WBBM broadcast booth at Wrigley Field

On the night the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates to win the National League wild-card game, 28.5 percent of all Chicago area radio listeners were tuned to the play-by-play.

According to Nielsen Audio figures released Monday, that pivotal game on October 7 drew an astonishing 23.4 share for the local broadcast on CBS Radio all-news WBBM AM 780 and an additional 5.1 share for the national broadcast on ESPN Radio WMVP AM 1000.

With numbers like that, it’s anyone’s guess how high they’ll go when ratings are issued next month for the Cubs’ match-ups against the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Mets.

WBBM Newsradio, which also is the radio home of Chicago Bears football, tied for first place overall with iHeart Media urban adult-contemporary WVAZ FM 102.7 for the period from September 10 to October 7.

“The combination of news, Bears and Cubs added up to a solid month,” Rod Zimmerman, senior vice president and market manager of CBS Radio Chicago, said in a statement Monday. “The Bears and Newsradio have always helped each other during football season, and that seems to be the case for baseball as well. The Cubs helped drive new listeners to our all-news broadcasts, and Newsradio helped bring new listeners to Cubs radio broadcasts. A real win-win!”

Among adults between 25 and 54 — the demographic tied most closely to advertising revenue — Hubbard Radio hot adult-contemporary WTMX FM 101.9 led the market as usual.

Here are the top 40 radio stations in the Chicago area followed by average share of listeners age 6 and older from 6 a.m. to midnight Monday through Sunday, as measured by Nielsen Audio from September 10 to October 7 (followed by previous month’s share in parentheses):

1) (tie) WBBM AM 780 5.8 (5.3)
1) (tie) WVAZ FM 102.7 5.8 (5.7)
3) WTMX FM 101.9 5.3 (5.4)
4) WOJO FM 105.1 3.7 (3.2)
5) WKSC FM 103.5 3.6 (4.0)
6) (tie) WGCI FM 107.5 3.5 (3.7)
6) (tie) WKQX FM 101.1 3.5 (3.2)
8) WJMK FM 104.3 3.4 (3.3)
9) (tie) WGN AM 720 3.3 (3.6)
9) (tie) WLS FM 94.7 3.3 (2.9)
11) WLIT FM 93.9 3.2 (3.4)
12) WBBM FM 96.3 3.1 (3.1)
13) (tie) WDRV FM 97.1 2.8 (3.1)
13) (tie) WUSN FM 99.5 2.8 (2.8)
15) (tie) WLUP FM 97.9 2.6 (2.5)
15) (tie) WPPN FM 106.7 2.6 (2.4)
17) WXRT FM 93.1 2.6 (3.6)
18) WSHE FM 100.3 2.4 (2.7)
19) WCFS FM 105.9 2.3 (2.3)
20) (tie) WBEZ FM 91.5 2.2 (2.5)
20) (tie) WSCR AM 670 2.2 (2.2)
22) (tie) WMVP AM 1000 2.1 (1.6)
22) (tie) WPWX FM 92.3 2.1 (2.1)
24) WEBG FM 95.5 2.0 (2.4)
25) WLS AM 890 1.9 (1.2)
26) WRME FM 87.7 1.7 (1.6)
27) WLEY FM 107.9 1.6 (1.7)
28) WJKL FM 94.3 1.4 (1.7)
29) (tie) WIIL FM 95.1 1.2 (1.3)
29) (tie) WSRB FM 106.3 1.2 (0.9)
29) (tie) WVIV FM 93.5 1.2 (1.2)
32) WFMT FM 98.7 1.0 (1.0)
33) (tie) WIND AM 560 0.9 (0.7)
33) (tie) WMBI FM 90.1 0.9 (1.2)
35) WCPT AM 820 0.7 (0.6)
36) WXLC FM 102.3 0.6 (0.7)
37) (tie) WCCQ FM 98.3 0.5 (0.4)
37) (tie) WERV FM 95.9 0.5 (0.5)
37) (tie) WGRB AM 1390 0.5 (0.5)
37) (tie) WSSR FM 96.7 0.5 (0.6)
37) (tie) WZSR FM 105.5 0.5 (0.4)

Morning drive top 10

Here are Chicago’s top 10 morning shows followed by average share of listeners age 6 and older from 6 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday, as measured by Nielsen Audio in October (with previous month’s share in parentheses):

1) WBBM AM 780/WCFS FM 105.9 (simulcast) Felicia Middlebrooks and Pat Cassidy 9.5 (9.8)
2) WTMX FM 101.9 Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart 7.9 (7.9)
3) WVAZ FM 102.7 Steve Harvey 5.8 (5.6)
4) WGN AM 720 Steve Cochran 5.0 (5.5)
5) WOJO FM 105.1 Raul Molinar, Sylvia del Valle and Andres Maldonado 3.7 (3.4)
6) WSCR AM 670 Mike Mulligan and Brian Hanley 3.6 (3.2)
7) WKSC FM 103.5 Christopher “Fred” Frederick and Angi Taylor 3.3 (3.5)
8) WKQX FM 101.1 Brian Phillips and Lou Lombardo 3.1 (2.9)
9) (tie) WBBM FM 96.3 J. Niice (Jamar McNeil) and Showbiz Shelly Menaker 2.9 (2.5)
9) (tie) WGCI FM 107.5 Kyle Santillian, Kendra Gilliams and Leon Rogers 2.9 (2.4)

Afternoon drive top 10

Here are Chicago’s top 10 afternoon shows followed by average share of listeners age 6 and older from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, as measured by Nielsen Audio in October (with previous month’s share in parentheses):

1) WVAZ FM 102.7 Doug Banks 5.1 (4.9)
2) WTMX FM 101.9 Koz (Kevin Koske) 4.8 (4.8)
3) WBBM AM 780 Kris Kridel and Keith Johnson; Cubs baseball 4.3 (4.9)
4) WKSC FM 103.5 Brady Broski 4.0 (4.6)
5) WLS FM 94.7 Danny Lake; Robert Murphy 3.9 (3.3)
6) WKQX FM 101.1 Walter Flakus 3.8 (3.4)
7) (tie) WBBM FM 96.3 Dougie Stylz and Justin Roman 3.5 (3.3)
7) (tie) WGCI FM 107.5 DJ MoonDawg (Michael Muniz); Tone Kapone 3.5 (4.0)
7) (tie) WLIT FM 93.9 Mick Lee 3.5 (3.5)
10) WOJO FM 105.1 Oswaldo Diaz 3.4 (3.0)