RADIO RATINGS ROUNDUP, HOLIDAY 2023, PART I

January 23, 2024

The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with our intrepid number crunching savants from XTRENDS – are back with another ratings hootenanny. Unless you’re the station(s) that sold their soul to KRIS KRINGLE, the HOLIDAY book is generally greeted with a collective “meh.” While it does show the incredible power of radio, it also renders any decision making about tactics or strategies moot. The main question for the non-believers is ‘how quickly will my audience return?’

This survey infamously began on DECEMBER 7^TH and expired on JANUARY 3^RD. This means the evil BURL IVES controlled the airwaves for 19 of the 28 days. Not a full book but long enough to wreak havoc. Let’s see what happened…

NEW YORK: Oooh, You’re A Holiday

As expected, iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (106.7 LITE FM) was the runaway 6+ leader, thanks to a healthy dose of BRENDA LEE (11.3-14.3). This was a far better finish than last year’s 10.4 share. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3) was back at #2, though its three-book surge ground to a halt (6.7-5.9). MEDIACO Urban AC WBLS ended a two-book slide as it rose from #6 to #3 (4.5-4.7). iHEARTMEDIA CHR WHTZ (Z100) dipped to #4 with its smallest share in exactly a year (4.9-4.6). It was forced to share with SBS Spanish Contemporary WSKQ (MEGA 97.9), which vaulted from #9 with its best showing since MARCH (4.2-4.6). The station also picked up an additional 0.9 share from its stream. Two stations exited the top five. AUDACY Classic Hits WCBS slid three places to #6 (4.9-4.4), while iHEARTMEDIA Rhythmic AC WKTU landed at #8 (4.7-4.0). WLTW continued as the cume commander with a 15.6% increase (4,109,000-4,750,600). The market grew by 0.6%.

WLTW was again in double-digits and #1 25-54. It also beat last year’s number by more than three shares. WHTZ repeated at #2 with a small decrease, while a flat WKTU was back at #3.  WSKQ stepped up to #4 with a solid increase, while a flat WAXQ was up to #5. AUDACY Hot AC WNEW (NEW 102.7) slipped to #6 as it ended a strong three-book surge.

Whatever WLTW was dealing, the 18-34 crowd was lapping it up. The station continued its long string of #1 books and hit double digits for the sixth straight survey. It also more than doubled last year’s share. WHTZ remained at #2 with its lowest score in exactly a year, while WAXQ held steady at #3 as it returned most of last month’s solid share increase. WSKQ vaulted five places to #4 with only a small increase. It held a small advantage over the three stations sitting at #5. WKTU remained in place but with its lowest mark in over a year. WCBS moved up a slot with a slight decrease, while WBLS advanced from #8, also with a slight decrease. iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WWPR (POWER 105.1) slid from #4 into a tie at #9 with MEDIACO Top Rhythmic CHR WQHT (HOT 97).

WLTW was still #1 18-49 and in double digits for the third book in a row. It eclipsed last year’s number by about seven shares. WHTZ remained at #2 with its smallest share in over a year, while WKTU repeated at #3 with a small share loss. WSKQ stepped up to #4 with its best outing since AUGUST. WAXQ was up two places to #5 with a small increase, while WNEW slipped to #6 with its lowest mark in over a year.

LOS ANGELES: Every Day Such A Holiday

It was another 6+ win for iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST (10.1-12.6). However, the station did not quite reach last year’s 13.1 share. AUDACY Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH 101FM) was saying “RUDOLPH, Schmudolph” as the station rebounded from a down book (5.1-5.8) to remain at #2. iHEARTMEDIA CHR KIIS (102.7 KISS FM) stepped up to #3 (4.7-4.7), while iHEARTMEDIA N/T KFI-A moved down two places to #4 (5.1-4.6). iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (104.3 MYFM) dipped to #5 with its lowest mark since MARCH (4.7-4.5). KOST was still the cume leader as it reaped an additional 23.9% (2,750,100-3,407,000). The market fell by 0.4%.

Not only did KOST repeat as the 25-54 leader and hit double digits for the second straight survey – it had more share than the next two stations combined. It also beat last year’s number by almost a share. KIIS repeated at #2 with a slight decrease, while KRTH remained at #3 but with its best book since JULY. KBIG was back at #4 with a slight increase. TELEVISAUNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KLVE (K-LOVE 107.5) remained at #5 but with its smallest share in over a year. It was partnered with AUDACY Adult Hits KCBS (93.1 JACK FM) which, despite a slight decrease, stepped up from a tie at #6 with SBS Mexican Regional KLAX (97.9 LA RAZA).

Last survey KOST narrowly missed hitting double figures with the 18-34 crowd. The station smashed through that barrier this time, though it was about a half share off of last year’s pace. KIIS remained at #2 with its fifth up book in a row. KRTH moved heaven and earth as it rose from #8 to #3 as it bounced back from a down book. It was tied with KBIG, which held steady with a slight increase. iHEARTMEDIA Adult Alternative KYSR (ALT 98.7) leapt from #10 to #5 with its best book since AUGUST. AUDACY Rhythmic AC KTWV (94.7 THE WAVE) slipped to #7 with its smallest share since MARCH. KLVE dropped from #4 to #10 with its least productive outing since MAY.

As with the previous demo, KOST hit double digits 18-49. This time it beat last year’s number by about a share. KIIS was off slightly as it repeated at #2, while KRTH advanced three spaces to #3 with its highest score since JULY. KBIG and KLAX had been tied at #3. KBIG stepped down to #4 with a slight decrease, while KLAX landed at #5. KLVE slipped to #6 and was in league with KCBS.

CHICAGO: Now It’s My Turn To Say

The incredible lite-ness of being that is iHEARTMEDIA Soft AC WLIT (93.9 LITE FM) was #1 6+ for the third book in a row (12.3-16.0). Last year the station finished with a 14.8 share. All this Yuletide funny business had zero effect on iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WVAZ (V103) as the station stepped up to #2 with its best showing in over a year (5.5-6.1). HUBBARD Classic Rock WDRV (97.1 THE DRIVE) backed down to #3 (5.8-5.7), while AUDACY News WBBM-A continued to idle at #4 (5.2-4.9). TELEVISAUNIVISION Mexican Regional WOJO (QUÉ BUENA 105.1) repeated at #5 but with its lowest mark since SEPTEMBER (4.5-4.0). WLIT had a huge 29.3% cume increase to remain #1 in that category (1,910,300-2,469,500). The market was up 0.2%.

As you might suspect, WLIT was in double digits 25-54 for the second book in a row. The station was about three shares ahead of last year’s pace. WOJO remained a distant #2 with a solid share loss, while WVAZ was up two places to #3 with – once again – its best book in over a year. AUDACY Urban AC WBMX (104.3 JAMS) also advanced two spaces – to #4 – despite a slight decrease.  As is often the case when Santa is on scene, HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (101.9 THE MIX) stepped down to #5 with its smallest share in over a year. It was paired with CUMULUS Classic Hits WLS, which rose from #8 with a slight increase. AUDACY Adult Alternative WXRT fell from #3 to #10 with its smallest share in over a year. It was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Album Oriented Rock WCHI.

The power of the CLAUS drove WLIT to #1 18-34. This ended the six-book winning streak for WOJO, which stepped down to #2, though the station did notch its fourth double-digit share in a row. WVAZ posted its best share in over a year in this demo, as well, as it rose from #5 to #3. iHEARTMEDIA CHR WKSC (103.5 KISS FM) remained at #4 but with its lowest total in over a year. It was joined in that space by WDRV, which drove in from #7 as it regained some of last month’s huge share loss. Also arriving at #4 was iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WGCI, which turned it up from #11 as it halted a five-book slide. AUDACY Country WUSN (US99) fell from #3 into a tie at #7 with WBMX.

WLIT was back at #1 18-49 and in double digits one more time. The station was nearly four shares stronger than last year. WOJO repeated at #,2 though with a noticeable share loss. Of course, WVAZ had its best showing in over a year as it leapt from #7 to #3. A flat WBMX stepped down to #4, while CUMULUS Alternative WKQX (Q101) remained at #5 with a small decrease. Last month WXRT and WUSN were at #4 and #5, respectively. This time the stations landed in a heap at #11.

SAN FRANCISCO: And I Say You’re A Holiday

Having an ally at the NORTH POLE is certainly beneficial, but it’s not like BONNEVILLE AC KOIT needs the help. The station was #1 6+ for the tenth straight survey (10.1-14.1), though it fell short of last year’s 15.5 share. KQED INC. N/T KQED had its highest share in over a year (6.6-6.9) to remain at #2. Meanwhile, AUDACY News KCBS-A had its lowest score in over a year to repeat at #3 (6.4-5.7). BONNEVILLE CHR KMVQ (99.7 NOW) was back at #4 with its lowest total since SEPTEMBER (5.7-4.7). iHEARTMEDIA Rhythmic CHR KMEL moved up two places to #5 (3.7-3.9), while USC Classical KDFC dipped to #6 (3.9-3.7).  KOIT added 32.0% to its existing cume base to remain #1 (1,216,900-1,605,900). The market rose by 0.2%.

KOIT extended its long uninterrupted string of #1 25-54 books and beat last year’s number by two shares. KMVQ remained at #2 but with its lowest score since JULY. KMEL was back at #3 with a small share loss, while a flat AUDACY Alternative KITS (LIVE 105) remained at #4. KQED was still sitting at #5 but with its smallest share since JULY.

You can’t stop KOIT; you can only hope to contain them. The station was #1 18-34 for the sixth straight survey and in double figures for the tenth time in the last 14 books. It also topped last year’s number by almost two shares. KMEL got a huge share increase to remain at #2, while KMVQ rose to #3 with its highest mark in over a year. KITS slipped two places to #4 with a modest decrease. iHEARTMEDIA CHR KYLD (WiLD 94.9) stood alone at #5 as it ended a modest two-book surge. CUMULUS Classic Rock KSAN (107.7 THE BONE) fell from the tie at #5 to #9 as it returned most of last survey’s large share increase.

For over a year, KOIT has been the leading 18-49 station. It kept that streak alive and was almost a share ahead of last year’s pace. A flat KMEL stepped up to #2, sharing the space with KMVQ as it stayed in place with its second straight down book. KITS was back at #4 with a small share loss. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KIOI (STAR 101.3) stood alone at #5 while its former partner in that space – KQED – moved down to #6.

DALLAS-FT. WORTH: Fa La La La La, Etc.

The holiday hostilities wrought havoc on the ratings rankings. Four stations made the switch but only two were of any consequence. The 6+ leader and Santa’s apparent favorite was iHEARTMEDIA AC KDGE (STAR 102.1). The station reached double figures (8.6-1.03) and beat last year’s 9.1 share. Also entering the CHRISTMAS chat was SALEM AC KLTY. It rose from #14 to #2 (3.1-4.6) with its highest share in over a year. AUDACY Classic Hits KSPF (98.7 THE SPOT) had its smallest share in over a year (4.7-4.2) as it repeated at #3. It was sharing the moment with two other stations. CUMULUS Sports KTCK (1310 & 96.7 THE TICKET) stepped down from #2 with its smallest share in exactly a year (5.2-4.2), while SERVICE Urban AC KRNB (SMOOTH R&B 105.7) advanced from #10 with its best performance since JANUARY (3.5-4.2). There was also a threesome at #6. NORTH TEXAS PUBLIC RADIO N/T KERA slid from #4, ending a two-book surge (4.2-3.5), while CUMULUS Country KSCS dipped from #5 (4.1-3.5). AUDACY Adult Hits KJKK (100.3 JACK FM) moved up from #8 (3.9-3.5). CUMULUS Country KPLX (99.5 THE WOLF) fell four places to #9 (4.1-3.3). KDGE repeated as the cume champ with a 26.2% increase (1,314,000-1,658,000). The market was off by 1.7%.

KDGE did repeat at #1 25-54, though it did not hit double digits. The station had a slightly lower number than last year. KTCK repeated at #2 with its lowest score in a year, while KJKK stepped up to #3, despite a modest share loss. KSCS inched up to #4 with its lowest mark since MAY. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KDMX (MIX 102.9) had its best book since APRIL as it vaulted from #13 to #5. TELEVISAUNIVISION Mexican Regional KLNO (QUÉ BUENA 94.1) dropped three places to #6 where it was met by a flat AUDACY Alternative KVIL (ALT 103.7), which moved up from #8. KPLX and iHEARTMEDIA CHR KHKS (106.1 KISS FM) had been tied at #5. KPLX dropped into a tie at #8 with KRNB, while KHKS was joined at #10 by KSPF. In case you were wondering, KLTY rose from #16 to #14.

KDGE did repeat at the 18-34 leader and achieve a double-digit share, though it was not quite as robust as last year’s. KDMX was immune to the Santa virus as it jumped from #8 to #2 with its finest showing in over a year. KLNO inched up to #3, despite landing its lowest number since MAY. KVIL got a slight increase as it moved up three places to #4. KHKS slipped to #5 with its lowest mark in over a year, while KSCS stepped down to #6. KJKK fell five slots to #7 as it gave back most of last month’s massive share increase. KLTY moved from #18 to #11.

Though it was not able to hit double digits, KDGE was the 18-49 leader for the second book in a row. It was about a half share off last year’s pace. The next four stations were separated by less than a half share. KLNO was back at #2 with its third down book in a row. KDMX advanced from #12 to #3 with its highest mark in over a year to join KJKK, which remained in place. KSCS stepped down to #5. KPLX slid three spots to #8 with its lowest score since AUGUST. KLTY moved from #15 to #11.

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Of course, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. also stand ready to help you grow your ratings and revenue. Stay tuned for round two featuring HOUSTON, ATLANTA, WASHINGTON D.C., PHILADELPHIA and BOSTON.

-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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