The holidays keep giving into the new year

The holiday ratings period — representing roughly the last four weeks of the year — was kind once again to KOST (103.5 FM), which dominated it by playing holiday music. With a 13.1 share of the audience, KOST earned almost three times the rating held by secondplace KRTH’S (101.1 FM) 4.7 share.

Interestingly, though, the rating was a little lower than last year at the same time, when KOST earned a 13.4 share, and down even more from 2020’s 13.9. I wouldn’t read anything into that … many things are at work, not the least of which is that people have been able to leave their homes more freely, unlike in the previous two years. Still, it’s interesting.

Also interesting: Go Country’s switch to holiday music didn’t seem to make a dent one way or another, with the station earning a 2.5 … about what it earns normally. KFI (640 AM) was third with a 4.4, followed by KLVE (107.5 FM) at 4.2 and My FM KBIG (104.3) at 3.9.

Moving down the list a bit, the competition of Alt 98.7 and KROQ (106.7 FM) found the stations closer together than they have been in a while, with Alt earning a 15thplace 2.3 share and KROQ tied with KPCC (89.3 FM) for 19th at 2.0. KLOS (95.5 FM) fell a little, to 2.5 from December’s 2.9 and the 3 share it held in September, October and November. This gave Jack FM KCBS (93.1) a chance to take back the classic rock lead even though it was flat from December’s 2.8. The problem for Jack is that back in August, it had a 3.9 share, and other than in November, the trend has been down. It should be interesting to see what happens the first half of this year.

KLOS sister station Power 106 (KPWR, 105.9 FM) is still struggling. Despite an excellent signal, it continues to languish far below its closest competitor, KIISFM (102.7), with a 23rd place, 1.6 share against KIIS’S seventh place and 3. There was a time when Power beat KIIS, and it wasn’t that long after KIIS set records for FM ratings — as high as 10 — in the mid1980s. Kind of makes you wonder.

And from the files of “I Told You So,” KNX (1070 AM, 97.1 FM) earned a 2.5 share, tying KLOS and Go Country at 11th place. For historical comparison, KNX earned a combined AM-FM 2.8 share in the 2021 holiday ratings, and an Am-only 3.2 share in holiday 2020. Clearly, the simulcast on FM has not helped, and owner Audacy lost the approximately 1.5 share it had with the old KNOU format it ran on 97.1 before the simulcast, even as bad as that format was. In the meantime, KFI has increased its ratings over the same period. Weird.

Honestly, Audacy should drop the simulcast, move the call letters back to 93.1 FM and play mellow rock on the FM. But it won’t.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the holiday ratings? KRTH’S online stream earned a 0.7 share … higher than 15 rated stations on the list and just below KABC’S (790 AM) 0.8.

Each rating is an estimate of the percentage of listeners age 6 or over tuned to a station between 6 a.m. and midnight, as determined by Nielsen.

1. KOST (13.1) 2. KRTH (4.7) 3. KFI (4.4)

4. KLVE (4.2) 5. KBIG (3.9) 6. KTWV The Wave (3.4) 7. KIIS-FM (3) 8. KCBS-FM (2.8) 9. KRRL (2.7) 10. KLAX, KXOL (2.6)

12. KKGO, KLOS, KNX (2.5) 15. KYSR Alt (2.3) 16. KBUE, KLYY, KRCD (2.1)

19. KPCC, KROQ (2) 21. KUSC (1.9) 22. KSCA (1.7) 23. KPWR (1.6) 24. KLLI (1.5)

25. KJLH (1.4) 26. KKJZ (1.3) 27. KDAY, KFWB (1.2) 29. KCRW, KLAC (0.9) 31. KABC (0.8) 32. KDLD, KRTH stream (0.7)

34. KCSN, KEIB, KRLA (0.5) 37. KFSH, KWIZ (0.4) 39. KKLA, KPFK (0.2) 40. KCBS-FM stream, KHJ, KIRN, KNX-FM stream, KROQ stream, KTNQ, KTWV stream, KWKW (0.1)