Millions rock around ‘Chicago’s Christmas Station’

WLIT FM 93.9

WLIT FM 93.9

WLIT FM 93.9 lit up like a Christmas tree in Chicago radio ratings released Monday.

The iHeartMedia adult-contemporary station switched to around-the-clock holiday music programming on November 12 — one week into the latest Nielsen Audio survey period, which ran from November 5 to December 2. The figures showed more than 2,133,800 listeners couldn’t get enough of it.

Marking its 15th consecutive year as “Chicago’s Christmas Station,” WLIT is one of an estimated 500 terrestrial radio stations playing nothing but seasonal music through the holidays. (The most-played Christmas song nationwide, according to Mediabase.com, is Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”)

Including just three weeks of Christmas music in the four-week survey, WLIT doubled its audience share and moved up from eighth place to second overall. Among listeners between 25 and 54 — the key demographic for advertisers — the station jumped from 13th to first.

The end of Chicago Cubs baseball broadcasts saw CBS Radio all-news WBBM AM 780 return to a full-time simulcast with WCFS FM 105.9. That resulted in the Newsradio combo overtaking iHeartMedia urban adult-contemporary WVAZ FM 102.7 for the top spot overall.

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 November 5 to December 2 (followed by previous month’s share in parentheses):

1) WBBM AM 780/WCFS FM 105.9 (simulcast) 7.0 (5.9)
2) WLIT FM 93.9 6.6 (3.3)
3) WVAZ FM 102.7 6.1 (6.0)
4) WTMX FM 101.9 4.7 (5.4)
5) WGN AM 720 3.8 (3.6)
6) WOJO FM 105.1 3.7 (3.7)
7) WKSC FM 103.5 3.3 (3.5)
8) WGCI FM 107.5 3.2 (3.3)
9) (tie) WBBM FM 96.3 3.1 (3.0)
9) (tie) WKQX FM 101.1 3.1 (3.7)
11) (tie) WDRV FM 97.1 3.0 (2.7)
11) (tie) WUSN FM 99.5 3.0 (2.8)
13) WJMK FM 104.3 2.9 (3.3)
14) WLS FM 94.7 2.8 (2.8)
15) WXRT FM 93.1 2.6 (2.6)
16) (tie) WBEZ FM 91.5 2.5 (2.2)
16) (tie) WPPN FM 106.7 2.5 (2.5)
18) (tie) WLUP FM 97.9 2.4 (2.5)
18) (tie) WSHE FM 100.3 2.4 (2.6)
20) WSCR AM 670 2.2 (2.2)
21) WMVP AM 1000 2.0 (2.5)
22) WRME FM 87.7 1.9 (1.7)
23) (tie) WEBG FM 95.5 1.8 (2.0)
23) (tie) WPWX FM 92.3 1.8 (2.0)
25) WLEY FM 107.9 1.7 (1.5)
26) WLS AM 890 1.6 (1.8)
27) WJKL FM 94.3 1.4 (1.3)
28) WSRB FM 106.3 1.0 (1.1)
29) WVIV FM 93.5 0.9 (0.9)
30) (tie) WFMT FM 98.7 0.8 (1.0)
30) (tie) WMBI FM 90.1 0.8 (0.9)
32) (tie) WCPT AM 820 0.7 (0.6)
32) (tie) WERV FM 95.9 0.7 (0.6)
32) (tie) WIIL FM 95.1 0.7 (0.9)
32) (tie) WIND AM 560 0.7 (0.7)
36) (tie) WGRB AM 1390 0.6 (0.6)
36) (tie) WSSR FM 96.7 0.6 (0.5)
36) (tie) WXLC FM 102.3 0.6 (0.7)
36) (tie) WZSR FM 105.5 0.6 (0.5)
40) WCCQ FM 98.3 0.5 (0.5)

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 (with previous month’s share in parentheses):

1) WBBM AM 780/WCFS FM 105.9 (simulcast) Felicia Middlebrooks and Pat Cassidy 9.9 (9.7)
2) WTMX FM 101.9 Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart 6.5 (7.8)
3) WVAZ FM 102.7 Steve Harvey 6.0 (6.7)
4) WGN AM 720 Steve Cochran 5.6 (5.4)
5) WLIT FM 93.9 Kristina Zsenyuk 4.8 (2.7)
6) WOJO FM 105.1 Raul Molinar, Sylvia del Valle and Andres Maldonado 3.8 (3.6)
7) WBEZ FM 91.5 NPR Morning Edition; Morning Shift with Tony Sarabia 3.2 (2.7)
8) (tie) WKQX FM 101.1 Brian Phillips and Lou Lombardo 3.1 (3.3)
8) (tie) WSCR AM 670 Mike Mulligan and Brian Hanley 3.1 (3.3)
10) (tie) WBBM FM 96.3 J. Niice (Jamar McNeil) and Showbiz Shelly Menaker 2.9 (2.7)
10) (tie) WUSN FM 99.5 Lisa Dent and Ramblin’ Ray Stevens 2.9 (2.3)

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 (with previous month’s share in parentheses):

1) WLIT FM 93.9 Mick Lee 7.1 (3.5)
2) WBBM AM 780/WCFS FM 105.9 (simulcast) Kris Kridel and Keith Johnson 5.9 (5.6)
3) WVAZ FM 102.7 Doug Banks 5.3 (4.8)
4) WTMX FM 101.9 Koz (Kevin Koske) 4.6 (5.2)
5) WKSC FM 103.5 Brady Broski 3.8 (4.3)
6) WGCI FM 107.5 Tone Kapone 3.7 (3.7)
7) WOJO FM 105.1 Oswaldo Diaz 3.6 (3.1)
8) WBBM FM 96.3 Dougie Stylz and Justin Roman 3.6 (3.3)
9) WPPN FM 107.9 Ysaac Alvarez 3.1 (2.8)
10) (tie) WGN AM 720 Roe Conn and Anna Davlantes 3.0 (2.8)
10) (tie) WKQX FM 101.1 Walter Flakus 3.0 (4.1)
10) (tie) WUSN FM 99.5 Shila Nathan 3.0 (3.3)