The latest Nielsen PPM ratings reveal a continued dominance of AC and news/talk stations, with AC stations leading in six of the 20 markets and news/talk in four. This trend is consistent with the previous quarter, where AC stations claimed 16 wins over the past three surveys, followed by 11 for news/talk. However, the story is not uniform across all markets, with some stations experiencing fluctuations in their performance.
In Washington, DC, American University's news/talk station WAMU saw a significant share gain, moving into 12-share territory for the first time since June 2025. This boost has narrowed the gap between WAMU and Hubbard all-news station WTOP by 2.7 share points. Meanwhile, in Boston, Audacy's AC station WMJX has consistently bounced back to the top spot, maintaining a slight edge over Beasley Media Group's classic hits station WROR.
The Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood market saw iHeartMedia's Spanish/bilingual AC station WMIA-FM repeat at the top, with a narrow lead over Cox Media Group's soft AC station WFEZ. In Seattle-Tacoma, news/talk station KUOW has been leading the race, with a slight edge over Bonneville's sports station KIRO-AM. However, the race is tight, with the two stations separated by just a tenth of a share point.
Phoenix's new champion is iHeartMedia talk station KFYI, which has only previously made it as high as third. In Detroit, Audacy's sports station WXYT-FM has secured a sixth straight victory, maintaining a 1.2-point lead over classic hits station WOMC. In Minneapolis-St. Paul, classic hits station KQQL has kept its lead over country station KEEY, while sports station KFXN has settled for third.
The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater market saw CMG's soft AC station WDUV maintain its lead, with a strong five-share-point advantage over iHeart AC station WMTX. In Denver-Boulder, Bonneville AC station KOSI has consistently ranked second or third for all but one survey, holding onto a slim lead over Audacy classic rock station KQMT. In San Diego, Audacy's classic hits station KXSN-FM has secured a third win in a row, with a full-share-point lead over news/talk pubcaster KPBS.
Despite the dominance of AC and news/talk stations, the story is not uniform across all markets, with some stations experiencing fluctuations in their performance. The ratings also highlight the competitive nature of the radio industry, with stations vying for top spots and maintaining narrow leads over their competitors.
