Day One of Nielsen PPM Markets arrived on December 23. If those trends indicate things to come, and they typically do, it will be a win for stations that went all Christmas.
Among the highlights, iHeartMedia’s flagship AC WLTW New York jumped 7.8-9.7, with the company’s WLIT Chicago nearly doubling its share month over month 5.5-9.8.
KOST Los Angeles was up 4.7-8.3
In Dallas Ft. Worth, KDGE jumped 3.9-7.1.
In San Francisco, KOIT was up 5.4-7.2.
I had expected and written that my feeling was that, coming off a highly contested election with an extremely divided country, Christmas music would provide a safe listening space and perform well.
It did. But is it as strong as ever, and did it live up to expectations?
Looking at the above stations year over year, the trend is developing.
WLTW posted an 11.3 in December 2023, the station’s highest December number, eclipsing its previous high of 9.7. This year’s 9.7 is off 1.6 year over year.
WLIT scored 12.3 in 2023; this year’s 9.8 share leaves them 2.5 shares off year over year.
KOST posted a 10.1 in 2023, and this year’s 8.3, leaving them nearly two shares off the previous year.
KDGE jumped over two monthly shares when they posted an 8.6 in 2023, off this year 1.5 shares from the previous year.
KOIT was double digits last year 10.1, and this year’s 7.2 is off nearly three shares.
Looking narrowly at Day One PPMs, it appears Christmas Music is still a winning formula, but the peak may have been reached.
As the remainder of the PPMs continue…Watch This Space.
Community Connections:
Z102.9 KZIA, Cedar Rapids, IA, afternoon hosts Destiny Loney, and Taylor Martensen wrapped up their second annual “Stuff the Waggin'” campaign to support the Cedar Valley Humane Society. Over five weeks, the pair broadcast their Monday shows live from the back of their station vehicle, actively encouraging listeners to contribute to the care of local animals in need.
98.5 KTIS Minneapolis marked the third anniversary of its Christmas Blessing initiative, a program aimed at providing hope and support to individuals and families in need during the holiday season.
This year, the initiative awarded grants to 11 deserving recipients throughout the Twin Cities, each navigating their unique challenges, including health crises and the struggles of single parenting.
NEW 102.7 WNEW in New York exceeded its goal for the annual “Karen Carson’s 10,000 Toys for Girls & Boys” campaign, collecting 11,017 toys this holiday season. This charitable initiative supports Children’s Aid NYC and is dedicated to spreading holiday joy to foster children throughout New York City.
Hot 98.3 FM WGCO Savannah, GA, recently hosted its 4th Annual “Jared and Katie’s Breaking and Entering Christmas” event to uplift a family facing challenges in Southeast Georgia. Since the beginning of November, Hot 98.3 has been encouraging listeners to nominate families influenced by recent storms or other significant life events.
This year’s initiative garnered a record number of nominations. Morning hosts Jared Pike and Katie Tesh carefully reviewed each submission, ultimately choosing a family of five from Hinesville who suffered the loss of their five-year-old daughter earlier this year.
Industry Happenings:
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced that new rules regarding the limited use of FM booster stations to deliver geotargeted content will take effect on January 13.
These updated regulations include new or modified information collection requirements still awaiting approval from the Office of Management and Budget under the Paperwork Reduction Act. The effective date for these changes will be communicated in a future notice. Additionally, the FCC’s Media Bureau plans to issue a Public Notice to confirm the implementation of the remaining rule changes at that time.
Add ons:
Media Monitors list of top ten advertisers for the week of December 16-22.
- Lowes
- Verizon Wireless
- Progressive
- Skyrizi (prescription medication)
- T-Mobile
- PayPal
- Vicks
- eBay
- Kohls
- Viome
Bit Of The Week:
In future weeks, The Pulse will include the “Bit Of The Week.” If you want to be featured, please send me an mp3 of your best, most recent bit to jeff@barrettmedia.com.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
Jeff Lynn serves as Editor of Barrett Media’s Music Radio coverage. Prior to joining Barrett Media, Jeff spent time programming in Milwaukee, Omaha, Cleveland, Des Moines, and Madison for multiple radio groups, including iHeartMedia, Townsquare Media, NRG Media, and Entercom (now Audacy). He also worked as a Country Format Editor for All Access until the outlet shut down in August 2023.
To get in touch with Jeff by email, reach him at Jeff@BarrettMedia.com.
