Nielsen’s February radio ratings for the Tampa–St. Petersburg market showed a volatile month, with major shifts across the leaderboard and several stations posting notable gains and losses.
Tampa: The Dove Flies
Cox Media’s WDUV (105.5 The Dove) returned to the top spot in the 6+ category, edging up from an 8.4 to an 8.6 share. Radio Training Network’s WCIE (The Joy FM), which led last month, dropped to No. 2 after falling from 8.8 to 7.3 — its lowest share since October.
WXGL (107.3 The Eagle), also owned by Cox Media, climbed to No. 3 with a 6.5 share, snapping a three-book decline. Beasley’s WRBQ (Q105) moved up slightly to No. 4, while Cox Media’s WWRM (Magic 94.9) slipped to No. 5. iHeartMedia’s WFLZ made one of the biggest jumps, rising from No. 10 to No. 6 with its strongest performance in more than a year.
Further down, iHeartMedia’s WMTX (Mix 100.7) dropped from No. 3 to No. 7, posting its lowest share since November, and WXTB (98 Rock) fell to No. 8.
WDUV also remained the market’s cume leader, growing 3.1% to 653,500 listeners.
Among adults 25-54, WDUV rebounded from a weaker January to post its best non-holiday share in over a year, jumping from No. 4 to No. 1. WRBQ climbed to No. 2 with its third consecutive gain, while WFLZ surged to No. 3 with its fifth straight increase.
Meanwhile, former co-leaders WCIE and WMTX both saw sharp declines, falling to No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. WWRM dropped three spots to No. 6 with its first decrease since September, tying with WXTB, which also posted a slight loss.
DENVER-BOULDER: Rocky Mountain Shake-Up
A shake-up at the top defined Nielsen’s latest Denver-Boulder ratings, as Audacy’s KQMT (99.5 The Mountain) surged to No. 1 in the 6+ category with its strongest performance in more than a year, climbing from a 5.7 to a 7.0 share.
That gain ended Bonneville AC KOSI (KOSI 101.1)’s 12-book winning streak, as the station slipped to No. 2 with a 6.7 share. Bonneville Country KYGO held steady at No. 3, while Audacy’s KALC (Alice 105.9) remained at No. 4. KSE Media Ventures’ KXKL (Kool 105) moved up to No. 5, posting its best numbers since July.
Bonneville Sports KKFN (104.3 The Fan) saw the sharpest drop, falling from No. 5 to No. 13 following the end of the Denver Broncos season. KOSI continued to lead the market in total cume.
Among adults 25-54, iHeartMedia’s KTCL (Channel 93.3) held onto the top spot for a second straight ratings period, delivering its best performance since June. KQMT jumped from No. 4 to No. 2, finishing just behind the leader with its highest share in over a year.
KALC and KOSI, previously tied near the top, both posted declines and slipped to No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. KXKL climbed from No. 7 to No. 5 with its best showing in a year, while KYGO made a notable leap from No. 14 to No. 6.
Meanwhile, KKFN dropped sharply in the demo as well, falling from No. 5 to No. 18, where it ended up in a multi-station tie.
SAN DIEGO: We Have A New Leader
San Diego State University’s KPBS emerged as the new leader in Nielsen’s latest 6+ ratings, climbing to No. 1 with its highest share in more than a year, rising from 7.6 to 8.1.
That gain pushed Audacy’s KXSN (Sunny 98.1) to No. 2, where it held steady at a 7.7 share. Local Media’s XHRM (Magic 92.5) remained at No. 3, followed by Audacy’s KYXY at No. 4. iHeartMedia’s KHTS (Channel 93.3) posted one of the biggest moves of the month, jumping from No. 11 to No. 5 with its best performance in over a year.
Meanwhile, iHeartMedia’s KMYI (Star 94.1) dropped from No. 5 to No. 7, giving back much of its previous surge. Despite losing the top rank, KXSN continued to lead the market in total cume, growing 5.4% to 603,500 listeners.
In the adults 25-54 demographic, KXSN held onto the No. 1 spot for a second consecutive ratings period, despite a slight dip. KHTS surged from No. 10 to No. 2, though it still trailed the leader by nearly a full share.
CHARLOTTE: New King of the Hill
Beasley’s WKQC (K104.7) returned to the top of the 6+ rankings, rising to No. 1 with its best non-holiday share since July, improving from 7.4 to 7.9.
Two stations made strong moves to tie for second place. iHeartMedia’s WLKO (102.9 The Lake) edged up from No. 4, while Beasley’s WPEG (Power 98) jumped from No. 6 with its best showing in over a year, as both finished with a 6.3 share. Urban One’s WOSF (105.3 RnB), last month’s leader, dropped to No. 4 with its lowest share since July.
iHeartMedia’s WKKT (96.9 The Kat) held steady at No. 5, posting its strongest performance in more than a year, while University Radio Foundation’s WFAE fell from No. 3 to No. 6. It shared that position with Beasley’s WSOC (Country 103.7), which remained flat but posted a solid gain.
WLKO continued to dominate in total audience, expanding its cume lead by 12% to 470,000 listeners.
In the key 25-54 demographic, WPEG surged to No. 1 and came close to reaching a double-digit share. WOSF slipped to No. 2 with its lowest mark since September, while iHeartMedia’s WEND (106.5 The End) climbed to No. 3 with its best performance since October.
WKQC dipped to No. 4 despite holding steady, and WKKT ranked No. 5 with a slight gain. WLKO, which had previously shared that position, fell to No. 6 after a small decline.
XHRM slipped to No. 3 despite flat performance, tying with Local Media’s XTRA (91X), which posted a modest gain. KYXY and iHeartMedia’s KIOZ (Rock 105.3) were also essentially flat, ending up tied at No. 5 after both stations edged down from their previous positions.
LONG ISLAND: Spoken Words Tops
Audacy’s WINS maintained its dominance in the 6+ ratings, holding the No. 1 spot with its strongest performance in over a year, jumping from a 9.2 to a 10.6 share.
Red Apple Media’s WABC-AM moved back up to No. 2, though it posted its fourth consecutive decline. Connoisseur’s WALK-FM climbed two spots to No. 3, while iHeartMedia’s WHTZ (Z100) slipped to No. 4. Cox Media’s WBLI dropped to No. 5, giving back much of its previous gain.
Despite a 3.8% decline in total listeners, WINS remained the market’s cume leader.
In the 25-54 demographic, WALK-FM held onto the No. 1 position for a third straight ratings period with a slight increase. WHTZ stayed at No. 2 but lost some ground, widening the gap between the two stations to about a full share. WINS continued its upward trend, landing at No. 3 with its third consecutive gain.
Audacy’s WCBS moved up to No. 4 with its best showing in more than a year, while WBLI slipped to No. 5 despite a modest increase.