Some surprises in latest Nielsen #s!

[MWmetalhead]

https://ratings.radio-online.com/content/arb127

Star 105.7 nabbed 1st place honors for the first time in forever, grabbing a 6.8 share!

A four-way tie for 1st place almost happened, with WSNX, WBCT and WCSG all grabbing a 6.7 share.

WGRD was not far behind, with a 6.1 share.

Star's strength has come at the expense of both 100.5 The River and 105.3 Hot FM. The latter scored the worst performance in the brand's history, with a paltry 1.5 share. Sister station Blunder is back in the basement with a 1.2 share.

Cumulus needs to get with the times. The streaming audio quality sounds terrible compared to the iHM, Townsquare, and Midwest Communications stations in the region. I cannot even stream The Q on the Denon HEOS app! The app still shows the old Nash FM 94.5 logo, and when I click play, I hear WTNR instead of WKLQ.

Hot FM's cume and AQH share suffered when 12 to 24 year olds stopped listening to radio. WSNX has done a far better job making its station appealing to a broad base of listeners over the years. Hot FM is the station you sample for a little bit when your preferred stations are in commercial break or are playing an unappealing song.

[48125er]

WSNX does a way better job at appealing to a BROAD audience, I wouldn't be surprised if SOME of 105.7's numbers are due to businesses not wanting to shell out the increasing costs for a satellite radio player so they reverted back to 105.7. 105.3 plays the same 30 songs on an endless loop with no originality, WHTS thinks high school /college kids still listen to the radio, 100.5 is no different, it's just a copycat of WFMK and cars 108 with the same songs i've heard a million times in a strange sequence. I still find it funny that translator playing gangsta rap in uber conservative areas on 104.9 has TWICE and a half the listeners 105.3 does LMAO

[MWmetalhead]

Magic 104.9 has performed quite well of late. It will be interesting to see how long their streak of survey periods with AQH share performance of 3.0 & above can last.

In the core of the GR metro, 104.9's signal is stronger than that of 105.3 in many areas. In and near downtown, 104.9's signal is much stronger.

[tannersboat]

The fact that NPR is within a half share of the century old WOOD radio is rather telling.

[48125er]

Magic 104.9 has performed quite well of late. It will be interesting to see how long their streak of survey periods with AQH share performance of 3.0 & above can last.

In the core of the GR metro, 104.9's signal is stronger than that of 105.3 in many areas. In and near downtown, 104.9's signal is much stronger.

I still think Clownsquare should swap Magic on 100.5, Hell I think even Y102 sounds better than snot fm, Cumulus has NOT realized 18-24s who stan olivia rodrigo ARE NOT listening on terrestrial radio, they think it's 2009 still.

[GrahamWellington]

Magic 104.9 has performed quite well of late. It will be interesting to see how long their streak of survey periods with AQH share performance of 3.0 & above can last.

In the core of the GR metro, 104.9's signal is stronger than that of 105.3 in many areas. In and near downtown, 104.9's signal is much stronger.

I still think Clownsquare should swap Magic on 100.5, Hell I think even Y102 sounds better than snot fm, Cumulus has NOT realized 18-24s who stan olivia rodrigo ARE NOT listening on terrestrial radio, they think it's 2009 still.

Would moving to 100.5 create any significant ratings increase? Looking at 104.9's coverage map, I'm assuming the bulk of their listeners reside within its contour. 100.5 would just add a bunch of rural area in Ottawa County and northern Kent County, where I'm guessing there isn't a H*** demand for hip hop.

[Bull Shannon]

The fact that NPR is within a half share of the century old WOOD radio is rather telling.

If you combine the numbers for WGVU with WUOM, the NPR stations collectively surpass WOOD.

[BayCityJohn2337]

102.5 is another Translator with Urban Music. I think they play urban music from years past or more R and B verses Rap. Curious how many listeners it's stealing from 104.9? Plus they have Steve Harvey in the morning maybe?

[Notwhoyouthinkiam]

102.5 is another Translator with Urban Music. I think they play urban music from years past or more R and B verses Rap. Curious how many listeners it's stealing from 104.9? Plus they have Steve Harvey in the morning maybe?

Robert S decided to pattern 102.5 off of Magic 104.9's pre-format change from 2020. He adopted the R&B and Old School format, started Steve Harvey after Magic dropped him, but mixed it with left leaning politics that pretty much act as a platform to keep his politically endeavors in people's ears. Doing this while running a station with garbage equipment in Roger's Plaza. It is not working. Even minorities don't want to have politics shoved at them all day.

[MWmetalhead]

I agree that the audio processing most of the times I've briefly tuned into the station thru the years is not good.

It really is surprising Grand Rapids lacks a decently programmed Urban AC on FM. Muskegon and Kalamazoo have each had one for years. In fact, Kalamazoo now has two Urban AC stations on the FM dial, one at 95.5 (Midwest Communications) and one at 102.5 (Townsquare).

[48125er]

102.5 is another Translator with Urban Music. I think they play urban music from years past or more R and B verses Rap. Curious how many listeners it's stealing from 104.9? Plus they have Steve Harvey in the morning maybe?

Robert S decided to pattern 102.5 off of Magic 104.9's pre-format change from 2020. He adopted the R&B and Old School format, started Steve Harvey after Magic dropped him, but mixed it with left leaning politics that pretty much act as a platform to keep his politically endeavors in people's ears. Doing this while running a station with garbage equipment in Roger's Plaza. It is not working. Even minorities don't want to have politics shoved at them all day.

That'd be a good translator for Power 91.9 (gospel) whos signal is all the way in Belding.

or a spanish christian station.