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Radio Ratings Roundup, February 2026, Part 4
March 26, 2026
Appropriately enough for MLB’s opening weekend, we’re rounding third and heading for home with the FEBRUARY survey. We do not need any robot umps to call the balls and strikes of these final five markets. The numbers will always speak for themselves. Well, not entirely as they have yet mastered how to use a keyboard.
The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC.—in a committed relationship with the wizards of XTRENDS—present FEBRUARY. A survey that began on FEBRUARY 5th and ended its tenure on MARCH 4th. There was a three-day holiday, some severe winter weather and a SUNDAY commercial extravaganza. Here’s how we see it:
TAMPA-ST. PETERSBURG-CLEARWATER: A Wild Ride
Chaos was the word of the month for this market. We begin with 6+. COX MEDIA Soft AC WDUV (105.5 THE DOVE) flew back to #1 (8.4-8.6). RADIO TRAINING NETWORK Contemporary Christian WCIE (THE JOY FM) landed its lowest share since OCTOBER as it stepped down to #2 (8.8-7.3). Last month there was a threesome at #5. COX MEDIA Classic Hits WXGL (107.3 THE EAGLE) landed at #3 as it ended a three-book slide (5.3-6.5). BEASLEY Classic Hits WRBQ (Q105) inched up to #4 (5.3-5.5), while iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock WXTB (98 ROCK) slid to #8 (5.3-4.9). COX MEDIA AC WWRM (MAGIC 94.9) dipped to #5 (5.7-5.3), while iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WFLZ rose from #10 to #6 with its best outing in over a year (4.0-5.1). iHEARTMEDIA AC WMTX (MIX 100.7) fell from #3 to #7 with its smallest share since NOVEMBER (5.9-5.0). WDUV remained the cume leader with a 3.1% increase (633,800-653,500). The market was down 0.7%.
WDUV rebounded from a down 25-54 book to post its best Frosty-free share in over a year. This drove the station from #4 to #1. WRBQ advanced from #6 to #2 with its third up book in a row. WFLZ vaulted from #7 to #3 with its fifth straight up book. Last month WCIE and WMTX were the demo co-leaders. Both stations experienced large share losses as they slipped to #4 and #5, respectively. WWRM dropped three slots to #6 with its first down book since SEPTEMBER. It was paired with WXTB, which had a slight decrease.
WFLZ went from second place to first 18-34 as it smashed through the double-digit barrier. WDUV was up two slots to #2 with a slight increase but was more than four shares off the lead. WWRM repeated at #3 but with its lowest score since AUGUST. WMTX went from first to fourth, which ended its two-book double-digit run. WXGL leapt from #11 to #5. The station has more than doubled its share over the last two surveys. WCIE dipped to #6 with a small share loss. WXTB halted a four-book surge as it slid from a tie at #5 into one at #8 with WRBQ. BEASLEY Rhythmic CHR WLLD (WiLD 94.1) lost more than half its previous share is it dropped from a tie at #5 into a situation at #13 with Q BROADCASTING Mexican Regional WAMA (LA LEY 107.7FM/1550AM).
WDUV rebounded from a down book to leap from #4 to #1 18-49. WFLZ rose from #6 to #2 with, again, its best showing in over a year. WCIE and WMTX were last seen at #1. Both had down books as they landed at #3 and #4, respectively. WWRM was also at #4, slipping a spot with its lowest total since JUNE. WXTB went from #4 to #6 as it returned most of last month’s share increase.
DENVER-BOULDER: Rocky Mountain High
Sometimes, the headlines just write themselves. AUDACY Classic Rock KQMT (99.5 THE MOUNTAIN) moved up to #1 6+ with its highest score in over a year (5.7-7.0). This halted the twelve-book winning string of BONNEVILLE AC KOSI (KOSI 101.1), which dipped to #2 (7.0-6.7). BONNEVILLE Country KYGO repeated at #3 (5.6-5.3), while AUDACY Modern AC KALC (ALICE 105.9) remained at #4 (5.2-5.1). KSE MEDIA VENTURES Classic Hits KXKL (KOOL 105) was up two slots to #5 with its best book since JULY (4.6-5.0). With the BRONCOS riding off into the sunset BONNEVILLE Sports KKFN (104.3 THE FAN) dropped from #5 to #13 (5.0-2.9). KOSI still had the most cume despite a 6.0% decline (521,800-490,500). The market was off 0.3%.
For the second book in a row iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTCL (CHANNEL 93.3) was #1 25-54. The station also had its best showing since JUNE. KQMT went from #4 to #2, again with its largest share in over a year. It was about a half share off the lead. KALC and KOSI were previously seen at #2. Both stations experienced a down book as they landed at #3 and #4, respectively. KXKL was up from #7 to #5 with its highest total in a year. KYGO advanced from #14 to #6 with its best book since SEPTEMBER. KKFN dropped from #5 to #18 where it was hanging with two other stations.
Last month KXKL and ENTRAVISION Mexican Regional KXPK (LA TRICOLOR 96.5) were tied at #4 18-34. KXKL landed at #1, while KXPK ended up at #2. It was sharing that moment with two other stations. AUDACY Rhythmic CHR KQKS (KS 107.5) stepped down from #1, while KSE MEDIA VENTURES Hot AC KIMN (MIX 100) rose up from #3. Both of those stations had down books. KOSI was also in first place last month. It drifted down to #5 this time with its smallest share since SEPTEMBER. It was partnered with KTCL, up from #6, and KQMT, which advanced from #7.
KTCL landed its largest 18-49 share since JUNE as it went from third to first. KALC and KOSI were last month’s co-leaders. They moved down together to #2 and were a half share off the pace. KQMT vaulted from #10 to #4 with, yup, its best book in over a year. KQKS slipped two places to #5 and was tied with KIMN, which advanced from #8 with its best performance in over a year. KSE MEDIA VENTURES Sports KKSE (ALTITUDE SPORTS RADIO 92.5FM) fell from #5 to #12.
SAN DIEGO: Wait, Wait…
…don’t tell me, but who is the new 6+ leader? Why it was SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY N/T KPBS, which posted its largest share in over a year (7.6-8.1). This pushed AUDACY Classic Hits KXSN (SUNNY 98.1) down to #2 (7.7-7.7). LOCAL MEDIA Rhythmic AC XHRM (MAGIC 92.5) was back at #3 (6.8-6.7), while AUDACY AC KYXY remained at #4 (6.7-6.3). iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KHTS (CHANNEL 93.3) vaulted from #11 to #5 with its highest score in over a year (3.4-4.9). iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KMYI (STAR 94.1) fell from #5 to #7 as it returned most of last month’s large share increase (5.2-4.5). KXSN continued as the cume commander with a 5.4% increase (572,400-603,500). The market was off 1.0%.
Despite a slight decrease KXSN was #1 25-54 for the second book in a row. KHTS advanced from #10 to #2 with, again, its best book in over a year. It still trailed the leader by nearly a share. A flat XHRM dipped to #3, where it was paired with the stationary LOCAL MEDIA Alternative XTRA (91X), which had a small increase. KYXY and iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KIOZ (ROCK 105.3) were tied at #4. Both stations were flat as they drifted down to #5.
KYXY was #1 18-34 for the fourth book in a row and hit double figures for the third time during this run. KXSN remained at #2, while KMYI stepped up to #3. Both stations had down books. XTRA rose two places to #4. The station has more than tripled its share from the HOLIDAY survey. XHRM repeated at #5 with a slight increase, while AUDACY Country KSON fell from #2 to #6 as it surrendered most of last month’s massive increase.
KXSN was #1 18-49 for the second straight survey with a slight increase. KYXY stood alone at #2, while XHRM dipped to #3. It was paired with KHTS, which advanced from #9. Those four stations were separated by less than a half share. XTRA rose from #8 to #5 with its best showing since MAY. It was tied with the stationary KIOZ, which scored its largest number since JULY. KMYI fell from #4 to #9 as it returned most of last month’s large increase.
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CHARLOTTE-GASTONIA-ROCK HILL: mmmm…K
BEASLEY Classic Hits WKQC (K104.7) moved back to #1 6+ with its best Frosty-free share since JULY (7.4-7.9). Two stations raced up the chart to meet up at #2. iHEARTMEDIA Adult Hits WLKO (102.9 THE LAKE) rose from #4 (6.2-6.3), while BEASLEY Urban Contemporary WPEG (POWER 98) advanced from #6 with its best performance in over a year (5.0-6.3). URBAN ONE Urban Oldies WOSF (105.3 RnB) went from first to fourth with its smallest share since JULY (7.7-6.1). iHEARTMEDIA Country WKKT (96.9 THE KAT) repeated at #5, also with its highest score in over a year (5.4-6.0). UNIVERSITY RADIO FOUNDATION N/T WFAE slipped from #3 to #6 (6.3-5.7). It was tied with BEASLEY Country WSOC (COUNTRY 103.7), which remained in place (5.0-5.7). WLKO padded its cume lead with a 12.0% increase (419,600-470,000). The market grew by 6.0%.
WPEG stepped up to #1 25-54 and was dangerously close to hitting double figures. WOSF dipped to #2 with its lowest mark since SEPTEMBER, while iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WEND (106.5 THE END) inched up to #3 with its best book since OCTOBER. A flat WKQC dipped to #4, while WKKT stood alone at #5 with a slight increase. Its former partner in that space—WLKO—was down to #6 with a slight decrease.
BEASLEY Urban AC WBAV (V 101.9) jumped from #4 to #1 18-34. The station landed in double digits with its best showing in over a year. WPEG rose from #6 to #2. The station was also in double figures as it more than doubled last month’s share. As strong as both these stations were, the gap between them was a bit over three shares. BEASLEY Pop CHR WNKS (KISS 95.1FM) dipped to #3 with its third down book in a row. WOSF went from #1 to #4 as its two-book double-digit string came to an end. WLKO slipped to #5 with its lowest total since AUGUST. It was joined there by WKQC, which turned it up from #11 as it regained all of last month’s lost share. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WHQC (HITS 96.1) also moved up to #5 as it rebounded from a down book. WFAE fell from #5 into a tie at #11 with WKKT.
WPEG hit double figures 18-49 as it rose from #3 to #1. WNKS repeated at #2 but with a down book. It was paired with WBAV, which rose from #5 with its first up book since NOVEMBER. This halted the seven-book winning string for WOSF, which slid to #4 and out of double digits. WEND was up two places to #5 with a solid increase. WLKO and WFAE were #4 and #5, respectively. They fell together to #7 and were joined by WKKT and iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WRFX (99.7 THE FOX), which arrived from #11.
NASSAU-SUFFOLK (LONG ISLAND): Double Talk
AUDACY News WINS was again #1 6+ with its best outing in over a year (9.2-10.6). RED APPLE MEDIA N/T WABC-A was back at #2 but with its fourth down book in a row (6.3-6.0). CONNOISSEUR Hot AC WALK (WALK FM) was up two places to #3 (5.6-5.7), while iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WHTZ (Z100) dipped to #4 (5.8-5.5). COX MEDIA Pop CHR WBLI stepped down to #5 as it returned a good portion of last month’s share increase (5.7-4.8). WINS still had the most listeners (441,200-424,300)—a 3.8% decline. The market was off 2.3%.
WALK was #1 25-54 for the third straight survey. The station was up slightly. WHTZ remained at #2 with a modest decrease. The gap between the two stations went from very small to about a share. WINS stood alone at #3 with its third up book in a row. AUDACY Classic Hits WCBS stepped up to #4 with its largest number in over a year. WBLI slipped to #5 despite a small increase.
There was a first-place tie 18-34. WBLI stepped up from #2 with a small increase, while WCBS advanced from #4 with its fourth straight up book. This ended the two-book winning streak for WALK, which slipped to #3 with its lowest score since NOVEMBER. Three stations moved up and into a tie at #4. WHTZ rose from #6 as it bounced back from a down book. WINS advanced from #8 with its best outing in over a year. AUDACY Hot AC WNEW (NEW 102.7) vaulted from #15 as it more than doubled last month’s number. WABC-A fell from #4 to #10 with its lowest total since MARCH.
WALK rebounded from a down book as it moved back up to #1 18-49. This pushed WHTZ down to #2 as it landed its lowest share since MARCH. WBLI held firm at #3 with its fourth up book in a row. WNEW leapt from #7 to #4 with its best performance in over a year. WINS dipped to #5, while WCBS stepped down to #6. Both stations had solid share increases. WABC-A fell from a tie at #5 to #9.
Thank you for slogging through this with us. We hope you were at least mildly entertained. We’ll be back in about 28 days with the MARCH results. In the meantime, be kind.
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