In the world of sports, April showers bring more than just May flowers; they bring a surge in ratings for team flagship stations. The beginning of the MLB season and the postseason excitement for NBA and NHL teams have been a boon for these stations, with eight of them in the top five in 20 non-embedded PPM markets. This is a significant 10.1-share-point increase from March, with seven of these stations having an all-sports format and one being a news/talk station. The largest gains were fueled by the NBA's Pistons and MLB's Tigers on Audacy sports "97.1 The Ticket" WXYT-FM Detroit (up 2.2), baseball's Padres on Audacy's "97.3 The Fan" KWFN (+2.1), and MLB's Mariners on Bonneville's "Seattle Sports 710" KIRO-AM (+1.7).
What makes this particularly fascinating is the dominance of AC stations, with five wins out of 20 markets. News/talk and sports stations tied for second with three wins each, followed by urban AC and classic hits with two wins each. This trend highlights the power of sports and news/talk in engaging audiences, while AC stations seem to be the clear winners in this month's ratings.
However, it's important to note that the rankings do not include stations owned by Cumulus Media, which is in the midst of a re-negotiation of its contract with Nielsen. This could potentially impact the overall rankings and the strategies of these stations. In Washington, DC, Hubbard Radio all-news WTOP racks up its 11th consecutive survey at the top, staying 2.5 points ahead of American University news/talk WAMU. But both experience a second straight share decline.
In Boston, the news/talk outlet WBUR returns to the top with a 0.7 edge over Beasley Media Group’s "98.5 The Sports Hub" WBZ-FM and iHeartMedia CHR "Kiss 108" WXKS-FM. This is a significant shift from the previous month's champion, Audacy AC "Magic 106.7" WMJX, which slips to fourth. In Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood, Audacy AC "101.5 Lite FM" WLYF rules for the first time since July 2025, which was the last time a Cox Media Group station wasn’t number one in the market.
In Seattle-Tacoma, news/talk pubcaster KUOW-FM keeps its grip on the crown for a fourth straight survey. It’s a comfortable 4.2 share points ahead of Bonneville "Seattle Sports 710" KIRO-AM, which sees a 36% increase as it moves from a tie for sixth to the runner-up spot. In Phoenix, it’s a seventh consecutive win for iHeartMedia AC "99.9 K-EZ" KESZ, as it stays a half-point ahead of Hubbard classic rock KSLX. Further down at fifth, it’s a tie between Audacy classic hits "Big 94.5" KOOL-FM and Maricopa County Community College news/talk KJZZ.
In Detroit, the Detroit Pistons may not have made it to the NBA Eastern Conference finals, but the team’s radio flagship, Audacy sports "97.1 The Ticket" WXYT-FM, are still the Motor City’s ratings champs, scoring two more share points before the buzzer to move back into double-digit territory. In Minneapolis-St. Paul, Twin Cities sports fans had a lot to cheer for in April with postseason play for the NBA’s Timberwolves and NHL’s Wild, and the flagship for both teams, iHeartMedia sports "K-Fan" KFXN, was also a big winner, holding onto the crown with a 0.9 gain from March.
In Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, for a third straight survey, Tampa’s top four stations remain unchanged, with CMG soft AC "105.5 The Dove" WDUV in the lead followed by Radio Training Network contemporary Christian "The Joy FM" WCIE, CMG classic rock sister "The Eagle 107.3" WXGL and Beasley classic hits "Q105" WRBQ at second, third and fourth. In Denver-Boulder, once again, Audacy classic rock "99.5 The Mountain" KQMT wins in a squeaker over Bonneville AC KOSI, ahead by just three-tenths of a share point. In San Diego, after two surveys away from number one, Audacy classic hits "Sunny 98.1" KXSN rises to the top again, with a close-as-it-gets 0.1 edge over news/talk pubcaster KPBS.
In Baltimore, with the exception of the Holiday 2025 survey, Urban One urban AC "Magic 95.9" WWIN-FM has been on top since February 2025, and it remains so in April, 1.6 share points up on Audacy AC "Today's 101.9" WLIF. In St. Louis, for the first time since November 2024, iHeartMedia classic hits KLOU takes the crown, with a 0.6 lead over Hubbard heritage rocker KSHE. This trend highlights the power of sports and news/talk in engaging audiences, while AC stations seem to be the clear winners in this month's ratings.
