Posted by chicagomedia.org on June 24, 2009 at 13:54:51:
All Access Exclusive: May PPM Analysis
RADIOCRUNCH principals KEVIN MCCABE and ANTHONY ACAMPORA are back with the latest PPM demo analysis from MAY.
Chicago
Mix Takes 18-49, 25-54; WOJO Controls 18-34. BONNEVILLE Hot AC WTMX (THE MIX) remains the markets top station with Adults 18-49 and 25-54, while UNIVISION Regional Mexican continues to command the top spot in the younger cells.
BONNEVILLE: With a mix of hits both pop and rhythmic, Hot AC WTMX holds for a third consecutive month at #1 among 18-49 adults in the competitive CHICAGO market. WTMX widens its lead at the top of 25-54 as it employs a targeted adult music mix from artists such as ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS, KELLY CLARKSON and LADY GAGA.
Classic Rock WDRV (THE DRIVE) had occupied the top spot 25-54 as recently as MARCH 2009, but now ranks 4th in MAY down from #3 in APRIL. WDRV maintains top 10 18-49 in MAY but slips from 8th place in APRIL to 9th in MAY. Rock shares are far stronger in the CHICAGO market overall, especially in comparison to NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES.
The principal competitor to WDRV is of course EMMIS Rock WLUP -- and THE LOOP gets a couple of major boosts in MAY which could explain WDRV dipping in both demos.
80's based AC WILV falls out of the top 10 25-54 in the MAY PPM monthly and is in a three-way tie at #11 with CLEAR CHANNEL AC WLIT (LITE) and CBS AAA WXRT. WILV experiences a steeper decline 18-49 by moving from 9th in APRIL to a tie at 15th. However, it is well ahead of CBS's WCFS in the cell.
CBS: The company lands three of the top 10 stations in the important 25-54 cell.
WUSN surges from 5th in April to #2 18-49 in May. Perhaps even more impressive is WUSN's surge 25-54 as it moves from 7th to 3rd in the lucrative demo with decent share growth to go with it. WUSN is one of the standout Country format performers in the PPM world - and shows the continued appeal of the music in America's 3rd-largest market.
All-News WBBM-A has cooled as the CHICAGO weather has warmed. After hitting the top of the 25-54 demo in JANUARY and FEBRUARY, WBBM-A now places 5th.
Rhythmic B96 moves to 4th 18-34 in MAY -- up from 6th place in APRIL. There is growth 18-49 for B96 with a jump into the top 10 in MAY -- ranking #10 and up from #12 in APRIL.
AAA WXRT slips to #11 in MAY and ties for that position with AC outlets WILV and WLIT.
AC WCFS (FRESH) slips to #23 25-54 in the MAY results -- down from 21st in APRIL. Other than its #11 ranking 25-54 in the PPM Holiday book from last DECEMBER, WCFS has not appeared in the top 15 this year and has now dipped below #20.
In the top 10 25-54 for a second straight month is Rock-slanted Adult Hits WJMK (JACK-FM). WJMK finished 9th 25-54, and has seen growth since jettisoning STEVE DAHL in mornings and move to a more tightly focused rock-based approach heavy in the 70's and 80's.
Sports WSCR-A ranks 25th - in a tie with WGRB-A.
CLEAR CHANNEL: For the fourth time in five months, Urban AC WVAZ (V103) is up and holds the #2 spot in rank 25-54. It also ranks top 5 18-49.
Urban WGCI ranks 5th 18-34, 8th 18-49, and 14th 25-54.
AC WLIT slides into a tie for 11th place 25-54 - off from 9th in April - but tied with WILV - and well ahead of WCFS. It is not the performer that CC's WLTW/NEW YORK or KOST/LOS ANGELES are -- but WLIT has quite a bit more direct competition.
Top 40 WKSC is the dominant English-language outlet in CHICAGO among 18-34s. WKSC has ranked #2 18-34 from JANUARY to MAY -- so five consecutive PPM monthlies. With its heavily-Rhythmic Top 40 stance, WKSC has stayed ahead of CBS Rhythmic rival WBBM-F (B96) in the 18-34 cell for all of 2009 thus far. WKSC maintains top 5 18-49 but slips from 3rd place in APRIL to 4th in MAY.
In its final month on the air, Smooth AC WNUA dipped to 24th 25-54.
EMMIS: The big news out of Merchandise Mart Plaza in CHICAGO is the impressive growth in all three demos of Rock WLUP (THE LOOP). WLUP surges from 14th in a tie with WJMK in APRIL to 6th place 18-49 in MAY. In the 25-54 cell, WLUP moves from a 9th place tie in APRIL with WJMK to a 5th place tie in MAY with WBBM-A. WLUP of course has a 32-year Rock legacy in CHICAGO -- and EMMIS has brought the station to new heights -- as evidenced by this strong PPM monthly.
Alternative WKQX (Q101) sees growth 18-34 with a move to 14th in a tie with WCFS from 17th in APRIL. Q101 also gets a boost 18-49 and ranks 21st.
CITADEL: Classic Hits WLS-F (TRUE OLDIES 94.7) dips from 6th to 8th 25-54, but remains a consistent top 10 performer.
Talk WLS-A slides for a fifth straight month, moving down from a 9th place rank in JANUARY to 18th where it landed in MAY.
UNIVISION: Regional Mexican WOJO continues to claim the top spot 18-34, ranks 3rd 18-49, and 5th 18-49, pulling top 5 rankings across all three demos. That is something only WOJO and WTMX can claim in the WINDY CITY.
Spanish Adult Hits WVIV (RECUERDO) has vaulted with its new format -- nearly tripling its 25-54 shares from the previous Latin Urban format. RECUERDO was 16th 25-54 this month.
Spanish Contemporary WPPN is steady in 20th place 25-54.
Others: Despite the return of the CUBS, TRIBUNE News/Talk WGN-A still only ranks 16th 25-54.
CRAWFORD Urban AC WSRB has gotten a boost with the addition of TOM JOYNER -- rising to its highest PPM shares to date 25-54.
However, Urban sister WPWX drops from 3rd to 9th 18-34 and 7th to 20th 18-49.
SBS Regional Mexican WLEY rises from 14th to 10th 25-54 and 10th to 7th 18-49.