NYC Radio: 1010 WINS Has Strong October Numbers

In a striking reminder that programming trumps distribution, all-news 1010 WINS New York soared to its strongest ratings in four decades in Nielsen’s October survey.

The station, which is the longest-running all-newser in the country, rose 5.4-5.9 among listeners aged 6+, advancing from a tie for third in September to a second-place finish.

This was WINS’ best showing since the mid-1970s, according to program director Ben Mevorach.

WINS has added more than two shares in the past year, after posting a 3.7 in Oct. 2016.

Ben Mevorach

The new numbers “reflect the strong cycle of major news stories but also reflect the people who work at 1010 WINS,” Mevorach tells InsideRadio. “There is no substitute for experience or for the way we deliver the product—unbiased, fast-paced, with a ‘don’t waste the listener’s time’ attitude.”

More than 50 years after it invented the all-news format, the amount of time people are spending with the station is at historic highs. TSL for WINS was four hours, 15 minutes in the October survey, tied for first place in the market with news/talk and NPR affiliate WNYC-FM (93.9). That’s up from 3:45 in September and from three hours in October 2016.

“It is a remarkable radio story no matter what decade we are talking about but certainly in an era when people have so many options at their disposal for news content,” Menvorach says. “We are also seeing significant growth on our streaming platforms; a testament to providing great content on multiple distribution channels.”

Here's the 6+ Topline Numbers for October: