Markets #6-10
As you dig into your third helping of holiday leftovers and ponder whether to return or re-gift, the Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – in a relationship with the numbers grinders from XTRENDS – present a small diversion we call the ratings. Though the weather outside may be frightful, the havoc wrought by the sounds of the season are either delightful or forgetful. We present DECEMBER – a month NIELSEN defines as running from 11/9 through 12/6. It featured the long THANKSGIVING BREAK and the even longer spinning of the holiday tuneage. Let’s see what happened, shall we?
HOUSTON-GALVESTON: Sunny Season’s Greetings
This year, iHEARTMEDIA AC KODA (SUNNY) rang the bell early in the second week of the survey. The results were, shall we say, immediate. The station moved back to #1 6+ (6.1-8.9) with a share far larger than last DECEMBER’s 7.3. URBAN ONE Urban AC KMJQ (MAJIC) was unfazed by the madness. Though it dropped back to #2, the station was up (7.4-7.5). COX RADIO Classic Rock KGLK (THE EAGLE) inched up to #3 (5.2-5.3) while its cluster buddy – COX RADIO Country KKBQ (93Q) – was up four places to #4 with its highest share since APRIL (4.5-4.7). URBAN ONE Top 40/R KBXX (THE BOX) also moved up four slots – to #5 – with its second straight up book (4.4-4.6). UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLTN had its lowest score since JULY (5.8-4.5) to drop three spots to #6. It was sharing the moment with KSBJ EDUCATIONAL Christian Contemporary KSBJ, which dropped back a slot (4.8-4.5). One possible casualty of the holiday festivities was ENTERCOM Adult Hits KKHH (THE SPOT). The station had its lowest share since JANUARY (4.8-4.3) to fall to a tie at #9.
Last month, KODA took a big 25-54 ratings hit and dropped to #4. This time, pump in a few Yule tunes and the station jumps to #1 and easily outpaces last DECEMBER. KMJQ remained at #2 with a small loss. Last survey’s champion – KLTN – fell to #3 with its lowest total since AUGUST. It was tied with iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KTBZ (THE BUZZ), which moved up from a tie at #5 as it regained most of last month’s big loss. KGLK remained at #5 but with a small gain while KKHH fell four places to #7 with a rather large loss. CUMULUS Top 40/M KRBE only had a short time to enjoy the rarefied air of the top five. The station surrendered all of last month’s big gain to fall to a tie at #11.
SANTA, schmanta. KBXX was #1 18-34 for the fourth straight book. Plus, it had its best share in over a year. iHEARTMEDIA Urban KQBT (THE BEAT) remained #2 with a solid increase but trailed the leader by over two shares. This one’s a bit of a head scratcher. In OCTOBER, KODA was #3, then took a big hit in NOVEMBER to fall to #7. Add in a little elfin magic and the station is back to #3 with the exact same share as two months ago. KTBZ edged up to #4 as it regained all of last month’s big loss while ENTERCOM Spanish Contemporary KLOL (MEGA) moved up to #5 with a slight increase. KRBE fell to #6 with its lowest score since MARCH while KLTN dropped to #7 with its smallest share in over a year.
SANTA worked wonders on the 18-49 demo as KODA returned to the top spot after a two-month absence. KBXX held steady at #2 with its best showing since JANUARY while KTBZ was up three places to #3 as it regained all of last month’s loss. KLTN fell from the lead to #4 with its second straight down book. KQBT remained a fixture at #5 with a slight increase. KKHH dropped to a tie at #7 as it ended a two-book surge.
WASHINGTON, DC: No Santa For You
The traditional holiday outlet is iHEARTMEDIA AC WASH and it did not disappoint as it made the flip early in week two of the survey. The results were dramatic (4.5-7.8) and easily outpaced last DECEMBER’s 5.9 score. Alas, all that ratings muscle only moved the station up three places to #4 6+. The top three remained unchanged. However, the previous tie at the top was broken. HUBBARD News WTOP was the lone leader (9.6-9.4) because #2 AMERICAN UNIVERSITY N/T WAMU ended a two-book surge (9.6-8.9). HOWARD UNIVERSITY Urban AC WHUR remained at #3 for the twelfth consecutive survey (8.4-7.9). Its archrival –- URBAN ONE Urban AC WMMJ (MAJIC) -– moved up to #5 with its best performance since JULY (4.6-5.0). The two previous members of the #4 club turned in their respective memberships. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WBIG had its lowest share since we were last all being merry and bright (4.7-4.4) and dropped to #6. CUMULUS Talk WMAL-F had its first down book since AUGUST to drop to #7 (4.7-4.0).
WAMU had its lowest 25-54 share since the last time we were eating figgy pudding but managed to win the demo for the twelfth book in a row. Somewhat hot on its heels was WASH, which moved up three slots to #2 as it remained well ahead of last year’s pace. WTOP stepped back to #3 with its lowest reported number in over a year. In the battle of the Urban ACs, WMMJ beat WHUR for the first time in over a year (though it tied once in JUNE). MAJIC was up to #4 with its best book in over a year while WHUR dropped to #5 as it gave back most of last month’s big gain. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIHT (HOT) dropped to #6 with a slight decrease and was just ahead of hard-charging URBAN ONE Urban WKYS (KISS), which advanced four squares to #7 as it ended a two-book slide.
Not even the mind-numbing march of the wooden soldiers could prevent WIHT from repeating as the 18-34 champion. The station was down a bit and was hearing those nob-heeled boot steps from behind as WASH climbed up to #2. This pushed WKYS back to #3 even though the station had a healthy increase. ENTERCOM Top 40/R WPGC remained at #4 but with its highest share since FEBRUARY. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WWDC (DC101) dropped to #5 with its lowest score since JANUARY. WAMU was up for the third straight survey and climbed to #6 while ENTERCOM Spanish Contemporary WLZL (EL ZOL) moved up to #7 with easily its best showing in over a year.
Though WAMU had its lowest 18-49 share since the last time the big guy was in town, the station managed to extend its winning streak to twelve. WASH was nipping at WAMU’s nose as it jumped from #8 to #2 with a big assist from BURL IVES and his minions. WIHT slipped back to #3 as it returned all of last month’s modest gain. In our last visit we saw the two rivals -– WPGC and WKYS -– tied at #6. They were no longer sharing the moment as each station moved up in the ranks. WKYS advanced to #4 as it ended a two-book slide while WPGC alit at #5 with its highest total in over a year. WTOP fell back to #6 with its lowest mark since JUNE while two other stations dropped down and into a tie at #7. WHUR had been #3 but gave up most of last month’s big increase while WWDC slid from #5 with a slight decrease.
PHILADELPHIA: A Tale Of Two Santas
As has been the case for several years now, two big players made the business decision to go all in on the holiday theme. And, as is usually the case, JERRY LEE RADIO AC WBEB (MORE) reaps the biggest benefit. The station flipped early in week two and saw its 6+ ratings soar (7.8-12.8) to the top spot. This was even better than last DECEMBER’S 11.1. The other entrant in the seasonal sweepstakes was ENTERCOM Classic Hits WOGL. It entered the fray early in week three. Though it remained at #5, it did not get any lift from Rudolph and the gang (5.6-5.3). ENTERCOM Sports WIP-F may have been engaging in the local holiday tradition of booingSANTA as it slipped to #2 (8.0-7.1). BEASLEY Classic Rock WMGK moved up to #3 despite a small decrease (6.4-6.2) while iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WDAS dropped to #4 (6.5-6.1).
WBEB cracked double digits 25-54 thanks to the holiday hoopla and exactly matched last year’s number. WMGK dropped back to #2 with a small loss while WDAS took a step back to #3 with its lowest total since AUGUST. WIP-F slid back to #4 as it returned most of last month’s big gain. It was tied with BEASLEY Active Rock WMMR, which moved up from #6 despite being down for the second straight survey. iHEARTMEDIA Alternative WRFF (RADIO 104.5) stepped back to #6 with its lowest share since the last time we were caroling. Speaking of which, WOGL was off a bit and remained at #10.
Last month WBEB came this close to cracking the double-digit barrier 18-34. This time the station crashed through it with plenty to spare as it extended its demo-winning streak to eight. WRFF remained at #2 but with a rather large loss, which drew it closer to the two stations sitting at #3. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WUSL (POWER) remained in place but with its lowest share in over a year. WMMR was up from #5 but with its third down book in a row. WDAS moved up to #5 with a flat performance while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WIOQ (Q102) dropped to #6 with its lowest score since we were last roasting chestnuts on an open fire.
WBEB and WDAS were tied atop the 18-49 leaderboard last month. Want to venture a guess as to which station stayed there? Yup,SANTA’s friend WBEB blew through the double-digit barrier to remain in the lead. WDAS fell back to #2 as it ended a three-book surge. WMMR moved up to #3 despite a small loss while WUSL remained at #4 with its lowest mark in over a year. WRFF dropped two places to #5 and was joined in that space by WIP-F, which took one step forward despite losing most of last month’s big increase.
ATLANTA: Fish Gotta Swim
The designated holiday music button on your dial belonged to SALEM Christian Contemporary WFSH (THE FISH), which flipped (or flopped) during week #3. It turned out rather well for the station (5.6-7.2), which was better than what landed in the last HOLIDAY book (7.1). Alas, it was only good enough to move the station to #2 6+. The market leader was, once again, COX RADIO Talk WSB-A. Though the station did see its double-digit string end at two in a row (10.0-9.1). COX RADIO Urban AC WALR (KISS) dropped back to #3, despite posting its largest share in over a year (5.8-6.5). ENTERCOM Urban WVEE (V-103) had its best book since MAY (5.8-6.3) but still dropped to #4. COX RADIO Classic Hits WSRV (THE RIVER) remained at #5 (5.2-5.5) as it regained all of last month’s small loss.
WVEE had its best 25-54 book since JUNE to continue to lead the market. However, it was hearing footsteps or gill flaps … or something … as WFSH moved up five spots to #2. Could the next book be the one that dethrones V-103? WSRV was up a slot to #3 with its highest share since JUNE while WSB-A dropped to #4 – its lowest ranking in this demo in over a year -– with a small loss. CUMULUS Top 40/M WWWQ (Q100) remained at #5 with a slight decrease. Two stations moving in opposite directions met up at #6. CITY OF ATLANTA BOE N/T WABE fell from #3 as it returned all of last month’s massive increase – plus a little extra. WALR was up from a tie at #9 with its highest share in over a year.
For the fourth straight survey, WWWQ was #1 18-34. The station bounced back a bit from last month’s hit. WVEE remained at #2 with its best showing since JULY. Those two were separated by the slimmest of possible margins. WFSH swam up to #3 with its best book in over a year. URBAN ONE Urban WHTA (HOT) slipped to #4 with a slight decrease while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WWPW (POWER) remained at #5 but with its lowest mark since JANUARY. WALR jumped six slots to #6 with its highest total in over a year. As recently as AUGUST, the station was ranked #20 in this demo. ENTERCOM Hot AC WSTR (STAR) dropped six places to a tie at #10 with its lowest score in over a year.
WVEE ended a small two-book slide to remain in control of the 18-49 demo. It was the station’s best book since APRIL. WFSH moved up to #2 and was dangerously close to overtaking the leader. WWWQ dropped back to #3 with a slight decrease. Two stations made major advances and landed at #4. WHTA ended a rather severe three-book slide to move up from #8 while WSRV stepped forward from #9 with its best showing since JULY. WALR moved up from a tie at #11 to #6 with its highest share in over a year. WABE fell four places to #7 as it ended a strong five-book run. WWPW fell to #8 with its least productive outing since MARCH.
BOSTON: Christmas Magic
The magic in that old silk hat worked wonders for BEASLEY AC WMJX (MAGIC). The station flipped at the beginning of the second week of the survey and rocketed from #5 to #1 (5.3-8.8). This was a full share better than last year’s 7.8 posting. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WXKS (KISS) fell back to #2 with its lowest score since AUGUST (7.6-7.2). BEASLEY Classic Hits WROR dropped back to #3 (6.0-5.7) while BEASLEY Sports WBZ-F (THE SPORTS HUB) stepped back to #4 (5.7-5.4). iHEARTMEDIA News WBZ-A moved up to #5 (4.9-5.0) and was closely pursued by a couple of non-comms. BOSTON UNIVERSITY N/T WBUR fell back to #6 as it returned some of last month’s big gain (5.4-4.9). Not far behind was WGBH FOUNDATION N/T WGBH, which advanced to #7 with its best outing since FEBRUARY (4.1-4.5).
The same five 25-54 stations from last month led the way this survey. There was one small change as WMJX moved up to #1 with a final tally over a share larger than last year. This pushed the previously top three stations down a peg. WXKS moved back to #2 despite ending a two-book slide while WBZ-F dropped to #3 as it returned all of last month’s modest increase. WROR slipped to #4 with its lowest share in over a year. ENTERCOM Sports WEEI-F remained at #5 with a slight decrease.
Even SANTA withered in the face of the awesome 18-34 power wielded by WXKS. The station remained #1 and hit double digits for the seventh straight survey. WMJX did make an impressive move – from #8 to #2 – as it continued to significantly outpace last year. BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WBQT (HOT) slid back to #3 with its lowest total since JULY. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R WJMN (JAM’N) remained at #4 but with its least productive outing since MAY. ENTERCOM Top 40/M WODS (AMP) was still tied at #5 but had a new partner. WBZ-F moved up a couple of places with its highest score since FEBRUARY. WROR fell four slots to #7 as it ended a strong three-book surge with a thud. BEASLEY Country WKLB fell to #8 with its smallest share since MARCH.
Usually, WXKS dominates the 18-49 demo by respectable margins. The station was up slightly this time to remain on top but could hear Rudolph’s hoof beats as WMJX moved up to #2 with the expected massive increase. WBZ-F slid back to #3 with a slight decrease. WODS advanced four squares to #4 with its best book in over a year. WBQT fell back to #5 as it lost all of last month’s increase while WROR dropped to #8 with its lowest mark in over a year.
At this point the discarded wrapping paper is strewn about the living room, the kids have already broken their toys, and the dog got into the chocolate. A perfect time to take a break. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. have one more trick up our collective sleeves and that will be revealed next time when we discuss DETROIT, MIAMI, SEATTLE-TACOMA, PHOENIX, and MINNEAPOLIS-ST PAUL.
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