Radio Ratings Roundup, November 2023, Part III

November 30, 2023

So I asked Google’s Generative AI to come up with NOVEMBER sayings. This was the best one: “This NOVEMBER, there seems to be nothing to say.” Not exactly a deep thought. That said, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. along with our cohorts from XTRENDS have plenty to say about the NOVEMBER survey. This one began on OCTOBER 12^TH and was completed on NOVEMBER 8^TH. We had ALL HALLOWS’ EVE, the end of Daylight Saving Time (it’s not plural), and Election Day. Plus, it got cold. Let’s dive in, shall we?

SEATTLE-TACOMA: Let The Howling Begin

Last month AUDACY Country KKWF (100.7 THE WOLF) had its four-book 6+ winning streak snapped by UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON N/T KUOW. This time KKWF came roaring back as it landed its largest share in over a year to move back to the top of the pack (7.1-8.3). KUOW was forced to step down to #2 (7.6-6.8). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZOK remained at #3 (5.9-5.7). AUDACY Active Rock KISW repeated at #4 (5.5-5.0) but was forced to share the space with iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KJEB (95.7 THE JET), which moved up a slot as it ended a three-book slide (4.7-5.0). Thanks to a 10.2% increase iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KBKS (HITS 106.1) vaulted into the cume lead (510,000-561,800). The market was off by 1.4%.

On our last visit, we saw KKWF and KISW tied atop the 25-54 leaderboard. KKWF posted its largest share in over a year to remain in first place – for the fourth book in a row – while KISW slipped to #2 with a small share loss. HUBBARD Top 40/M KQMV (MOViN’ 92.5) had its best outing since JUNE as it rose two places to #3. KBKS repeated at #4 with a slight increase. HUBBARD AC KRWM (WARM 106.9) and KZOK had been tied at #7. KRWM had its best Frosty-free share in over a year to move up to #5, while KZOK bounced back from a down book to land at #6. KUOW fell from #3 into a tie at #8 with AUDACY Rhythmic AC KHTP (HOT 103.7).

The 18-34 contest has turned into a two-station race. KKWF was #1 and in double digits for the second straight survey. KQMV repeated at #2 with a number that was flirting with crossing double-digit threshold. KZOK stood alone at #3 as it regained all of last month’s large share loss. Last month KISW and KBKS were tied at #6. KISW had its best book since FEBRUARY, while KBKS’ tally was its largest in over a year. The stations moved in tandem up to #4. KHTP and KUOW had been tied at #3. KUOW ended a two-book surge as it fell to #7. KUOW had its smallest share in over a year as it dropped into an eighth-place tie with iHEARTMEDIA Adult Hits KJAQ (96.5 JACK FM).

The top four 18-49 stations were unchanged from last month. KKWF was #1 for the fourth book in a row, while KQMV was back at #2 with its highest score in over a year. The gap between the two shrank to about two shares. KBKS repeated at #3 while KISW held steady at #4. Both stations had small increases. KZOK rebounded from a down book as it rose from #8 to #5, while KHTP slid to #7 as it ended a two-book surge.

MIAMI-FT. LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD: Same Old Hotness

In the least surprising news so far, COX MEDIA Urban AC WHQT (HOT 105) was #1 6+ (8.5-8.5). However, in a surprise move, TELEVISAUNIVISION Spanish Contemporary WAMR (AMOR 107.5) moved up to #2 (7.3-7.1). COX MEDIA AC WFEZ (EASY 93.1) landed its lowest score in over a year (7.4-6.0) as it dipped to #3. AUDACY AC WLYF (101.5 LITE FM) repeated at #4 as it ended two-book slide (4.8-5.1). SBS Spanish Contemporary WCMQ (Z92.3) posted its best number since DECEMBER (3.5-4.4) as it rose from #9 to #5. AUDACY Country WKIS (KISS COUNTRY 99.9) and MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Public Radio WLRN had been tied at #5. WKIS dipped to #6 (3.9-4.1), while WLRN landed at #7 (3.9-3.9). WFEZ still had the most listeners (789,300-751,200) – a 4.8% decrease. The market grew by 2.7%.

WAMR continued as the 25-54 leader for the third consecutive month. It held a bit more than a share lead over WHQT, which was back at #2 with a slight increase. SBS Tropical WXDJ (EL ZOL 106.7 FM) ended its two-book slide as it advanced two spaces to #3. WKIS repeated at #4, though with its third down book in a row. WLYF was back at #5 with a slight decrease, while WFEZ dropped five slots to #7 with its least productive outing in over a year.

WHQT was #1 18-34 for the third book in a row, the last two landing in double-digit territory. WAMR was back as a solid #2. Both stations were down, and the gap stood at better than two shares. TELEVISAUNIVISION Tropical WRTO (MIX 98.3) held firm at #3 with a small decrease. There was a sizeable chasm between those three stations and the rest of the field. COX MEDIA Urban WEDR (99 JAMZ) ended a steep two-book slide as it stepped up to #4. Also landing at that spot in the standings was SBS Latino Urban WRMA (RITMO 95.7), which vacated the #6 position as it bounced back from a down book. WFEZ slid three places and into a tie at #7 with iHEARTMEDIA Spanish Contemporary WZTU (TÚ 94.9).

WHQT’s 18-49 winning streak extends to well over a year, and this book merely confirmed the obvious. The station was off slightly while #2 WAMR ended a two-book surge, so the gap grew to over a share. WRTO stepped up to #3 as it bounced back from a down book, while WKIS jumped from #10 to #5 with a small share increase. WFEZ fell from #3 into a three-way tie at #6 with WLYF and WRMA. WZTU slid from #5 into a tie at #9 with WEDR.

PHOENIX: It’s So Easy

For the third straight survey, iHEARTMEDIA AC KESZ (99.9 KEZ) was #1 6+. The station did make the Santa switch on the final day of the book but that likely had a negligible effect on its numbers (8.5-8.2). HUBBARD Classic Rock KSLX remained at #2 as it halted a three-book slide (6.4-7.6). DESERT VALLEY Adult Hits KOAI (95.1/94.9 THE WOW FACTOR) had its best outing since JULY (4.9-5.3) as it stepped up to #3. HUBBARD Active Rock KUPD dipped to #4 (5.2-5.0), while iHEARTMEDIA Adult Hits KYOT (95.5 THE MOUNTAIN) was a rock at #5 (4.5-4.3). KESZ had all the cume once again, despite a 0.9% decrease (838,000-830,100). The market was up by 2.1%.

The last time KESZ was #1 25-54, it was polluting the airwaves with the foul stench of BURL IVES and his minions. The station had its best Frosty-free share in exactly a year. This ended the two-book winning streak for KUPD as it dipped to #2. KSLX rebounded from its lowest book of the year to move up to #3. HUBBARD Alternative KDKB (ALT AZ 93.3) stepped down to #4 as it gave back about half of last month’s large share increase. iHEARTMEDIA Country KNIX rose three places to #5 with its best showing since FEBRUARY. KYOT dipped to #6 with a small share loss. How important is baseball to radio? The DIAMONDBACKS’ WORLD SERIES run drove its flagship – BONNEVILLE Sports KMVP – from #15 to #7.

Despite a noticeable share loss, KESZ repeated as the 18-34 leader. AUDACY Top 40/M KALV (LIVE 101.5) ended a steep three-book slide as it leapt from #8 to #2. KDKB slipped to #3 with its first down book since JUNE. It was tied with AUDACY Country KMLE, which remained in place with a modest share loss. KNIX was back at #5 with a slight decrease, while SIERRA H Classic Hip Hop KZCE (101.1 THE BOUNCE) well, bounced from #10 to #6 with its largest share since FEBRUARY. KUPD slid to #7, while AUDACY Classic Hits KOOL (BIG 94.5) fell four places to #8 and was tied with KYOT. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KZZP (104.7 KISS FM) dropped from #5 to #10 with its lowest mark since JUNE.

KESZ extended its lead over the rest of the 18-49 pack as it finished at #1 for the third book in a row. KUPD repeated at #2 as it halted a three-book surge, while KALV stepped up to #3 with a slight decrease. KSLX regained a good portion of last month’s big share loss as it rose from #10 to #4. KDKB was down two slots to #5 as it returned most of last survey’s large share increase. KOOL fell from #5 to #9.

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DETROIT: Go Blue

That the WOLVERINES are vying for a national championship is not a rare occurrence. That the LIONS – one of only four teams to have never played in the SUPER BOWL – are in playoff mode is a rarity. This combination likely kept AUDACY Sports WXYT (97.1 THE TICKET) atop the 6+ leaderboard (10.1-9.6). The station also received an additional 1.5 share from its stream.  For the last six days of the survey, iHEARTMEDIA AC WNIC was playing reindeer games. It seemed to help as the station rose from #6 to #2 with its highest score since JANUARY (5.7-7.5). AUDACY Country WYCD and iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKQI (CHANNEL 955) had been tied at #2. Both stations went 7.2-6.9 and drifted down to #3. BEASLEY Classic Rock WCSX slipped to #5 (6.9-6.6), while iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WMXD (MIX 92.3) stepped down to #6 with its smallest share since MAY (6.8-5.9). WNIC was still the big cume magnet with a 6.3% increase (893,500-949,600). The market was down 0.9%.

WXYT was both #1 25-54 and in double digits for the second straight survey. WKQI was back at #2 but its string of double-digit books ended at five. BEASLEY Active Rock WRIF had its best showing since JUNE to tighten its grip on the #3 position. WNIC was up two places to #4 with – again – its highest mark since JANUARY. A flat WYCD dipped to #5, while WMXD dropped to #7 with its smallest share since APRIL.

WKQI extended its 18-34 winning streak to 11 and cracked double digits for the tenth time during that span. WXYT also hit double digits as it moved up to #2. WRIF and WYCD rebounded from down books to move up to #3 and #4, respectively. WNIC was up two slots to #5 with its best book since – wait for it – FEBRUARY. WMXD fell from #2 to #6.

WKQI was in double digits 18-49 for the seventh straight survey. Alas, ’twas not enough as the station dipped to #2 as its string of #1 books ended at nine. WRIF remained at #3 with its best book since APRIL, while WNIC was up to #4 with its highest Frosty-free share in over a year. WYCD dipped to #5 with a slight increase, while WMXD was down two places to #7.

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL: Eight Straight

It has been quite the year for UNIVERSITY OF NORTHWESTERN-ST. PAUL Christian Contemporary KTIS. The station picked up its eighth straight 6+ win and hit double digits for the fifth time (9.1-10.3). Never underestimate the power of the shield. iHEARTMEDIA Sports KFXN (K-FAN FM 100.3) repeated at #2 but with its highest score in over a year (7.8-8.9). HUBBARD Hot AC KSTP (KS95) and iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KQQL (KOOL 108) were mirror images. The stations remained tied at #3 with the exact same share loss (7.6-7.0). It was also the lowest mark for both properties since APRIL. MPR N/T KNOW was back at #5 (6.0-5.7). The station received an additional 0.7 share from its stream. CUMULUS Active Rock KXXR (93X) moved up to #6 with its best book since FEBRUARY (5.0-5.6). KQQL still had the most listeners (779,600-734,600) – a 5.7% decrease. The market rose by 0.7%.

For the second book in a row, the top two 25-54 stations were in double digits. KFXN took the top honors while KSTP stepped down to #2. This ended the station’s eight-book winning streak. KXXR repeated at #3 as it halted a two-book slide. KTIS received a nice share boost as it rose from #7 to #4. AUDACY Adult Hits KZJK (104.1 JACK FM) stood alone at #5 with a modest share loss. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KDWB slid to #6 as it ended a strong two-book surge. KQQL fell out of a tie at #5 and landed at #7 with its lowest score since JANUARY.

KDWB was the leading 18-34 station for the eighth straight survey. It also hit double digits for the twelfth book in a row. iHEARTMEDIA Country KEEY (K102) made it back-to-back double-digit performances as it remained at #2. KXXR repeated at #3 but with a solid share increase. KSTP and KFXN were still tied at #4 but received rather large share boosts.

It was another great 18-49 month for KSTP. The station was #1 for the eleventh straight survey and hit double digits for the seventh book in a row. KFXN was back at #2. It was up for the fourth consecutive month and hit double digits. KXXR repeated at #3 with another solid increase, while KDWB remained at #4 but with its smallest share since DECEMBER. KTIS was up two places to #5, while KEEY dipped to #6.

We are now officially 75% done with NOVEMBER. Thank you for playing along.  We’ll be back tomorrow for a look into the ratings fortunes of SAN DIEGO, TAMPA, NASSAU-SUFFOLK, DENVER and CHARLOTTE. Oh, and subscribe to our blog here.

As always, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. stand ready to help you grow your ratings and revenue. Click here to find out more.

-Steve Allan, Programming Research Consultant

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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 e-mail info@ResearchDirectorInc.com or sallan@ResearchDirectorInc.com.

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