Radio One Spanish CHR “Latino 104.1/87.7” WLNO Waldorf MD/WDCN-LD Fairfax VA was conspicuously missing from the August Washington DC PPM ratings earlier this month and now we know why.

Nielsen issued a notice today that a household off a WLNO-FM staff member was participating in the PPM panel since the January 2025 survey. Nielsen noted that while they maintain “rigorous controls to screen out media-affiliated participants across its panels and surveys, this individual intentionally misrepresented their background to circumvent our safeguards. Nielsen expressly prohibits participation in its panels and surveys by any household associated with a radio station. Consistent with Nielsen’s Rating Distortion policy, Nielsen has delisted WLNO-FM in the August 2026 Washington, DC Radio Market Report that will be released to clients on September 9, 2026.”

While the station was delisted from the August report, Nielsen said that there were several mitigating factors as to why just the station and not the remainder of the Radio One cluster was affected and that the delisting will last for only the August monthly stating that the company cooperated fully with the investigation; maintains a clean historical compliance record; and had inherited the employee involved through a recent acquisition.

Nielsen will release revised surveys from February to now to subscribers starting today with the July monthly. WLNO will return to the survey for the September monthly next week.