Chicago Radio Ratings: August 2022

[pjc1961]

Age 6+ covering the period from Thu. 7/21/2022 - Wed. 8/20/2022:

Chicago - RadioInsight

Nielsen Audio PPM Monthly Ratings Chicago (Market #3) Population: 8,028,600 Black: 1,347,600 - Hispanic: 1,773,100 Average Quarter Hour Share for Persons 6+, Mon-Sun 6AM-Mid 9/14-10/1110/12-11/811/9-12/612/7-1/31/4-1/312/1-2/28 OCT 23NOV 23DEC 23HOL 23JAN 24FEB 24STATIONNAMEFORMATOWNERCUME...

radioinsight.com

Top 5+ rankings in demos 25-54, 18-34 + 18-49:

25-54: 1. WOJO 2. WDRV 3. WKSC 4. WLIT 5. WUSN T6. WTMX T6. WVAZ T6. WKQX
18-34: 1. WOJO 2. WUSN 3. WDRV 4. WKSC 5. WGCI (up from 10) T9. WBMX T9. WKQX T9. WLS-FM (up from T16)
18-49: 1. WOJO 2. WKSC 3. WUSN 4. WKQX 5. WDRV T8. WVAZ T8. WLIT T8. WPPN

 

[CTListener]

Country as the top format for non-Hispanic listeners 18-34. Wow.

 

[pjc1961]

Age 6+ covering the period from Thu. 7/21/2022 - Wed. 8/20/2022:

My typo error - that should read 8/17/2022.

 

[Brian Bowers]

Interesting. WKQX huh, in all of those demos? Hmmm, maybe I should give 'em a listen, to see what other's are liking about this station.

 

[MarkW]

Very impressive book for Q101. There evidently is affinity for that brand still. I thought resurrecting it was a gimmick, but Cumulus might be smarter and wiser than I thought.

Also a very nice book for WUSN!

Good to see 95.5 fall back in the big demo categories; that station's playlist looks like total garbage again, if ya ask me. I suspect they still perform decently among middle aged men. Why listen to that trainwreck of a playlist when so many great streaming options exist?

The Mix certainly isn't the force it once was.

 

[101tm]

SHE continues to get basement level ratings as always, but SHE’s ahead of B96 - which isn’t hard these days!

 

[jt99]

Chicago must not have as many 40-54 year olds as the other markets where Cumulus owns Classic Hits stations. It doesn't seem the '70s friendly approach is working for WLS-FM as much as it's working for the other Cumulus Classic Hits stations. They seem to be slowly moving more into the '90s, but are still pretty conservative with '90s music compared to other stations in the format.

 

[101tm]

Chicago must not have as many 40-54 year olds as the other markets where Cumulus owns Classic Hits stations. It doesn't seem the '70s friendly approach is working for WLS-FM as much as it's working for the other Cumulus Classic Hits stations. They seem to be slowly moving more into the '90s, but are still pretty conservative with '90s music compared to other stations in the format.

Part of the issue WLS-FM is having overall is WLIT, WRME, and the biggest, WDRV. It’s going to be difficult for them to do that great with any approach IMO. I know times change, but as far as for the time, I thought WLS-FM sounded the best in the early 2010s. Of course the music needed to evolve, but the overall sound, presentation, etc went great with the music they played. Now, not so much.

Also of note: WLS is now below a 1 share (although slightly), and I would imagine much if not most of that is 55+. Ouch.

 

[MarkW]

Bingo. WLIT and WDRV are putting the squeeze on LS-FM.

WRME doesn't really matter for purposes of this specific question since it is of little relevance among listeners under the age of 55.

At least online, WSHE seems to have begun deemphasizing the "SHE" brand somewhat. Has on-air imaging begun to follow a similar pattern?

 

[JeremyAndrews]

Bingo. WLIT and WDRV are putting the squeeze on LS-FM.

WRME doesn't really matter for purposes of this specific question since it is of little relevance among listeners under the age of 55.

At least online, WSHE seems to have begun deemphasizing the "SHE" brand somewhat. Has on-air imaging begun to follow a similar pattern?

The new branding is "The New 100.3.......She loves the 90s & 2000s"

If you look at ratings books for that frequency over the past 2 decades or more, you'll notice the ratings are generally the same. Mid 2s. It's a flanker for WTMX. They're perfectly good with it.

WLS-FM leans very heavy on Classic Rock. Very little pop. I think WDRV is more competition for 94.7 than WLIT is.

 

[101tm]

WLS-FM adopted the classic rock-lite format when The Loop went away. However, the classic rock-lite format is increasingly becoming more of the default for classic hits stations - look at WOMC/Detroit, KOOL/Phoenix, KRTH, WOGL/Philadelphia, etc… you’ll hear Prince, Cyndi Lauper, Bee Gees, Michael Jackson, etc but not most of the cheesy 80s pop or late 70s disco. It helps lower the demos since classic rock has shown to do well in younger groups.

Musically, I think 94.7 is really in the best place they can be. They’re never going to be a massive success like KRTH or CBS-FM with the current forces in the market.

 

[CassChopper96]

Chicago must not have as many 40-54 year olds as the other markets where Cumulus owns Classic Hits stations. It doesn't seem the '70s friendly approach is working for WLS-FM as much as it's working for the other Cumulus Classic Hits stations. They seem to be slowly moving more into the '90s, but are still pretty conservative with '90s music compared to other stations in the format.

WGRR, KCMO-FM and WJJK does not have the competion that WLS-FM does in chicago which could explain the ratings

 

[101tm]

Also of note, WSHE is now in striking distance of WTMX. I’m not sure about 25-54, but that’s pretty close for a once top market station and a station that was designed to be a flanker for it.

 

[victorres43]

WLS-FM adopted the classic rock-lite format when The Loop went away. However, the classic rock-lite format is increasingly becoming more of the default for classic hits stations - look at WOMC/Detroit, KOOL/Phoenix, KRTH, WOGL/Philadelphia, etc… you’ll hear Prince, Cyndi Lauper, Bee Gees, Michael Jackson, etc but not most of the cheesy 80s pop or late 70s disco. It helps lower the demos since classic rock has shown to do well in younger groups.

Musically, I think 94.7 is really in the best place they can be. They’re never going to be a massive success like KRTH or CBS-FM with the current forces in the market.

Kind of interesting that you consider K-EARTH to be Classic Rock-lite, considering that they have touched Bobby Brown, MC Hammer, and even 2Pac. I wouldn't imagine a station like WLS-FM or WJJK to play these artists, at least not in their current iterations. And not many Classic Rock stations would play Depeche Mode frequently.

 

[victorres43]

But it's noticeable though that KJEB in Seattle is a bit more pop/rhythmic friendly than WLS-FM, and considering that Seattle isn't as ethnically diverse as Chicago...

 

[jt99]

WLS-FM adopted the classic rock-lite format when The Loop went away. However, the classic rock-lite format is increasingly becoming more of the default for classic hits stations - look at WOMC/Detroit, KOOL/Phoenix, KRTH, WOGL/Philadelphia, etc… you’ll hear Prince, Cyndi Lauper, Bee Gees, Michael Jackson, etc but not most of the cheesy 80s pop or late 70s disco. It helps lower the demos since classic rock has shown to do well in younger groups.

Musically, I think 94.7 is really in the best place they can be. They’re never going to be a massive success like KRTH or CBS-FM with the current forces in the market.

Looking at WOGL and WOMC, while they lean solidly towards rock, WOGL is not afraid of rhythmic material, while WOMC seems to have a bit broader variety of '80s pop songs. I think it could do WLS-FM some good to be a bit more open minded towards pop/rhythmic music (while still keeping a rock lean), especially given that Chicago has a much larger Hispanic population than Detroit and Philadelphia.

WGRR, KCMO-FM and WJJK does not have the competion that WLS-FM does in chicago which could explain the ratings

Each of those stations seem to have about as much competition as WLS-FM, so I don't know if that explains it.

Kind of interesting that you consider K-EARTH to be Classic Rock-lite, considering that they have touched Bobby Brown, MC Hammer, and even 2Pac. I wouldn't imagine a station like WLS-FM or WJJK to play these artists, at least not in their current iterations. And not many Classic Rock stations would play Depeche Mode frequently.

KRTH (and similarly programmed KXSN in nearby San Diego) seem to have gone in a rock leaning direction this year, which is interesting given the ethnic composition of those markets. I'd still say the rock lean on those stations is pretty slight for now, but they could still evolve closer to a Classic Rock lite format in the future.

 

[victorres43]

Looking at WOGL and WOMC, while they lean solidly towards rock, WOGL is not afraid of rhythmic material, while WOMC seems to have a bit broader variety of '80s pop songs. I think it could do WLS-FM some good to be a bit more open minded towards pop/rhythmic music (while still keeping a rock lean), especially given that Chicago has a much larger Hispanic population than Detroit and Philadelphia.

Each of those stations seem to have about as much competition as WLS-FM, so I don't know if that explains it.

KRTH (and similarly programmed KXSN in nearby San Diego) seem to have gone in a rock leaning direction this year, which is interesting given the ethnic composition of those markets. I'd still say the rock lean on those stations is pretty slight for now, but they could still evolve closer to a Classic Rock lite format in the future.

Remember that the WLS of old was not as friendly towards rhythmic material. Not to mention that Cumulus classic hits stations are more rock-leaning than the classic hits stations owned by iHeart and even Audacy. Perhaps adding 90s dance music isn't completely out of the question, considering that Chicago is the birthplace of house music, but WLS-FM may be fearing WDRV's strength at this time. Although, midwestern markets may not be the best place to frequently play pop/dance material such as Janet Jackson on classic hits radio; kind of the opposite in California, where so many "oldies" stations play rhythmic material.

As for KRTH, I don't see it morphing into a Classic Rock lite format, considering they have to contend with both Jack-FM and KROQ. And considering California's noticeable appetite for rhythmic material, in addition to Southern California's affinity for new wave... Southern California may not be the right place to go all in on AC/DC, Aerosmith, and John Mellencamp. Also, nearby KOLA plays a lot of R&B tracks that many classic hits stations will not consider touching, and the Inland Empire is far more blue-collar and conservative compared to LA. (The OC is mainly conservative, but it tilts white collar.)

 

[101tm]

I may be wrong, but I don’t believe KRTH has played much, if any hip hop in a while, or in recent months. They’ve been slowly phasing in some alternative hits from the late 80s and 90s, coupled with new wave and general rock, so that seems to be the direction they’re in.

WROR in Boston is semi classic rock leaning classic hits, not as much as WJJK (which seems to have softened), they’ll play an artist like Madonna.

KLUV, and WIAD, also Audacy classic hits stations, are definitely not pop classic hits stations like WCBS-FM or WOCL. They’re “friendly” towards rock vs pop material for sure. Oddly, Audacy’s WMXJ in Miami isn’t even that rhythmic leaning, especially considering the market.

 

[jt99]

WROR in Boston is semi classic rock leaning classic hits, not as much as WJJK (which seems to have softened), they’ll play an artist like Madonna.

Getting the thread back to the topic of Chicago, there was a thread from 2019 wondering why WROR-FM only played Michael Jackson and Prince and no other black artists even though other stations (including WLS-FM) played songs from other black artists. Three years later, and it seems the two stations have nearly switched places musically. WLS-FM did a lot back better in 2019, which promoted my earlier suggestion that they be a bit more open minded towards pop/rhythmic material.

 

[DavidEduardo]

Getting the thread back to the topic of Chicago, there was a thread from 2019 wondering why WROR-FM only played Michael Jackson and Prince and no other black artists even though other stations (including WLS-FM) played songs from other black artists. Three years later, and it seems the two stations have nearly switched places musically. WLS-FM did a lot back better in 2019, which promoted my earlier suggestion that they be a bit more open minded towards pop/rhythmic material.

You really think a station intentionally excludes Black artists? If few are played, the station's music test did not pass any others. Period.

Listeners decide on what is played, particularly in a gold-based format.