RADIO RATINGS ROUNDUP, September 2025, Part II

October 8, 2025

SEPTEMBER. A time of renewal. When our lives return to the routine. When the air is crisp with the aromas of autumn. There’s apple cider, football, and way too much pumpkin spice. (True story: A local storage facility is advertising pumpkin spice storage units. This is getting out of hand, people.)

The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with algorithmic alchemists from XTRENDS – are back with another round of ratings hijinks. The SEPTEMBER book ran from AUGUST 21^st through SEPTEMBER 17^th. Along with the usual life stuff that listeners were dealing with, there was a three-day weekend wedged in there somewhere. Let’s proceed with the data dump…

SAN FRANCISCO: Same Old Same Old

Though the market was relegated to the #6 position, the 6+ rankings were unchanged as the top five stations remained as they were. KQED INC. N/T KQED was #1 for the ninth book in a row (8.7-8.7). AUDACY News KCBS (ALL NEWS 106.9FM/740AM) was back at #2 (8.6-8.3). The station also added a 0.3 share from cyberspace. BONNEVILLE AC KOIT was again the leading music station at #3 (5.8-5.7). USC Classical KDFC (CLASSICAL CALIFORNIA) repeated at #4 but with its best outing since MARIAH CAREY was relevant (4.6-5.3). iHEARTMEDIA Soft AC KISQ (98.1 THE BREEZE) finished at #5 once again (4.2-4.8). KOIT was still the cume leader with a 5.9% increase (1,076,400-1,140,200). The market was essentially flat. Market PUMM was up 2.7% from AUGUST and 15.5% from 2024.

Last month KQED saw its five-book 25-54 win streak come to an end at the hands of BONNEVILLE Hot AC KMVQ (99.7 NOW). The tables were turned this survey as KQED was back on top with a solid increase while KMVQ dipped to #2 with a slight decrease. AUDACY Alternative KITS (LIVE 105) repeated at #3 but with its best outing in over a year. KOIT stepped up to #4 as it bounced back from a down book. KISQ stepped down to #5 as it ended a three-book surge. iHEARTMEDIA Rhythmic CHR KMEL dipped to #6 and was joined there by iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KYLD (WILD 94.9), which rose from #8. Market PUMM was up 1.9% from the previous survey but off 0.9% from last year.

In AUGUST KMEL stopped KOIT’s six-book 18-34 reign. KOIT bounced back this survey as it went from #3 to #1 with its best Frosty-free share in over a year. KMEL slipped to #3 as it surrendered all of last month’s huge increase, plus a bit more. In between those stations was KISQ, which held steady with a small decrease. The leap o’ the month went to SBS Mexican Regional KRZZ (93.3 LA RAZA). The station rocketed from #20 to #4, more than tripling its share in the process. KQED was up three slots to #5 with a strong share gain. KMVQ slipped to #6, while KYLD dropped into a tie at #7 with KITS. Market PUMM was off 0.3% from last month and 4.2% from a year ago.

KQED jumped from #3 to #1 18-49 with a solid share gain. It just nipped KOIT, which advanced from #6 to #2 as it rebounded from a down book. KITS repeated at #3 with an up book. Though both stations had slight increases, KMVQ dropped from #2 to #4 and KISQ slid from #3 to #5. Last month’s demo leader was KMEL. It rose to that spot from #6. The station lost all of that share increase as it went back to its previous position. Market PUMM was up 1.4% from AUGUST and 5.7% from 2024.

ATLANTA: Talkin’ The Talk

For the first time since FEBRUARY COX MEDIA N/T WSB-A was #1 6+ (6.9-7.8). COX MEDIA Urban AC WALR(KISS 104.1) remained at #2 (7.2-7.1) but was not alone. URBAN ONE Urban AC WAMJ (MAJIC 107.5/97.5) moved up a spot to forge the tie (7.0-7.1). COX MEDIA Classic Hits WSRV (97.1 THE RIVER) its six-book winning streak snapped as it fell to #4 with its smallest share since the bells were ringing the sad, sad news (7.4-6.5). AUDACY Urban AC WVEE (V-103) was up to #5 (5.8-5.9), which forced COX MEDIA AC WSB-F (B98.5) down to #6 (5.9-5.8). WSB-F kept the cume crown despite a 4.7% decline (900,800-858,200). The market was off 1.4%. Market PUMM was up 6.4% from AUGUST and 4.2% from 2024.

The 25-54 ranks were in a state of flux. WALR stepped up to #1 with a slight increase. It had company as iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WRDG (96.1 THE BEAT) advanced from #6 with its best outing in over a year. Over the last two surveys the station has more than doubled its share. This brought the nine-book winning streak for WVEE to a close as the station slipped to #3 with its smallest share in a year. A flat WAMJ dropped to #4, while WSB-F remained at #5 with its best book since FEBRUARY. WSRV fell from #4 to #8. Market PUMM was up 8.0% from the previous survey and 6.6% from last year.

After taking the last two books off WRDG was back at #1 18-34 and in double figures for the first time since APRIL. WSB-F dipped to #2 as its two-book reign was brought down. WALR had its highest share in over a year as it rose from #6 to #3. WAMJ dipped to #5 despite being up for the third book in a row. CUMULUS Pop CHR WWWQ (Q99.7) fell from #5 to #10. It was tied with JDJ COMMUNICATIONS Urban Contemporary WWSZ (STREETZ 94.5) and iHEARTMEDIA Country WUBL (94.9 THE BULL). Market PUMM was up 14.6% from last month and 45.0% from a year ago.

WRDG had its best 18-49 book in over a year as it leapt from #4 to #1. This stopped the nine-book winning string for WVEE, which dipped to #2. It was paired with WALR, which moved up from #3 with its largest share since DECEMBER. WSB-F dropped from #2 to #4, while WAMJ slipped to #5. Market PUMM was up 8.3% from AUGUST and 4.2% from 2024.

WASHINGTON, DC: It’s News To Us

You may have heard that there’s some stuff happening in our capital city. But there is always something going on in that town that has radio listeners yearning for information. For the third book in a row HUBBARD News WTOP was #1 6+ (13.9-11.5). AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU kept its double-digit streak alive as it repeated at #2 (11.0-11.3). HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR continued as the leading music station at #3 (6.8-6.9), while iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WWDC (DC101) was back at a distant #4 (4.9-4.7). iHEARTMEDIA AC WASH rounded out the top five once again (4.3-4.6). It also maintained its cume advantage with an 8.5% increase (726,200-788,000). The market rose by 2.4%. Market PUMM was up 6.1% from AUGUST and 30.7% from 2024.

WAMU was the 25-54 leader for the ninth straight survey, the last four of which have been in double figures. WTOP remained at #2 but the gap between the two stations widened from a half share to better than three shares. WWDC held steady at #3 though it gave back about half of last month’s increase. ATLANTIC GATEWAY Contemporary Christian WGTS rebounded from a down book to move up to #4. WASH dipped to #5 with a small share loss, while WHUR stepped down to #6 with a slight decrease. Market PUMM was up 8.1% from last month and 30.9% from a year ago.

iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WIHT (HOT 99.5) leapt from #5 to #1 18-34 with its best showing since MAY. WASH was up to #2 with a solid increase. The stations were separated by less than a half share. iHEARTMEDIA Country WMZQ dipped to #3 as it surrendered all of last month’s large share increase. WTOP went from first to fourth with its smallest share since APRIL. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WBIG (BIG 100) moved up two places to #5 despite a slight decrease. WWDC fell from #3 into a tie at #6 with WGTS and AUDACY Classic Hits WIAD (94.7 THE DRIVE). Market PUMM was up 1.0% from the previous survey and 33.9% from last year.

WAMU continued to dominate the 18-49 space as it landed at #1 for the sixth straight survey. WTOP was back at #2 but with its lowest score since some poor waif was wishing for some dental work. WASH stood alone at #3 with a slight increase, while WWDC dipped to #4. AUDACY Spanish Contemporary WLZL (EL ZOL 107.9 FM) regained almost all of last month’s huge share loss as it vaulted from #12 to #5. WGTS slipped to #6 and was tied with WIHT. Market PUMM was up 7.0% from AUGUST and 35.1% from 2024.

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PHILADELPHIA: Football Is Life

As the football and baseball seasons collided, AUDACY Sports WIP (SPORTSRADIO 94WIP) was there to reap the benefits. The station moved up to #1 6+ (7.1-8.5) and also gained a 2.8 share from cyberspace. Beasley Classic Rock WMGK had its six-book winning streak snapped as it drifted down to #2 with its smallest share since the market was lousy with leaping lords (8.1-6.8). BEASLEY Album Oriented Rock WMMR stepped up to #3 as it rebounded from a down book (5.8-6.3). AUDACY AC WBEB (B101) moved up a spot to #4 (5.5-5.4), while AUDACY News KYW was up two places to #5 (4.6-4.8). The station also squeezed out a 0.9 share from the interwebs. iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS landed its lowest number in over a year as it slid to #6 (6.0-4.7). WBEB maintained its cume lead despite an 8.7% decline (1,148,900-1,048,800). The market was up 1.3%. Market PUMM was up 1.1% from AUGUST and 11.1% from 2024.

WMMR was the runaway 25-54 leader for the eighth book in a row. WIP stepped up to #2 with its third straight up book. The station’s stream came in at #19. WMGK dipped to #3 with its smallest share since OCTOBER. The leap o’ the month went to EMF Contemporary Christian WKVP (K-LOVE), which vaulted from #15 to #4. The station has more than doubled its share since JUNE. iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WUSL (POWER 99) had its best outing since NOVEMBER as it advanced to #5. It was tied with WHYY INC N/T WHYY, which bounced back from a down book. WBEB and WDAS were tied at #4. They remained close as they sank to #7 and #8 respectively. Market PUMM was up 1.9% from the previous survey and 10.6% from last year.

WBEB stepped up to #1 18-34 with its highest Frosty-free share in over a year. It was joined there by WIP, which rose from # 7, as it more than doubled its previous share. Both stations just missed hitting double figures. WMMR repeated at #3 but with its best book in over a year. WMGK slid from first to fourth as it returned about half of last month’s massive increase. WUSL was back at #5, while BEASLEY Country WXTU (92.5 XTU) slipped to #6 with its lowest score in over a year. Market PUMM was up 0.3% from last month and 16.1% from a year ago.

WMMR led the 18-49 pack for the ninth straight survey. WIP was up two slots to #2 with its highest mark since OCTOBER. WBEB remained at #3, while WUSL advanced three spaces to #4 with its largest share since OCTOBER. WMGK slid to #4, while WDAS dipped to #6. Market PUMM was up 1.6% from AUGUST and 5.5% from 2024.

BOSTON: There’s Magic On The Air

AUDACY AC WMJX (MAGIC 106.7) had its best 6+ showing since JANUARY as it made it back-to-back wins (6.6-7.6). BEASLEY Classic Hits WROR was up two places to #2 with its best outing since DECEMBER (4.7-5.8). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WZLX dipped to #3 (5.2-5.4), while BEASLEY Sports WBZ-F (98.5 THE SPORTS HUB) advanced from #6 to #4 (4.4-5.2). Despite a slight share loss, iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WXKS (KISS 108) dropped from #2 to #5 (5.2-5.1). AUDACY Hot AC WWBX (MIX 104.1) fell four slots to #8 (4.7-4.2). It was met there by BEASLEY Country WKLB (COUNTRY 102.5), which moved up from #13 with its best book in over a year (3.3-4.2). WMJX still had the most listeners (839,400-900,2000 – a 7.3% rise. The market was up 2.3%. Market PUMM was down 2.4% from AUGUST and 3.9% from 2024.

WBZ-F stepped up to #1 25-54 with its best offensive performance since FEBRUARY. Three stations were languishing at #2. WXKS was down from #1 as it returned most of last month’s share increase. WWBX stepped up from #3 despite a small share loss. WXKS rose from #4 with a slight increase. WMJX inched up to #5, again with its best book since JANUARY. BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WBQT (HOT 96.9) cooled off to #6 despite a small share gain. Market PUMM was flat from last month and up 1.1% from a year ago.

WMJX leapt from #3 to #1 18-34 and landed in double-digit territory. iHEARTMEDIA Rhythmic CHR WJMN (JAM’N 94.5) moved from #4 to #2 as it rebounded from a down book. It was about five shares off the lead. WZLX jumped from #6 to #3. As recently as JUNE it was sitting at #15. WWBX slipped to #4 with its smallest share in over a year. WXKS fell from first to fifth with a massive share loss. It was paired with WROR, which turned it up from #11 with its best showing since DECEMBER. WBQT fell three places to #8 as it gave back a good chunk of last month’s increase. Market PUMM was down 2.8% from the previous survey but up 2.7% from last year.

WMJX jumped from #4 to #1 18-49 with its best Frosty-free share in over a year. WBZ-F stepped up to #2 with a strong increase, while WROR rose from #8 to #3 with its best book since OCTOBER. WWBX was also at #3 as it stepped down from #2 with its lowest score since MARCH. WXKS also had its smallest number since MARCH as it fell from #1 to #5. WZLX slid to #7 with a slight decrease. Market PUMM was down 3.1% from AUGUST and 4.6% from 2024.

Thank you for slogging through the numbers with us. We’re not done yet. On tap are MIAMI, SEATTLE, PHOENIX, DETROIT, and MINNEAPOLIS. Don’t forget to subscribe to our blog. And remember, sharing is caring – spread the word far and wide.

-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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