BIA: All-News Made Up Third Of Top-Billing AMs In 2023; Music Ruled FM.

With the nearly six-decade run of all-news WCBS New York (880) coming to an end, it will bring a new format to one of radio’s top-billing AMs. Thanks in part to airing Mets play-by-play coverage, WCBS pulled in $29.7 million in local over-the-air revenue last year, according to estimates from BIA Advisory Services. Only Audacy all-news sister WBBM Chicago out-billed WCBS, although the Windy City station has simulcast on WCFS (105.9).

New York’s all-news outlet did, however, see its total billings dip 5% year-over-year based on BIA estimates, which include only local, over-the-air revenue and not any network, digital or event revenue.

The top billers on the AM dial are dominated by spoken-word formats. A third of the top 15 last year aired an all-news format. Half ran a combination of news and talk, while three of the top 15 aired sports formats. Like WCBS, each posted revenue declines vs. the prior year.

Chicago had the most stations on the list of AM’s top billers. In addition to No. 1 WBBM, sports “670 The Score” WSCR at No. 11 and news-talk “Radio 720” WGN at No. 13 were among America’s top performers last year.

Market size overall also played a smaller role than in the past. The fast-growing Houston market helped boost “News Radio 740” KTRH into third place, with what BIA estimates was $24.6 million in total local on-air sales last year. Nicole Ovadia, VP of Forecasting & Analysis at BIA, says KTRH has jumped up in the rankings vs. 2022 not only because Houston is a growing market, but because its audience share is increasing.

Denver’s KOA (850) also outperformed its market size. The market No. 19 news-talk station was the sixth-biggest billing AM last year at $21.6 million. Like WBBM, it also benefits from FM exposure with a pair of translators.

Atlanta’s WSB (750) was BIA’s fifth-highest billing AM last year, and while it has an FM signal with WSBB (95.5), Ovadia says the topsy-turvy world of Georgia politics also matters. “In a non-political ‘odd’ year, we can see that WSB dropped a few slots but, with 2024 being a Presidential election year, they are very likely to bounce back into the top five for 2024,” she says.

BIA reports that music still rules on FM, with two-thirds of the top-billing stations on the dial playing music. But the list of top-billing FMs is also much more diverse than in years past. While New York and Los Angeles are still represented, the top-billing FM hails from Washington. The all-news outlet WTOP-FM (103.5) billed an estimated $66.3 million in local over-the-air revenue last year, according to BIA, making it not only the top-billing FM, but the top-billing station in the country last year, despite a dip in political sales resulting a revenue decline.

It marked 13 times in the last 14 years that WTOP-FM has been No. 1 on the list, beating out stations in much larger markets.

Boston has plenty to be proud of too. It put three of its local FMs on the list of top billers, led by sports “98.5 The Sports Hub” WBZ-FM at No. 5 with an estimated $32.8 million in local over-the-air revenue. Rival sports outlet WEEI-FM (93.7) ranked No. 11 with $23.6 million, and CHR “Kiss 108” WXKS is at No. 15 with $19.9 million.Ovadia also points to a development in the New York market where all-news WINS-FM (92.3) has gone from a top biller on the BIA ranker of Ams to a top biller on the FM list with $40 million in estimated local over-the-air ad sales last year. She credits that to pulling ad dollars over from WINS (1010) to the new FM simulcast.

Meantime in Houston, the market’s growth has also been a boost for AC “Sunny 99.1” KODA. It was the 13th biggest billing FM last year, with what BIA says were $22.2 million in local ad sales.

BIA earlier reported that the top revenue-producing radio group owners for 2023 remained the same as in 2022 with iHeartMedia as the top-billing radio station owner. It was helped by four of BIA’s top 10 stations based on over-the-air revenue, including CHR powerhouses KIIS-FM Los Angeles (102.7) and “Z-100” WHTZ New York, along with New York AC “Lite 106.7” WLTW and L.A. hot AC “104.3 MyFM” KBIG. BIA says Audacy, Cumulus Media, Hubbard Radio, and Beasley Media Group rounded out the top five.