RADIO RATINGS ROUNDUP, September 2024, Part I

September 30, 2024

Do you remember the survey we call SEPTEMBER? Well, since this is the first round of releases, we’re talking about an extremely short memory as this is happening in real time (or IRL). The title card is a bit misleading as the survey began on AUGUST 15^TH and concluded on SEPTEMBER 11^TH. So it’s more like AUGTEMBER  or SEPTEMUST.

Any way you slice it, the book covered the end of vacation season that bled into the back-to-school daze. It also featured a federally-mandated three-day weekend and the return of NIL, uh, NCAA football.

The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – huddling up with the data-crunching maestros from XTRENDS – are here to dive into the numbers and present them in a somewhat cogent style. Enjoy.

NEW YORK: And The Beat Goes On…

Once again iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (106.7 LITE FM) was the 6+ leader. The station had its best book since MAY (8.0-8.5) to widen its lead over the rest of the field. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3) moved back up to its customary #2 position (5.9-6.1), while AUDACY Classic Hits WCBS stepped up to #3 (5.4-5.6). iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WHTZ (Z100) saw its five-book surge come to an end as it slipped to #4 (6.5-5.5). MEDIACO Urban AC WBLS remained at #5 (5.0-5.1). H/T to RED APPLE N/T WABC-A, which advanced three places to #6 with its best outing in over a year (4.0-4.4). WLTW again had the most meters picking up their encoding (3,423,500-3,549,800) – a 3.7% rise. The market was up 0.6%.

Even though WHTZ returned most of last month’s large 25-54 increase, the station was #1 for the fifth straight survey. WLTW repeated at #2 with its highest score since APRIL but was about a share off the lead. SBS Spanish Tropical WSKQ (MEGA 97.9) had its best showing in over a year as it rose to #3. WAXQ dipped to #4 with its lowest mark since APRIL and was tied with the stationary iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC WKTU, which notched a slight decrease.

WLTW continued to dominate the 18-34 arena. The station was, of course, #1 and in double figures for the twelfth time in the last 14 surveys. It had more than twice the share of #2 WHTZ, which posted its smallest number since APRIL. WCBS inched up to #3 with its best book in over a year, while AUDACY Hot AC WNEW (NEW 102.7) leapt from #9 to #4 with a notable increase. SBS Spanish Contemporary WPAT (93.1 AMOR) slipped to #5, despite a slight increase. WSKQ advanced from #10 to #6 with its highest score since MARCH. iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WWPR (POWER 105.1) fell from #5 to #11 as it ended a strong three-book surge.

After narrowly missing double digits last month, WLTW crashed through that barrier this time as it rose to #1 18-49. WHTZ stepped down to #2 as it could not duplicate last survey’s double-digit feat. These two stations were well clear of WSKQ, which remained at #3 with a solid increase. WNEW moved up to #4 with its best outing in over a year. WCBS rose from #8 to #5 with its best book since JANUARY. WAXQ and WKTU were last spotted hanging out at #4. Both stations suffered down books as they dropped to #6 and #8, respectively.

LOS ANGELES: The Eighth Wonder Of The Ratings World

AUDACY Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH 101FM) extended its 6+ winning streak to eight (6.8-6.4), though its lead shrank to under a share as TELEVISAUNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KLVE (K-LOVE 107.5) stepped up to #2 with its highest score in over a year (5.2-5.5). iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST dipped to #3 (5.4-5.4) and was tied with cluster sister iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (104.3 MYFM), which moved up a slot with its best outing since NOVEMBER (4.9-5.4). iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KIIS (102.7 KISS FM) slipped to #5 (4.9-4.9). KOST still had the most listeners (2,008,700-2,057,500) – a 2.4% rise. This pretty much mirrored the market’s 2.2% increase.

KBIG had its best 25-54 book in over a year as it rose from #3 to #1. This ruined the repeat party for last month’s co-leaders: KIIS dipped to #2 with a slight increase, while KRTH landed at #3 with its first down book since MAY. It was paired with KOST, which moved up a spot as it bounced back from a down book. KLVE repeated at #5 with a slight decrease.

Last month KRTH drubbed KIIS in the 18-34 race by two shares. The tables turned this time as KIIS moved back up to #1 and KRTH dipped to #2. They were separated by the smallest of possible margins. KBIG repeated at #3 with a slight increase, while MERUELO Rhythmic CHR KPWR (POWER 106) remained at #4 with its highest score in over a year. KLVE jumped from #8 to #5 as it rebounded from a down book. MERUELO Classic Rock KLOS slipped to #7 as it returned all of last month’s big share increase.

Thanks to its best 18-49 book in over a year, KBIG moved from #3 to #1. KIIS was back at #2 with a slight decrease, while KRTH went from first to third as it gave back most of last month’s massive share increase. The three stations were separated by a half-share. KLVE remained at #4 with a slight increase, while KOST rose from #8 to #5 as it ended a four-book skid. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KYSR (ALT 98.7) was flat and dipped to #6.

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CHICAGO: All Tied Up

HUBBARD Classic Rock WDRV (97.1 THE DRIVE) was idling in the #1 6+ spot for the third book in a row (6.5-6.0). However, it was not alone as AUDACY News WBBM-A claimed its share of the lead with its best showing since JANUARY (5.7-6.0). Technically it was a solo #1 act as it gained a 0.2 share from its online presence, but we all know how dangerous it is to cross the streams. iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WVAZ (V103) dipped to #3 (6.1.5-8), while AUDACY AAA WXRT stepped up to #4 (4.8-5.0). iHEARTMEDIA AC WLIT (93.9 LITE FM) recorded its smallest share in over a year as it slipped to #5 (5.3-4.7). It did remain the cume leader, despite a 3.5% drop (1,181,500-1,140,300). The market was off by 0.3%.

Last month TELEVISAUNIVISION Mexican Regional WOJO (QUÉ BUENA 105.1) and WVAZ were the 25-54 co-leaders. This time WOJO stood alone at the top of the heap while WVAZ dipped to #2. Both stations had down books. WXRT moved up a slot to #3, even though it had a down book as well. Two stations moved up and into a tie at #4. AUDACY Rhythmic Oldies WBMX (104.3 JAMS) rose from #7 as it bounced back from a down book. CUMULUS Classic Hits WLS arrived from #6 with a slight increase. WLIT fell from #3 to #8 with its seventh down book in a row. It was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WGCI and CUMULUS Alternative WKQX (Q101). AUDACY Country WUSN (US99) dropped from #5 to #11 with its lowest mark since the maids were harvesting milk. It was paired with WDRV.

As is often the case, the 18-34 race had a high degree of volatility. WLIT zoomed from #7 to #1 as it regained most of last month’s large share loss. WUSN was back at #2 but with a down book. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WKSC (103.5 KISS FM) leapt from #8 to #3 with its highest mark since MARCH. WGCI rose from #6 to #4 despite a decrease, while three stations were massed together at #5. WDRV dipped from #4 with its smallest share since JANUARY. Joining the fray were WLS – up from #8 – and WXRT, which was previously seen at #10. WLS was flat while WXRT had its best outing since OCTOBER. Three stations were excused from the top five and established residency at #8. AUDACY Pop CHR WBBM (B96) fell from #1 as it ended a robust three-book surge. WVAZ dropped from #3 while WOJO slipped from #5.

Despite a down book, WOJO repeated at the #1 18-49 station. WVAZ was back at #2, also with a down book. WGCI stepped up to #3, thanks to a slight increase, while WBMX jumped from #7 to #4 as it regained some of last month’s lost share. WLIT remained at #5 but had to make room for WUSN, which moved down from #3 with its smallest share since APRIL.

DALLAS-FT. WORTH: Tight As A Texas Tick

There were ten – count ’em – ten stations within a share of the 6+ lead. That honor went to CUMULUS Sports KTCK (1310 & 96.7 THE TICKET), which climbed up the chart from #7 (4.2-5.0). Not to be outdone, iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KDMX (MIX 102.9) advanced from #9 to #2 with its best book in over a year (3.8-4.8). Three stations were colluding together at #3. TELEVISAUNIVISION Mexican Regional KLNO (QUÉBUENA 94.1) remained in place (4.6-4.5). NORTH TEXAS PUBLIC BROADCASTING N/T KERA dropped from a tie at #1 (4.8-4.5), while CUMULUS Country KSCS moved up from #6 (4.3-4.5). AUDACY Classic Hits KSPF (98.7 THE SPOT) dropped from the tie at #1 to #6 (4.8-4.4), though it picked up a 0.2 share from its stream.  It was paired with SERVICE Urban AC KRNB (SMOOTH R&B 105.7) which dipped from #5 (4.5-4.4). AUDACY Adult Hits KJKK (100.3 JACK FM) dropped from #3 to #10 with its lowest mark since MAY (4.6-4.0), though it did get a 0.3 share benefit from its stream. iHEARTMEDIA AC KDGE (STAR 102.1) padded its cume lead with a 14.9% increase (925,300-1,062,900). The market was up 0.2%.

The 25-54 race was a bit more stable, though there was nearly a three-way first place tie. KLNO stood alone at #1 for the second straight survey, though it held the slimmest of possible advantages over the two stations at #2. KSCS remained in place with a slight increase, while KTCK advanced from #7 as it ended a three-book slide. KJKK repeated at #4 with a small share gain, while AUDACY Mexican Regional KMVK (LA GRANDE 107.5FM) was back at #5 with a slight increase. CUMULUS Country KPLX (99.5 THE WOLF) dropped five places to #8 with its smallest share since APRIL.

KDGE had its best 18-34 book since FEBRUARY as it rose from #5 to #1. It held a very small lead over KSCS, which repeated at #2 with a slight decrease. KLNO had its smallest share since the lanes were glistening as it slipped from #1 to #3. SERVICE Urban Contemporary KKDA (K104) dropped to #4 as it halted a strong three-book surge. There was a threesome at #5. URBAN ONE Rhythmic CHR KBFB (97.9 THE BEAT) dipped from #4 as it returned all of last month’s huge share increase. KPLX remained in place with a slight decrease, while KDMX rose from #9 as it rebounded from a down book.

Despite a down book, KLNO was #1 18-49 for the ninth straight survey. It held a half-share lead over KTCK, which advanced from #8 to #2. KSCS dipped to #3 with a slight decrease, while KDGE vaulted from #13 to #4. KMVK repeated at #5 with a small increase. KERA slipped to #6 and was tied with KDMX, which moved up from #12 as it got back some of last month’s lost share. KRNB fell from #3 to #12. Meanwhile, KBFB and KRNB dropped from a tie at #5 to rejoin at #14 and were joined by iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZPS (LONE STAR 92.5).

SAN FRANCISCO:  We Have Both News And Talk

For the third straight survey, KQED INC N/T KQED was #1 6+. The station also posted its largest share in over a year (7.9-8.3). AUDACY News KCBS-A stepped up to #2 with its third up book in a row (6.6-6.9). BONNEVILLE AC KOIT landed its smallest share in over a year (6.7-6.4) as it dipped to #3. iHEARTMEDIA Soft AC KISQ (98.1 THE BREEZE) remained calm at #4 with its first down book since MARCH (6.3-5.4). BONNEVILLE Pop CHR KMVQ (99.7 NOW) remained in the moment at #5 (4.8-5.0). KOIT was the cume leader as usual with a 0.5% decrease (1,080,800-1,075,300). The market was up 1.8%.

KOIT kept its long, uninterrupted string of #1 25-54 books alive, despite a down book. KISQ was back at #2 but trailed the leader by more than two shares. KQED again landed its largest share in over a year as it advanced from #6 to #3. KMVQ dipped to #4 with a slight increase, while iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KYLD (WiLD 94.9) remained firmly entrenched at #5 with a slight decrease. AUDACY Hot AC KLLC (ALICE @ 97.3) fell four places to #8 with its lowest total since APRIL.

For the third book in a row, we had a new 18-34 leader. KISQ arrived there from #3 with its best showing in over a year. This pushed iHEARTMEDIA Rhythmic CHR KMEL down to #2 as it returned most of last month’s strong share increase. It was partnered with KOIT, which remained in place with its sixth straight down book. AUDACY Alternative KITS (LIVE 105) moved up to #4 with a slight increase, while KMVQ slipped to #5. KYLD stepped down to #6. Both of those stations gave back most of the previous survey’s solid share increases.

KOIT continued to dominate the 18-49 space with another runaway victory. KMVQ repeated at #2 with its best showing since APRIL and still trailed KOIT by three shares. KQED leapt from #7 to #3 with its fourth straight up book. KISQ dipped to #4, while KMEL slipped to #5. Both stations had slight decreases.

One down, three to go. Thanks for joining the roundup.  If you know of someone who still does not know we have migrated here after the demise of ALL ACCESS, send them this link.

Next up in the queue: HOUSTON, ATLANTA, WASHINGTON D.C., PHILADELPHIA and BOSTON in that order.

-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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