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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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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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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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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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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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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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Proving that we can flog a bit to death, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with our co-conspirators from XTRENDS – are back with another round of late data. Fortunately, data delayed is not data denied. While we have been unable to identify the cause of this glitch, we’re reasonably sure it has something to do with our expired automobile warranty. We did place a call to IT but they referred us to ICE T, instead.
The JULY book ran from JUNE 26TH through JULY 23RD and did have a somewhat extended holiday weekend along with the usual summer stuff. Let’s go inside the numbers:
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The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – in conjunction with the numbers nerds from XTRENDS – are all about doing our own research. As we continue to dive deeper into the unexpected data processing glitch that has delayed these roundups, we have discovered a deeper conspiracy. Apparently, some of our computers still operate on Windows 97. While that was a bit of concern, we consulted with Clippy (the OG AI) and it said all systems are a go. For now.
The JULY book ran from JUNE 26TH through JULY 23RD. It was hot and humid and featured a long holiday weekend. Now, let’s dive in.
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Our team of crack researchers has been trying to get to the bottom of this data processing glitch, and we think we may have stumbled upon a possible explanation. While we cannot explicitly confirm this, we do believe it had something to do with a Nigerian prince. As we continue with our normal round-up rants, we are constantly checking our bank account for that large wire transfer. We are sure it will arrive at any minute.
The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with our data processing geniuses from XTRENDS – bring you another tranche of JULY numbers. This survey ran from JUNE 26TH through JULY 27TH. There were vacations, severe weather, dogs and cats living together and, of course, a long holiday weekend. Here’s what happened:
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Due to an unanticipated data processing issue the RRR for JULY has been delayed. We traced the issue to some rogue elements of our power supply. Specifically, the hamsters we have trained to provide (somewhat) renewal energy to our systems. Alas, they proved to be unreliable, so they have been sacked. We replaced them with AI rodents and they seem to be performing satisfactorily…so far.
The JULY book ran from JUNE 26TH through JULY 23RD. Vacation season was in full swing and there was a long holiday weekend wedged in there. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – with a healthy boost from our compatriots at XTRENDS – are here to regale you with the stories and sagas of the most recent ratings reveal. Let us begin…
