Chicago radio ratings: News outlets surge

WBBM-AM, WBEZ are up from Holiday survey; increasing number of streams showing up in ratings

With the Christmas music season over and audience patterns returning to normal, two trends have emerged in Nielsen’s January PPM numbers.

The change in Presidential administrations and the Los Angeles wildfires has sent ratings for all-news and news/talk stations upward, with WBBM-AM/WCFS-FM (Newsradio 105.9) claiming the top spot, up slightly from last month (but down from October.) But it also claimed a 1.2 rating from its online stream, ahead of terrestrial stations Power 92 and WDCB-FM.  Several online and HD2 streams showed up in this book and the previous one, as the streams of The Score (WSCR-AM, 0.6) and WLS-AM (0.3). In last month’s Holiday book, eleven online and HD2 streams showed up in the survey, including several Audacy stations. Many HD2 stations are available on HD Radio or streaming and feature different formats or carry other stations than their terrestrial counterparts. For example, WXRT’s HD2 channel features “deep tracks”, mainly album cuts, and WTBC-FM’s HD2 channel simulcasts ESPN 1000’s feed, although the WMVP terrestrial station doesn’t subscribe to Nielsen as their numbers don’t show up in the survey. This proves more listeners are finding different ways of accessing their content other than the traditional radio. 

Also increasing in share is Chicago Public Media’s WBEZ, which rebounded nicely with its highest ratings in over a year, and with barely a local presence. The turmoil engulfing the Trump Administration and its fallout – not to mention the Los Angeles wildfires, has fueled WBEZ’s and WBBM’s ratings as did Cumulus’ conservative talk WLS-AM, also with a national lineup, sans Big John Howell in the mornings. Nexstar’s WGN-AM also saw increases from the last survey.

The big news month also benefitted New York and Los Angeles. In the Big Apple, Audacy’s WINS-AM was up 14 percent to finish second behind iHeart AC station WLTW while conservative talk WABC and public radio station WNYC also saw sizeable increases. In L.A., where deadly wildfires started in the second week of January, all-news KNX-AM finished third, up from seventh with a 41 percent increase. 

Numerous music stations saw their shares increase as those who listened to WLIT during the holiday season returned to their outlets, with Country station WUSN-FM (US99), Hot AC WTMX (101.9 The Mix), Triple A WXRT-FM, Top 40 WKSC-FM (Kiss 103.5), and alternative WKQX-FM (Q101) all showing increases from the Holiday survey and from last October, the last period not impacted by Christmas music. WTMX topped all stations in the key 25-54 demo, finishing first followed by Audacy’s WUSN and iHeart’s WKSC, and WXRT, who surged from fourthteenth to fourth in the demo. 

On the other hand, several outlets fell, post-Christmas survey. Of course, WLIT fell from first to eighth overall but remained in the top ten. However, the iHeart-owned station fell from first to twelfth in adults 25-54s. Hubbard’s Classic Rock WDRV-FM (The Drive) fell slightly from the Holiday book and 20 percent from October, but remained in third place. And while Cumulus’ Classic Hits WLS-FM was up 16 percent from Holiday, it’s down seven percent from October, but tied for third in adults 18-34s with WOJO, finishing behind WKSC and WUSN. Keep in mind the pool of 18-34 listeners is smaller than the other two major adult demos.

WLS-FM announced a new hire Monday, bringing in JayBeau Jones to voice track evenings from the Personality On Demand service. Jones was the first PD of WKSC-FM when it flipped from Jammin’ Oldies WUBT-FM in March 2001, where he held the same position starting in 1999.