April PPMs, Day 2: Upsets in Miami, Phoenix, and Tampa, While Sports Stays Strong.

There’s plenty of action in the 12 markets reporting on Day 2 of Nielsen’s April PPM survey, covering April 3-30.

In three markets, stations going for a consecutive-win record saw their long streaks come to an end. In Miami, Cox Media Group soft AC sister “Easy 93.1” WFEZ unseated urban AC sister “Hot 105” WHQT, which led the market for 27 straight surveys, while Hubbard classic rock KSLX ended iHeart AC “99.9 K-EZ” KESZ's 20-book streak in Phoenix. In the biggest upset of all, in Tampa, Radio Training Network contemporary Christian “The Joy FM 91.5” WCIE took over at for CMG soft AC WDUV after a 45-consecutive-survey run at number-one.

Day 1 saw a strong performance from sports-formatted stations, which was also the case on Day 2. In nine of these 12 markets, sports stations gained a total 7.7 share points vs. March, with shares higher by a full point or more in Seattle, Detroit, Minneapolis, and San Diego.

For Days 1 and 2, the leaderboard shows: AC with five crowns; news/talk and sports with three; soft AC, classic hits, and classic rock with two each; and one each for contemporary Christian, rock, and urban AC.

American University news/talk WAMU is working on another winning streak, marking a 10th straight survey at the top for the station that's delivered double-digit shares since April 2022. WAMU’s 1.9 share points ahead of Hubbard Radio news WTOP, ranked second for a 10th book in a row. iHeart modern/alternative rock sister “DC101” WWDC-FM grabs a rare third-place finish, followed by Howard University urban AC WHUR and iHeartMedia AC WASH at fourth and fifth.

Audacy AC “Magic 106.7” WMJX holds onto the top spot, even as it loses 1.3 points to keep a slim 0.3 lead over iHeart news/talk WBZ-AM and Beasley Media Group classic hits WROR, which tie for second. iHeart classic rock sister WZLX stays fourth-ranked, while Audacy hot AC sister “Mix 104.1” WWBX returns to the top five for the first time since last December.

Cox Media Group soft AC sister “Easy 93.1” WFEZ is Miami’s number-one station for the first time since July 2023, when it was tied at the top with urban AC sister “Hot 105” WHQT. Only a tenth of a share point separates WFEZ from WHQT, which led the market for 27 consecutive Nielsen surveys. Audacy claims third and fourth place with AC “101.5 Lite FM” WLYF and classic hits “102.7 The Beach” WMXJ, while iHeart Spanish-language gold AC “Magic 93.9” WMIA-FM moves back into the top five.

News/talk pubcaster KUOW-FM continues to be Seattle’s only top-ranked station in 2025, and just like in March’s survey, it’s still 1.6 points up on iHeart classic rock KZOK. Tied for third are Crista Media contemporary Christian “Spirit 105.3” KCMS, up 44% since the Holiday book, and iHeart classic hits sister “95.7 The Jet” KJEB, back in the top five for the first time this year.

In every Nielsen survey since January 2024, Hubbard classic rock KSLX has been stuck in the runner-up spot behind iHeart AC “99.9 K-EZ” KESZ, but no more. With a so-close 0.2 lead, KSLX breaks KESZ’s 20-book win streak with its first crown since August 2023. iHeart adult hits sister “95.5 The Mountain” KYOT, Audacy classic hits “Big 94.5” KOOL-FM, and Hubbard rocker KUPD come in at 3-4.5.

After five surveys settling for second or third, Audacy sports “97.1 The Ticket” WXYT-FM retakes the lead, helped by a postseason berth for the NBA’s Pistons and a hot start for Major League Baseball’s Tigers, as the station serves as the flagship for both. iHeart AC WNIC, Detroit's champ from December 2024 to March 2025, is 1.4 points behind at second, followed by Audacy classic hits WOMC still in third. Returning to the top five are iHeart urban AC “Mix 92.3” WMXD and Beasley rocker WRIF, the latter making its first showing in the region since April 2024.

With the NBA’s Timberwolves and NHL’s Wild seeing postseason action, the flagship for both, iHeart sports “K-FAN” KFXN, adds a share point to strengthen its number-one status for its fourth straight survey on top. K-FAN holds a four-share-point lead over University of Northwestern St. Paul contemporary Christian KTIS-FM, which jumps from fifth-ranked to second. iHeart classic hits sister “Kool 108” KQQL places third, with news/talk pubcaster KNOW and Hubbard hot AC “KS95” KSTP-FM tied for fourth.

The Padres are back, and the ratings show it. Flagship Audacy sports “97.3 The Fan” KWFN leaps from 11th to a tie for fourth, marking the station’s first top-five showing since last October, when the Friars were in last year’s postseason and The Fan tied for first. Audacy takes three of the top five, as classic hits “Sunny 98.1” KXSN notches a fourth straight win, and AC KYXY ties The Fan for fourth. In between, Comunicacion XERSA hot AC “Magic 92.5” XHRM and news/talk pubcaster KPBS place second and third.

After 45 consecutive Nielsen surveys as Tampa’s number-one, CMG soft AC WDUV comes in second in the April book, just 0.2 behind Radio Training Network contemporary Christian “The Joy FM 91.5” WCIE, which has shown steady share growth since January, up 30%. CMG claims Tampa’s top three as its classic rock “The Eagle 107.3” WXGL moves from fourth to third, up 1.3. Just below, iHeart’s “98 Rock” WXTB takes fourth, and Beasley classic hits “Q105” WRBQ finishes in the top five for the first time since January 2024.

It’s an all-Bonneville top two, as AC KOSI repeats at number-one, just 0.4 in front of country sister KYGO. iHeart takes third and fourth with modern/alternative rock “Channel 93.3” KTCL and classic rock “103.5 The Fox” KRFX, while Audacy hot AC “Alice 105.9” KALC and KSE Radio Ventures classic hits “Kool 105” KXKL tie for fifth.

Make it a third survey at number-one for Urban One urban AC “Magic 95.9” WWIN-FM, taking a larger lead over iHeart country WPOC, from March’s 0.7 to 2.2. Hearst’s “98 Rock” WIYY, Audacy AC “Today’s 101.9” WLIF, and Urban One urban contemporary “92Q Jams” WERQ finish third, fourth, and fifth.

Hubbard’s KSHE rocks at the top for a fourth consecutive survey, keeping 1.6 points ahead of iHeart classic hits KLOU, with Hubbard adult hits sister “106.5 The Arch” WARH still third. Audacy urban AC “96.3 R&B” WFUN-FM makes its first top-five appearance since last October, while iHeart country “93.7 The Bull” KSD-FM also returns to the region.