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Radio Ratings Roundup, October 2023, Part I
October 30, 2023
Welcome back for more ratings tomfoolery. Or is it folderol? Perhaps brouhaha. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with our compatriots at XTRENDS – have yet to reach a consensus on this. We probably need to spitball it or hold a brainstorming session. Maybe bring out the whiteboard. We’ll just let that marinate for a while as we dive into the OCTOBER survey. This one ran from SEPTEMBER 14TH and concluded on OCTOBER 11TH. It featured ROSH HASHANAH, YOM KIPPUR, the official change of the seasons and a federal holiday that rarely generates a three-day weekend. Here we go…
NEW YORK: An Even Dozen
This marked the twelfth survey in a row that iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (106.7 LITE FM) was the #1 station with everyone (otherwise known as 6+). The station also regained some of last month’s lost share (7.3-7.8). For the eighth book in a row, iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3) was sitting at #2 (6.4-5.9). MEDIACO Urban AC WBLS got back all of last month’s share loss to move back up to #3 (4.9-5.4). AUDACY Classic Hits WCBS stepped down to #4 (5.6-5.2) where it formed a partnership with iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHTZ (Z100), which remained in place (5.0-5.2). iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKTU landed its smallest share since MAY as it fell from #4 to #10 (5.0-4.1). As usual, WLTW had the most listeners (3,687,400-3,578,000) – a 3.0% decrease. The market was up by 0.5%.
As with the previous demo, WLTW was #1 25-54 for the twelfth straight survey. The station also reversed a steep four-book slide. WHTZ was back at #2 with a slight increase and was about a share behind the leader. WAXQ had its best outing in over a year as it rose from #5 to #3. WKTU dipped to #4 where it was tied with WCBS. Both stations had down books.
Not only was WLTW #1 18-34 for the fifth straight survey, it also hit double digits for the third book in a row. The station was so strong, it had more share than the next two competitors – combined! WHTZ stepped up to #2 with a small increase and just edged out WKTU, which slipped to #3 as it returned all of last month’s huge increase. AUDACY Hot AC WNEW (NEW 102.7) rebounded from a down book to move up two slots to #4. Three stations were languishing at #5. A flat WCBS was stationary, while WAXQ moved down from #3 with its third down book in a row. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WWPR (POWER 105.1) advanced from #8 with its highest score since MARCH.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. WLTW was #1 18-49 for the twelfth book in a row and narrowly missed hitting double digits. WHTZ moved up to #2 with a slight increase but was three shares off the pace. WKTU slipped to #3 with its lowest mark since APRIL. WNEW rebounded from a down book to move up two places to #4. WAXQ dipped to #5, despite a slight increase. WCBS stepped down to #6 where it met up with SBS Tropical WSKQ (MEGA 97.9).
LOS ANGELES: Very Earthy
While AUDACY Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH 101 FM) may not have, ahem, global aspirations, the station was likely content to be #1 6+ for the eighth straight survey (6.1-6.2). iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (104.3 MYFM) was back at #2 for the third book in a row (5.2-5.2). iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST repeated at #3 (5.1-4.9), while AUDACY Urban AC KTWV (94.7 THE WAVE) stepped up to #4 as it ended a two-book slide (4.5-4.6). iHEARTMEDIA Talk KFI-A dipped to #5 (4.8-4.5). KRTH captured the cume crown for the eighth book in a row with a 7.8% increase (2,099,900-2,264,700). The market grew by 2.7%.
KBIG made it back-to-back 25-54 wins and landed its largest share since NOVEMBER. KRTH was lurking close behind at #2 as it halted a two-book slide. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KIIS (102.7 KISS FM) had its biggest share since MARCH to rise two places to #3. A flat KOST remained at #4. It was joined in that space by TELEVISAUNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KLVE (K-LOVE 107.5), which slipped from #3 with a slight decrease.
A good portion of the 18-34’s that have made KRTH #1 for six books in a row were not even born when much of the station’s current playlist was new. Let that sink in. KBIG stepped up to #2 as it bounced back from a down book. KIIS moved up to #3 with its best outing since MAY. Making the leap o’ the month was EMF Christian Contemporary KKLQ (K-LOVE), which rose from #10 to #4 with its fifth up book in a row. It was tied with KTWV, which stepped up from #5 despite a small loss. KOST dropped five places to #8. iHEARTMEDIA Urban KRRL (REAL 92.3) had its smallest share in over a year as it fell from #2 to #10.
KBIG had a good 18-49 book. The station was #1 for the third straight survey and posted its largest share in over a year. Last month KIIS, KRTH and KLVE were tied at #2. This time only two remained. KIIS and KRTH had identical solid increases, while KLVE slid to #4 with its lowest score since APRIL. It was paired with KTWV, which rose from #5 with a slight decrease. TELEVISAUNIVISION Spanish Adult Hits KRCD (103.9/98.3 RECUERDO) fell from #5 to #11. That may look dramatic but, thanks to compression, it’s less than a share out of the top five.
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CHICAGO: Drive Time
Last month HUBBARD Classic Rock WDRV (97.1 THE DRIVE) and iHEARTMEDIA AC WLIT (93.9 LITE FM) were co-leaders with the 6+ population. This time WDRV stood alone at the top with its highest share in over a year (6.8-7.0). WLIT stepped down to #2 (6.8-6.6). AUDACY News WBBM-A repeated at #3 but with its highest score in over a year (4.5-5.6). iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WVAZ (V103) landed its largest share since Rudolph was being bullied (4.2-5.0) to move up to #4. TELEVISAUNIVISION Regional Mexican WOJO (QUÉ BUENA 105.1) advanced two squares to #5 with its best showing in over a year (3.6-4.5). AUDACY AAA WXRT ended a nine-book residency in the top five, slipping to #7 (4.7-4.3). WLIT remained the cume leader with a 1.2% increase (1,342,000-1,358,600). The market was basically flat.
For 11 books in a row, WLIT was either tied or alone at #1 25-54. The streak was silenced this survey by WOJO, which moved up to the apex with, naturally, its best book in over a year. WLIT politely stepped down to #2 with a small share loss. HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (101.9 THE MIX) moved up to #3 with its third up book in a row. AUDACY Rhythmic AC WBMX (104.3 JAMS) stepped up to #4 with a slight increase, while AUDACY Country WUSN (US99) was up to #5, also with a slight share gain. WVAZ had its highest share since DECEMBER as it zoomed from #12 to #6. WXRT fell four places to #7 and was tied with WDRV.
So this happened. WOJO was #1 18-34 for the fourth book in a row and smashed through the double-digit barrier. WLIT repeated at #2, though it ended a strong two-book surge and was about five shares in arrears. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKSC (103.5 KISS FM) stepped up to #3 with its highest mark since JUNE. WXRT was up two slots to #4 as it got back some of last month’s huge share loss, while WDRV dipped to #5 with a slight decrease. WUSN dropped from #3 to #7.
Last month saw WOJO’s six-book 18-49 winning streak come to a screeching halt. The station returned to the #1 spot with a vengeance with its best book in over a year. It led WLIT, which moved down to #2, by two shares. WBMX remained at #3 with a small increase, while WXRT was back at #4 with a slight decrease. WDRV and WUSN were tied last month at #5 and, apparently, liked the relationship so much they remained linked at that position.
SAN FRANCISCO: Seventh Heaven
BONNEVILLE AC KOIT remained red hot as it was the 6+ champion for the seventh straight survey (8.4-7.9). For the sixth book in a row, AUDACY News KCBS-A was nestled comfortably at #2 (7.1-6.6). KQED INC N/T KQED repeated at #3 (5.3-5.3), while BONNEVILLE Top 40/M WMVQ (99.7 NOW) stepped up to #4 with its highest mark in over a year (4.6-5.2). iHEARTMEDIA AC KISQ (98.1 THE BREEZE) stood alone at #5 with its third down book in a row (4.6-4.3). AUDACY Alternative KITS (LIVE 105) flipped to its current incarnation in JUNE, and it appears to be reaping some benefits. It rose from #10 to #6 with its best book in over a year (3.4-4.0). Despite a 5.8% drop, KOIT was still the cume leader (1,137,400-1,070,900). The market was up by 0.7%.
KOIT has been dominating the 25-54 space for over a year and this month was no different. The station was #1 with its third straight up book and held better than a two-share advantage over #2 KMVQ which, again, had its best book in over a year. KISQ stepped up to #3 with a slight decrease, while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KMEL dipped to #4 with its lowest score since MARCH. It was tied with SBS Regional Mexican KRZZ (93.3 LA RAZA), which moved up from #6 as it bounced back from a down book. KQED slipped to #6, despite a slight increase.
There’s a lot to unpack in the 18-34 arena. KOIT was #1 for the 13th time in the last 14 surveys. The station was in double digits for the eighth time during this span, and it had a bigger share than the next two stations combined. KMEL was back at #2 with its lowest score in over a year, while KMVQ was up two places to #3 as it regained some of last month’s rather large share loss. KITS was back at #4 with a slight increase. It was partnered with KISQ, which rose from #7 as it ended a steep three-book slide. KQED dipped to #6, while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KYLD (WiLD 94.9) dropped from #3 into a tie at #8 with KRZZ.
For the first time since MAY, KOIT was in double digits 18-49. The station also extended its better-than-a-year winning streak. KMVQ inched up to #2 with a solid increase but was still four shares off the lead. KMEL dipped to #3 with its lowest mark in over a year. It was tied with KITS, which advanced from #7 with its highest score in over a year. KISQ slid to #6 with its fourth down book in a row. KQED and KYLD had been tied at #5. Both stations had down books and landed at #8 and #9, respectively.
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DALLAS-FT. WORTH: One Year Later…
The last time TELEVISAUNIVISION Regional Mexican KLNO (QUÉ BUENA 94.1) was #1 6+ was exactly a year ago. The station advanced from #3 to #1 with, well, its best book in a year (4.7-5.2). This ended the four-book reign for AUDACY Classic Hits KSPF (98.7 THE SPOT), which slipped to a very close #2 (4.9-5.1). CUMULUS Sports KTCK (1310 & 96.7 THE TICKET) remained at #3 (4.7-4.7), while CUMULUS Talk WBAP-A moved up to #4 (4.6-4.5). CUMULUS Country KSCS was up to #5 (4.5-4.4), while last month’s co-leader – CUMULUS Country KPLX (99.5 THE WOLF) – slid to #6 (4.9-4.2). If you do the math (and we did), the top six stations are within a share of one another. KSPF still had the most cume (964,600-1,097,500) – a 13.8% rise. The market was up by 2.1%.
KLNO was the 25-54 winner for the fourth book in a row and had its largest share in over a year. A flat KTCK was back at #2 and stood about a share off the lead. KSCS had its best showing in over a year to move up to #3. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KHKS (106.1 KISS FM) slipped to #4 with a slight decrease. Last month KSPF fell from #7 to #13. This time the station rose to #5. It barely nipped a pair of stations that advanced into a tie at #6. AUDACY Regional Mexican KMVK (LA GRANDE 107.5) had been at #11 but produced its best book since JANUARY. AUDACY Sports KRLD (105.3 THE FAN) was at #10 but scored its highest share in over a year. AUDACY Alternative KVIL (ALT 103.7) slipped three places to #8, where it was joined by KPLX and AUDACY Adult Hits KJKK (100.3 JACK FM).
This marked the fourth straight 18-34 victory for KLNO, though the station was off slightly. Still, it was nearly two shares in front of KHKS, which moved up to #2 despite a modest share loss. KSCS was up to #3 with a slight decrease. It had company as SERVICE Urban KKDA (K104) arrived from #7 as it got back some of last month’s share loss. KPLX stepped up to #5 with its best book since JUNE. KVIL dropped from #2 to #7 with its lowest mark since APRIL. SERVICE Urban AC KRNB (SMOOTH R&B 105.7) fell from #5 to #11 as it returned most of last month’s large share increase.
Breaking the mold a bit, KLNO was #1 18-49 for the fifth book in a row. It still posted its largest share in over a year. KSCS was up to #2, also with its highest mark in over a year. KSPF and KMVK had been tied at #8. KSPF rose to #3 with its best performance in over a year, while KMVK advanced to #4 with its biggest score since JANUARY. KHKS remained at #5, despite a small decrease. KPLX slipped to #6, where it hung out with KRLD and KJKK. KVIL fell from #2 to #9.
Perhaps it was all just balderdash. This concludes round one of our Radio Ratings Roundup. Thank you for participating. Make sure you don’t miss our next adventure by subscribing to our blog here. Feel free to share.
As always, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. stand ready to help you grow your ratings and revenue. Stay tuned for round two featuring HOUSTON, ATLANTA, WASHINGTON D.C., PHILADELPHIA, and BOSTON
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