowest total in over a year. WNIC and WMXD were tied at #5. WNIC landed at #7, while WMXD fell into a tie at #9 with BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WMGC (105.1 THE BOUNCE).

WXYT was back at #1 18-49 but could not quite duplicate last month’s double-digit performance. WOMC advanced two squares to #2 with its best book in over a year. WKQI remained at #3 with a slight increase, while WJLB stepped up to #4 with – again – its highest mark in over a year. WRIF slid from #2 to #5 as it surrendered most of last month’s large increase.

 MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL: Time Is Tight

The 6+ contest became much more compressed this month. MPR N/T KNOW stepped up to #1 as it returned a good portion of last survey’s increase (8.6-7.7). The station did pocket a 1.4 share from cyberspace. iHEARTMEDIA Sports KFXN (K-FAN FM 100.3) stepped down to #2 with its lowest score in over a year (8.9-7.3). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KQQL (KOOL 108) moved up to #3 (6.2-7.2), while HUBBARD Hot AC KSTP (KS95) dipped to #4 (6.9-7.1). UNIVERSITY OF NORTHWESTERN-ST. PAUL Contemporary Christian KTIS repeated at #5 as it regained some of last month’s huge share loss (5.7-6.2). KOOL was still #1 in cume with a 3.3% increase (612,400-632,500). The market was up 1.0%.

For the eighth book in a row KFXN was in double-digits 25-54. The station was #1 in seven of those surveys, including the last two. KQQL had its best Frosty-free share in over a year as it jumped from #5 to #2. MPR AAA KCMP (89.3 THE CURRENT) dipped to #3 with a large share loss. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KDWB stepped down to #4 as it returned about half of last month’s large increase. It was tied with AUDACY Adult Hits KZJK (104.1 JACK FM), which was up a spot with a solid increase. KNOW slipped from #4 to #6 but its stream came in at #17.

KCMP was back at #1 18-34 but it had company as KQQL advanced from #3 to forge the tie. KFXN was down to #3 with its lowest total in over a year. KZJK stood alone at #4 with a small increase. A flat iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KTCZ (CITIES 97.1) moved up two slots to #5. KDWB went from a tie at #4 to #6, while KSTP fell from its share of the #4 position into an arrangement at #13 with iHEARTMEDIA Country KEEY (K102).

As with an earlier demo, KFXN was in double figures 18-49 for the eighth straight survey. It held more than a two-share advantage over KCMP, which repeated at #2 but with a large decrease. KQQL vaulted from #6 to #3 with its highest Frosty-free share since JULY. KDWB dipped to #4 with a small share loss, while KZJK held steady at #5 with a small share gain. KNOW slipped two slots to #6.

But wait—there’s more to come. We’ll be back after the break with TAMPA, DENVER, SAN DIEGO, CHARLOTTE, and NASSAU-SUFFOLK.

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