RADIO RATINGS ROUNDUP, JANUARY 2024, Part II

February 21, 2024

With apologies to Ol’ Blue Eyes, this survey’s results can be sung to the tune of “riding high in HOLIDAY, shot down in JANUARY.”  This whole holiday music thing has been going on for decades and, to this point, no one has cracked the code on keeping all that new cume from flowing back to their original sources. We certainly saw that in Part 1 of this here missive as the Santa stations lost a quarter or more of their previous cume. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with the adroit algorithmic artists from XTRENDS – expect that trend to continue.

This is the survey that was, and it ran from JANUARY 4^th through JANUARY 31^st. Winter break ended, it was bitter cold, and it featured a mandatory three-day weekend. Here’s what happened once the big guy left the building:

HOUSTON-GALVESTON: Naughty & Nice              

This was one of those markets where two stations changed their formats, for goodness’ sake, but featured somewhat different versions. iHEARTMEDIA AC KODA (SUNNY 99.1) went double digits for two whole surveys. The station experienced the expected deflation of its 6+ share (13.7-8.3) but held on to its #1 ranking. This fell short of last year’s 9.6 share. KSBJ EDUCATIONAL Christian Contemporary KSBJ was also in the, ahem, spirit of things as it repeated at #2 but with its highest mark in over a year (6.5-7.3). Last year it posted a 6.0 share. URBAN ONE Urban AC KMJQ (MAJIC 102.1) ended a three-book slide (5.4-6.1) as it moved up to #3. RADIO ONE Country KKBQ (THE NEW 93Q) scored its best number since APRIL (4.2-5.8) as it rose from #7 to #4. AUDACY Adult Hits KKHH (95.7 THE SPOT) dipped to #5 (5.5-5.7), while RADIO ONE Classic Rock KGLK (THE EAGLE 106.9 & 107.5) had its smallest share in over a year (6.5-5.3) as it fell four places to #6. KODA may have surrendered 22.1% of its cume, but the station still had the most listeners (2,140,300-1,667,400). The market shrank by 0.7%.

Rumors of its demise might be premature as KKHH moved up to #1 25-54 with its highest mark since MAY. KODA dipped to #2 with the expected big share loss, while KSBJ moved down to #3 with a slight increase. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTBZ (94.5 THE BUZZ) halted its four-book slide as it leapt from #8 to #4. KKBQ was back at #5 as it rebounded from a down book. TELEVISAUNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KAMA (104.9 LATINO MIX) dropped from a tie at #5 into one at #7 with ESTRELLA Mexican Regional KQQK (EL NORTE 107.9). KGLK fell from #4 to #10 and was paired with ESTRELLA Mexican Regional KTJM (LA RAZA 98.5 & 101.7 FM).

Last survey, despite all the holiday hubbub, KKHH was up to #5 18-34. This time the station landed at #1 with its best book since FEBRUARY. It was also dangerously close to reaching double figures. KODA stepped down to #2 and was almost two shares off the pace. KTBZ regained most of last survey’s huge share loss as it vaulted from #9 to #3. URBAN ONE Rhythmic CHR KBXX (97.9 THE BOX) dipped to #4 with its smallest share since MAY. AUDACY Spanish Contemporary KLOL (MEGA 101 FM) stepped up to #5 with its best outing since SEPTEMBER. It was sharing the moment with KKBQ, which arrived from #8 with its highest score in over a year, and KSBJ, up from #17 by more than doubling last month’s share. iHEARTMEDIA Urban  Contemporary KQBT (93.7 THE BEAT) dropped four places to #8 as it gave back all of last survey’s solid share increase. KAMA ended a strong five-book surge as it fell from #2 to #9.

KODA was #1 18-49 for the third book in a row but escaped by the narrowest of margins as #2 KKHH was up for the third straight survey. KTBZ stopped a four-book slide in this demo, as well, as it clawed its way up from #7 to #3. KKBQ rose five spots to #4 with its best book since APRIL. It was about a half share ahead of AUDACY Country KILT (100.3 THE BULL), which stepped up to #5 with a small increase. KBXX slid from #2 to #6 with its smallest share since APRIL. KAMA dropped four places to #9, while KGLK fell from #4 to #18.

ATLANTA: The Talk Of The Town

After a one-book hiatus, COX MEDIA N/T WSB-A was back at #1 6+ (7.4-8.6). URBAN ONE Urban AC WAMJ (MAJIC 107.5/97.5) had its best book in exactly a year (6.7-7.9) to move up two slots to #2. COX MEDIA AC WSB (B98.5) landed its largest share in over a year (6.0-7.6) to move up to #3. COX MEDIA Classic Hits WSRV (97.1 THE RIVER) slipped to #4, despite posting its first up book since OCTOBER (6.9-7.2). The ‘home of the holiday hits’ title belonged to SALEM AC WFSH (104.7 THE FISH). It dropped from #1 to #5 (10.5-4.7). Last year it had a 5.3 share. The station also lost 45.6% of its cume. WSB still had the largest cume despite a 1.9% decrease (809,100-793,400). This almost matched the market’s 1.6% drop.

Two surveys ago, WSB was sitting in the ninth spot in the 25-54 rankings. The station has more than doubled its share since then as it worked its way up to #1. WSRV had a small share loss but repeated at #2. Last survey CUMULUS Alternative WNNX (99X) fell from #6 to #3. All that share came back this time as the station returned to the show position. WAMJ inched up to #4 with its highest mark since SEPTEMBER, while a flat AUDACY Urban AC WVEE (V-103) dipped to #5. WFSH swam downstream from #1 to #9.

As with the previous demo, WSB had a monster 18-34 book as it touched down at the #1 position. WAMJ was up two places to #2 with its best book in over a year yet trailed the leader by more than two shares. WSRV stepped down to #3 with its least productive outing in over a year. AUDACY Sports WZGC (92.9 THE GAME) pogoed from #11 to #3. As recently as OCTOBER, it was #25. WVEE slipped to #5 with its smallest share since AUGUST. WFSH dove deep as it dropped from #1 to #13.

If you’ve been keeping score at home, you will not be surprised to learn that WSB vaulted from #4 to #1 18-49 with its highest mark since MARCH. It was less than a half share in front of WSRV, which held steady at #2. WNNX rebounded from a down book to move back to #3. WAMJ stepped up to #4 with its best showing since MAY. WVEE slid to #5 despite a slight increase. WFSH moved from #1 to #6.

WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Song Remains The Same

Well, technically, the consistent #1 6+ station does not play songs for a living. AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU also continued its long-running string of double-digit surveys (11.5-12.7). HUBBARD News WTOP posted its best number since SEPTEMBER (6.3-8.3) as it moved up to #2. HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR was the leading music station as it held steady at #3 (7.7-7.2). After eliminating BURL IVES from its playlist, iHEARTMEDIA AC WASH slipped from #2 to #4 (11.0-6.5). Last year it landed a 6.4 share. URBAN ONE Urban AC WMMJ (MAJIC 102.3/92.7) went through some major personality changes during the survey. It repeated at #5 (5.5-5.0). Making a bid to join the top five was the station with quite possibly the longest ownership title: GREATER WASHINGTON EDUCATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION, INC. (aka WETA) Classical WETA. It moved up to #6 with its best outing in over a year (3.8-4.6). WASH may have ceded 36.5% of its cume but was still the market leader (1,221,100-775,500). The market fell by 3.9%.

Giving up on the performance-enhancing music did dent WASH’s 25-54 share, but the station was #1 for the eighth straight survey. WAMU moved up to #2 with its best book since MAY, while WHUR dipped to #3 as it ended a strong five-book surge. URBAN ONE Urban Contemporary WKYS was back at #4 with a slight decrease, while WMMJ was up three slots to #5 with its highest score in over a year. Not far behind was iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WWDC (DC101), which rose to #6, also with its best book in over a year. AUDACY Classic Hits WIAD (94.7 THE DRIVE) was stuck in reverse as it fell from #5 to #8.

There was a battle raging for the 18-34 leadership position. After a two-book layoff, WAMU was back in double digits and at #1. WASH dipped to #2 but remained in double figures for the sixth straight survey. The stations were less than a half share apart. WMMJ stepped up to #3 with its highest mark in over a year, while iHEARTMEDIA CHR WIHT (HOT 99.5) slipped to #4 as it lost a noticeable chunk of share. WKYS repeated at #5 as it bounced back from a down book.

WASH was #1 18-49 for the eighth book in a row but saw its double-digit streak end at six. WAMU was up two places to #2 with its best book since MAY, while WKYS held firm at #3 with a small share loss. WHUR drifted down to #4 with its first down book since JULY. WWDC worked it from #9 to #5 with its highest score since MARCH. WIHT slid from #5 to #8.

PHILADELPHIA: We Have Both Rock And Roll

There was a harder edge to the 6+ leaderboard this month. BEASLEY Classic Rock WMGK sprang from #3 to #1 (6.5-8.2). This was the station’s first appearance at #1 since its five-book winning streak ended in SEPTEMBER. Meanwhile, BEASLEY Album Oriented Rock WMMR had its best outing in over a year as it rose to #2 (5.7-7.5). iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS dipped to #3 (8.6-7.3), while AUDACY Sports WIP – to the fading tune of “Fly, Eagles, Fly” – repeated at #4 (5.7-7.0). The station did reap an additional 2.3 share from its stream. AUDACY News KYW-A had its highest share since MARCH (4.7-6.2) as it stepped up to #5. Santa left the building so AUDACY AC WBEB (B101.1) fell from #1 to #6 (16.8-5.5). Last year it had a 5.8 share. The station also lost 49.4% of its cume (1,755,600-888,600) but still led that category. The market was down 4.7%.

After a two-book layoff, WMMR was back at #1 25-54 and was perilously close to hitting double digits. WBEB lost more than half its previous share but only dipped to #2, albeit about three shares off the lead. WMGK landed its largest share in over a year to move up to #3. Two stations crashed the top five party and settled in at #4. AUDACY Hot AC WTDY (THE NEW 96.5) was up from #6 with its highest mark in over a year, while WIP flew in from #7 (yes, another lame EAGLES joke – they must really HURTS) as it bounced back from a down book. Speaking of rebounding, BEASLEY Country WXTU regained all of last survey’s lost share to move back up to #6. iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WUSL (POWER 99) slipped four places to #7 with its smallest share since JUNE. WDAS, with its lowest total in over a year, fell from #4 to #8 where it met BEASLEY Adult Hits WBEN (95.7 BEN FM).

WUSL was back at #1 18-34 for the first time since APRIL with its best book in over a year. WMMR stepped up to #2, about a half-share behind the leader. WMGK stood alone at #3 but with its largest number since JUNE. WBEB slid from first to fourth, while WXTU repeated at #5 as it got back some of last survey’s big share loss.

WMMR was back at #1 18-49, a spot it last frequented in OCTOBER. WUSL repeated at #2 with a modest share loss. WBEB slid from first to third, while WIP moved up to #4 with a rather large increase. Three stations were collaborating at #5. WTDY remained in place but with its highest score in over a year. WMGK moved up a slot with its best book since JUNE, while WXTU advanced from #8 as it bounced back from that down book. WDAS fell from #4 to #10.

BOSTON: The Sports Buzz

Were people complaining about the PATRIOTS or lauding the CELTICS? Either way it was grist for the mill that is BEASLEY Sports WBZ (98.5 THE SPORTS HUB). After a two-book hiatus, the station was back at #1 6+ and in double figures (9.2-11.2). The post-holiday malaise affected AUDACY AC WMJX (MAGIC 106.7), which stepped down to #2 (14.2-6.7). However, this was far better than last year when the station had a 4.2 share and was sitting at #7. BOSTON UNIVERSITY Public Radio WBUR repeated at #3 (6.1-6.0), while BEASLEY Classic Hits WROR shook off a down book to move up to #4 (3.9-5.2). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WZLX dipped to #5 (5.0-4.9), while iHEARTMEDIA News WBZ-A slipped to #6 (4.7-4.6). SANTA devastated AUDACY Hot AC WWBX (MIX 104.1) last survey. With him out of the way, the station vaulted from #13 back up to #7 (2.8-4.5). WMJX still had the most cume, though it was 32.8% lighter in that department (1,182,400-795,000). The market was off by 1.8%.

Looks like WBZ is set to begin another long string of #1 25-54 books. The station ascended the throne with a strong double-digit presence. WMJX was relegated to second place as it surrendered more than half its previous share. There was a threesome at #3. WBUR remained in place with a slight decrease, while iHEARTMEDIA CHR WXKS (KISS 108) stepped up from #4 with a small increase. WROR advanced from #5 with its best book since AUGUST. WWBX was close behind that triad as it was up three places to #6 as it bounced back from a down book. AUDACY Adult Hits WBGB (BIG 103) fell four places to #9.

Back in NOVEMBER, WWBX was #1 and in double digits 18-34. The holiday hoopla kind of messed with that. This time the station more than doubled last survey’s number as it rose from #6 back to #1. WBZ moved up to #2 and was flirting with double digits, while WBGB dipped to #3 with a noticeable share loss. WXKS repeated at #4 but with a huge share increase. iHEARTMEDIA Rhythmic CHR WJMN (JAM’N 94.5) advanced to #5 with its highest score in over a year. BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WBQT (HOT 96.9) slid to #6, despite a solid share increase. WMJX fell from #1 to #7.

WBZ was back in double digits and sitting at #1 18-49. WWBX had a massive share increase as it catapulted from #7 to #2. WXKS was back at #3 with its first up book since OCTOBER. WMJX dropped from #1 to #4, while WBQT inched up to #5 with a small increase. WBUR and WBGB had been tied at #4. Both stations were down this month as they landed at #6 and #8, respectively.

Thank you for bearing with us for another ratings slog. To make sure you don’t miss part three of our continuing series, please subscribe to our blog right now. And if you don’t mind, please share this here missive with your radio brethren.

As always, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. stand ready to help you grow your ratings and revenue. Stay tuned for part three featuring SEATTLE, MIAMI, PHOENIX, DETROIT and MINNEAPOLIS.

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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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