February 2024 PPM Ratings – Part One
February 2024 PPM Data – Information for the February 2024 ratings period (February 1 – February 28) has been released for New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Nassau-Suffolk (Long Island), Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, San Jose, and Middlesex-Somerset-Union (New Jersey).
The only requirement for a spoken-word station to be included here is that they be a Nielsen Audio subscriber – there are no share or rank thresholds.
NBA and NHL team names of corresponding spoken-word flagship(s) are bolded.
DNA – DNA = Did Not Appear – Does Not Appear
Comparisons are January 2024 – February 2024 (6+).
NEW YORK
News/Talk
WABC 3.5 – 3.8, #11 – #11
WOR 1.7 – 1.6, #17 – #20
WKXW 1.0 – 1.0, #24 – #23
WKXW Stream .3 – .3, #35 – #35
News
WINS-FM 4.7 – 4.5, #6 – #7
WCBS-AM 1.7 – 1.7, #17 – #19
WINS-FM Stream .5 – .4, #27 – #33
Business News WBBR .4 – .4, #31 – #33
WCBS-AM Stream .2 – .1, #39 – #46
Sports Talk
WFAN FM & AM 2.7 – 2.0, #13 -#15 (Brooklyn Nets, New Jersey Devils)
WFAN FM & AM Stream .8 – .8, #25 -#25 (Brooklyn Nets, New Jersey Devils)
WEPN-FM DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA (Knicks, Islanders, Rangers)
Public Radio News/Talk
WNYC-FM 4.5 – 4.7, #7 – #4
WNYC-AM 1.2 – 1.1, #22 – #22
LOS ANGELES
News/Talk
KFI 5.5 – 5.4, #3 – #3
KEIB .8 – .7, #33 – #32 (Clippers)
KRLA .6 – .6, #34 – #34
News
KNX-FM 2.8 – 3.3, #12 – #10
KNX-FM Stream .2 – .3, #39 – #37
Sports Talk
KLAC .9 – .7, #32 – #32 (Clippers)
Public Radio News/Talk
KPCC 2.3 – 2.4, #15 – #15
Kings’ games are heard on the iHeartRadio app, while games of the Anaheim Ducks are heard on the Ducks stream.
CHICAGO
News/Talk
WGN 3.1 – 3.5, #10 – #8 (Blackhawks)
WLS-AM 1.9 – 2.0, #18 – #18
WLIP .4 – .4, #35 – #34
WLS-AM Stream .1 – .1, #41 – #40
WVON .1 – .1, #41 – #40
News
WBBM-AM & WCFS 6.2 – 5.4, #2 – #3
WBBM-AM & WCFS Stream .2 – .3, #38 – #35
Sports Talk
WSCR 3.4 – 3.1, #8 – #10 (Bulls)
WSCR Stream .6 – .3, #32 – #35 (Bulls)
WMVP DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
Public Radio News/Talk
WBEZ 2.7 – 2.4, #13 – #16
Note: News WBBM-AM & WCFS’ -.8 (6.2 – 5.4) represents Chicago’s highest (6+) January 2024 – February 2024 decrease.
SAN FRANCISCO
News/Talk
KSFO 1.5 – 1.4, #22 – #22
KSFO Stream .3 – .3, #30 – #32
News
KCBS-AM & KFRC 6.6 – 6.7, #3 – #3
KNEW .3 – .4, #30 – #28
KCBS-AM & KFRC Stream DNA – .1, DNA – #34
KKSF DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
Sports Talk
KNBR 3.9 – 3.2, #6 – #9
KGMZ 2.4 – 2.1, #14 – #16 (Golden State Warriors)
KGO .2 – .1, #34 – #34
KGO Stream .2 – .1, #34 – #34
KTCT .2 – .1, #34 – #34
KGMZ Stream DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA (Golden State Warriors)
Public Radio News/Talk
KQED 7.9 – 7.6, #2 – #2
KALW .3 – .4, #32 – #28
Note: Sports talk KNBR’s -.7 (3.9 – 3.2) represents San Francisco’s highest (6+) January 2024 – February 2024 decrease.
DALLAS
News/Talk
WBAP 3.7 – 3.3, #9 – #12
KEGL 1.2 – 1.3, #29 – #29 (Mavericks)
KSKY .6 – .8, #32 – #33
KLIF-AM .5 – .3, #33 – #38
KSKY Stream DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
News
News – Talk KRLD-AM 1.7 – 1.5, #24 – #27
News – Talk KRLD-AM Stream DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
News KKGM DNA – .1, DNA – #42
Sports Talk
KTCK 5.6 – 4.9, second straight month at #1 (Stars)
KRLD-FM 2.8 – 2.3, #17 – #19
KRLD-FM Stream .4 – 1.0, #35 – #30
Public Radio News/Talk
KERA 4.0 – 4.0, #7 – #8
Notes: The +.6 (.4 – 1.0) registered by sports/talk KRLD-FM’s internet stream represents a tie for Dallas’ highest (6+) January 2024 – February 2024 increase, while similarly-formatted KTCK’s -.7 (5.6 – 4.9) is the market’s highest (6+) January 2024 – February 2024 decrease.
HOUSTON
News/Talk
KTRH 3.6 – 3.4, #9 – #14 (Rockets)
KPRC . 3 – .4, #28 – #28
News
KXYZ .1 – .1 #34 – #33
Sports Talk
KILT-AM 1.6 – .7, #21 – #25
KBME .6 – .5, #27 – #27 (Rockets)
KILT-AM Stream .3 – .1, #28 – #33
KFNC .2 – .1, #33 – #33
Public Radio News/Talk
KUHF 2.8 – 2.8, #19 – #17
ATLANTA
News/Talk
WSB-AM & WSBB 8.6– 7.3, #1 – #3
WFOM .6 – .5, #27 – #26
WGKA .3 – .3, #30 – #30
WAOK .2 – .1, #31 – #34
WAOK Stream .1 – DNA, #36 – DNA
WSRV-HD3 Stream DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
News
WBIN .1 – DNA, #36 – DNA
Sports Talk
WZGC 4.2 – 3.6, #8 – #11 (Hawks)
WCNN 2.2 – 2.1, #16 – #17
WZGC Stream .8 – .5, #24 – #26 (Hawks)
Public Radio News/Talk
WABE 4.0 – 3.6, #9 – #11
WRAS .7 – .5, #25 – #26
WABE-HD3 .1 – DNA, #36 – DNA
Note: News/talk WSB-AM & WSBB’s -1.3 (8.6 – 7.3) represents Atlanta’s highest (6+) January 2024 – February 2024 decrease.
PHILADELPHIA
News/Talk
WPHT 2.2 – 2.0, #16 – #15
WKXW 1.3 – 1.1, #23 – #24
WPHT Stream .7 – .8, #26 – #26
WURD .4 – .4, #28 – #27
WURD Stream .2 – .2, #30 – #29
WKXW Stream DNA – .1, DNA – #32
WDEL-AM DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
News
KYW & WPHI 6.2 – 6.0, #5 – #5
KYW & WPHI Stream .1 – .3, #32 – #28
WTEL DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
Sports Talk
WIP 7.0 – 5.7, #4 – #6
WIP Stream 2.3 – 2.0, #15 – #15
WPEN-FM 1.5 – 1.2, #21 – #22 (76ers, Flyers)
Public Radio News/Talk
WHYY 3.1 – 3.3, #10 – #12
Note: Sports talk WIP’s -1.3 (7.0 – 5.7) represents Philadelphia’s highest (6+) January 2024 – February 2024 decrease.
NASSAU-SUFFOLK (LONG ISLAND)
News/Talk
WABC 1.5 – 1.8, #18 – #17
WOR 1.1 – 1.2, #19 – #19
WLIR .1 – .2, #32 – #27
News
WINS-FM 4.8 – 5.1, #5 – #3
WCBS-AM 2.2 – 1.7, #15 – #18
WINS-FM Stream 1.0 – .7, #20 – #23
Business News WBBR .3 – .4, #26 – #26
WCBS-AM Stream .1 – .2, #32 – #27
Sports Talk
WFAN-FM & AM 4.6 – 2.7, #7 – #12 (Brooklyn Nets, New Jersey Devils)
WFAN-FM & AM Stream DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA (Brooklyn Nets, New Jersey Devils)
WEPN-FM DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA (Knicks, Islanders, Rangers)
Public Radio News/Talk
WSUF .3 – .2, #26 – #27
Note: Sports talk WFAN’s -1.9 (4.6 – 2.7) represents the highest (6+) January 2024 – February 2024 decrease by any station in these 12 PPM-markets.
RIVERSIDE
News/Talk
None
News
KFOO .1 – DNA, #21 – DNA
Sports Talk
KPWK .1 – .5, #21 – #19
Public Radio News/Talk
KVCR .4 – .5 #20 – #19
KPCC DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
SAN JOSE
News/Talk
KSFO 1.8 – 2.1, #20 – #15
KSFO Stream DNA – .2, DNA – #30
News
KCBS-AM & KFRC 5.2 – 5.4, #4 – #4
KCBS-AM & KFRC Stream DNA – .3, DNA – #26
KNEW .2 – .3, #28 – #26
Sports Talk
KNBR 4.7 – 3.6, #5 – #7
KGMZ 2.8 – 2.0, #10 – #19 (Golden State Warriors)
KGO Stream .8 – .3, #26 – #26
KTCT .3 – .3, #27 – #26
KGO .2 – .2, #28 – #30
KGMZ Stream DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA (Golden State Warriors)
Public Radio News/Talk
None
Notes: Sports talk KNBR’s -1.1 (4.7 – 3.6) represents San Jose’s highest (6+) January 2024 – February 2024 decrease.
Sharks’ games are carried on the Sharks Audio Network.
MIDDLESEX-SOMERSET-UNION
News/Talk
WKXW 7.4 – 7.2, #1 – #2
WOR 2.7 – 3.6, #9 – #9
WKXW Stream .8 – 1.1, #20 – #18
News
WINS-FM 2.7 – 2.4, #9 – #11
WCBS-AM .9 – .8, #19 – #19
WINS-FM Stream .5 – .5, #22 – #23
WCBS-AM Stream DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA
Sports Talk
WFAN-FM & AM 2.7 – 2.9, #9 – #10 (Brooklyn Nets, New Jersey Devils)
WFAN FM & AM Stream DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA (Brooklyn Nets, New Jersey Devils)
WEPN-FM DNA – DNA, DNA – DNA (Knicks, Islanders, Rangers)
Public Radio News/Talk
None
Up next: February 2024 overviews for: Washington, DC; Boston; Miami; Seattle; Detroit; Phoenix; Minneapolis; San Diego; Tampa; Denver; Baltimore; and St. Louis.
“97.5 The Fanatic” as Andrew Salciunas moves from middays to partner with incumbent morning host John Kincade for the “Kincade and Salciunas” 
program, effective today (3/18). Kincade has been serving as the morning host since January 2021. Salciunas, has spent the past 10 years working his way up the ladder at the station, most recently hosting the 10:00 am to 2:00 pm show since Anthony Gargano left that role after a now-settled contract dispute with the company. In a statement, station PD Scott Masteller says, “I am truly excited to pair John and Andrew for a new sports show that will reflect the energy and passion of the Philadelphia sports fan.”
writer Bob Cooney to middays. The question Tornoe asks is what about Mike Missanelli? “Rumors have been swirling in sports radio circles the past few days about the return of Missanelli, once the station’s biggest star, whose sudden exit from his afternoon show in 2022 after 15 years shocked listeners.” Tornoe says that Missanelli has been in contact with management but there’s nothing to report and Missanelli isn’t talking. PD Scott Masteller tells the paper, “Mike’s name has come up. He’s a great talent, and we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. A lot of people are interested in the radio station right now. So, I’ll leave it at that.” The current PM drive show is “The Best Show Ever?” hosted by Tyrone Johnson, Ricky Bottalico and Jenn Scordo. 
March is half over, and the Madness is just beginning.
For spring break this year, Sarah and I revisited Sandals Grand Bahamian all-inclusive resort – NOT inexpensive, and very worth it. We’ve already booked same-week-next-year, and we think we know who we’ll see there then.
news/talk/sports WXLM-AM, New London. The first match aired last Saturday (3/16) versus New Mexico United. An additional nine matches will air on the two stations. Cumulus regional vice president Holly Paras says, “I am delighted that our stations will enter into this new broadcasting partnership with Rhode Island FC and help to bring the Southern New England community the passion and drama of this new team and exciting sport.”
weakness in the national and network marketplace, and first-time hurdles in our Subscription Digital Marketing Solutions segment. In total, Digital now represents 51% of Townsquare’s 2023 net revenue and 55% of our 2023 Adjusted Operating Income, and maintained a 30% Adjusted Operating Income margin, consistent with 2022’s margin. The strong cash generation characteristics of our assets allowed us to produce $68 million of cash flow from operations in 2023, an increase of $18 million, or +35%, as compared to the prior year. We could not be more pleased to share that given our strong cash position, we were able to repurchase and retire approximately $27 million of our Unsecured Senior Notes at a discount during the year. In addition, we repurchased $17 million of our common stock, and paid a high-yielding dividend while also investing in our business. We also ended the year with a strong cash balance of $61 million and net leverage of 4.43x, retaining financial flexibility moving forward. Despite the lack of tailwinds at our back in 2023, I am very pleased with how the Townsquare team navigated the progressively challenging economic landscape. We outperformed competitors and gained market share due to our local focus and our digital platform. I believe that our performance over the past several years has demonstrated the efficacy of our Digital First Local Media strategy and validated our focus on local markets outside of the Top 50 U.S. cities, reinvigorating my confidence in our business model and our path moving forward.”
firm to complete its audits of the consolidated financial statements and internal control over financial reporting included in the Form 10-K. Urban One expects its auditor will issue an unqualified opinion on the consolidated financial statements. The reason for the delay is that Urban One has identified material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting and as a result, expects some of its internal controls over financial reporting and disclosure controls will be ineffective as of December 31, 2023. The Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, will describe these material weaknesses, and the Company is implementing plans to remediate them. The company says it does not anticipate any changes to its previously audited financial statements, nor does it expect to report financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2023 that are materially different from the financial guidance range previously provided by the company during its third quarter earnings call.
from 8:00 am to 10:00 am ET on 90 Audacy stations nationwide. Led by Nick Kostos and Ken Barkley, co-hosts of “You Better You Bet,” “BetQL Countdown to Tip-Off” will serve as breakdowns of the men’s college basketball tournament, featuring a mix of sports betting insight. The show will also welcome talent from across Audacy’s portfolio of sports stations.
and WEPN-AM), but Karmazin said the move had nothing to do with his company not renewing its lease on WEPN-FM (which ends later this summer) but that it’s a company decision. TALKERS noticed that news/talk WTMJ, Milwaukee did not appear in Nielsen’s January PPM survey and reached out to GKB for an explanation, but the company did not reply to our request. Karmazin told Best, “It’s outdated to use one form of media to measure a show, especially one that doesn’t reflect the entire listening audience and viewing audience across all the different ways we distribute our media now.” 
NBCUniversal News Group’s “Dateline NBC” jumps two spots to #2, bumping audiochuck’s “Crime Junkie” to #4. NPR’s “Up First” remains in the #3 position. Other radio-related podcasts of note include Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Dan Bongino Show” rising one spot to #6, Salem Podcast Network’s “The Charlie Kirk Show” slipping two places to #17, and Cumulus Podcast Network’s “The Mark Levin Show” falling three spots to #27. 
started 29 years ago. Whether it’s helping the first-time gun buyer sort out what she needs to buy, or exposing politicians who claim to be supporters of the Second Amendment while putting restrictions on this right, there’s plenty to talk about. Responsible gun ownership is strong, and I’m glad to be part of movement.” The program – currently heard on more than 260 stations – airs live on Sundays from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm ET. 
Sports,” on Monday (3/18). The program will cover the athletes, coaches, teams, and sports that have contributed to the explosive worldwide growth of women’s athletics in recent years. The rotating cast of female sports broadcasters includes Laura Okmin, Maggie Gray, Olivia Harlan Dekker, Amber Theoharis, and Amy Lawrence.
February 20.” Audacy awaits FCC approval to complete its restructuring and plans to file its 2023 10-K later this month. The company says it experienced revenue growth of 1% in January, led by a 1% increase in radio revenue and a 7% increase in digital revenue. Audacy chairman, president and CEO David Field comments, “Audacy is off to a strong start in 2024, driving accelerated financial and operating performance, including solid early growth in revenues, key digital metrics, and audience and revenue shares. We look forward to a bright future, capitalizing on our best-in-class balance sheet and our scaled leadership position in the dynamic audio market, distinguished by our exclusive premium content and top positions across the country’s largest markets.”
local political and other key local vertical ad spend, and significant ad growth for connected TV/over-the-top (CTV/OTT), TV OTA, and TV Digital. BIA VP of forecasting & analysis Nicole Ovadia states, “As expected, local political advertising will be substantial this year, and it’s fueling spend across the media landscape. Our slight adjustment down for this year is mainly due to mixed economic signals, a slowdown in certain consumer purchases, and lower than expected spending in Digital and Direct Mail advertising at the end of 2023 that may flow into this year. However, we still anticipate 2024 to be better for local advertising than 2023 and certain media like TV OTA, TV Digital, and CTV/OTT are growing substantially.”
community at-large. The 2024 Leadership Awards honorees are: Don Bouloukos, CBS and ABC Radio executive; Frank Comerford, chief revenue office, president, commercial operations, NBCU Local; Traug Keller, president, ABC Radio Network/SVP, ESPN Radio; Kathleen Kirby, partner, Wiley; Mike McVay, president, McVay Media Consulting; and John Rouse, EVP, ABC Affiliate Relations, Disney Platform Distribution. The Lowry Mays Excellence in Broadcasting Award is bestowed annually on an individual in broadcasting whose work exemplifies innovation, community service, advocacy, and entrepreneurship. The 2024 Lowry Mays Excellence in Broadcasting Award recipient is Erica Farber, president & CEO, RAB. The Broadcasters Foundation Breakfast is complimentary to all in broadcasting. 
at age 69 after suffering a heart attack. St. Pierre served with WABC, New York during his career but worked much of his career in Rhode Island radio and TV. He programmed talk outlets including WPRO-AM, WHJJ-AM, and sports talk WPRV-AM in Providence and anchored sports on WPRI-TV, Providence. He is a member of both the Rhode Island Radio and Television and the City of Pawtucket Halls of Fame. He is survived by his wife Patti. 
dramatically understate AM/FM radio’s shares; 2) AM/FM radio represents the dominant ad-supported audio platform with a 68% overall share and a massive 86% in-car share; 3) In a typical day in America, 95% of Americans never listen to ad-supported Spotify. 94% never listen to ad-supported Pandora; 4) Podcasts’ audience soars. At a 20% share of ad-supported audio, podcasts now represent one out of every five minutes of U.S. ad-supported audio; 5) Among registered voters, AM/FM radio leads in ad-supported audience share (68%) followed by podcasts (21%); 6) After a pandemic lull, the proportion of AM/FM radio listening occurring in-car roars back; and 7) Powered by podcasts, spoken word is on a tear: 40% of all time with ad-supported audio goes to spoken word, up from 27% pre-pandemic. 
last night (3/11). The event was also exclusively video streamed on iHeartRadio’s YouTube channel and broadcast across iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on the iHeartRadio app. Winners were named in 32 categories, including Podcast of the Year, which went to “New Heights.” Entertainer Lilly Singh presented the award to co-hosts Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce, who accepted the honor via video. 
director of sales with Cox Media Group. Audacy Houston VP of sales Alana Lujan comments, “Judy’s extensive experience in talent development, coupled with her recent involvement in business development, multi-media buying and digital innovation, makes her a powerhouse addition to Audacy’s sales leadership team. With her expertise, Judy is poised to make an immediate and substantial impact. Here’s to an exciting journey with someone who will bring so much to the table!” Lakin states, “I am thrilled to join the exceptional leadership team at Audacy. The Houston market’s wide variety of broadcast and digital products makes me eager for what will come. The local sales team’s incredible skills and high energy is a tremendous plus to this opportunity.”