Hot Topics
Radio Ratings Roundup, June 2026, Part I
July 13, 2026
JUNE is busting out all over and The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC.—along with the masters of the algorithm from XTRENDS—are about to bust a move while busting our butts (hopefully not simultaneously) to bring you the latest from the PPM ratings world.

This survey ran from MAY 28th through JUNE 24th. It featured the unofficial and official beginnings of summer plus a salute to dear old dad. We ask that you kindly peruse our prose or we may have to bust your chops. Tally ho…
NEW YORK: The Song Remains The Same
Go ahead, sing along. The top five on the 6+ leaderboard was unchanged from last month. iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (106.7 LITE FM) was #1 for the fourth straight survey (7.9-7.5). AUDACY News WINS (1010 WINS) was back at #2 (6.9-7.1), while AUDACY Classic Hits WCBS came in at a somewhat distant #3 again (5.8-5.8). iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WHTZ (Z100) held on to the #4 spot (5.6-5.6), while iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3) repeated at #5 (4.9-4.9). The closest other station to cracking the top five was NEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO N/T WNYC, which rose from #9 to #6 (4.1-4.2). Despite a 4.0% drop WLTW still had the most listeners (3,960,700-3,801,500). The market was off by 0.7%.
WHTZ and WLTW remained #1 and #2, respectively, 25-54 as both stations experienced a slight share loss. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC WKTU (103.5 KTU) leapt from #7 to #3 with its best showing in over a year. WCBS inched up to #4 with a slight decrease, while iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WWPR (POWER 105.1) dipped to #5 with its lowest score since Santa was stalking you. AUDACY Hot AC WNEW (NEW 102.7) slid from #3 to #6.
For the ninth book in a row, WLTW was the runaway 18-34 leader with its best Frosty-free share in over a year. WHTZ remained at #2 but was more than two shares off the pace. SBS Spanish Contemporary WPAT (93.1 AMOR) vaulted from #11 to #3 with its best book in over a year. MEDIACO Rhythmic CHR WQHT (HOT 97FM) jumped from #7 to #4 as it halted a four-book skid. WCBS held steady at #5 and was joined there by WAXQ. WKTU rose from #12 to #7 and was close to breaking the top five. WNEW dropped from #3 to #8, while WWPR fell from #4 to #9 with its smallest share in over a year.
WLTW and WHTZ have been trading the top two 18-49 positions for the last five books. It was WLTW’S turn to lead as the station rebounded from a down book. WHTZ dipped to #2 with a small share loss. WKTU moved from #5 to #3, again with its best book in over a year. WQHT rose from #8 to #4 with its first up book since JANUARY. WNEW slipped two places to #5, while WPAT advanced from #12 to #6. The station has more than doubled its MARCH share. WWPR slid from #4 to #7.
LOS ANGELES: The Magic 8-Ball
Was iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST #1 6+ for the eighth book in a row? The answer is: “You may rely on it” (7.1-6.5). iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (104.3 MYFM) crept a bit closer at #2 (6.0-6.2), while AUDACY Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH 101) was not far behind at #3 (5.5-5.8). AUDACY Adult Hits KCBS (93.1 JACK FM) remained at #4 (4.9-4.6). iHEARTMEDIA N/T KFI-A stepped up to #5 with its best outing in over a year (3.9-4.5). AUDACY Urban AC KTWV (94.7 THE WAVE) receded to #6 (4.4-4.3). KOST lost 4.3% of its listening audience but was still #1 in that category (2,477,200-2,371,100). The market was down 1.7%.
Not only was KBIG #1 25-54 for the fourth straight survey but landed its largest share in over a year. This stretched its lead over #2 KRTH from less than a half share to more than a full share. KOST inched up to #3 with a small decrease, while KCBS slipped from #2 to #4 with its lowest mark since ELTON asked you to hop on a turntable (hope it was a QRK). iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KYSR (ALT 98.7) and AUDACY Alternative KROQ ended up in a tie at #5. Both stations had down books.
Despite a noticeable loss of share, KOST was #1 18-34 for the eighth book in a row. Its advantage over #2 KRTH shrank from more than four shares to around two. KTWV stepped up to #3 with its best performance since NOVEMBER. KYSR dropped two places to #4 as it returned about half of last month’s increase. MOUNT WILSON Country KKGO (GO COUNTRY 105) moved up to #5 with its highest score in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KIIS (102.7 KISS FM) slipped to #7 with a small share loss and was paired with iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary KRRL (REAL 92.3), which advanced from #15 as it bounced back from a down book.
KBIG stepped up to #1 18-49 with, again, its best book in over a year. This ended the FOUR-book run for KOST, which moved down to #2, KRTH and KCBS swapped places with KRTH up to #3 with a slight increase, as KCBS dipped to #4 with a small decrease. KROQ and KYSR did the same dance with KROQ up to #5 with a slight decrease as KYSR slipped to #6 with its smallest share since FEBRUARY.
CHICAGO: The Mix Is In
A mere 28 days ago, HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (101.9 THE MIX) and AUDACY AAA WXRT (93XRT) were the 6+ co-leaders. Fast forward to the present and WTMX remained on top (5.6-6.0), while WXRT moved down to #2 (5.6-5.6). AUDACY News WBBM-A remained at #3 (5.5-5.5), while AUDACY Country WUSN (US99) rose to #4 with its best book in over a year (4.5-5.4). iHEARTMEDIA AC WLIT (93.9 LITE FM) was back at #5 (4.6-5.1), while HUBBARD Classic Rock WDRV (97.1 THE DRIVE) put it into reverse as in back up to #6 (5.3-4.4). It was double parked with iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WVAZ (V103), which moved up a slot (4.4-4.4). WLIT experienced a 4.1% loss of listeners but was still the top dog (1,306,400-1,253,000). The market declined by 3.1%.
WTMX continued to crush the 25-54 competition. The station bounced back from a down book to hit #1 for the sixth straight survey. It held nearly a three-share advantage over iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WKSC (103.5 KISS FM), which was back at #2 with a slight decrease. WXRT went from a tie at #4 into an arrangement at #3 with WUSN, which advanced from #6. Both stations landed their largest shares in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WGCI dipped to #5 with a small share loss. Keep an eye on CRAWFORD Urban Contemporary WPWX (POWER 92). Over the last three books the station has gone from #23 to #19 to its current location at #7.
WKSC was #1 18-34 for the sixth straight survey, the last three of which have been in double digits. AUDACY Pop CHR WBBM-F (B96) was back at #2 but trailed the leader by four shares. WUSN was up two places to #3 with its third straight up book. WTMX dipped to #4 with its lowest total since FEBRUARY. WDRV and WPWX were last seen at #8 and #10, respectively. They carpooled it up to a tie at #5. WGCI slipped from #4 to #7 as it gave back all of last month’s huge increase, plus a bit more.
The 18-49 contest was far from a runaway. WTMX was #1 for the sixth book in a row but held a slim lead over #2 WKSC. WGCI repeated at #3, while WXRT stepped up to #4. Both stations had up books. WUSN inched up to #5, while WBBM-F slid two places to #6.
Shameless plug: As the Ratings Experts, we not only know NIELSEN inside and out, we provide a nationwide perspective on the ratings game. We’d love to show you all our cool tools.
DALLAS-FT. WORTH: Star Power
Your returning 6+ champion was iHEARTMEDIA AC KDGE (STAR 102.1), which also landed its largest Frosty-free share in over a year (4.9-5.4). Making the leap o’ the survey was EMF Contemporary Christian KYDA (AIR1), which advanced from #15 to #2 (2.5-5.2). iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KDMX (MIX 102.9) dipped to #3 (4.8-4.4), while EMF Contemporary Christian KLTY (K-LOVE) stepped down to #4 (4.1-4.3). AUDACY Adult Hits KJKK (100.3 JACK FM) and AUDACY Classic Hits KSPF (98.7 THE SPOT) remained tied at #5. Both stations went 3.8-3.9. AUDACY Alternative KVIL (ALT 103.7) slid from #4 to #9 (3.9-3.3). KDGE was still perched atop the cume summit despite a 0.6% decline (1,199,400-1,192,500). The market was off by 1.7%.
In the 25-54 realm, KDGE stood alone at #1 and, as with the previous demo, posted its biggest Frosty-free share in over a year. TELEVISAUNIVISION Mexican Regional KLNO (QUÉ BUENA 94.1) inched up to #2 with a slight increase but was better than a share off the pace. KJKK stepped up to #3, while last month’s co-leader KDMX landed at #4 with its smallest share in over a year. SERVICE Urban Contemporary KKDA (K104) dipped to #5 with a slight decrease. KYDA vaulted from #12 to #6 with its best outing in over a year.
Despite surrendering a good portion of last month’s huge increase, KKDA was still #1 18-34. KDMX was back at #2 as it also gave away some of last month’s gain. The stations were about a half share apart. KDGE held steady at #3 with a slight increase and was paired with iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KHKS (106.1 KISS FM), which rose from #5 with its best showing since JULY. KYDA leapt from #9 to #4, while KVIL dropped from #4 to #7. It was tied with KJKK.
KDGE continued its star turn 18-49 as it was elevated from #5 to #1. KDMX stepped down to #2 but was as close as mathematically possible to the leader. KLNO repeated at #3 with a slight increase, while two stations met up at #4. KKDA slipped from #2 while KYDA arose from #10. KHKS moved down to #6 despite a small increase, while KVIL fell from #4 to #8 thus ending a strong two-book surge.
HOUSTON-GALVESTON: Turn It Up To Eleven
iHEARTMEDIA AC KODA (SUNNY 99.1) was the 6+ champ for the eleventh straight survey. The station also had its best book since JANUARY (8.6-9.4). URBAN ONE Urban AC KMJQ (MAJIC 102.1) was back at #2, also for the eleventh straight time (7.2-7.3). URBAN ONE Classic Rock KGLK (THE EAGLE 106.9/107.5) remained nested in at #3 but with its fourth up book in a row (6.4-6.9). iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTBZ (94.5 THE BUZZ) bounced back from a down book (5.1-5.6) to move from #6 to #4. URBAN ONE Country KKBQ (93Q COUNTRY) repeated at #5 (5.2-5.0), while HOPE MEDIA Contemporary Christian KSBJ slid from #4 to #8 (5.6-4.6). KODA padded its cume lead with a 4.1% increase (1,892,800-1,969,800). The market was down 1.7%.
KTBZ was #1 25-54 for the fifth book in a row and was flirting with double digits. KODA repeated at #2 with a slight increase but was more than two shares off the lead. KMJQ stepped up to #3, also with a slight increase, while KGLK soared from #8 to #4 with its highest score in over a year. AUDACY Adult Hits KKHH (95.7 THE SPOT) was back at #5, while KSBJ slipped from #3 to #6 with its lowest total since we had hallucinations about pitted fruits. The station was tied with AUDACY Hot AC KHMX (MIX 96.5) and URBAN ONE Rhythmic CHR KBXX (97.9 THE BOX).
KTBZ continued to run roughshod over the 18-34 field. It was #1 for the sixth straight survey, the last five of which have been in double figures. KKHH was back at #2, while KODA remained at #3. Both stations had small increases. KBXX inched up to #4 with its third up book in a row. KGLK slipped two places to #5 ending a three-book surge.
KTBZ continued its 18-49 dominance with its third win in a row. KODA was back at #2 as it rebounded from a down book. However, it was still about two shares shy of the lead. KGLK rose from #6 to #3 with its best showing in over a year. KHMX and KBXX were last seen at #7. They kept that arrangement as they rose together to #5. KSBJ dropped from #3 to #9 and was partnered with SBS Mexican Regional KROI (LA LEY 92.1) and AUDACY Spanish Contemporary KLOL (MEGA 101.1FM).
Thank you for playing along. We will take a short break and return with even more numbers. Waiting in the queue are SAN FRANCISCO, ATLANTA, WASHINGTON D.C., PHILADELPHIA, and BOSTON. They will be in your inbox tomorrow.
If you haven’t done so already, please subscribe to our blog right now. www.ResearchDirectorInc.com/Hot-Topics. Or, and consider this, you could share this with your industry friends who are pining for this kind of monthly analysis. They’ll thank you for it.
About XTrends: XTrends is radio’s favorite tool for reviewing ratings. Click here to see why all of radio’s major groups love XTrends!
As always, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. are ready to help you grow your ratings and revenue. Click the link below to get the gruesome details.
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.