Radio Ratings Roundup, July 2026 Part III

August 12, 2026

The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC.—along with the data diviners from XTRENDS—are back to take another stab at the JULY ratings scene. Perhaps “stab” is not the best choice of words. That does imply a potentially inappropriate level of aggressiveness. We’re here to massage the numbers. No, that’s not right. How about—we’re all about parsing the numbers while providing perspective and context.

Yea, that sounds much more professional.

The JULY book ran from JUNE 25^TH through JULY 22^ND. There were no major holiday breaks, but we were contending with heat domes, wildfires, dogs and cats living together. Let’s see what happened:

MIAMI-FT. LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD: Miami Vise        

There were six stations atop the 6+ leaderboard all within a share of first place. AUDACY AC WLYF (101.5 LITE FM) moved from #3 to #1 (5.8-6.0), while COX MEDIA AC WFEZ (EASY 93.1) was back at #2 (5.9-5.9). AUDACY Classic Hits WMXH (102.7 THE BEACH) leapt from #7 to #3 with its best outing since DECEMBER (5.2-5.5). COX MEDIA Urban AC WHQT (HOT 105) remained at #4 (5.7-5.4), while iHEARTMEDIA Spanish Adult Hits WMIA (MAGIC 93.9) dropped from #1 to #5 (6.1-5.1). TELEVISAUNIVISION Spanish Hot AC WAMR (AMOR 107.5) repeated at #6 (5.3-5.0), while SBS Spanish Contemporary WCMQ (Z92.3) slipped to #7 (5.5-4.6). Making a big move was EMF Contemporary Christian WMLV (K-LOVE), which rose from #15 to #8 with its third up book in a row (3.1-4.2). WLYF continued to lead the cume wars with a 1.5% decline (714,200-703,800). The market was down 2.1%.

WLYF was #1 25-54 for the fourth straight survey. WFEZ continued at #2 and trailed the leader by a half share. WMXJ stepped up to #3, while WHQT inched up to #4. Both stations had small share losses. WMLV vaulted from #12 to #5 with its highest score in over a year. It was tied with COX MEDIA Rhythmic AC WFLC (HITS 97.3), which moved up a spot. WMIA dropped from #3 to #7 with its lowest total since FEBRUARY. It was paired with AUDACY Classic Hip Hop WPOW (POWER 96).

Not only was COX MEDIA Urban Contemporary WEDR (99 JAMZ) #1 18-34 for the third book in a row, the station barreled through the double-digit barrier. WLYF remained at #2 but with a massive share increase. These two stations clearly outdistanced the rest of the field. WFEZ advanced from #7 to #3 with its best book since AUGUST. WMIA slipped to #4 and was met there by WPOW, which rose from #7 with its highest mark in over a year. Last month there were three stations resting at #4. WFLC slipped to #6, while WHQT dropped into a tie at #7 with WCMQ. WMXJ fell all the way to #11 and was partnered with iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WMIB (103.5 THE BEAT).

WLYF was the 18-49 leader for the fourth book in a row. WEDR jumped from #5 to #2 with its best showing in over a year. WMLV accomplished the same feat as it advanced from #11 to #3. WPOW rose from #8 to #4, while two stations were residing at #5. WFLC remained in place and was joined by WHQT, which slid from a tie at #2. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WBGG (BIG 105.9) went from #5 to #7. WMIA and WMXJ were previously spotted at #2T and #4. They dropped into a tie at #8.

SEATTLE-TACOMA: No Tunes For You

For the fourth straight survey, the top two 6+ stations were lacking a playlist. UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON N/T KUOW was #1 (7.4-7.7), while BONNEVILLE Sports KIRO-A (SEATTLE SPORTS 710AM) was #2 (7.3-6.4). The next two stations rebounded from down books. AUDACY Active Rock KISW (THE ROCK) moved up to #3 (4.9-5.5), while iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZOK made its way from #7 to #4 (4.5-5.2). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KJEB (95.7 THE JET) taxied down to #5 with its smallest share since a certain sleigh was on the radar (6.2-5.0). CRISTA Contemporary Christian KCMS (SPIRIT 105.3) dipped to #6 (4.7-4.6). KJEB remained on top of the cume heap despite a 10.2% drop (669,500-601,300). The market was off by 1.9%.

KISW was the leading 25-54 station for the fourth book in a row. AUDACY Alternative KNDD (107.7 THE END) jumped from #5 to #2 with its best book in a year but was still about a share behind its cluster bruh. KIRO-A stepped down to #3 as it ended a four-book surge, while KUOW dipped to #4 with a slight increase. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KBKS (HITS 106.1) stepped up to #5, also with a slight increase. KJEB descended from #3 to #7.

KIRO-A repeated as the 18-34 leader but was forced to share as KISW moved up from #2. Both stations had down books. KBKS was up to #3 with its best outing since JANUARY, while KNDD moved from #6 to #4 with a small share gain. KCMS was up two places to #5 with its highest mark in over a year. It was tied with AUDACY Country KKWF (100.7 THE WOLF), which dipped from #4 with its third straight down book. KJEB fell from #2 into a four-way tie at #7.

The 18-49 race was very close. KISW moved up to #1, while KNDD stepped up to #2. They were separated by a slim margin. KIRO-A went from first to third, while KBKS remained at #4 but with its fourth straight up book. HUBBARD AC KRWM (WARM 106.9) moved up to #5 with its best showing since JANUARY. KKWF slipped to #6 as it ended a strong three-book surge.

PHOENIX: Sharing Is Caring

While they may not be sitting around a campfire singing Kumbaya, two stations did move up and into a share of the 6+ lead. iHEARTMEDIA AC KESZ (99.9 KEZ) inched up from #2 (6.6-6.4), while HUBBARD Classic Rock KSLX rose from #3 as it bounced back from a down book (5.4-6.4). Last month’s leader was iHEARTMEDIA N/T KFYI-A and it went from first to third (6.7-6.0). MARICOPA COMMUNITY COLLEGE N/T KJZZ moved up to #4 (4.8-4.9), which pushed iHEARTMEDIA Adult Hits KYOT (99.5 THE MOUNTAIN) down to #5 (5.1-4.7). iHEARTMEDIA Country KNIX dipped to #6 (4.8-4.5). Despite a 7.5% drop KESZ still had the most listeners (913,800-845,500). The market dropped by 0.8%.

KESZ turned it up to eleven, capturing the 25-54 flag for the eleventh straight survey. KYOT stood alone at #2 but was nearly two shares off the pace. HUBBARD Active Rock KUPD moved down to #3 as its three-book surge ground to a halt. ENTRAVISION Mexican Regional KLNZ (LA TRICOLOR 103.5) remained at #4 with its smallest share since JANUARY. It was joined there by iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KMXP (MIX 96.9), which vaulted from #16 with its best showing since SEPTEMBER. KSLX dipped to #6 with a small decrease. It was met there by TELEVISAUNIVISION Spanish Adult Hits KOMR (AMOR 106.3), which rose from #8.

KESZ moved back up to #1 18-34 with its best Frosty-free share in exactly a year. This ended the two-book winning string for KYOT, which moved down to #2. KUPD was back at #3 and was tied with AUDACY Pop CHR KALV (LIVE 101.5), which stepped up from #4. Both stations had down books. They were partnered with another station as KOMR advanced from #12 with its largest share in over a year. KNIX slipped to #7 and was paired with KMXP, which rose from #13.

KESZ swapped places with KUPD to become the 18-49 winner. Both stations had down books. As did KYOT, which remained at #3. KALV repeated at #4 and was tied with KMXP, which rocketed up from #16. ZELUS Hot AC KMVA (HOT 97.5/103.9) also moved up to #4 with a slight increase.

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DETROIT: Same Time, Same Station

The 6+ chart was relatively unchanged from JUNE. Same players, slightly different arrangement. AUDACY Sports WXYT (97.1 THE TICKET) was #1 for the seventh straight survey (9.3-9.2). Coming in at #2 for the third book in a row was AUDACY Classic Hits WOMC (8.1-7.5). AUDACY Country WYCD repeated at #3 (7.2-7.2). iHEARTMEDIA AC WNIC stepped up to #4 as it rebounded from a down book (5.8-6.4). This pushed iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WMXD (MIX 92.5) down to #5 (6.5-6.1). WNIC may have lost 9.3% of its listening audience but it was still #1 in your cume program (1,004,600-911,500). The market shrank by 2.4%.

WXYT continued to dominate the 25-54 space. The station was #1—and in double figures—for the seventh straight survey. BEASLEY Active Rock WRIF remained at #2 but managed to narrow the deficit to two shares. WRIF was also up for the fourth book in a row. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WKQI (CHANNEL 955) was up two places to #3 as it halted a three-book slide. WOMC repeated at #4 with a slight decrease, while iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WJLB slid to #5 with its lowest total since JANUARY.

A lot happened in the 18-34 world. WJLB was #1 for the fourth book in a row and just missed extending its double-digit string to five. WRIF moved up to claim its share of the lead and also narrowly missed double figures. Just three surveys ago WRIF sat at 11. WKQI dipped to #3 and was less than a half share behind the leaders. WYCD stepped up to #4 with its largest share in over a year. WXYT dipped to #5 with a slight decrease, while WOMC moved down to #6.

WRIF was up 18-49 for the fourth book in a row and posted its best number in over a year as it moved up to #1. WXYT was up to #2 with a slight increase. WJLB went from #1 to #3 with its smallest share since FEBRUARY. WKQI maintained its #4 presence with a solid increase, while WYCD inched up to #5, again with its best outing in over a year. WOMC went from #4 to #6 with a small share loss.

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL: Hitting The Fan

Keen observers of this missive have noticed that the ratings picture in some markets is somewhat incomplete. We are bound by duty and law to only list those stations that subscribe to NIELSEN. The delisted stations are still on the air, still attract listeners, and still serve advertisers. If we shared their numbers with you, well, we’d have to kill you—and no one wants that. Now, back to the countdown…

After falling to #3 6+ last month, iHEARTMEDIA Sports KFXN (KFAN FM 100.3) was back on top this survey (7.2-8.2). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KQQL (KOOL 108) stepped down to #2 (8.0-7.5), while iHEARTMEDIA Country KEEY (K102) dipped to #3 (7.3-7.3). MPR N/T KNOW was back at #4 (6.8-6.8). The station did generate a 0.7 share from cyberspace. UNIVERSITY OF NORTHWESTERN-ST. PAUL Contemporary Christian KTIS moved up two slots to #5 (5.3-5.8), while HUBBARD Hot AC KSTP (KS95) was back at #6 (5.7-5.6). AUDACY Adult Hits KZJK (104.1 JACK FM) slipped to #7 with its first down book since MARCH (6.0-5.4). It was paired with iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KDWB, which moved up from #9 (5.2-5.4). KQQL remained the cume leader with a 4.6% decline (750,400-715,900). The market was down 0.8%.

KFXN remained hot 25-54. The station was #1 for the twelfth time in the last 14 surveys and in double figures for the 13^th time during that span. MPR AAA KCMP (89.3 THE CURRENT) stepped up to #2 with its highest mark since DECEMBER. KQQL dipped to #3 as it returned all of last month’s increase, plus a bit more. KEEY moved up to #4 as it bounced back from a down book. KDWB repeated at #5 with a slight decrease.

KQQL was both #1 and in double figures 18-34 for the third book in a row. KCMP leapt from #5 to #2 as it rebounded from a down book. It remained about two shares off the lead. KZJK held steady at #3 with a small decrease, while two stations were nestled together at #4. KDWB dropped from #2 with its lowest total since MARCH, while KEEY inched up from #5 with a slight decrease.

Thirteen out of fourteen. That’s how many times KFXN has been #1 and in double-digits 18-49 over the last year. The rest of the top five was the same as before. KCMP finished in second place for the seventh straight survey, while KDWB was back at #3 though it ended a three-book surge. KQQL was again at #4, while a flat KZJK repeated at #5.

But wait…there’s more.  Stay tuned for TAMPA, DENVER, SAN DIEGO, CHARLOTTE, and NASSAU-SUFFOLK.

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