To paraphrase The Who, the new bosses are the same as the old bosses. That's the story on Day 1 of Nielsen's 6+ PPMs for October, where not only are there no changes from September's champ in each of these eight markets, the runner-ups don't budge in seven of eight. iHeartMedia's AC stations remain top-rated in New York, Los Angeles and Houston, while News/Talk continues to rule in Chicago, San Francisco and Atlanta. In Dallas and Philly, iHeart's also still on top, with CHR in the former and Adult R&B in the latter.
Bi-Coastal AC Victory Again For iHeart
For a third straight month, and every month but one in 2021, iHeart AC “106.7 Lite FM” WLTW (Aug-Oct market rank: 1-1-1; Aug-Oct AQH share: 7.4-8.3-7.0) is tops in New York, maintaining its lead over MediaCo adult R&B WBLS (2-2-2; 6.3-6.5-6.1). Audacy classic hits WCBS-FM (4-3-3(tie); 4.9-5.0-5.0) ties with Spanish Broadcasting System’s Spanish tropical “Mega 97.9” WSKQ (3-4-3(tie); 5.1-4.7-5.0) for third month, while bouncing back into the Apple's top five is iHeart CHR “Z100” WHTZ (5-8-5; 4.6-3.9-4.4).
iHeart AC KOST (1(tie)-1-1; 5.3-5.5-6.3) stays on top in L.A., widening its lead over the former champ, Audacy classic hits “K-Earth 101” KRTH (1(tie)-2-2; 5.3-5.3-5.5). Continued steady growth pushes iHeart hot AC “104.3 MYFM” KBIG-FM (5-4 (tie)-3; 4.4-4.5-4.6) up to third, while Univision Radio Spanish contemporary/romantica “K-Love” KLVE (3-4(tie)-4; 4.7-4.5-4.3) owns fourth place, and iHeart CHR KIIS-FM (9-7(tie)-5; 3.8-3.8-3.9), like its NYC sister Z100, moves back into the top five.
In Chicago and San Francisco, News Remains The Top Story
At number one in the Windy City, another month of share gain for Audacy's all news WBBM/WCFS (2-1-1; 5.7-6.6-6.7) puts some more distance between it and former leader iHeart adult R&B “V103” WVAZ (1-2-2; 6.3-6.3-5.8). Just below, ever-gaining news/talk pubcaster WBEZ (7-4-3; 3.9-4.3-4.9) swaps places with iHeart's AC and “Lite FM” sister WLIT (3-3-4; 5.4-4.8-4.6), while Univision Mexican regional “Qué Buena 105.1” WOJO (6-5-5; 4.2-4.2-4.5) sticks at the five-spot. Notable moves outside the top five: Audacy Triple A WXRT (11(tie)-9(tie)-7; 3.1-3.6-4.0) steps up to seventh, while Hubbard hot AC “The Mix” WTMX (8-6(tie)-9(tie); 3.8-4.1-3.5) slips to ninth, driven by a 22% share decline in mornings with the absence of former host and focus of sexual misconduct allegations Eric Ferguson.
It's still news/talk pubcaster KQED (1-1-1; 7.6-7.9-7.2) ahead of Cumulus sports KNBR (2-2-2; 6.0-7.0-6.9) in San Francisco, only KQED's lead is cut down to just 0.3 from 0.9 in September. While Audacy all news KCBS/KFRC (3-3-3; 5.7-6.5-6.0) and iHeart soft AC “The Breeze” KISQ (4-4-4; 4.9-4.7-4.7) stay in third and fourth, Bonneville AC KOIT (5-5-5(tie); 4.0-3.8-3.6) now has company in fifth, tied with iHeart hip-hop/R&B KMEL (11-8(tie)-5(tie); 2.8-3.2-3.6).
iHeart ‘Kiss-es’ The Sky Again In Dallas
iHeart CHR “Kiss FM” KHKS (1-1-1; 5.2-4.6-5.4) makes it a third month at number one, with a slightly larger lead over Univision Mexican Regional “Qué Buena 94.1” KLNO (8(tie)-2-2; 3.8-4.4-5.0), while iHeart classic rock “Lone Star 92.5” KZPS (2-5(tie)-3; 4.7-4.1-4.7) bounces back from fifth to third. In Houston, meanwhile, iHeart AC “Sunny 99.1” KODA (1-1-1; 6.3-6.6-6.5) makes it a sixth straight month at the top, although Univision Mexican regional “Qué Buena” KLTN (3-3-2; 6.1-5.6-6.2) has made it a closer race, while moving from fourth to third is Audacy Adult Hits “95.7 The Spot” KKHH (4-4-3; 5.7-5.5-5.8).
Cox Media news/talk WSB/WSBB (1-1-1; 9.0-9.7-9.6) continues its reign in Atlanta, where its classic hits sister “The River” WSRV (3-2-2; 6.7-7.1-7.3) stays in the runner-up spot and adult R&B sister “Kiss 104.1” WALR (2-3-3; 7.0-6.8-5.7) sticks at third. Further down, Radio One Inspirational Gospel “Praise 102.5” WPZE (10-10(tie)-7(tie); 3.5-2.9-4.2) makes a noteworthy jump to seventh.
And in Philadelphia, iHeart adult R&B WDAS-FM (1-1-1; 8.3-8.3-8.7) continues its lead over Beasley Media Group rocker WMMR (2(tie)-2-2; 6.6-7.1-7.3) and its classic rock sister WMGK (2(tie)-3-3; 6.6-6.1-6.3). Just below, news-talk pubcaster WHYY (7-5-4; 4.7-5.1-5.6) gains its way to fourth, and Audacy all-sports WIP (4-7-5; 5.6-4.8-5.5), on the wings of (the) Eagles, moves back into the top five.
All numbers quoted are 6+ AQH shares, Mon-Sun, 6am-12midnight.