Boise has two #1 radio stations, but one is on the AM dial? Really? Here are ratings
There was a time when I assumed that an AM radio station would never again win the local ratings.
But the Boise market never ceases to amaze.
(And, yes, I realize that some of you are amazed that anyone still listens to radio at all. Humor me.)
News-talk station KBOI 670 AM just finished atop the spring Nielsen Audio ratings, which measure listener share. It tied for the win with country powerhouse 101.9 FM The Bull among listeners 12 and older between 6 a.m. and midnight.
The Bull and KBOI usually tend to be strong. The raging Bull, in particular, has been a beast in recent years. It’s finished at #1 in five of the past eight Nielsen ratings periods. This time, The Bull also won the 25- to 54-year-old demographic, which advertisers prize.
Not long ago, it seemed safe to wonder if KBOI’s podium finishes might finally be over as the last gunslinger of the AM dial. KBOI began simulcasting on 93.1 FM about a year and a half ago. Wouldn’t listeners just cruise over there and ignore the AM static?
But KBOI is still listed as an AM station by Nielsen. The data is a combined report of KBOI’s AM and FM results. There’s no separate breakdown.
Thanks to conservative and right-wing political programming that attracts an older audience, how many KBOI listeners actually prefer to listen to crackly sounding AM? (Let’s do it! Break out that transistor radio powered by a half-dead 9-volt Radio Shack battery! FM just seems so woke, anyway.)
In the end, it doesn’t matter. AM or FM, KBOI gets big Boise numbers.
Ratings surprises
Released twice a year, Nielsen Audio ratings drill down to various demographics: age, gender, morning-show slots and more. For advertising sales purposes, stations consider many of those just as important, if not more so, than the 12-plus number, which is mostly about bragging rights.
Still, 12-plus is an overall snapshot. A place where drama unfolds. For example, 107.9 Lite FM took a major nosedive. After a barrage of holiday music helped the station win the fall 2022 Nielsen ratings, it barely got half its previous number. Another well-known station, hard-rockin’ 100.3 The X, suffered a similarly disappointing slip.
Yet The X and Lite FM still finished above the majority of the pack — and also had exceptional finishes in the 25-54 category.
Plus, here’s a sad fact. The accuracy of audience-diary surveys always should be viewed with healthy skepticism. Station managers normally don’t panic over a single disappointing Nielsen book.
They might want to say a few prayers, though. A Christian radio station, 89.5 KTSY-FM, is now among the top five stations in the market.
And finally, as for that highly valuable 25-54 demographic? The Bull was followed by 100.3 The X and variety station 96.1 Bob FM — which also finished third in 12-plus. (KBOI? It tied for 15th in 25-54.)
Spring 12-plus numbers
Below is the Treasure Valley breakdown. These are quarter-hour share ratings for stations among listeners 12 and older between 6 a.m. and midnight.
▪ KQBL-FM 101.9 (The Bull, country): 6.6
▪ KBOI-AM 670 (news/talk): 6.6
▪ KSRV-FM 96.1 (Bob, variety hits): 5.2
▪ KKGL-FM 96.9 (The Eagle, classic rock): 4.4
▪ KTSY-FM 89.5 (Christian contemporary): 3.9
▪ KBSX-FM 91.5 (Boise State; news/talk): 3.7
▪ KZMG-FM 102.7 (My 102.7, hot AC): 3.7
▪ KQXR-FM 100.3 (The X, active rock): 3.5
▪ KIZN-FM 92.3 (Kissin’ 92.3, country): 3.3
▪ KXLT-FM 107.9 (Lite FM, adult contemporary): 3.3
▪ KKOO-AM 1260 (Kool Oldies): 2.9
▪ KAWO-FM 104.3 (Wow country): 2.7
▪ KWYD-FM 101.1 (Wild 101.1, rhythmic contemporary hits): 2.7
▪ KIDO-AM 580 (news/talk): 2.5
▪ KJOT-FM 105.1 (Jack, variety hits): 2.5
▪ KTHI-FM 107.1 (K-Hits, classic hits): 2.3
▪ KBSU-FM 90.3 (Boise State, classical): 1.7
▪ KCIX-FM 105.9 (Mix 106, Hot AC): 1.7
▪ KFXD-AM 630 (Power 105.5, urban contemporary): 1.7
▪ KRVB-FM 94.9 (The River, adult album alternative): 1.7
▪ KSAS-FM 103.5 (Kiss FM, contemporary hits): 1.7
▪ KTIK-AM 1350 (sports): 1.7
▪ KQBL-FM HD2 99.1 (I-Rock): 1.2
▪ KQBL-FM HD3 96.5 (alternative rock): 1.0
▪ KQFC-FM 97.9 (Magic 97.9, adult contemporary): 1.0
▪ KSRV-FM HD2 99.9 (Fox Sports Boise): 0.6
▪ KOAY-FM 88.7 (Christian contemporary): 0.2
Explaining the numbers: “Share” is the percentage of listeners tuned in to a station at a given time. KQBL’s 6.6 means 6.6% of everyone 12 and older in the market listening to the radio at that time was tuned in to that station. These are quarter-hour share, or AQH, numbers — the average number of people listening to a particular station for at least 5 minutes during a 15-minute period. “Rating,” the percentage of potential listeners in the market actually tuning in, is a different thing. Find out more here.
