Nielsen begins its monthly release of PPM ratings with today’s Day 1 update including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston/Galveston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Long Island, Riverside/San Bernardino, San Jose, and Middlesex/Somerset/Union.
All the numbers can be found at RadioInsight.com/Ratings.
Nielsen divides its calendar year up into thirteen equal 28 day months for ratings measurement purposes, with its extra “holiday” month usually discarded, except by those stations that go all-Christmas for the purpose of selling the following year. This year’s holiday book contained an extra fifth “leap” week to help keep Nielsen’s calendar in step with the actual calendar. Since this five week Holiday month stretched into the first week of January, a number of stations including KOST and WBEB kept Christmas music running all the way through New Year’s Eve.
Unlike the other monthlies we’re going to compare the holiday numbers to 2019, but due to the extra week the numbers were slightly diluted. Although that didn’t stop a pair of iHeartMedia AC’s from setting ratings records with Christmas Music.
In Los Angeles, 103.5 KOST rose from a 13.7 share in 2019 to 13.9 in 2020. It is the fourth straight year of growth for Christmas music following 13.0 in 2018 and 12.0 in 2017. Ratings Expert Chris Huff also notes that the 13.9 share is the largest share for any station in Los Angeles in any ratings period since 1965.
Chicago’s “93.9 Lite-FM” WLIT is up from a 13.7 in 2019 to 14.3 this year. Huff notes that that is the largest share for any station in Chicago in any ratings period since 1975.
“106.7 Lite-FM” WLTW New York was down from 13.3 to 12.8 year to year.
Bonneville’s 96.5 KOIT San Francisco rose 10.7 in 2019 to 11.3.
The Dallas duo of iHeartMedia AC “Star 102.1” KDGE and Salem Christian AC 94.9 KLTY were both up slightly year to year. KDGE rose 10.3 to 10.4, while KLTY was up 6.9 to 7.0. KDGE’s was also a frequency record high notes Huff.
After dropping each of the previous two years, iHeartMedia AC “Sunny 99.1” KODA Houston rebounded up this year 11.6 to 12.1.
The biggest year-to-year decline goes to Entercom AC “B101.1” WBEB Philadelphia. Last year WBEB set a station record with an 18.6 share, but this year led the market with a drop to a 13.2.
Despite being the only full-powered station to go all-Christmas this year, Salem Media’s “104.7 The Fish” WFSH-FM Atlanta was the only station in the format to not lead its market. WFSH-FM was down year over year from a 6.7 in 2019 to just a 5.6 share this year. In 2019, Entercom’s “Star 94.1” WSTR-FM also went Christmas, but did not do so in 2020.
Moves of note beyond the Christmas music stations:
- After many down months, Entercom Alternative 106.7 KROQ Los Angeles rebounds back to a 2 share up 1.8 to 2.0.
- Nexstar News/Talk 720 WGN Chicago rises 2.8 to 3.7.
- Entercom CHR “B96” WBBM-FM Chicago drops 2.1 to 1.6, for what Huff notes is the lowest share on that frequency since 1979.
- Also sliding down to a 1.6 share in Chicago are iHeartMedia’s “Rock 95.5” WCHI-FM (2.1 – 1.7 – 1.6 since format launch), Hip Hop 107.5 WGCI (1.8 to 1.6), Cumulus Alternative 101.1 WKQX (2.2 – 1.8 – 1.6), and Classical 98.7 WFMT (up 1.2 to 1.6).
- University of Southern California Classical 90.3 KDFC/104.9 KXSC rises 2.3 to 3.1 in San Francisco, but in San Jose surges up 4.3 to 6.8 for what Huff notes is a record for the station.
- iHeartMedia Hip Hop “93.7 The Beat” KQBT Houston rises 2.3 to 3.2.
- Cox News/Talk 750 WSB/95.5 WSBB-FM continues to lead Atlanta despite dropping 4.7 to 4.4.
- Following the addition of its simulcast of 103.9 WPHI-FM, Entercom News 1060 KYW Philadelphia trends up (4.6 – 4.9 – 5.4). Potentially related to the move of the News audience to FM, Townsquare Media Talk “New Jersey 101.5” WKXW is up 1.3 to 2.0 in the Philadelphia monthly, while Entercom’s 1210 WPHT falls 2.1 to 1.8.
- After moving the Hip Hop format from 103.9 WPHI-FM to 100.3 WRNB following the sale of 103.9 to Entercom, Radio One’s “100.3 R&B And Hip Hop” tumbled down 2.6 to 1.2.
