Even with new leaders, and ties, in two markets, the results are essentially the same as in August among the eight non-embedded markets reporting on Day 1 of Nielsen's September PPMs (covering the measurement period from Aug. 17-Sept. 13).
Like August's Day 1, three adult contemporary, three classic hits, one country, and one soft AC station are winners. The one difference is a second classic rock champion, as Hubbard Radio classic rock “The Drive” WDRV returns to the top in Chicago – albeit in a tie with iHeartMedia soft AC “93.9 Lite FM” WLIT – while Beasley Media Group's WMGK continues its reign in Philadelphia.
About that one country station among the champs: while, as in August, it's still a Cumulus Media outlet in Dallas, and still tied with Audacy classic hits “98.7 The Spot” KSPF, it's actually a different station than the one that shared that lead. Cumulus' “99.5 The Wolf” KPLX takes over in that tie for the top, while its country sister “New Country 96.3” KSCS exits the top five altogether.
New York
iHeart AC “106.7 Lite FM” WLTW notches its 11th straight victory in the Apple, even as its lead over classic rock sister “Q104.3” WAXQ slims down to just 0.9. Audacy classic hits 101.1 WCBS-FM moves up from fourth to third, ahead of two more iHeart-ers tied for fourth, CHR “Z100” WHTZ and rhythmic CHR 103.5 WKTU, the latter gaining 0.8 from August when it ranked sixth.
Los Angeles
It's a lucky seventh consecutive win for Audacy classic hits “K-Earth 101” KRTH, with a 0.9 edge over iHeart hot AC “104.3 MyFM” KBIG, vs. its 1.3-point lead for August. iHeart AC sister KOST 103.5 gains 0.6 to move from fifth to third, as news/talk sister KFI AM 640 and Audacy urban AC sister “94.7 The Wave” KTWV step down from third to fourth, and fourth to fifth, respectively, neither with much of a share loss.
Chicago
While iHeart soft AC “93.9 Lite FM” WLIT nabs its 12th straight victory in the Windy City, it has to settle for a tie with Hubbard Radio classic rock “The Drive” WDRV, leading the market for the first time since last November, when it also tied with WLIT. Audacy news WBBM-AM and adult alternative sister WXRT swap spots from August, now third and fourth, while iHeart urban AC sister “V103” WVAZ stays at fifth.
San Francisco
With the exception of March, Bonneville AC 96.5 KOIT has been the leader in the city by the bay for all of 2023-to-date, this its sixth straight win. It takes a slightly larger lead over Audacy news KCBS-AM compared to August, 1.3 vs. 0.9. Like KCBS, news/talk pubcaster 88.5 KQED keeps the same rank with the same share as in August, while iHeart urban contemporary sister 106.1 KMEL gains 0.4 to go from fifth to fourth. Tied for fifth are iHeart soft AC sister “98.1 The Breeze” KISQ and Bonneville CHR “99.7 Now” KMVQ, the latter up from seventh with a 0.7-share rise.
Dallas
As noted above, a Cumulus Media country station again ties for the lead with Audacy classic hits “98.7 The Spot” KSPF, except it isn't the same station as in August. Cumulus' other country outlet in the market, “99.5 The Wolf” KPLX, pounces from seventh-ranked to tie for first, while its former country leader, “New Country 96.3” KSCS, drops to sixth. KSPF and KPLX's shared lead is just two-tenths of a point ahead of Univision Spanish regional Mexican “Que Buena 94.1” KLNO and Cumulus sports sister “The Ticket” KTCK-AM-FM, which tie for third. Those two are just 0.1 ahead of Cumulus news/talk WBAP 820, which places fifth.
Houston
iHeart AC “Sunny 99.1” KODA holds onto the crown in Space City, taking a wider lead over Urban One classic rock “The Eagle” KGLK, which now ties with urban AC sister “Majic 102.1” KMJQ. Meanwhile, tied for fourth are Audacy adult hits “95.7 the spot” KKHH and Hope Media Group contemporary Christian 89.3 KSBJ.
Atlanta
While CMG classic hits “97.1 The River” WSRV has led in every measurement period for 2023-to-date, and grabs its ninth straight win, it's a squeaker this time out with just a tenth of a share point between it and Urban One urban AC “Majic 107.5/97.5” WAMJ, still ranked second. Overall, the order of Atlanta's top five stays as it was in August, with CMG's news/talk WSB-AM/WSBB-FM, urban AC “Kiss 104.1” WALR, and AC “B98.5” WSB-FM still at third, fourth, and fifth.
Philadelphia
It's now five crowns in a row for Beasley classic rock 102.9 WMGK, which breaks into the double-digits as it widens its lead over iHeart urban AC WDAS-FM 105.3 by another share point, up by 3.1 vs. August's 2.1. Beasley also claims third and fourth place with rocker 93.3 WMMR and country 92.5 WXTU, while a pair from Audacy tie for fifth: news KYW, up from ninth with a 1.2-share-point gain, and sports WIP-FM.