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Research Director Inc., Exclusive April PPM Analysis For New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas

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PPM Analysis For April 2021

The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with our number crunching buddies at XTRENDS – prepare to embark on another fool’s errand. In search of fool’s gold, perhaps. Why? Because the APRIL survey is out and it all began on April Fool’s Day (it ended on 4/28). All kidding aside, this was the month where more people started commuting again, kids slowly returned to school, and baseball was back. All three of those real-world events are good things for radio. Let’s see how that played out.

NEW YORK: Oh, So Close…

There were three stations vying for the 6+ lead in the City That Never Sleeps. iHEARTMEDIA AC WLTW (106.7 LITE FM) captured the crown for the sixth book in a row but with its lowest share since NOVEMBER (7.1-6.3). The station also continued its uninterrupted reign as the cume leader (3,174,800-3,211,300) – an increase of 1.1%. The market rose by 1.8%. The two stations previously tied at #2 remained in lockstep as they closed in on the leader. Both AUDACY Classic Hits WCBS-F and MEDIACO Urban AC WBLS went 5.8-6.1. SBS Tropical WSKQ (MEGA 97.9 FM) repeated at #4 with its lowest total since OCTOBER (5.3-5.1). iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3) again rounded out the top five (4.7-4.5). In case you were wondering about the MLB flagship stations, AUDACY Sports WFAN (SPORTS RADIO 66AM & 101.9FM) was up three places to #12 (2.4-3.1). AUDACY News WCBS-A (NEWSRADIO 880) slipped to #15 (2.6-2.7).

The gap between the top two stations 25-54 did narrow a bit, but it was not as slim as with the previous demo. WLTW was #1 for the eighth straight survey, but it did return most of last month’s solid increase. WSKQ was flat and stable at #2 while WCBS-F advanced to #3 with its best outing since SEPTEMBER. WBLS remained at #4 with a small increase while iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WHTZ (Z100) dipped to #5 as it ended a three-book surge.

WSKQ got back most of last survey’s big share loss as it remained the dominant 18-34 player for the fourth book in a row. WCBS-F was up three slots to #2 with its highest share in over a year. The station has been on a four-book surge which has taken it from #11 to its current lofty status. A flat MEDIACO Top 40/R WQHT (HOT 97) stepped up to #3 while WHTZ dropped to #4 as it returned most of last month’s large increase. WLTW dipped to #5 with its lowest mark since NOVEMBER.

Though WLTW lost a noticeable chunk of share 18-49, the station was still the runaway leader for the sixth straight survey. WSKQ was flat and steady at #2 while WCBS-F moved up to #3 with its best book in over a year. The station also doubled the share it had during the HOLIDAY book. WBLS remained at #4 with a small increase while WHTZ dropped to #5 as it returned all of last month’s solid increase.

LOS ANGELES: Take Five

With the mellow sounds of DAVE BRUBECK playing in the background, we are here to inform you that the top five stations 6+ were where we left them in MARCH. AUDACY Classic Hits KRTH (K-EARTH 101) chalked up its third straight victory (6.1-5.9) but was hearing footsteps from #2 iHEARTMEDIA Talk KFI-A (5.7-5.7). KRTH became the leading cume station for the first time since OCTOBER (2,101,900-2,342,400) with an 11.4% increase. The market was up by 4.0%. iHEARTMEDIA AC KOST was down for the fourth straight survey (5.3-5.0) but remained #3. AUDACY Urban AC KTWV (94.7 THE WAVE) repeated at #4 (4.5-4.3) while AUDACY Adult Hits KCBS-F (93.1 JACK FM) completed the top five again with its highest share in over a year (4.0-4.2).

The top five 25-54 was basically the same as it ever was, or at least since last month. KRTH had its first down book since DECEMBER but remained the clear leader for the fourth straight survey. KCBS-F was back at #2 though it ended a three-book surge. KOST also had a down book but was able to step up and into a tie at #2. This duo trailed the leader by close to a share. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KIIS repeated at #4 with a slight increase while UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KLVE (K-LOVE 107.5) maintained its #5 status with a flat performance. Just outside the top five was iHEARTMEDIA Alternative KYSR (ALT 98.7) which moved up to #6.

KYSR has been on fire 18-34. The station posted its largest share in over a year and sat at #1 for the third book in a row. KRTH remained at #2 but lost all of last month’s huge increase. It was better than two shares off the lead. A flat KOST stepped up to #3 while MERUELO Classic Rock KLOS leapt from a tie at #8 to #4 with a small increase. Three – count ‘em – three stations were intertwined at #5. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KBIG (104.3 MYFM) slid from #3 as it ended a robust two-book surge. KIIS moved up from #7 despite a small loss. SBS Regional Mexican KLAX (LA RAZA 97.9) turned it up from #11 with its best book in over a year. SBS Spanish AC KXOL (MEGA 96.3) dropped from a tie at #4 to #13 with its smallest share in over a year.

Though KRTH returned all of last month’s healthy increase, the station was #1 18-49 for the third book in a row. The next eight stations were all within a share of one another. KOST remained #2 but with its lowest score since NOVEMBER. KYSR stepped up to #3 with a slight increase. KLVE was up to #4 and was tied with UNIVISION Regional Mexican KSCA (LA 101.9) which jumped from #10 with its best performance in over a year. KCBS-F dropped three slots to #6 and was bunched up in a tie with KIIS and KLAX. KBIG fell from #5 to #9 with a slight decrease.

CHICAGO: The Usual Suspects

The gang of five atop the 6+ leaderboard remained relatively unchanged from last month. iHEARTMEDIA Urban AC WVAZ (V103) repeated at #1 with a solid increase (6.3-6.9). AUDACY News WBBM-A was at #2 again (6.2-6.3) while iHEARTMEDIA AC WLIT (93.9 LITE FM) remained at #3 (5.7-5.6). The station was also the cume leader for the sixth book in a row (1,227,900-1,294,300) – an increase of 5.4%. The market grew by 1.7%. HUBBARD Classic Rock WDRV (97.1FM THE DRIVE) stood alone at #4 with its highest share since OCTOBER (4.7-5.1). WBEZ ALLIANCE N/T WBEZ stepped down to #5 (4.7-4.9).

Though UNIVISION Regional Mexican WOJO (QUE BUENA 105.1) ended a strong three-book surge 25-54, the station had enough left in the tank to win the demo by over a share. Coming in at the second place position was WDRV which rose from a tie at #4 with its highest mark since NOVEMBER. WVAZ repeated at #3 with a slight increase while WBEZ advanced to #4 as it ended a two-book slide. HUBBARD Hot AC WTMX (101.9 THE MIX) slid to #5 with its lowest score since DECEMBER. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M WKSC (103.5 KISS FM) dropped to tie at #7 with a share loss.

WKSC also had a share loss 18-34, but the station was still the demo leader. However, WVAZ moved up to #2 as it bounced back from a down book and trailed the leader by about a half share. WBEZ also rebounded from a down book to move up five slots to #3. AUDACY Top 40/M WBBM-F (B96) advanced to #4 as it also regained the share it lost last month. WTMX had its highest score since NOVEMBER which propelled the station from #9 to #5. With all these additions to the top five there had to be a few deletions. iHEARTMEDIA Urban WGCI dropped from #2 to a tie at #6 as it returned a good portion of last month’s large increase. It was paired with CUMULUS Alternative WKQX which rose from a tie at #13 with its best performance since NOVEMBER. WOJO dipped to #8 and met up with WDRV which fell from a tie at #3. AUDACY Rhythmic AC WBMX (104.3 JAMS) made it a threesome.

WOJO saw its strong three-book 18-49 surge come to a close, but the station still led the way for the third straight survey. WVAZ rebounded from a down book to remain at #2 and close to about a half share from the leader. WDRV took two steps upwards and landed at #3 with its best outing since JUNE. Last month WBEZ dropped from a tie at #3 to a tie at #8. This survey the station rebounded to #4. WKSC dipped to #5 while WTMX slipped to #6.

SAN FRANCISCO: Straight Talk

According to musical legend this city was built on rock and roll. (That is ear worming through your head right now, isn’t it?) However, according to the 6+ listening public the radio is dominated by talk. KQED INC. N/T KQED had its lowest share since OCTOBER (9.8-8.8). However, it was #1 -– by a hefty margin – for the fourth book in a row and the eleventh time in the last fourteen surveys. AUDACY News KCBS-A had its lowest grade in over a year (6.8-6.1) but remained a solid #2. The leading music station this time was iHEARTMEDIA AC KISQ (98.1 THE BREEZE) which wafted up to #3 as it regained all of last month’s share loss (3.8-4.5). BONNEVILLE AC KOIT dipped to tie at #4 with its lowest total since OCTOBER (4.6-4.3).  For the eleventh time in the last thirteen surveys KOIT was also the cume leader (1,001,600-1,013,800) – an increase of 1.2%. The market grew by 2.6%. The GIANTS are back and that helped CUMULUS Sports KNBR-A leap from #7 to a tie at #4 (3.2-4.3). Two stations that had previously been linked together at #4 dropped out of the top five. UNIVISION Spanish Adult Hits KBRG (AMOR 100.3) slipped to #6 (3.8-3.8) while BONNEVILLE Top 40/M KMVQ (99.7 NOW) landed at #7 (3.8-3.7).

The 25-54 status was ultimately quo as the top five players were relatively unchanged. KQED was down for the third book in a row but was #1 for the fourth straight survey. KMVQ was up slightly at #2 and trailed the leader by a share. KOIT repeated at #3, also with a slight increase. AUDACY Hot AC KLLC (ALICE @97.3) stood alone at #4 with a slight decrease. Its former partner in that space – KCBS-A – dipped to #5 with its smallest share in over a year. Two stations tied at #6 were knocking on the top five door. KBRG was up from a tie at #10 as it regained most of last month’s big decrease. iHEARTMEDIA Hot AC KIOI (STAR 101.3) stepped up from #7 with a slight decrease.

The 18-34 race was very tight. iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/R KMEL had a down book – its lowest share in over a year. However, for the first time since NOVEMBER it landed at #1. KMVQ was close behind as it moved up to #2 despite a slight loss. KOIT got back a good portion of last month’s large loss as it leapt from a tie at #7 to #3. KISQ landed its largest share since SEPTEMBER as it zephyred its way from a tie at #12 to #4. It was tied with a flat iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KYLD (WILD 94.9) which stepped up from a tie at #5. Three stations exited the top five. Two of them landed together at #6. KIOI fell from #2 with its lowest mark since NOVEMBER while KQED slid from #1 with its least productive outing since SEPTEMBER. CUMULUS Classic Rock KSAN (107.7 THE BONE) ended a strong four-book surge as it dropped from a tie at #5 to #9.

For the fourth book in a row KMVQ was #1 18-49. For the second straight survey it maintained the slimmest of margins over #2 KQED. Both stations were down slightly. KOIT solidified its hold on the #3 position with a slight increase. KMEL repeated at #4 but with its lowest score in over a year. KLLC stepped up from #6 to forge a tie at that position with a slight increase. Those two just edged out KBRG which advanced to #6 as it bounced back from a down book. KIOI slid from #5 to #8 as it returned a good portion of last month’s rather large increase.

DALLAS-FT.WORTH: Tight As A Tick

Seriously, look that phrase up. Who knew? The purpose of that rather obtuse reference is to point out that there were nine stations within a share of the 6+ lead. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZPS (LONE STAR 92.5) took top honors as it advanced from #7 with its best outing since SEPTEMBER (4.4-4.8). CUMULUS Country KSCS (NEW COUNTRY 96.3) stepped up to #2 (4.9-4.6). Then there was a three-way at #3. Previously, AUDACY Adult Hits KJKK (100.3 JACK FM) and AUDACY Classic Hits KLUV (98.7 KLUV) had been tied at #8. Both stations moved up as each went 4.1-4.4. Charging up from #6 was iHEARTMEDIA Top 40/M KHKS (106.1 KISS FM) which went 4.6-4.4. The station was also back in the cume lead (1,258,800-1,216,600) – a loss of 3.4%. The market grew by 0.3%. After that we had another threesome, this time at #6. iHEARTMEDIA AC KDGE (STAR 102.1) ended its two-book stay at #1 (5.3-4.1) while SALEM Christian Contemporary KLTY slid from #3 (5.0-4.1). The third member of this party was CUMULUS Country KPLX (99.5 THE WOLF) which stepped down from #5 (4.7-4.1). UNIVISION Regional Mexican KLNO (QUE BUENA 94.1) fell from #2 to #9 (5.2-3.9).

The 25-54 competition was not as tick tight, at least between the top two stations, but it did feature a lot of rearranging of the furniture. KJKK stood alone at #1 as it landed its largest share since OCTOBER. Its former partner – KLNO – dropped to a tie at #5 as it ended a two-book surge. The station was also sharing the moment with KLUV which moved up from #8 with a slight increase. Coming in at #2 was KHKS which had a small gain. There were six stations within a half share of the #3 position held by KSCS. SERVICE Urban KKDA (K104) was a very close #4, moving up from a previous tie at #10 with a small increase. You already know about the two at #5, but there were two stations at #7 that, due to rounding, sat outside of the top five. Those were KZPS and iHEARTMEDIA Active Rock KEGL (97.1 THE EAGLE).

The 18-34 arena was a bit calmer. KHKS was the clear winner for the third book in a row. A flat KKDA stepped up to #2 but was close to two shares off the lead. KSCS was a very close #3, though it gave back all of last month’s large increase. KLNO dipped to #4 with a large loss and was just ahead of #6 KDMX. URBAN ONE Top 40/R KBFB (97.9 THE BEAT) had its best book since SEPTEMBER and was rewarded with a rise from #9 to #5. UNIVISION Spanish Contemporary KDXX (LATINO MIX 107.9/107.1) slipped to a tie at #7 as it returned a portion of last month’s huge increase.

Last month, KJKK and KHKS were tied at #2 18-49. Both stations had the same slight increase to remain an item. However, this time it was at #1. KKDA had a slight increase which drove the station from a tie at #6 to #3. KSCS stepped up to #4 with a small loss. It was paired with KEGL which moved up from #9 with a slight increase. KPLX dipped to #6 with a modest loss. KLNO lost all of last month’s big increase – plus a little extra – as it fell from #1 to #7.

But wait…there’s more. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. will catch our collective breaths as we prepare another action splattered ratings round up. Our next big issue will feature HOUSTON, WASHINGTON, D.C., ATLANTA, PHILADELPHIA, and BOSTON. Don’t miss it!

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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 e-mail info@ResearchDirectorInc.com or sallan@ResearchDirectorInc.com.

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