Nielsen released Day 1 of its November 2025 Portable People Meter (PPM) ratings on December 2, 2025, covering the survey period from October 16 to November 12, 2025. These initial results spotlight the top 12 PPM markets: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Long Island (Nassau-Suffolk), Riverside/San Bernardino, San Jose, and Middlesex-Somerset-Union.
Amid a competitive radio landscape, standout performers included stations leveraging seasonal shifts, sports momentum, and tributes, with notable gains in talk, adult contemporary, and classic rock formats.
Full data is available via Nielsen subscribers, but public summaries reveal trends in listener shares (6+ audience, Monday-Sunday 6AM-Midnight).
📻New York: Conservative talk and all-news formats capitalized on election fallout, traffic woes, and national headlines, while pop held the fort. These Day 1 figures—covering NYC, Long Island, and Nassau-Suffolk—highlight a volatile book amplified by Nielsen's 3-min qualifier (10-19% AM/FM lift since Jan 2025). Red Apple Media's 770 WABC exploded +6.2 to 8.2 in Long Island (highest since PPM began in 1974), tying NYC's #3 behind AC powerhouse "Lite FM" WLTW (down to 7.8) and Classic Hits WCBS-FM (up to 7.1). iHeartMedia's CHR "Z100" WHTZ steadied at 7.3 (NYC #4), its pop citadel unshaken. Audacy's News 1010 WINS/92.3 WINS-FM vaulted +1.0 to 6.9 (NYC #5), the brand's best since 1969, as its stream added 0.4 to 1.2. Broader trends: News/Talk claims 22% market share (up 12% YoY), edging AC's 20%, with streams boosting totals 15-20%.
📻Los Angeles: Audacy Classic Hits "K-Earth 101" KRTH (101.1 FM) extended its dominance in the #2 market (pop. 11.2M) to a seventh straight #1 finish, dipping -1.3 to 7.0 share (12+ Mon-Sun 6A-Midnight) from October's record-shattering 8.3—still the format's strongest non-holiday book since July 2024's 7.4. The lead over iHeartMedia AC 103.5 KOST narrowed dramatically from 2.6 to 0.5 points, as KOST surged +0.8 to 6.5 (its best since June's 5.9). The top five order holds from October: iHeart Hot AC sister "104.3 MyFM" KBIG steady at 4.9 (#3), Audacy Urban AC "94.7 The Wave" KTWV up +0.4 to 4.6 (#4), and iHeart CHR 102.7 KIIS-FM flat at 4.0 (#5). Nielsen's 3-min qualifier (10-19% AM/FM lift since Jan 2025) propped totals, but Classic Hits/AC formats claimed 35% market share (up 9% YoY), buoyed by post-election escapism and early holiday teases amid Dodgers offseason lulls.
📻Chicago: iHeartMedia Soft AC "93.9 Lite FM" WLIT clung to the #1 spot in the #3 market (pop. 8.0M) with a solid 6.0 share (12+ Mon-Sun 6A-Midnight, +4.9 from October's 1.1 post-holiday drop)—its biggest non-full-season book since December 2024's 14.2—fueled by an early Christmas flip on November 1, capturing the survey's final 12 days with Mariah Carey and Wham! staples amid family travel spikes. The lead is slim at just +0.9 over a three-way #2 tie at 5.1: Audacy all-news 780 WBBM-AM/105.9 WCFS-FM (+4.4 from 0.7, stream +0.3 to 0.9), Audacy AAA 93.1 WXRT (+4.6 from 0.5, tying its November 2020 high), and Hubbard Hot AC "101.9 The Mix" WTMX (+4.0 from 1.1, best since November 2020). Audacy's cluster strength shines with Country "US99" WUSN rounding out the top five at 4.8 (+3.7 from 1.1, its strongest since July's 5.0). Nielsen's 3-min qualifier (10-19% AM/FM lift since Jan 2025) boosted totals, but seasonal programming drove the book, with AC claiming 25% market share (up 12% YoY) in a news/AC/hot AC showdown.
📻San Francisco: Public news/talk powerhouse 88.5 KQED-FM solidified its stranglehold on the Bay Area airwaves, surging +0.5 to 9.3 share (12+ Mon-Sun 6A-Midnight)—marking its 11th straight #1 finish through all of 2025 and an unbroken streak save one survey since July 2024. This widens the gap over runner-up Audacy all-news combo 740 KCBS-AM/97.3 KDFC-HD2 (down -0.6 to 8.1), from a razor-thin 0.1 in October to a commanding 1.2 points. In the #6 market (pop. 6.6M), KQED's ascent—its strongest non-holiday book since June's record 11.3—reflects NPR's post-election depth, local Bay Area scoops, and a 15% demo lift in adults 25-54 amid Nielsen's 3-min qualifier boost (10-19% AM/FM inflation). The top five holds steady from October, with USC classical 90.3 KDFC slipping -0.6 to 5.1 (#3), Bonneville AC 96.5 KOIT flat at 4.8 (#4), and iHeart soft AC 98.1 The Breeze KISQ steady at 4.5 (#5).
📻Dallas: Cumulus Media's Sports "The Ticket" 1310 KTCK/96.7 KTCK-FM reclaimed #1 for the fifth time in 2025, rocketing +1.1 to 6.4 share (12+ Mon-Sun 6A-Midnight)—its strongest non-playoff book since February's 7.1—extending the company's grip on the top three with Country duo "99.5 The Wolf" KPLX (-0.3 to 5.1, #2) and "New Country 96.3" KSCS (+0.4 to 5.0, #3). iHeartMedia AC "Star 102.1" KDGE slipped -0.1 to 4.8 (#4) post its Nov. 7 all-Christmas flip, while Audacy Hot AC "Mix 102.9" KDMX tumbled -0.4 to 4.4 (tying #5) and Univision Regional Mexican "Que Buena 94.1" KLNO surged +0.7 to 4.4
📻Philadelphia: In the #8 market (pop. 6.1M), Beasley Rock 93.3 WMMR rocketed +6.1 to 7.7 share (12+ Mon-Sun 6A-Midnight)—its highest since the 2014 World Series (8.2)—reclaiming #1 for the first time since February 2025's 7.1, a full 1.0-point lead over sister Classic Rock 102.9 WMGK (down -0.3 to 6.7, #2). The surge, overlapping Pierre Robert's October 29 passing, stemmed from emotional on-air tributes, listener call-ins, and archival spins that drew unprecedented loyalty during Phillies offseason lulls. Audacy Sports 94.1 WIP-FM tumbled -2.6 to 6.6 (#3, stream -3.2 to 2.5 post-playoffs), iHeart Urban AC 105.3 WDAS-FM held steady at 5.4 (#4), and Audacy AC "B101" 101.1 WBEB slipped -0.2 to 5.2
Next Up: Day 2 (December 3) will cover markets like Washington, D.C., and Boston, potentially amplifying holiday and post-election themes.