Radio Ratings Roundup, August 2026 Part IV

September 11, 2026

By this point in the recaps, we’re kinda toast. So, I asked Gemini to write something about radio listening in August. Here’s what it offered:

The Car Radio Experience: “August radio tuning is basically an Olympic sport: speedrunning through five presets in under two seconds to avoid hearing another commercial for a local car dealership’s ‘End of Summer Clearance Event.'”

Not totally off base, y’know?

The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC.—along with the guaranteed humans from XTRENDS—bring you the final installment of the AUGUST survey. It ran from JULY 23^RD through AUGUST 19^TH and worked out something like this:

TAMPA-ST. PETERSBURG-CLEARWATER: Seven Up

For the seventh straight survey, COX MEDIA Soft AC WDUV (105.5 THE DOVE) was nested atop the 6+ leaderboard (9.9-10.0). RADIO TRAINING NETWORK Contemporary Christian WCIE (THE JOY FM) moved up to #2 (5.9-6.8), while COX MEDIA Classic Hits WXGL (107.3 THE EAGLE) dipped to #3 (6.1-5.9). BEASLEY Classic Hits WRBQ (Q105) stepped up to #4 (5.2-5.4), while two stations moved up and into a tie at #5. COX MEDIA Urban AC WTBV (101.5 THE VIBE) rose from #7 with its best book in over a year (4.8-5.2), while iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock WXTB (98 ROCK) advanced from #9 (4.6-5.2). iHEARTMEDIA AC WMTX (MIX 100.7) slid from #4 to #7 with its smallest share since NOVEMBER (5.4-4.9). It was tied with COX MEDIA AC WWRM (MAGIC 94.9), which was down a spot (4.9-4.9). Also landing at #7 was BEASLEY Country WQYK (99.5 QYK), which moved up from #11 as it bounced back from a down book (3.9-4.9). WDUV added 6.3% to its #1 cume total (592,300-629,500). The market grew by 2.3%.

Last month WRBQ and WXTB were the 25-54 co-leaders. WRBQ remained on top with a slight increase, while WXTB dipped to #2 with a slight decrease. WDUV and WWRM were tied at #3. WDUV remained in that space with a slight increase, while a flat WWRM was down to #4. It was joined there by WCIE, which rose from #6 as it ended a two-book slide. WMTX was down to #6 with its smallest share since MARCH.

The 18-34 scene was a wild west show. WTBV and WDUV were last spotted at #5. WTBV advanced to #1 with its best outing in over a year, while WDUV landed at #2 as it regained some of last survey’s huge share loss. WXTB vaulted from #7 to #3 as it recovered from a down book. WWRM slipped to #4 with a modest share loss. In July WXGL rocketed from #14 to #1. This time it settled in at #5. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WFLZ (93.3 FLZ) and WCIE were part of a three-way tie at #2. WFLZ fell to #6 and was partnered with WQYK and BEASLEY Rhythmic CHR WLLD (WiLD 94.1), both of which moved up from #11. WCIE dropped to #9 and was tied with WMTX and iHEARTMEDIA Sports WDAE.

The 18-49 space was both topsy and turvy. WXTB advanced from #7 to #1 as it rebounded from a down book. WCIE and WDUV went from #4 and #5, respectively, to a tie at #2. They also recovered from down books. WWRM slipped to #4 with a slight decrease. This ended the two-book winning streak for WMTX, which wended its way down to #5. WRBQ dipped to #6 and was partnered with two stations. WTBV rose from #9, while WQYK advanced from #10. WFLZ fell from a tie at #2 to #9.

DENVER-BOULDER: We’re #2!

The 6+ battle was for second place as BONNEVILLE AC KOSI (KOSI 101.1) cruised to its fourth win in a row with its highest Frosty-free share in over a year (6.9-8.3). The next six stations were within a half share of one another. BONNEVILLE Country KYGO was back at #2 as it halted a four-book surge (6.0-5.5). It was paired with AUDACY Modern AC KALC (ALICE 105.9), which moved up a spot (5.2-5.5). AUDACY Classic Rock KQMT (99.5 THE MOUNTAIN) dipped to #4 (5.2-5.3), while two stations moved up and into a tie at #5. iHEARTMEDIA AAA KBCO was up from #6 (5.1-5.2), while KSE MEDIA VENTURES Classic Hits KXKL (KOOL 105) arrived from #7 (4.9-5.2). iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTCL (CHANNEL 93.3) slid from #3 to #7 (5.2-5.0). KOSI was granted a whopping 19.6% cume increase to remain #1 in that category (455,100-544,100). The market was up by 2.9%.

KTCL was #1 25-54 for the eighth book in a row, the last two of which were flat. KOSI stepped up to #2, while KALC dipped to #3 despite landing its largest share in over a year. Three stations were massed together at #4. ENTRAVISION Mexican Regional KXPK (LA TRICOLOR 96.5) remained in place and was partnered with KYGO and KXKL, which rose from #6 and #8, respectively. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KDHT (HITS 95.7) slid from a tie at #4 to #7 as it surrendered some of last month’s share increase. It was paired with KQMT.

There was some serious share swapping in the 18-34 space. KOSI went from #3 to #1 and hit double figures. KXPK went from #1 to #2, while KTCL dipped to #3. Both of those stations exited double-digit territory. KSE MEDIA VENTURES Hot AC KIMN (MIX 100) rose from #9 to #4 with its highest mark since FEBRUARY. KDHT slipped from #3 to #5 as it ended a strong five book surge. It was joined there by AUDACY Rhythmic CHR KQKS (KS107.5), which vaulted from #17, more than doubling its previous share. KXKL and COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO N/T KCFR were previously an item at #5. KXKL drifted down to #7, while KCFR fell to #13. It was tied with COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO Classical KVOD and iHEARTMEDIA Country KWBL (106.7 THE BULL).

KOSI went from #3 to #1 18-49 with its best Frosty-free share in over a year. It narrowly defeated KTCL, which remained at # 2, but with its highest mark in over a year. KXPK went from first to third as it returned a good portion of last month’s massive increase. KALC repeated at #4 with a small increase. KQKS advanced from a tie at #13 to #5 with a huge increase. KDHT slipped to #6 and was tied with KXKL and KIMN, which also moved up from a tie at #13.

SAN DIEGO: Sun Run

As with the previous market, the 6+ battle was all about second place. That’s because AUDACY Classic Hits KXSN (SUNNY 98.1) was the runaway leader for the fifth book in a row (7.8-8.1). AUDACY AC KYXY moved from #4 to #2 with its best outing since APRIL (5.3-5.9). AUDACY Sports KWFN (97.3 THE FAN) rose from #6 to #3 with its best performance in over a year (4.8-5.8). SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY N/T KPBS dipped to #4 (6.4-5.7), while TELEVISAUNIVISION Mexican Regional KLNV (QUÉ BUENA 106.5) rose from #7 to #5, also with its highest mark in over a year (4.3-5.5). iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KMYI (STAR 94.1) stepped down to #6 (5.0-4.9), while GRUPO IMAGEN Spanish Hot AC XLTN (RADIO LATINA 104.5FM) slid from #3 to #7 with its smallest share since NOVEMBER (5.6-4.3). KXSN remained the cume leader with a 4.4% increase (596,300-622,500). The market was down by 1.0%.

KXSN was #1 25-54 for the third book in a row, while KLNV was back at #2. Both stations posted their best numbers in over a year. KYXY vaulted from #7 to #3 with its highest Frosty-free share in over a year. LOCAL MEDIA Alternative XTRA (91X) dipped to #4 with a small increase, while iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KIOZ (ROCK 105.3) was down to #5. KMYI dropped from a tie at #4 into one at #7 with LOCAL MEDIA Rhythmic AC XHRM (MAGIC 92.5).

For the sixth straight survey, KXSN was #1 18-34. The last two of which were in double digits. XTRA and KYXY rose from a tie at #5 to the same situation at #2. Both stations also rebounded from down books. KMYI stepped down to #4 with a slight increase, while KLNV repeated at #5 but with its highest score in over a year. KPBS and XLTN were last seen at #4. KPBS slipped to #6, while XLTN landed at #7 along with AUDACY Country KSON.

It was a four-peat 18-49 for KXSN, which had its best showing since SEPTEMBER. KLNV remained at #2 with a slight increase. It was paired with KYXY, which advanced from #6 with, again, its best Frosty-free share in over a year. XTRA stepped up to #4 with a slight decrease, while KMYI slipped to #5. XHRM dropped from #4 to #9 with its lowest total in over a year. It was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KHTS (CHANNEL 93.3).

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CHARLOTTE-GASTONIA-ROCK HILL: Fire Lake

I wonder if iHEARTMEDIA Adult Hits WLKO (102.9 THE LAKE) plays that song? The station moved up to #1 6+ (6.6-8.0), while PACIFIC BROADCASTING Classic Hits WXRC (95.7FM THE RIDE) motored up to #2 (6.0-7.5). Both stations landed their largest shares in over a year. UNIVERSITY RADIO FOUNDATION N/T WFAE went from first to a tie for second (7.0-7.5), while BEASLEY Country WSOC (COUNTRY 103.7) went from #6 to #4 with its highest score since NOVEMBER (5.5-6.6). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WRFX (99.7 THE FOX) slipped to #5 (6.0-6.4), while iHEARTMEDIA Country WKKT (96.9 THE KAT) fell from #5 to #8 (5.7-5.1). Despite a 5.4% decline WLKO was still in cume command (525,100-496,800). The market was down 0.6%.

WRFX moved up to #1 25-54 with its third up book in a row. WLKO moved up to a very close #2, while iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WEND (106.5 THE END) saw its four-book winning streak come to an end as it slipped to #3. WFAE was back at #4 with a small increase, while BEASLEY Urban Contemporary WPEG (POWER 98) inched up to #5 as it halted a steep four-book slide. WKKT went from #5 to #7 with its lowest score since MARIAH CAREY was charting.

WRFX stepped up to #1 18-34 and landed in double figures. It was two and a half shares clear of the two stations at #2. WEND moved up a spot as it recovered from a down book, while WLKO advanced from #5. That duo was two shares ahead of the pair of stations at #4. WFAE moved up a spot with its highest total since OCTOBER, while BEASLEY Urban AC WBAV (V101.9) arrived from #7 with its best book since FEBRUARY. BEASLEY Classic Hits WKQC (K104.7) slipped to #6 and was tied with BEASLEY Pop CHR WNKS (KISS 95.1).

WRFX was back at #1 18-49 and dangerously close to hitting double digits. WFAE moved up to #2 with a strong increase, which pushed WEND down to #3. WLKO moved up to #4 and finished just ahead of WPEG, which rose from #7 to #5. WKQC dipped to #6 despite a small increase.

NASSAU-SUFFOLK (LONG ISLAND): News Travels Fast

For the eighth book in a row, AUDACY News WINS (1010 WINS) was #1 6+ (7.0-8.1). iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WHTZ (Z100) moved up to #2 as it bounced back from a down book (5.9-6.6). AUDACY Sports WFAN (SPORTS RADIO 101.9FM/66AM) stepped up to #3 with its highest score in over a year (5.7-6.5). RED APPLE MEDIA N/T WABC-A inched up to #4 (5.5-5.4), while CONNOISSEUR Hot AC WALK (WALK FM) was up to #5 (5.4-5.0). iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (106.7 LITE FM) fell from #2 to #8 as it returned all of last month’s large increase (6.0-4.2). Despite an 8.5% decline, WALK moved up to #1 in the cume wars (394,000-360,500). The market was up 1.9%.

WHTZ landed its lowest 25-54 share since FEBRUARY, but the station was still #1 for the sixth straight survey. WALK repeated at #2 with a small share loss. WLTW remained at #3 but with a large share loss. It was paired with WFAN, which moved up a spot with its highest mark since OCTOBER. A flat COX MEDIA Pop CHR WBLI (106.1 BLI) dipped to #5. It was paired with WINS, which rose from #8 with its best book since FEBRUARY. AUDACY Hot AC WNEW (NEW 102.7) slid from a tie at #4 to #7 and was tied with COX MEDIA Classic Rock WBAB.

WLTW was back at #1 18-34 but did not duplicate last month’s double-digit feat. WHTZ advanced from #5 to #2 as it recovered from a down book. WALK stepped down to #3 with its first down book since MARCH. It was tied with the stationary WBLI, which landed its lowest number since DECEMBER. A flat CONNOISSEUR AC WKJY (K-J0Y 98.3) moved up to #5, while MEDIACO Urban AC WBLS dropped from #4 into a four-way tie at #12.

WHTZ was back to #1 18-49 despite a slight decrease. It held a solid advantage over WALK, which stepped up to #2. WLTW went from first to third as it surrendered a good portion of last month’s massive share increase. WFAN stepped up to #4, which forced WBLI down to #5. WNEW dipped to #6.

We appreciate your support. See you in SEPTEMBER.  We’re always open to your thoughts, suggestions, critiques and complaints about this here missive. A real human will answer this e-mail: sallan@researchdirectorinc.com.

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