by Steve Allen
August 9, 2023
It is hard to believe that this is likely our final ratings column in ALL ACCESS. For nearly 11 years, The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with our cohorts at XTRENDS – have been cranking out this recap every 28 days. It has truly been a labor of love. We cannot emphasize enough our appreciation for JOEL DENVER and his incredible staff for allowing us to grace these pages.
Quick anecdote: In one of our early columns, I wrote something like: “Station X had its worst book since MARCH.” JOEL kindly pointed out that we did not want to use terms like “worst.” The last thing a PD with a bad book needed to see was that they just had their “worst” book. JOEL was right.
The downsizing of this site is a loss for the radio industry. We are losing one of our biggest cheerleaders at a time when we are facing a lot of headwinds. JOEL was (and is) all about celebrating the greatness of radio. We will miss that most of all.
Now, back to the countdown …. The JULY survey ran from JUNE 22ND through JULY 19TH. Here is our famous final scene…
SEATTLE-TACOMA: Hungry Like The Wolf
For the second straight survey, AUDACY Country KKWF (100.7 THE WOLF) was #1 6+. The station extended its lead over the rest of the pack by posting its largest share in over a year (7.4-7.7). The station also added another .2 share from its stream. iHEARTMEDIA Classic Hits KJEB (95.7 THE JET) glided up to #2 (6.0-6.1), while iHEARTMEDIA Classic Rock KZOK dipped to #3 with its lowest mark since JANUARY (6.5-5.8). AUDACY AC KSWD (94.1 THE SOUND) landed its largest Frosty-free share since AUGUST as it moved up to #4 (4.8-5.7). BONNEVILLE Talk KIRO had its first up book since JANUARY to advance four spaces to #5 (4.3-4.9). AUDACY Active Rock KISW slipped to #6 (4.9-4.8), while UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON N/T KUOW dropped to #7 (5.6-4.5). KZOK was the cume leader for the second book in a row (566,600-552,000) – a 2.6% decrease. The market was off by 1.7%.
The 25-54 competition was heating up. KISW captured the flag for the third book in a row but returned all of last month’s large increase – plus a little extra. KKWF stepped up to #2 with – naturally – its best outing in over a year. The gap between the two stations stood at less than a half share. KJEB was up to #3, despite posting its lowest score since JANUARY. FRIENDS OF KEXP Alternative KEXP ended a four-book slide as it vaulted from #8 to #4. HUBBARD Top 40/M KQMV (MOViN’ 92.5) fell three places to #5 with its smallest share in over a year. It was joined in that space by iHEARTMEDIA Adult Hits KJAQ (96.5 JACK FM), which rose from #7 with its highest score in over a year. AUDACY Rhythmic AC KHTP (HOT 103.7) dropped from #5 to #8.
Consider the recent journey of KEXP. It notched three #1 18-34 books in a row before falling to #5 last month. The station got back all of that lost share – plus a skosh more – to move back to #1. However, it was not alone. KKWF again had its best book in over a year to zoom in from #7 to capture its share of the lead. Last month’s winner was KZOK and it slipped to #3. KQMV and KHTP had been tied at #2. Both stations were down and ended up at #4 and #5, respectively. Speaking of respect, KJAQ and KSWD were previously spotted at #10 and #11, respectively. Both stations had impressive increases to move up and into a tie at #6. KJEB fell from #4 into a tie at #8 with KISW and KUOW.
KISW was the 18-49 leader for the third consecutive book but was feeling some pressure as KKWF advanced from #5 to #2. The two stations were separated by less than a half share. KJEB dipped to #3 with a modest decrease, while KEXP was up four places to #4 as it ended a four-book slide. KZOK stepped down to #5 as it returned a good portion of last month’s huge share increase. KQMV slid from #3 to #7 with its lowest total in over a year.
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