RADIO RATINGS ROUNDUP, March 2024, Part IV

April 18, 2024

It has come to our attention that up to this point we have droned on about so many aspects of MARCH that we left out one critical reference: March madness. Perhaps we were reticent to include this in the blog because of fear that the NCAA enforcement division – such as it is – would crush us with their proverbial hobnailed boot. Then we realized that as long as we did not capitalize the phrase or include other terms like sweet 16 or elite eight or final four, we’d be good. At least, that’s what the lawyers said.

As with every ratings survey, there is a touch of madness. MARCH is no different. This one ran from FEBRUARY 29^TH through MARCH 27^TH. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – working hand in glove with the math maestros from XTRENDS – bring you the following analysis in living color …

(Yet another lineup change. Though the annual NIELSEN Market Definition Changes do not go into effect until the APRIL book, we have already changed the positions of DENVER and SAN DIEGO.)

TAMPA-ST. PETERSBURG-CLEARWATER: As The Dove Flies

It’s pretty much axiomatic that COX MEDIA Soft AC WDUV (105.5 THE DOVE) will soar above the rest of the 6+ flock. The station was in its customary #1 position and hit double digits for the third time in the last four books (10.0-10.1). iHEARTMEDIA Country WFUS (US 103.5) was up for the third straight survey (6.2-6.4) to repeat at #2. COX MEDIA Classic Hits WXGL (107.3 THE EAGLE) returned at #3 with its highest share since AUGUST (5.6-5.9). BEASLEY Country WQYK maintained its #4 status (5.1-5.4), while COX MEDIA N/T WHPT (102.5 THE BONE) stepped up to #5 (4.9-5.1). This pushed COX MEDIA Urban AC WTBV (101.5 THE VIBE) down to #6 (5.1-4.7). WDUV still had the largest following (632,500-627,200) – a 0.8% decline. The market dropped by 1.0%.

Santa was not kind to WFUS. The station sank to #13 25-54 in the HOLIDAY book and clawed its way up to #11 in JANUARY. However, as of this survey, the station was the back-to-back victor with its highest mark since AUGUST. iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock WXTB repeated at #2 with its best showing in over a year. WDUV had the slightest of increases, but that was enough for the station to migrate from #5 to #3. WHPT slipped to #4 with a small decrease while two stations landed at #5. WTBV slid from #2 as it returned some of last month’s huge increase, while WQYK rose from #8 with a solid share gain.

WDUV was #1 18-34 for the fourth book in a row and hit double figures for the third time during that span. However, WFUS also hit double digits as it rose from #2 to forge a tie at the top of the leaderboard.  WQYK was back at #3 with a small decrease. It was joined there by COX MEDIA AC WWRM (MAGIC 94.9), which advanced from #8 with its best book since AUGUST. BEASLEY Rhythmic CHR WLLD (WiLD 94.1) dipped to #5 and was partnered with iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WFLZ, which vaulted from #12 with its highest score since APRIL. WHPT slipped to #7 and it was hanging with WTBV and WXTB. RADIO TRAINING Contemporary Christian WCIE (THE JOY FM) fell from a tie at #5 into one at #10 with iHEARTMEDIA AC WMTX (MIX 100.7).

On our last visit, WFUS and WDUV were the 18-49 co-leaders. WFUS remained in place with its biggest share since JULY, while WDUV stepped down to #2. WXTB remained at #3 with its highest mark since MAY. It joined forces with WQYK, which moved up thanks to its largest share in over a year. WWRM dipped to #5 as it halted a strong three-book surge.

SAN DIEGO: Sunny Side Up

For the first time since NOVEMBER, AUDACY Classic Hits KXSN (SUNNY 98.1) was #1 6+. The fact that the station posted its best number since DECEMBER certainly helped (6.4-7.6). This ended the short reign for SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY N/T KPBS, which stepped down to #2 (7.3-7.1). LOCAL MEDIA Rhythmic AC XHRM (MAGIC 92.5) remained at #3 but with its highest mark since JULY (6.3-6.9). AUDACY Country KSON was back at #4 (5.1-5.0), while two stations moved up and into a tie at #5. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KHTS (CHANNEL 933) moved up a slot (4.8-4.8), while iHEARTMEDIA N/T KOGO-A flew in from #7 (4.6-4.8). AUDACY AC KYXY slid three places to #8 (4.9-4.1). KXSN remained in cume control, despite a 2.6% loss (531,300-517,400). The market was up 0.3%.

The joy that is supposed to be the holiday season was anything but for KXSN as the station dropped to as low as #7 25-54 during Santa’s reign of terror. The station was back on top in this survey, thanks to a massive share increase. XHRM was forced to vacate the top spot and stepped down to #2 with a slight decrease. iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KIOZ dipped to #3. It was paired with TELEVISAUNIVISION Mexican Regional KLNV (QUÉ BUENA 106.5), which rose from #8 with its highest score since JUNE. KHTS slipped to #5 as it gave back all of last month’s share increase. LOCAL MEDIA Pop CHR XHTZ (Z90.3) moved down to #6 with a slight decrease. KSON dropped from a tie at #5 into one at #9 with KYXY and AUDACY Sports KWFN (97.3 THE FAN).

The 18-34 contest became more hotly contested. XHRM was back at #1 but with a down book, while KXSN vaulted from #9 to #2 with its best outing in over a year. The net result was that the two stations were separated by a half-share. KIOZ moved down to #3 despite a solid increase. Four stations had been tied at #5. KHTS stepped up to #4 with its third up book in a row. It met headlong with a flat LOCAL MEDIA Alternative XTRA (91X), which dropped from #2. XHTZ dipped to #6, while KSON ended up at #7. KPBS fell from #2 to #8 as it returned a healthy portion of last month’s massive share increase. iHEARTMEDIA Rhythmic AC KSSX (JAM’N 95.7) fell from that #5 tie into a group discussion at #13 with KLNV and iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KMYI (STAR 94.1).

Both XHRM and KXSN posted their best 18-49 shares in over a year. That kept XHRM at #1 but allowed KXSN to claim a share of the lead. KLNV stood alone at #3 with its highest score since MAY. KHTS and KIOZ dropped into a tie at #4. KHTS was up for the third book in a row, while KIOZ had a small share loss.

DENVER-BOULDER: Nice And Cozy

BONNEVILLE AC KOSI (KOSI 101.1) was back on top of the 6+ chart, thanks to its best Frosty-free share in over a year (6.0-7.1). This displaced the two stations that were last month’s co-leaders. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KRFX (103.5 THE FOX) dipped to #2 (7.0-6.5), while BONNEVILLE Country KYGO landed at #3 (7.0-6.3). KSE VENTURES Classic Hits KXKL (KOOL 105.1) stepped up to #4 with its best book since NOVEMBER (4.8-5.9). Despite being up for the fourth book in a row, iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTCL (CHANNEL 93.3) moved down to #5 (5.5-5.7). KSE VENTURES Hot AC KIMN (MIX 100) ended a three-book slide as it slipped to #6 (4.8-4.9). KOSI was the cume king again with a 3.5% increase (506,300-524,100). The market grew by 0.4%.

Though the top five 25-54 was relatively unchanged, the race did get a bit tighter. A flat KTCL was #1 for the third book in a row, while KOSI repeated at #2 but with, again, its best Frosty-free share in over a year. As a result, the gap between the two stations was more than halved. KXKL remained at #3 and posted its largest share since JUNE. KYGO inched up to #4 with a slight increase, while KIMN dipped to #5 with a slight decrease.

KTCL notched its third 18-34 book in a row and crashed through the double-digit barrier. It held better than a four-share lead over the three stations tied at #2. AUDACY Rhythmic CHR KQKS (KS107.5) remained in place as it ended a two-book surge. KYGO stepped up a slot, while KOSI advanced from #6 with its best Frosty-free share since JULY. KXKL slipped to #5 with a slight decrease. It was confronted there by KIMN, which rose from #7 as it rebounded from a down book. iHEARTMEDIA AAA KBCO fell from a tie at #3 to #8 with its smallest share since OCTOBER. It was spending some quality time with KRFX and EDUCATIONAL MEDIA FOUNDATION Contemporary Christian KLDV (K-LOVE).

As with the previous demo, KTCL was #1 18-49 for the third straight survey and hit double figures. KOSI was back at #2 with a slight increase, while KXKL repeated at #3 with its third up book in a row. KYGO stepped up to #4 as it regained last month’s lost share, while KIMN dipped to #5 with a slight increase.

NASSAU-SUFFOLK (LONG ISLAND): The Song Remains The Same

COX MEDIA Classic Rock WBAB was the leading 6+ station for the third straight survey (6.9-7.1). It held a comfortable lead over CONNOISSEUR AC WKJY (K-JOY 98.3), which stepped up to #2 with its best book in over a year (5.1-5.2). iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WHTZ (Z100) slipped to #3 (5.5-5.1), while AUDACY Classic Hits WCBS moved up two slots to #4 as it bounced back from a down book (4.4-5.0). AUDACY News WINS (1010 WINS) dropped to #5 (5.1-4.9), though it gained an additional 0.6 share from its stream.  iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3) slid to #6 (4.8-4.7). WBAB repeated as the cume leader with a 0.3% increase (434,700-436,100). The market was up 2.0%.

WHTZ was the 25-54 leader for the third book in a row and held a two and a half share lead over the duo at #2. WBAB moved up a slot with a slight decrease, while iHEARTMEDIA hot AC WKTU advanced from #4 with its highest mark in over a year. SBS Spanish Tropical WSKQ (MEGA 97.9) also had its largest share in over a year as it leapt from #11 to #4. WCBS repeated at #5 with a small increase. It had company as CONNOISSEUR Hot AC WALK (WALK FM) moved in from #9 as it bounced back from a down book. WAXQ fell six places to #8.

WSKQ posted its largest 18-34 share in over a year and was up for the fifth straight survey as it rose from #3 to #1. WHTZ stepped down to #2 and trailed the leader by a share and a half. WBAB moved up to #3 with its best outing since OCTOBER. COX MEDIA Pop CHR WBLI slipped to #4 with its lowest score in over a year. WKJY dipped to #5 with a small decrease.

Though WHTZ returned last month’s share increase, the station was #1 18-49 for the third book in a row. WSKQ leapt from #5 to #2 with its best performance in over a year, while WBAB drifted down to #3 with a small decrease. WKTU stepped down to #4, despite being up for the sixth straight survey. It was paired with WINS, which remained stationary as it regained most of last month’s share loss. WKJY and WBLI had been tied at #5. They kept the relationship alive, but this time were found at #7.

CHARLOTTE-GASTONIA-ROCK HILL: Country Comfort

The top two 6+ stations posted their largest shares in over a year and happened to be in the same format. BEASLEY Country WSOC made it back-to-back wins (7.0-7.6), while iHEARTMEDIA Country WKKT (96.9 THE KAT) bounded from #5 to #2 (5.4-6.2). iHEARTMEDIA Adult Hits WLKO (102.9 THE LAKE) remained calm and steady at #3 (5.6-5.6), while URBAN ONE Urban Oldies WOSF (105.3 RnB) was up three places to #4 as it rebounded from a down book (4.8-5.5). BEASLEY Urban AC WBAV (V101.9) slid three slots to #5 with its lowest score in over a year (5.7-5.3). WLKO still had the most listeners (414,600-410,000) – a 1.1% decrease. The market rose by 1.2%.

Given the passion for college basketball in this part of the country, it comes as no surprise that March Madness shot URBAN ONE Sports WFNZ to #1 25-54. The station leapt from #6 with its best book in over a year. WOSF was up two places to #2 as it bounced back from a down book. It was tied with BEASLEY Urban Contemporary WPEG (POWER 98), which ended its two-book run at #1 with its smallest share since SEPTEMBER. WSOC slipped to #4 with its lowest number in exactly a year, while iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WEND (106.5 THE END) dropped to #5. WKKT advanced from #9 to #6 with its best showing in over a year. WLKO moved from #4 to #7.

WFNZ nearly doubled its previous 18-34 share as it rocketed from #8 to #1. This pushed WKKT – which had a small decrease – down to #2. The stations were about a share and a half apart. WPEG moved up three places to #3 with its best showing since AUGUST, while WEND saw its five-book surge come to a close as it slipped from #2 to #4. WBAV was back at #5, though with its lowest number since SEPTEMBER. WSOC dropped from a tie at #3 into a tie at #6 with WLKO. BEASLEY AC WKQC (K104.7) was also previously tied at #3. It was still in a tie but at #12 with UNIVERSITY RADIO FOUNDATION N/T WFAE and iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WHQC (HITS 96.1).

WKKT had its best 18-49 book in over a year as it climbed from #4 to #1. It narrowly defeated last month’s leader WEND, which stepped down to #2. Three stations were about a half-share behind at #3. WOSF remained in place with a slight increase, while WSOC dipped from #2 with its lowest mark in over a year. WFNZ joined the fray, advancing from #11 with its best offensive performance in over a year. WLKO slipped to #6 with a slight decrease.

Thus endeth our foray into the MARCH survey. Thank you for playing along. We’ll be back in 28 days to see what havoc APRIL has wrought.

Make sure you – and everyone you know – doesn’t miss our next adventure by subscribing to our blog here. And if you have any comments, suggestions or complaints, just send us an e-mail.

-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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