March 23, 2026
The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC.—in cahoots with our cohorts from XTRENDS—are back with another thrilling installment of ratings summaries. We are spanning the country to bring you the constant variety of ratings performances. Experience the thrill of ratings victories and the agony of ratings defeats. It’s the human (or AI generated) drama of ratings competition. This is the FEBRUARY survey. A period that lasted from FEBRUARY 5th through MARCH 4th. It featured one three-day holiday weekend and a ton of winter weather. Here’s how it unfolded…
NEW YORK: Another WINS
For the second book in a row, AUDACY News WINS (1010 WINS) was #1 6+. The station also posted its largest share in over a year (7.5-7.8). iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (106.7 LITE FM) was back as a close #2 (7.0-7.4). AUDACY Classic Hits WCBS stepped up to #3 (5.3-5.3), while three stations were massed together at #4. SBS Spanish Tropical WSKQ (MEGA 97.9) dipped from #3 (5.4-5.0). The station did garner a 1.1 share from its stream. NEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO N/T WNYC and iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WHTZ (Z100) moved up from a tie at #5 with identical 5.1-5.0 shares. WLTW padded its cume lead with a 7.5% increase (3,387,600-3,642,300). The market was off by 0.2%.
Despite a slight decrease WLTW moved back up to #1 25-54. WSKQ slipped to #2 as it lost a noticeable chunk of share. The station’s stream placed at #17. WHTZ was up to #3 with a small share gain, while iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WWPR (POWER 105.1) stepped down to #4 with a small share loss. MEDIACO Rhythmic CHR WQHT (HOT 97FM) was back at #5 with its best showing since NOVEMBER. WCBS was a tick behind at #6.
WLTW was #1 18-34 for the fifth consecutive survey with its best Frosty-free share since JULY. WHTZ rebounded from a down book to advance two places to #2. WQHT dipped to #3 and was just ahead of WCBS, which was up to #4 with its third up book in a row. WWPR slipped to #5 with a slight decrease. Showing the volatility of stream numbers, the WSKQ STREAM dropped from a tie at #5 to #12.
A flat WLTW stepped up to #1 18-49. It held a very slight advantage over WHTZ, which moved up two slots to #2 as it again recovered from a down book. WWPR repeated at #3 but with a small share loss. WSKQ slid from first to fourth, while its stream dropped from #13 to #18. WQHT remained at #5 with a slight decrease.
LOS ANGELES: Same As It Ever Was
There was very little change atop the 6+ chart this month. iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST was #1 for the fourth book in a row (6.3-6.2). AUDACY Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH 101FM) was back at #2 (5.7-5.8), while iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (104.3 MYFM) repeated at #3 (5.3-5.3). AUDACY Adult Hits KCBS (93.1 JACK FM) held steady at #4 (4.4-4.5). It was joined there by AUDACY News KNX, which stepped up from #5 with its highest mark since JULY (4.3-4.5). SBS Mexican Regional KLAX (LA RAZA 97.9) remained at #6 (4.2-4.2). KOST was still in cume control despite a 5.8% decline (2,354,800-2,218,400). The market was down 1.2%.
Last month KRTH and AUDACY Alternative KROQ were tied for second 25-54. This month KRTH moved into first place with its best book since NOVEMBER, while KROQ was left behind at #2 even though it landed its largest share in over a year. KBIG went from first to third with a slight decrease, while two stations moved up and into a tie at #4. A flat KCBS stepped up from #5, while KOST arrived from #6 with a small increase. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KYSR (ALT 98.7) slid to #6 with a modest share loss.
KOST was #1 18-34 for the fourth straight survey with a small share loss. KROQ vaulted from #7 to #2 as it rebounded from a down book. It was still about a share and a half off the lead. KRTH rose two places to #3 with a small share gain. KYSR repeated at #4 despite a down book. TELEVISIAUNIVISION Mexican Regional KSCA (LA NUEVA 101.9) and iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KIIS (102.7 KISS FM) were last spied at #2. Each station took the same share hit as they fell in tandem to #5. AUDACY Urban AC KTWV (94.7 THE WAVE) slid three places to #8 with its lowest score since APRIL.
There was quite the commotion in the 18-49 ranks as three—count ‘em—three stations rose up to claim its share of the lead. KOST stepped up from #2 with a small increase. KRTH rose from #4 with its best outing since NOVEMBER. KROQ advanced from #5 with its best book in over a year. A flat KBIG slid from first to fourth, but it was as close to the leading trio as was mathematically possible. A flat KCBS stood alone at #5, while KSCA slid from #3 to #6 as it halted a three-book surge.
CHICAGO: It’s News To Us
For the second book in a row AUDACY News WBBM-A was the leading 6+ station (5.9-5.9). AUDACY AAA WXRT (93XRT) inched up to #2 with its best showing in over a year (5.4-5.6). HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (101.9 THE MIX) dipped to #3 (5.5-5.4), while iHEARTMEDIA AC WLIT (93.9 LITE FM) remained at #4 (5.2-5.0). As you can see, the 6+ leaderboard is tight with four stations within a share of the top spot. AUDACY Country WUSN (US99) was up two slots to #5 with its best book since NOVEMBER (4.0-4.8). NEXTSTAR N/T WGN-A (RADIO 720) fell from #5 to #9 with its smallest share since OCTOBER (4.8-3.7). It was paired with WBEZ ALLIANCE N/T WBEZ (3.8-3.7). WLIT increased its #1 cume total by 4.0% (1,200,200-1,247,700). The market was up by 2.4%.
Despite a small share loss WTMX was a dominant #1 25-54 for the second book in a row. iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR WKSC (103.5 KISS FM) repeated as a distant #2 with a slight increase. WLIT was close behind at #3 and was partnered with WXRT, which moved up a slot with, once again, its best book in over a year. AUDACY Pop CHR WBBM-F (B96) accomplished the same feat as it rose from #8 to #5.
WKSC was #1 18-34 for the second book in a row with its best book in over a year. WUSN was up two places to #2, while WBBM-F rose from #7 to #3. Both stations landed their largest shares in over a year. Also coming in at #3 was WLIT, which dipped from #2 with a slight increase. iHEARTMEDIA Urban Contemporary WGCI worked it from #9 to #5 with its best outing since OCTOBER. WTMX slipped from #3 to #6 with a slight increase, while CONNOISSEUR Active Rock WIIL (96 WIIL ROCK) fell from #4 to #9 as it returned a good portion of last month’s huge increase.
WTMX repeated at #1 18-49 with a small decrease, while WKSC was back at #2 with a small increase. WUSN advanced from #6 to #3, while WBBM-F rose from #7 to #4. Once again, each station landed its largest share in over a year. WXRT dipped to #5 though it, too, posted its best number in over a year. WLIT slid from #3 to #7 with a slight decrease, while WBEZ dropped from #4 to #9.
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DALLAS-FT. WORTH: Mix Master
For the second book in a row iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KDMX (MIX 102.9) was #1 6+ (4.5-5.2). EMF Contemporary Christian KLTY (K-LOVE) advanced from #7 to #3 with its highest mark in over a year (3.6-4.4). iHEARTMEDIA Pop CHR KHKS (106.1 KISS FM) was back at #3 (4.2-4.4), while iHEARTMEDIA AC KDGE (STAR 102.1) slipped to #4 (4.4-4.2). AUDACY Adult Hits KJKK (100.3 JACK FM) remained at #5 (3.8-3.8). AUDACY Alternative KVIL (ALT 103.7) slid four places to #8 (3.9-3.5). It was tied with SERVICE Urban Contemporary KKDA (K104), which had its first up book since OCTOBER (2.9-3.5). KDGE was still the cume commander with a 5.8% increase (1,165,500-1,233,100). The market grew by 3.7%.
Despite a small share loss TELEVISAUNIVISION Mexican Regional KLNO (QUÉ BUENA 94.1) was still #1 25-54. KDMX was back at #2 as it bounced back from a down book. The stations were separated by about a half share. KJKK vaulted from #7 to #3 with its best performance in over a year. KHKS repeated at #4 with a slight increase, while KDGE slipped from #3 to #5 with a slight decrease.
KDMX landed its largest 18-34 share in over a year as it leapt from #3 to #1. KKDA rose to #2, also with its best outing in over a year. Yet it was about a share behind the leader. KLNO went from first to third as it returned almost all of last month’s huge share increase. KHKS was up three places to #4 as it bounced back from a down book. EMK Contemporary Christian KYDA (AIR 1) jumped from #10 to #5 with its highest score since AUGUST. KDGE dipped to #6, while KJKK dropped to #7. It was tied with KVIL, which fell from #2 with a rather large share loss.
KDMX stepped up to #1 18-49 with its best outing since SEPTEMBER. This forced KLNO to move down to #2 as it had a modest share loss. KKDA advanced from #7 to #3 with its highest share in over a year. KDGE stood alone at #4 with a solid increase. KHKS dipped to #5 with a small increase, while KVIL dropped from #3 to #6.
HOUSTON-GALVESTON: It’s Always Sunny
For the seventh straight survey iHEARTMEDIA AC KODA (SUNNY 99.1) was #1 6+ (9.7-9.0). URBAN ONE Urban AC KMJQ (MAJIC 102.1) was back at #2 but with its fourth down book in a row (6.9-6.7). The month leading up to rodeo was a boon for URBAN ONE Country KKBQ (93Q) as it repeated at #3 but with its highest mark in over a year (5.8-6.6). HOPE MEDIA Contemporary Christian KSBJ was back at #4 with its best book since AUGUST (5.3-6.0). AUDACY Hot AC KHMX (MIX 96.5) rounded out the top five once again (5.1-5.1). KODA was still the cume leader despite a 2.0% drop (1,928,000-1,890,100). The market was up 3.4%.
Boosted by a slight increase iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTBZ (94.5 THE BUZZ) stepped up to #1 25-54 for the first time since MARCH. It narrowly defeated KODA, which dipped to #2. This was the first time in over a year that KODA was not #1 in this demo. KSBJ stepped up to #3 with its fourth up book in a row. It was partnered with KKBQ, which advanced from #6 with its highest mark in exactly a year. KHMX slipped to #5 as it ended a strong four-book surge. SBS Mexican Regional KROI (LA LEY 92.1) advanced three spaces to #6 as it bounced back from a down book. KMJQ slid from #4 to #7 with its smallest share since APRIL.
Last month KTBZ and KHMX were the 18-34 co-leaders. That partnership was dissolved as KTBZ remained in first place as it crashed through the double-digit barrier. KHMX dipped to #2 with its first down book since OCTOBER. KODA remained at #3 but with its smallest share since SEPTEMBER. AUDACY Adult Hits KKHH (95.7 THE SPOT) rose five places to #4 with its best showing in over a year. URBAN ONE Rhythmic CHR KBXX (97.9 THE BOXX) dipped to #5, while KMJQ stepped down to #6.
A flat KTBZ moved up to #1 18-49. This ended KODA’s four-book winning string as it dipped to #2. KKBQ inched up to #3 with its best book since NOVEMBER, while KHMX stepped down to #4 as it returned all of last month’s huge increase, plus a tad more. KSBJ was up to #5 with a solid increase, while KBXX was down a spot to #6. It was joined there by KKHH, which vaulted from #12.
Our long trek into the ratings multiverse has just begun. Grab some snacks as we prepare for round two. That will feature SAN FRANCISCO, ATLANTA, WASHINGTON D.C., PHILADELPHIA and BOSTON. In the meantime, please use your turn signals.
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-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 email info@ResearchDirectorInc.com or sallan@ResearchDirectorInc.com.
March 20, 2026
Everybody loves the weekend. It’s when we get to run errands, hit the to-do list, schlep the kids around and, maybe, have some down time. And you know what’s even better? People spend a lot of time in their cars, where radio continues to excel.
Last week The RAB spotlighted a YouGov poll that, among other things, asked people which day of the week was their favorite. The Captain Obvious answers were Friday then Saturday and Sunday. (We needed a poll for that?)
Image by Adrien Olichon on Pexels.
But I digress.
We have known for years how important weekend listening is to radio. If you are a healthy music-based format you should see 50% of your weekly cume tune in at least once during the Sat-Sun 6A-12M day part. That is more cume than typically samples your morning show on a weekly basis. It can also be more than listen to you in mid-day. Yet, weekends are often treated as a lesser day part by both programming and sales.
For programming, this is an excellent opportunity for recycling. Since your TSL (AWTE) is affected by both occasions (how often they visit) and durations (how long they listen while visiting), one additional occasion can have a positive effect on your station’s share.
This is an excellent time to engage your audience. They are in motion and—at the very least—looking for a complementary soundtrack whilst they drive hither and yon. Are you providing them with quality entertainment value during that time frame? Are you giving them a reason to come back when they return to their regular schedule? I will remind you again—more people will tune in to your weekend fare than will tune in to your morning show.
(Side note: this generally does not apply to spoken word programming which sees the bulk of its tune-in Mon-Fri 6A-7P. The exceptions tend to be major weather/market events or sports play-by-play).
For Sales, weekends are often used as a packaging tool. Think about what your listeners are doing while they are tooling around. They are headed to a hardware store (Home Depot? Lowes? Or your local hometown store?). They are looking for a quick bite (McDonald’s or the local taco joint?). For those, and other categories, you are reaching listeners at the point of purchase. I once worked for an agency that only bought Thursday through Sunday schedules for their retail clients. Smart move.
To paraphrase an old beer campaign: weekends were made for radio. How much effort do you put into that day part?
If you want to read the poll you can find it here: https://yougov.com/en-us/articles/54257-americans-are-living-for-the-weekend-vast-majorities-like-saturday-and-sunday-while-mondays-are-divisive
If you’d like us to help you evaluate the daily listening habits of your audience, we stand ready to serve.
March 17, 2026
This article is part one of a three-part series from CEO Marc Greenspan. In future issues, Marc will dig into how to conduct better discovery conversations and how to build measurable campaigns that make you indispensable to your advertisers.
Part 1: From Spot Seller to Marketing Resource: Rethinking the Role of the Radio AE
In many ways, the biggest change a radio account executive can make is not in their product knowledge, their closing skills, or even their prospecting. It is in how they see their role. Are you primarily a seller of spots and packages, or are you a marketing resource helping local businesses reach their goals? That mindset shift changes the questions you ask, the conversations you have, and ultimately the value you bring to your clients.
From inventory pusher to business problem solver
A traditional “radio ad salesperson” focuses on:
- Filling avails and hitting weekly or monthly budgets.
- Talking about rates, CPP, reach, and frequency before understanding the client’s situation.
- Pitching packages, sponsorships, and promotions as the answer to almost every need.
A marketing resource, on the other hand, starts somewhere very different. They begin with the business, not the schedule. They want to understand:
- What are this advertiser’s real business goals (more customers, higher ticket, better margins, new locations)?
- Who is their ideal customer, and how does that customer decide whom to buy from?
- What are the client’s biggest obstacles—awareness, perception, competition, staffing, pricing, or something else?
Once you think of yourself as a problem solver, radio becomes a tool in a larger toolkit rather than the centerpiece of your identity. You are there to help a business owner make smarter marketing decisions, with radio and digital working together, instead of just “selling more radio.”
Why this matters in a digital-first world
Many local advertisers now start their marketing journey with digital tools—search, social, display, and online video. That can make radio sellers feel like they’re “late to the party.” But this is where your mindset gives you a powerful advantage.
Most digital platforms are self-serve or lightly supported by remote reps. Few provide a real, in-market human being who will sit across the table, ask tough questions, and help the advertiser think strategically. As a radio AE, you can be that person. You can:
- Interpret their digital metrics in plain language and connect them to business outcomes.
- Point out gaps in their digital-only approach (limited reach, inconsistent frequency, weak branding)
- Show how radio can make their digital campaigns work better by increasing awareness and trust before someone ever sees an online ad.
When you adopt the marketing resource mindset, you are no longer “competing with digital.” You are helping your clients make all of their marketing—radio and digital—more effective.
Radio’s local human advantage
Digital platforms are powerful but distant. Your station is local and personal. That difference is more than geography; it’s a value proposition.
As a marketing resource, you can emphasize that radio offers something digital rarely does:
- A local, accessible team that understands the community and the market.
- Experienced people who see campaigns across many categories and can share best practices.
- On-the-ground knowledge about events, seasons, and local trends that can shape smarter marketing plans.
For the business owner, this means they don’t have to figure everything out alone or rely solely on dashboards. They have a partner who can look them in the eye, challenge their assumptions, and help them adapt. That is a very different role from “someone who calls when it’s time to renew.”
Positioning radio as a complement to digital
With the right mindset, you never tell a client to abandon digital; you show them how radio can strengthen what they are already doing. You begin to say things like:
- “Your digital is great at capturing people who are already looking. Let’s use radio to create more people who are looking.”
- “Your social ads are targeting a narrow audience. Radio can extend your message to more potential customers who don’t yet follow you online.”
- “Your search campaigns are converting well. Radio can increase brand recognition so more of those searchers click on you instead of a competitor.”
When you think and talk this way, you’re not just selling commercial units. You are designing a role for radio inside the advertiser’s broader marketing system. That’s what a marketing resource does.
How to start the mindset shift
You don’t need a new title or a certification to make this change. You need new habits:
- Prepare for every call with questions about the business, not just ideas about the schedule.
- Spend part of each conversation exploring goals, customers, and challenges before you mention rates or spots.
- Take notes on what keeps the owner up at night, then come back with ideas that connect radio and digital to those specific concerns.
- Begin to see yourself as part consultant, part coach, and part media expert—someone who is invested in the client’s success, not just this month’s order.
In Part 2, we’ll dig into the consultative conversation itself: how to ask better questions, listen for real problems, and translate what you hear into marketing solutions that use radio and digital together.
March 12, 2026
As you are likely aware, Nielsen is bringing technology to the diary markets. Beginning with the Spring 2026 survey, they will be offering a digital version of the diary known as mSurvey.
The reasons for this have been widely discussed and Nielsen has been relatively transparent about the process. As The Ratings Experts, we are interested in seeing how this affects your ratings moving forward.
Image by Burst at Pexels
A few things to consider:
- The mSurvey is an option for diary keepers. It is not a replacement. According to Nielsen, survey participants can choose whether to go with their smartphone or continue with the handwritten diary.
- We hear that the digital diaries will initially be about 10% of the total sample. Depending on how well they work, this could be expanded in the future.
- Regardless of the chosen option, this is still a recall based methodology. Hopefully, participants will record their listening occasions in a more timely manner. Rather than waiting for the end of the week, perhaps they will enter their listening choices closer to when they occur. We have not seen mSurvey in action, but perhaps Nielsen has included frequent prompts to aid this process.
- The target audience for this new option is clearly the younger demos. The hope is this will increase participation (and listening) with those younger cells. Keep an eye on TSL with the 18-24, 25-34, and 35-44 cells. See what changes occur in both gender and ethnicity.
- While you’re at it, keep an eye on proportionality. Look at age cells by gender and ethnicities. This is something you should routinely do, as you are paying Nielsen for sample, not ratings.
- That said, keep an eye on overall TSL. While listeners can enter their start and end times for listening occasions, will they approximate what they would write in a paper diary? Will they digitally draw that line from 9 to 5, or will they record more precise listening times?
- If diary keepers are more prompt with their entries, could this lead to an increased number of stations being consumed?
- We strongly suggest you conduct an in-depth comparison of 2025 vs 2026 as this unfolds. Track any changes in the two components of AQH—Cume and Time Spent Listening. Do this at both the station and the market level.
- Track your market’s PUR (Persons Using Radio) across all demos and day parts. If you see dramatic changes in your shares. this could be due to market conditions, not product issues.
- We can help you track and make sense of how mSurvey is affecting your stations and markets.
We applaud Nielsen for this move into the digital realm. We will also monitor what changes this will bring to the ratings game. Watch this space.
PS: Sorry for the Hanson ear worm. Oh, fun fact. They are all now in their 40s.
March 5, 2026
Lately I’m seeing buzz in the trades about how valuable older demos are becoming. There is talk that the 25-54 demo is too narrow, and that the 55+ audience brings real value (read: money) to any advertising campaign.
Sadly, this argument is as old as, well, Father Time. Those of us who worked in what was then called “oldies” radio dealt with this all the time. The strength of that format was 35-64, but the only people who cared about that were the listeners.
This is obviously driven by advertisers. Many brands still behave as if people make their brand decisions at an early age and then stick with that decision for the rest of their lives. Once you choose your beer or car you’ll never change. The reality is that most people are fluid in their brand choices across their lifetime, especially as their income, health, and family situation change. (Except for mayonnaise. That is a line in the sand.)
Let’s talk about cars. Look at this chart:
In Q1 2025 the coveted 18-34 age group made up less than ten percent of new car registrations, while adults 55+ made up nearly half and have held the largest share for multiple years. Yet, if you watch the ads the car manufacturers create, you know they are not targeting those older folks.
And it’s not just autos. Households headed by older adults now hold a disproportionate share of U.S. wealth:
Today’s 55+ customer is not the “fixed-income, slowing down” stereotype from 25 years ago. They are more likely to own their home outright, have sizable retirement savings, and still be in the market for cars, travel, financial services, healthcare, home improvement, and high-end consumer goods. If an advertiser’s job is to follow the money, a huge share of that money now sits in the 55+ wallet.
I look at a lot of radio ratings numbers every month. I can tell you that the age group that tends to spend the most time with radio is 55+. Their numbers dwarf the 18-34 cells in most markets and formats, especially in news/talk, classic hits, classic rock, and AC. While exact levels vary by market, the pattern is consistent: older listeners deliver big Time Spent Listening and heavy AQH.
I realize we need to do a better job of cultivating younger audiences because when those 18-34s become 55+, where will the industry be? At the same time, radio is leaving real money on the table by not packaging and selling the audience we already dominate.
We have been so locked in on 25-54 for so long we can’t see a way out. We are so desperate for revenue we don’t exploit our strongest assets because someone at an agency thinks older people are still fully analog and, frankly, don’t matter. Advertisers care about one thing—paying customers. It doesn’t matter if they are 28 or 58.
A wise person once said: “25-54 is not a demo, it’s a family reunion.” Radio has a powerful, valuable, and loyal audience. That some of it happens to be outside that family reunion demo is an asset, not a liability.
Feel free to tell me I’m full of it: sallan@researchdirectorinc.com
