Day 3: More September PPM Markets Released By Nielsen

Nielsen Audio on Wednesday released Day 3 of Portable People Meter (PPM) ratings for the month of September.  The ratings measure audience share (typically 12+ demographic, Monday-Sunday 6AM-Midnight) based on the previous survey period—in this case, September 2025 (August 21 to September 17). Day 3 releases focused on mid-sized PPM markets in Charlotte, Portland, San Antonio, Salt Lake City, Sacramento, Orlando, Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Columbus, and Cleveland.

The released markets highlighted ongoing post-summer trends, including gains in Adult Contemporary (AC) and rhythmic formats amid seasonal shifts, while some talk and sports stations faced declines. 

Below is a market-by-market overview of top performers and significant changes (compared to August 2025):

Charlotte (NC)

• Radio One Adult R&B "105.3 R&B" WOSF surges to 7.5 (up 1.1), claiming the lead for the first time since August 2023.
• Beasley Country "103.7" WSOC-FM rebounds to 7.3 (up 0.9).
• Beasley Classic Hits "K104.7" WKQC slips to 6.9 (down 1.3).
• Beasley Adult R&B "V101.9" WBAV rises to 6.8 (up 0.3).
• iHeartMedia Variety Hits "102.9 The Lake" WLKO holds steady at 6.0.

Portland (OR)

• iHeartMedia AC "K103" KKCW climbs to 9.2 (up 1.5), reclaiming the top spot.
• iHeart Classic Hits "106.7 The Eagle" KLTH dips slightly to 9.0 (down 0.5).
• Connoisseur AAA 101.9 KINK trends to 6.1 (down 0.2).
• iHeartMedia Classic Rock "105.9 The Brew" KFBW drops to 6.0 (down 1.0).
• iHeartMedia Rhythmic CHR "Jam'n 107.5" KXJM rises to 3.9 (up 0.7), marking a strong upward move.

San Antonio (TX)

• Cox Media Group Classic Hits 101.1 KONO-FM holds the lead at 7.2 (down 0.4).
• iHeartMedia Country "KJ 97" KAJA rises to 6.2 (up 0.3).
• Christian AC "K-Love" 91.3 KZLV gains to 5.7 (up 0.6).
• Univision Regional Mexican "Que Buena 92.9" KROM surges to 5.1 (up 1.5).
• Connoisseur Variety Hits "102.7 Jack-FM" KJXK climbs to 4.5 (up 0.6).

Sacramento (CA)

• iHeartMedia News/Talk 1530 KFBK/93.1 KFBK-FM extends its lead to 9.7 (up 0.8).
• Audacy Classic Rock "Eagle 96.9" KSEG slips to 8.0 (down 0.7).
• Bonneville AC "Mix 96" KYMX falls to 5.9 (down 0.6).
• iHeart Soft AC "92.5 The Breeze" KBEB rises to 5.5 (up 0.2).
• Audacy CHR "106.5 The End" KUDL jumps to 4.9 (up 1.3), its best since September 2019.

Salt Lake City/Ogden/Provo (UT)

• Capital Broadcasting Hot AC "Now 97.9" KBZN surges to 7.6 (up 0.7), its best since August 2015 and first lead since September 2016.
• Bonneville AC "FM 100" KSFI dips to 7.3 (down 0.1).
• KSOP Inc. Country "Z104" KSOP-FM holds at 7.1.
• iHeartMedia Classic Hits 94.1 KODJ rises to 5.4 (up 0.6).
• Broadway Media CHR "Mix 105.1" KUDD leaps to 5.2 (up 1.5).

Orlando (FL)

• Cox Media Group Adult R&B "Star 94.5" WCFB leads at 8.9 (down 0.9 from summer peak).
• Cox Classic Rock 98.9 WMMO surges to 7.7 (up 1.4).
• Audacy Classic Hits "105.9 Sunny-FM" WOCL gains to 7.3 (up 0.3).
• iHeartMedia AC "Magic 107.7" WMGF slips to 6.8 (down 0.2).
• iHeartMedia CHR "XL 106.7" WXXL trends up to 5.9 (up 0.5).

Pittsburgh (PA)

• Steel City Media Variety Hits "96.9 Bob-FM" WRRK takes the top spot at 10.6 (up 0.3).
• iHeartMedia Classic Hits "94.5 3WS" WWSW dips to 10.2 (down 0.3).
• iHeartMedia Classic Rock 102.5 WDVE rises to 9.0 (up 0.5).
• Audacy Sports "93.7 The Fan" KDKA-FM climbs to 7.9 (up 0.6).
• Audacy News/Talk 1020/100.1 KDKA surges to 5.6 (up 1.8).

Las Vegas (NV)

• iHeartMedia AC "Sunny 106.5" KSNE drops to 6.9 (down 1.3).
• Beasley Classic Hits 96.3 KKLZ gains to 5.6 (up 0.2).
• Audacy Hot AC "Mix 94.1" KMXB steady at 4.2 (up 0.1).
• iHeartMedia Country "95.5 The Bull" KWNR rises to 3.8 (up 0.7).
• Latino Hustle Group Regional Mexican "Fiesta 98.1" KLUC-HD3 trends up to 3.5 (up 0.5).

Cincinnati (OH)

• iHeartMedia News/Talk 700 WLW retakes the lead at 10.0 (down 0.4).
• Cumulus Classic Hits 103.5 WGRR slips to 9.5 (down 1.3).
• Hubbard Country "B105" WUBE falls to 7.1 (down 1.5).
• Hubbard Hot AC "Q102" WKRQ holds at 6.2.
• Cumulus AC "Warm 98.5" WRRM rises to 5.9 (up 0.9).
• iHeartMedia Rock 102.7 WEBN jumps to 4.8 (up 1.8).

Kansas City (MO)

• iHeartMedia News/Talk 98.1 KMBZ-FM/98.1 KMBZ rises to 7.5 (up 0.8), tying for the lead.
• Cumulus Classic Hits "101 The Eagle" KCFX holds at 7.5 (down 0.1).
• Audacy Country "106.5 The Wolf" WDAF dips to 6.8 (down 0.4).
• iHeartMedia AC "Mix 98.1" KCFX steady at 5.9.
• Audacy Sports "810 WHB" climbs to 5.2 (up 0.7) with Chiefs coverage.

Columbus (OH)

• iHeartMedia AC "Lite 105.7" WLVQ leads at 7.8 (up 0.4).
• Cumulus News/Talk "NewsRadio 610" WTVN steady at 6.5.
• Radio One Urban AC "V-101" WCKX rises to 5.4 (up 0.4).
• iHeartMedia Country "105.7 The Cat" WNCI jumps to 4.9 (up 1.2).
• Cumulus CHR "Star 102.1" WCOL dips to 4.2 (down 0.3).

Cleveland (OH)

• iHeartMedia Sports "92.3 The Fan" WKRK-FM dominates at 9.8 (up 1.2).
• Audacy Classic Hits "101 The River" WENZ steady at 7.2.
• iHeartMedia AC "96.5 WONE" WONE-FM rises to 6.5 (up 0.6).
• Cumulus News/Talk "Newsradio WTAM 1100" WTAM falls to 5.9 (down 0.5).
• iHeartMedia Hip Hop "96.3 The Beat" WENZ climbs to 5.1 (up 0.8).

Overall trends: Adult R&B and Hot AC formats saw significant gains in multiple markets, while Classic Hits and Country experienced mixed results with some declines. Sports stations benefited from early football season momentum.