Posts in "Hot Topics"
October 8, 2025
Filed Under: Hot Topics
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 21st through SEPTEMBER 17th. 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…
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October 7, 2025
Filed Under: Hot Topics
Though this series of roundups are focused on the NIELSEN version of SEPTEMBER, the reality is that this survey traversed two distinct worlds. It ran from AUGUST 21st through SEPTEMBER 17th. As such the first half of the book was all about last minute vacations and the beginning of the school year. Then came a three-day federally mandated weekend. This was followed by a return to whatever normal schedules are and, of course, football.
The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with our running mates from XTRENDS – are here for all of it. Settle in as we regale you with stories of ratings and rankings. We do this because of our love of the game…
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October 6, 2025
Filed Under: Hot Topics
It seems every week there is an article in the trades about the power of AM/FM radio vs. the online listening environment. Our percentages are great. People spend more time with radio than any ad supported digital platform.
Yay for us.
There is one small problem here. Buried in Edison’s Q2 2025 Share of Ear report was this nugget.
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September 25, 2025
Filed Under: Hot Topics
As The Ratings Experts, we see a lot of ratings data from multiple markets. Over time we have noticed that in PPM markets, Average Weekly Time Exposed (AWTE) – or TSL – has been steadily eroding. Yes, the implementation of the three-minute qualifier has stemmed that ebbing tide, but every radio station in a market is fighting for a slice of a smaller pie. As with candy bars, we are seeing TSL shrinkflation.
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September 22, 2025
Filed Under: Hot Topics
While the industry focus on the three-minute reporting rule has drifted to the back burner, it is still worth looking at how the change affected listening levels. Once again, The Ratings Experts from Research Director, Inc. collaborated with the number’s crunchers from XTRENDS to compare Q2 of 2025 with Q2 of 2024. The data set features 48 of the 49 PPM markets.
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September 12, 2025
Filed Under: Hot Topics
Ah, AUGUST—when the calendar pretends summer is endless, but reality disagrees. The only thing hotter than the asphalt is everyone’s impatience for vacation to end and spreadsheets to return. If the month had a motto, it’d probably be “Halfway between sunscreen and school supplies, with a dash of existential dread.”
The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – in close cooperation with the data diviners from XTRENDS – are back for one last foray into the AUGUST book. This one ran from JULY 24TH through AUGUST 20TH. It was holiday free, but many were focused on back to school stuff. Heck, at least we had the excitement of NFL exhibition, er, pre-season football.
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September 11, 2025
Filed Under: Hot Topics
We’ve put the band back together for another round of ratings reveals. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with the usual suspects from XTRENDS – are here to regale you with facts, figures, and maybe some snide commentary. It depends on how the mood strikes us and how the numbers fall out. Will AUGUST be more of the same or will there be unexpected reveals hidden beneath the surface? That is up to you, the intrepid reader, to find out.
This book ran from JULY 24th through AUGUST 20th. There were no official holidays, but folks were hitting the road to enjoy that last gasp of summer. Let’s take a closer look…
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September 10, 2025
Filed Under: Hot Topics
The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with our number crunching cohorts from XTRENDS – are back to bring the heat, fan the flames, to smoke, cook and burn the AUGUST data. We’re here with our usual sizzling hot takes, blowing the top off of the Scoville scale. Let’s just say – we’re on fire!
The AUGUST survey ran from JULY 24th through AUGUST 20th. There were no major holidays, but it did feature a lot of heat and humidity.
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September 8, 2025
Filed Under: Hot Topics
AUGUST is normally thought to be the end of the “dog days” of summer. But did you know that AUGUST 17th is Cat Night? According to an IRISH legend, witches could turn themselves into cats eight times during the month. However, if they tried it a ninth time they could not return to their human form. Hence the genesis of the cliché: “A cat has nine lives.”
The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with data diviners from XTRENDS – are stirring up another cauldron of commentary on the AUGUST survey. It ran from JULY 24th through AUGUST 20th. It was devoid of any holidays but did feature a lot of PTO. Here’s what occurred in the ratings multiverse…
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September 5, 2025
Filed Under: Hot Topics
There is not a current or former Program Director (ok, Content Manager) alive today who could listen to the #1 station in any market and not pick it apart. That’s kind of our thing.
I have not been inside a radio station in quite some time, but I still have those instincts. Given that my role is now one of data analyst, I try to avoid any kind of consultant style critiques.
Then, I went on a brief road trip. Out of curiosity I decided to listen to a big market music station. Here’s what happened:
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