Exclusive April 2021 PPM Analysis
If APRIL showers bring MAY flowers, what do APRIL ratings produce? These are the types of questions The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. tend to ponder in our down time. Yes, we need a hobby. Thanks to a big boost from our friends at XTRENDS we are happy to embark on yet another journey through ratings land. This most recent survey began on APRIL 1st and concluded on APRIL 28th. We had religious celebrations, vaccines galore, and the glorious start of a full baseball season. That all resulted in…
MIAMI-FT.LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD: Some Like It Hot
The heat is perpetually on in Magic City, but it was turned up a few notches this time as COX MEDIA Urban AC WHQT (HOT 105) posted its largest share in over a year (8.2-9.0) and assumed control of the 6+ demo. This ended the six-book winning streak for COX MEDIA AC WFEZ (EASY 93.1) as it dipped to #2 (9.1-8.3). The station continued as the cume leader (898,500-944,300) with an increase of 5.1%. The market rose by 1.8%. AUDACY AC WLYF (101.5 LITE FM) repeated at #3 but with its highest Frosty-free share in over a year (6.1-6.7). Remaining at #4 was SBS Spanish Contemporary WCMQ (ZETA 92.3) which had its best outing since DECEMBER (5.6-6.0). UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary WAMR (AMOR 107.5) was again the #5 station (5.5-5.7). It was a good month for #6 AUDACY Classic Hits WMXJ (102.7 THE BEACH) which ended a four-book slide (4.1-4.9).
The top three stations 25-54 remained as they were but one was much, ahem, hotter than the others. WHQT led the way for the fourth book in a row and posted a huge share increase – landing its largest share in over a year. #2 WFEZ ended a strong two-book surge as it found itself three shares off the lead. WLYF repeated at #3 but with a small loss of share. WMXJ advanced from a tie at #7 to #4 as its three-book slide ground to a halt. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WBGG (BIG 105.9) dipped to #5 with a slight loss. It was paired with SBS Tropical WXDJ (EL ZOL 106.7) which advanced from a tie at #9 with its highest share in over a year. WCMQ slipped three places to #8 with a slight decrease.
Now, you would think that as hot as WHQT was in the previous demos it would cruise to an 18-34 win. Well, you’d be wrong. For the second book in a row WLYF was #1 and this time it broke into double-digit territory. WHQT did step up to #2 with its highest share in over a year but trailed the leader by more than two shares. WFEZ and iHEARTMEDIA Urban WMIB (103.5 THE BEAT) had been tied at #4. Both stations had the identical slight decrease to remain an item but did move up to #3. COX MEDIA Urban WEDR (99 JAMZ) dropped three places to #5 with its lowest score since NOVEMBER. WMXJ had also been tied at #4 but fell to #6 with its lowest total since SEPTEMBER.
All was right with the 18-49 universe as WHQT was the demo leader for the fourth straight survey. And yes, the station posted its largest share in over a year. WLYF moved up to #2 with its best Frosty-free share in over a year while WFEZ stepped down to #3 as it ended a two-book surge. WMXJ was up two slots to #4 with its best outing in over a year. Last month WXDJ lost a large chunk of share and fell to a tie at #11. This time, the station got it all back and moved up to #5. WMIB slipped to #7 with a small loss while WEDR fell to #8 with its lowest mark since NOVEMBER.
SEATTLE-TACOMA: Happy Anniversary
What do you get for a station celebrating its 50th birthday? How about a #1 ranking? That’s what happened to AUDACY Active Rock KISW (THE ROCK OF SEATTLE) as it took the 6+ lead (6.0-6.3). The station just edged out BONNEVILLE Talk KIRO-F which saw its five-book winning streak come to a halt (6.4-6.2). FRIENDS OF KEXP Alternative KEXP stepped up to #3 (5.3-5.7). The station has not had a down book since AUGUST when it was sitting at #23 with a 1.6 share. UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON N/T KUOW had its smallest share since AUGUST (5.6-5.4) as it dipped to #4. Two stations moved up and into a tie at #5. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KJR-F (95.7 THE JET) had been at #7 (4.8-4.8) while iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZOK moved up from #8 (4.6-4.8). This dropped the two stations that had been residing at #5 out of the top five altogether. HUBBARD AC KRWM (WARM 106.9) slipped to #7 (5.0-4.7). It did remain the cume leader (550,600-562,800) – an increase of 2.2%. The market was up a smidge at 0.1%. Dropping to #8 was SINCLAIR News KOMO-A which posted its lowest share in over a year (5.0-4.1).
Rock music is certainly the coin of the realm 25-54. KISW was #1 for the third book in a row. However, it was forced to share as KEXP moved up from #2. Both stations landed their largest shares in over a year and were dangerously close to moving into double digits. KUOW remained a distant #3 as it was down for the third book in a row. HUBBARD Top 40/M KQMV (MOVIN’ 92.5) repeated at #4 with a modest loss. Meanwhile, iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KBKS (HITS 106.1) crept up to #5 and within a half share of its rival with its best performance since NOVEMBER. KRWM dropped four places to #9.
KISW was #1 18-34 for the sixth straight survey, though it was down for the second book in a row. KEXP had a massive share infusion as it leapt from a tie at #8 to #2. With all of that, KISW still maintained better than a share lead over its closest competitor. KQMV slipped to #3 with a slight decrease. The previous three-way tie at #3 was no more. KBKS dipped to #4 even with its best book in over a year. AUDACY Country KKWF (100.7 THE WOLF) was up for the fifth book in a row but moved down to #5. KUOW landed at #6 with a slight increase. It is worth pointing out the book for AUDACY AC KSWD (94.1 THE SOUND). The station rose from a tie at #16 to a tie at #7 with easily its highest share in over a year.
Both KEXP and KISW eclipsed the double-digit barrier 18-49. However, KEXP was a little heftier as it moved up to #1 by a half share. This ended KISW’s eleven-book run at #1. A flat KUOW inched up to #3. KQMV stepped down to #4 as its robust three-book surge ended. KBKS was up to #5 with a modest increase while KRWM fell from #5 to tie at #9.
DETROIT: Classic Two-Step
It is fitting that in a city that reveres the four-barrel carburetor, tail fins, and chrome bumpers, the two leading 6+ stations play some form of vintage music. BEASLEY Classic Rock WCSX had a monster book, rising from a tie at #4 to #1 with its highest share since AUGUST (5.3-6.9). AUDACY Classic Hits WOMC dipped to #2 as it ended a three-book surge. BEASLEY Active Rock WRIF maintained its #3 standing with its best book in over a year (5.7-6.2). iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WMXD (MIX 92.3) ended a three-book surge as well, sliding to #4 (6.8-6.1). It was early in the season and maybe TIGER fans did not realize their team stinks (spoiler alert: they do) because AUDACY Sports WXYT-F (97.1 THE TICKET) moved up to #5 (4.9-5.2). iHEARTMEDIA AC WNIC dropped to #6 with its lowest share since NOVEMBER (5.3-4.8). The station was still in the cume lead (892,000-815,000), though it was down by 8.6%. The market was up a modest 0.9%.
WRIF was up slightly 25-54 which was enough to keep the station in first place for the fourth book in a row. It held a healthy lead over a pair of #2 stations. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WJLB remained in place with a small loss while WCSX advanced from #6 with its best outing since AUGUST. WXYT and WOMC had been linked together at #3. Both stations were down this survey and landed at #4 and #5, respectively. Close behind was WNIC which stepped up to #6 with a small increase. WMXD dropped to #7 and was tied with BEASLEY Rhythmic AC WMGC (105.1 THE BOUNCE).
For the first time since OCTOBER WRIF was back in double digits 18-34. This allowed the station to capture the demo for the second straight survey. WJLB stepped up to #2 with its highest mark since AUGUST, yet trailed the leader by better than four shares. Three stations had been tied at #4. None remained in that position. AUDACY Country WYCD moved up to #3, also with its best book since JULY. It was joined by a hard charging WCSX which advanced from #12 by almost three shares. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKQI (CHANNEL 955) dipped to #5 with a slight loss while WMGC ended up at #6 with a small decrease. Close behind was WOMC which was up to #7 as it bounced back from a down book. WMXD dropped from #2 to #8.
As with the previous demo, WRIF cracked double digits 18-49 to win for the fourth straight survey. WJLB repeated at #2 with a small loss and was well behind the leader. WOMC remained at #3 as it concluded a strong three-book surge. WCSX leapt from #13 to #4 with its best showing since SEPTEMBER. WNIC worked its way up to #5 with a small gain while WMGC slipped to #6 with a small loss. WMXD fell five places to tie at #9.
PHOENIX: The Song Remains (Almost) The Same
The 6+ leaderboard was eerily similar to what we saw last survey. iHEARTMEDIA AC KESZ (99.9 KEZ) was #1 for the sixth book in a row as it ended a three-book slide (6.4-7.0). The station was still the cume leader (1,032,300-1,056,100) with a gain of 2.3%. The market declined by 0.3%. iHEARTMEDIA Country KNIX remained at #2 with its fourth up book in a row (5.7-6.5). HUBBARD Classic Rock KSLX repeated at #3 (5.5-4.9) while iHEARTMEDIA Adult Hits KYOT (95.5 THE MOUNTAIN) was at #4 again (4.8-4.6). There was once again a tie at #5 but with a slight wrinkle. iHEARTMEDIA Talk KFYI-A stayed where it was though with its lowest share since JUNE (4.5-4.1). It was joined by a new partner – AUDACY Classic Hits KOOL which moved up from #7 (4.2-4.1). HUBBARD Active Rock KUPD slipped to #7 with its lowest score since NOVEMBER (4.5-3.8).
KNIX had its best 25-54 book since OCTOBER to repeat as the demo champion. KESZ returned as the #2 station but with its highest Frosty-free share in over a year. ENTRAVISION Regional Mexican KLNZ (LA TRICOLOR 103.5) ended a steep four-book slide and advanced from #7 to #3. KYOT dipped to #4 with a slight loss while KSLX remained at #5, also with a slight loss. KUPD had its smallest share in over a year as it dropped to #6. On the first day of the survey SIERRA H Rhythmic AC KZCE (THE BEAT 101.1 FM) flipped to its current format. It paid off as the station went from a tie at #26 to a tie at #8.
The 18-34 competition was a free-for-all. KNIX remained #1 but crashed through the double-digit barrier. Over the last two books the station has more than doubled its share. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KZZP (104.7 KISS FM) repeated at #2 with a small loss and was more than five shares behind KNIX. KYOT moved up to #3, also with a small loss. This is where things got interesting. KZCE rocketed from #21 to #4. KLNZ leapt from #15 to #5 and KESZ jumped from #12 to #6. KUPD fell from #3 to tie at #7 with its lowest mark since DECEMBER while UNIVISION Spanish Adult Hits KQMR (LATINO MIX 100.3 & 105.1) dropped seven places to tie at #12 with its lowest score since JULY.
KNIX strengthened its grip on the 18-49 demo with a huge share increase, landing its best book since OCTOBER. KESZ stood alone at #2 with its best Frosty-free share in over a year. KLNZ pulled out of a steep four-book dive and jumped from #7 to #3. KYOT slid to #4 just by being flat. KZCE made a mad dash from #24 to #5. UNIVISION Spanish Adult Hits KOMR (AMOR 106.3) had its best outing since NOVEMBER as it ascended from #19 to #6. It was tied with KZZP. KUPD fell from a tie at #2 to a tie at #10 while HUBBARD Alternative KDKB (ALT AZ 93.3) dropped from #5 to #12.
MINNEAPOLIS-ST.PAUL: A One Team Race
For the third straight survey HUBBARD Hot AC KSTP-F (KS95) has been the runaway 6+ leader. The station topped a nine share for the third book in a row (9.3-9.1) as it cruised to another win. MPR N/T KNOW ended a two-book slide (7.1-7.7) to remain a distant #2. iHEARTMEDIA Sports KFXN (K-FAN) held firm at #3 (6.7-6.6) but was forced into sharing with iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KQQL (KOOL 108) which stepped up from #4 (6.5-6.6). KQQL was again the cume leader (725,400-780,800) – a gain of 7.6%. The market shrank by 1.2%. UNIVERSITY OF NORTHWESTERN-ST. PAUL Christian Contemporary KTIS-F slid to #8 (5.7-5.3).
The 25-54 competition became much more hotly contested. KSTP was again #1 but with a small loss. KFXN repeated at #2 with a slight increase. The net result was that the stations were extremely close to one another. Making a bid to join that fracas was CUMULUS Active Rock KXXR (93X) which stood alone at #3 with its best book since JULY. KNOW had a small increase but still stepped down to #4. Two stations moved up to occupy the same space at #5. KQQL took one step upward with a slight increase. Advancing from #9 was iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KDWB which got back most of last month’s huge loss. AUDACY Adult Hits KZJK (104.1 JACK FM) slid to #8 as it returned most of last month’s solid increase.
For the third book in a row KSTP was #1 18-34. And for the second time in that run the station landed on double digits. However, this time KXXR accomplished the same feat and crowned itself co-leader of the demo. KDWB rebounded from a down book to move from #7 to #3 but was two and a half shares behind the leaders. KTIS-F slipped to #4 as it returned a decent portion of last month’s massive increase. KZJK moved down to #5 with a modest loss. It was not too far in front of KNOW which moved up three places to #6 with a huge share increase. iHEARTMEDIA Country KEEY (K102) dipped to #7 with its third down book in a row. Not far behind at #8 was iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KTCZ (CITIES 97.1) which advanced from #11 with its best book since AUGUST.
The top three slots 18-49 were as we left them last month. KSTP was #1 and back in double figures. KXXR was flat at #2. KFXN was very close behind at #3 as it regained all of last month’s share loss. Two stations crashed the top five and landed in a heap at #4. KDWB was up from #9 and KNOW advanced from a tie at #7 as both stations bounced back from very down books. KTIS went from #5 to #9 as it returned all of last month’s large increase.
Thank you for spending the time to peruse our prose. Have a great month and stay safe!
Before you click away, head on over to our blog page and sign up. It literally could change your life. Check it out here: www.ResearchDirectorInc.com/Hot-Topics
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.
