THE BEST OF NEW HAMPSHIRE? LAURA KNOY & “THE EXCHANGE” • NPR NEWS LISTENERS HOLD STEADY IN MAY PPM RATINGS

One of my favorite ways to check out life in places I’d like to visit is to find "Best Of" editions that published in local media. These candid reviews reveal a lot about the hearts and minds of residents.

Hearts are full and minds are smart and motivated in New Hampshire. The readers of New Hampshire Magazine [link] have voted New Hampshire Public Radio’s (NHPR) daily talk show The Exchange with Laura Knoy the top radio talk show in the state. (NHPR also was voted the best radio station.) 

Knoy is well known for her interviews with presidential hopefuls and in-depth coverage of New England issues. 

She is also loved locally because she was born and raised in New Hampshire, then moved to big cities and then came back home to host The Exchange on NHPR. 

Knoy honed her chops at WAMU in DC and USA Today in New York before returning. 

In 2007 she was named New Hampshire Broadcaster of the Year by the New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters.

Have you been wondering what is the best New Hampshire-made toothpaste? 

Of course it is People’s Paste [link]. Readers heaped praise on People’s Paste because its all-natural, peppermint flavor and local organic ingredients. 

Rumor has it that brushing with People’s Paste makes you smarter, just like listening to Laura Knoy.

MAY NIELSEN AUDIO PPM RATINGS: NEW YORK, LA, SAN FRANCISCO, DC & BOSTON

The first batch of May PPM estimates have been released and they show that NPR News listeners are sticking with news/talk stations six months after the fall 2016 elections. Of the eight stations in five markets we are reviewing today, estimated weekly cumulative listeners at six have increased in May compared with April.

In Washington, DC, not only did WAMU hold steady in weekly listeners, it again out-performed commercial giant WTOP in average-quarter hour (AQH) share for the fourth straight month. 

According to radio writer Tom Taylor [link], WAMU is number one in all day-parts. These are truly amazing results!

In New York both WNYC-FM and WNYC-AM increased their estimated weekly listeners compared to April. These long days help WNYC-AM because it’s signal is best during daylight hours. Triple A WFUV was also up significantly.

There were not many changes in Los Angeles. Jazz music KKJZ had the biggest gain in weekly listeners on May compared to April.

In the San Francisco PPM ratings, KQED dropped a little bit in estimated weekly listeners compared to April. KQED remains the NPR News station with the most estimated weekly listeners and continues to be the number one station in the market in AQH share. According to Tom Taylor’s reporting, KQED topped CBS O & O KCBS in almost all day-parts.

The intense competition between WBUR and WGBH continues in Boston. It is nice to see WERS’ estimated weekly listeners up substantially compared to April.