NIELSEN PPM TWO-YEAR TRENDS: TRIPLE A, ROCK & AMERICANA, PLUS JAZZ & URBAN CONTEMPORARY STATIONS

TOMORROW: TUNE INTO SPARK NEWS FOR

NPR NEWS/TALK STATION RATINGS & ANALYSIS

Abby Goldstein (Image courtesy of All Access Media)

About a month ago, Abby Goldstein, GM of WYEP, Pittsburgh suggested on the PRPD Facebook site that we compare current Triple A station ratings with data from 2016.  That is what we’ve done with all noncom formats – comparing estimated weekly listeners from June 2018 with June 2016.

Before we get to the numbers, we want to recommend 10 Questions With Abby Goldstein on All Access Media [link]. Today we have three q-&-a’s from the interview that capture the spirit of public radio. The additional seven q-&-a’s on All Access are also excellent.

WYEP's Hosts (image courtesy

Pittsburgh City Paper)

QUESTION: You have always been committed to public radio - can you explain why that is the best home for you?

GOLDSTEIN: This is a mission-focused enterprise and that's what inspires us to do what we do every day. We like to say that content generates audience and engagement, audience generates revenue and revenue drives mission. The end goal here is to do something extraordinary and meaningful for the community. It's the most rewarding work I've ever done.

QUESTION: What are the biggest challenges facing public radio today?

GOLDSTEIN: All media faces big challenges today. For public media, demonstrating our relevance to the communities we serve will help us continue to build strong support and build more opportunities for public service. We must remain relevant to an audience that has many more choices than they once did. We must deliver unique value that keeps our community engaged with what we do.

QUESTION: Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without ...

GOLDSTEIN: ... a piece of chocolate and a good, hard laugh.

TRIPLE A, ROCK & AMERICANA STATION PERFORMANCE

We are tracking 20 stations that have a full-time Triple A, Rock or Americana format.   

Complete data was available for 18 of the 20 stations and our analysis is based on those stations. 

Overall, the trend line for the format is up. The number of estimated weekly listeners in the June 2018 Nielsen Audio ratings was 2,209,300, up 6.7% from June 2016 (2,062,600).

 NOTE: There is a math error in the data for KJAC. Actually they lost weekly listeners.  We apologize and want to thank the reader who brought this to our attention.

Of the 18 stations we examined, 9 increased their estimated weekly listeners (50%) in June 2018 and the other 9 (50%) lost weekly listeners. 

The biggest numeric gainer was WYMS, Milwaukee, which added 22,200 weekly listeners. 

The Colorado Sound a/k/a KJAC had the biggest percentage gain, up 24% in June 2018 compared with June 2016.

KKXT, Dallas had the biggest numeric loss (down 94,800) and the largest percentage loss (down 30%) between June 2016 and June 2018.

We also tracked two dual format stations that feature significant chunks of music in addition to NPR News/Talk programming. 

WRAS, Atlanta shares its schedule (primarily overnights) with student programmers.

JAZZ STATION PERFORMANCE

We are currently tracking 17 full-time Jazz music stations and have comparative information for 13 of them. The combined number of estimated weekly listeners to the 13 stations was 1,974,000 in June 2018, slightly lower than June 2016 (2,006,600).

Of the 13 stations, 5 (38%) increased their estimated weekly listeners in June 2018 from June 2016. Eight stations (62%) lost weekly listeners. 

Jazz stations showing the biggest gains were KUNV, Los Angeles (up 40%), KBEM, Minneapolis (up 36%) and KTSU, Houston (up 16%). WCLK, Atlanta, had the biggest decline (down 27%.

KNKX, Seattle was one of the few dual format stations that did not loose estimated weekly listeners. 

Jazz and Classical WRTI, Philadelphia had the biggest decline, down 33% from June 2016 to June 2018.

URBAN CONTEMPORARY STATIONS

We’ve added a new category for stations that air full-time Urban Contemporary formats. Keeps in mind that each of these stations is quite different than the others in this group. 

For instance, KHNC, Seattle, specializes in current-based club and dance music. WQOX, Memphis concentrates on oldies and plays very little current music. KMOJ, Minneapolis, takes a “full service” approach, mixing community news with several genres of music.