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WXRT reaches Number 1

Theater of My Mind

Theater of My Mind

A well-deserved congratulations to WXRT:
#1 - 6+
#2 - 25-54
#2 - 18-49

It sure is nice seeing a great Triple-A station cut through the musical crap in Market #3 while everyone else across the country still seems to think dumbing things down as far as possible is the path to success.

radioinsight.com

March 2026 (3/5 – 4/1) Nielsen Audio PPM Ratings Day 1: WXRT Claims Top Spot For First Time

Nielsen begins its monthly release of PPM ratings with Day 1 markets New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Long Island, Riverside/San Bernardino, San Jose, and Middlesex/Somerset/Union.
radioinsight.com radioinsight.com
 
It seems like there is renewed interest in rock formats, especially in the midwest. Rock stations are #1 in Chicago, St. Louis and Indianapolis. It has been a while since that was the case.
 
Gregg. said:
Well, not every market is as cosmopolitan as Chicago. Larger northern cities are where commercial AAA seems to do best. Denver and Portland also have highly rated AAA stations. But all of these along with WXRT have been in the format for decades. They've built their audiences over time, no meteoric rise.
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Very true. But in most cases, many of the longtime AAAs were pretty much middle of the ratings pack for most of their existences, though they did well in certain demographics and had lots of advertiser support. But just in the past few years, stations like WXRT, KEXP, WXPN, KCMP, etc. suddenly shot towards the top of the ratings. It is an interesting development, and one I certainly won't complain about.
 
Theater of My Mind said:
A well-deserved congratulations to WXRT:
#1 - 6+
#2 - 25-54
#2 - 18-49

It sure is nice seeing a great Triple-A station cut through the musical crap in Market #3 while everyone else across the country still seems to think dumbing things down as far as possible is the path to success.
Click to expand...
Obviously, you like AAA. But calling everything else "musical crap" is biased. Personally, I can't stand most AAA songs, but I agree that they are very appealing to some listeners. As the Spanish saying goes, "To satisfy different tastes, colors were created". (Para los gustos se hicieron los colores)
 
DrJerry said:
WXRT is great for sure. But is this really more about other demographics just not listening to the radio anymore?
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Could be. XRT does have heavy Gen X appeal. As well as the baby boomers who have been listening for decades. There's probably a drop-off in listeners younger than that.

And the station hasn't changed much over the decades, aside from the regular aggressiveness on new music. The feel is still the same, and most of the on-air talent has been there for decades. Perhaps the listening audience has finally caught up. Or they appreciate a station that has its own character.
 
Fighting Irish said:
Could be. XRT does have heavy Gen X appeal. As well as the baby boomers who have been listening for decades. There's probably a drop-off in listeners younger than that.
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I think what the previous poster was saying that listenership to other stations have dropped. Even if XRT's audience remains the same, it's share will increase because audiences for other stations are decreasing.
 
The demographic shift is a factor - it’s why we don’t see WKSC, WBBM, or WGCI near the top anymore.

XRT’s success is likely a combination of all the above: Good rotation, longstanding talent, and a loyal audience. They are routinely the top AAA station on the audacity platform. But I think corporate is on to something - the AAA format seems to be doing well these days among a wide demographic.
 
pattywells said:
...But I think corporate is on to something - the AAA format seems to be doing well these days among a wide demographic.
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The only thing Audacy Corporate has to do with XRT is they leave it alone. They don't micromanage it. And they don't try to cut a few costs to squeeze more money out of it. It ain't broken, so they don't try to fix it.

They must have learned their lesson from the disaster they created a few years ago when they started meddling with KROQ.
 
Fighting Irish said:
They must have learned their lesson from the disaster they created a few years ago when they started meddling with KROQ.
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The "disaster" at KROQ happened before the owners started doing modifications on the format. They were faced with a much better competitor in a moment when new and appropriate music was in a null. Oh, and their morning show fell apart.

The hardest thing to do in radio is to rebuild a station that has decayed to the point listeners say, "It sucks now. I used to listen, but I won't go back".
 
With KROQ, there is a CHR crossover factor that is helping them. With the growing popularity of groups like Tame Impala, and Vampire Weekend. It's interesting to see more alternative titles being played on mainstream CHR.
 
KilowattKat said:
With KROQ, there is a CHR crossover factor that is helping them. With the growing popularity of groups like Tame Impala, and Vampire Weekend. It's interesting to see more alternative titles being played on mainstream CHR.
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I first heard Vampire Weekend in 2009 and Tame Impala a year or two later, they’ve both been popular for a long time.
 
KilowattKat said:
CHR KIIS-FM in LA is playing "Dracula" by Tame Impala almost once an hour right now. I don't remember them being this popular before
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I understand, when I first heard them both, my friends were playing them on college radio. I seem to remember Vampire Weekend going mainstream soon after that though. I think I saw them on a late night show back then.
 


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