For the seven Adult Contemporary stations – and the one Contemporary Christian outlet – which dominated their markets with the all-Christmas format in Day 1 of Nielsen's Holiday 2021 survey, there was growth from the most-or-maybe-all-Christmas December 2021 book, ranging anywhere from 15.5% to a whopping 42.6%. Seven of these eight stations posted double-digit 6+ shares, while five saw gains from 2020's Holiday survey and four delivered their best all-Christmas shares since Inside Radio began trending ratings for the format in 2015.
Nielsen’s holiday survey covered the period from Dec. 11 through Jan. 3.
iHeartMedia ACs-turned-Christmas delivered their best showings in the past seven years in Chicago, Dallas and Houston. The Windy City's “Lite FM” WLIT's 14.4 in the Holiday book was up 22% from December's 11.8 and 0.7% from Holiday 2020's 14.3, while Houston's “Sunny 99.1” KODA, with a 12.8, grew 18.5% from December's 10.8 and 5.8% from Holiday 2020's 12.1. In Dallas, “Star 102.1” KDGE's 10.6 was up 20.5% from December's 8.8 and 1.9% from Holiday 2020's 10.4.
Setting a seven-year record in Atlanta is Salem Media Group Contemporary Christian gone all-Christmas, “104.7 The Fish” WFSH, where its 8.8 was up 22.2% from December's 7.2 and up a big 57.1% from Holiday 2020's 5.6.
In Philly, meanwhile, Audacy AC “B101.1” WBEB turned in a 14.4, up 42.6% from December and 9.1% from Holiday 2020, for its best Christmas share since Holiday 2018's out-of-this-world 18.6.
In Nielsen's other PPM markets, Christmas stations, while still out in front, weren't able to match their delivery from a year ago. In San Francisco, Bonneville AC KOIT gained 40.5% from December, from 7.9 to 11.1, although off 1.8% from 11.3 in the Holiday 2020 survey. Both iHeart's KOST Los Angeles and “106.7 Lite FM” WLTW New York were up 15.5% from December, to an 11.2 and 13.4 share respectively, although off 3.6% and 12.5% from a year ago.
All numbers quoted are 6+ AQH shares, Mon-Sun, 6am-12midnight.
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