This radio station owns #1. Another high flier took a dive. Here are Boise ratings
Country fans who listen to 101.9 FM know it as The Bull.
I like to call it the raging Bull.
No other Boise radio station has been on a tear in recent years like this one. It is the Treasure Valley’s dominant force, as it showed once again in the fall 2023 Nielsen radio ratings. The Bull finished No. 1 among listeners 12 and older between 6 a.m. and midnight. It’s been No. 1 in the “12-plus” category in six of the past nine ratings periods.
The Nielsens, which measure listener share, are released twice a year. They drill down to all sorts of demographics. But 12-plus is the bragging-rights category.
Following behind The Bull’s 5.9 share, news-talk station 670 KBOI finished in second place with a 5.6 — impressive for an AM station. (It also broadcasts on 93.1 FM.) Third place was a tie between adult contemporary station Lite 107.9 FM and hot AC favorite My 102.7. They got a 5.1 share.
Soaring and sliding
Lite FM and My 102.7 enjoyed nice growth in the fall book. Both finished top 10 last spring — but with a modest 3.3 and 3.7, respectively. Another station with an upward surge? Contemporary hits purveyor 103.5 Kiss FM, which pulled itself up from a 1.7 to a 3.4.
Other familiar Boise stations headed in the opposite direction. Classic rocker 96.9 The Eagle might consider itself a “high flier,” but it did not soar. Its 12-plus number was cut in half from 4.4 in spring to a 2.2 in fall. And despite The Bull’s success playing country music, competitor Kissin’ 92.3 struggled. It dropped nearly a point from a 3.3 to a 2.4.
There are lots of other Nielsen categories based on age, gender, time slot and more. For advertising sales purposes, stations consider many of those numbers just as important, if not more so, than the 12-plus listener share. For example: listeners 25-54 between 6 a.m. and midnight. Contemporary Christian station 89.5 KTSY-FM finished No. 1 in the 25-54 category, followed by a three-way tie for second place: The Bull, Lite FM and active rock station 100.3 The X.
Lastly, just so we don’t put too much stock into any of this? It’s worth mentioning that the accuracy of audience-diary surveys always should be viewed with healthy skepticism. Station managers normally don’t panic over a single head-scratching Nielsen book.
Fall 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): 5.9
▪ KBOI-AM 670 (news/talk): 5.6
▪ KXLT-FM 107.9 (Lite FM, adult contemporary): 5.1
▪ KZMG-FM 102.7 (My 102.7, hot AC): 5.1
▪ KSRV-FM 96.1 (Bob, variety hits): 4.4
▪ KBSX-FM 91.5 (Boise State; news/talk): 4.2
▪ KTSY-FM 89.5 (Christian contemporary): 4.2
▪ KQXR-FM 100.3 (The X, active rock): 3.4
▪ KSAS-FM 103.5 (Kiss FM, contemporary hits): 3.4
▪ KAWO-FM 104.3 (Wow country): 3.2
▪ KCIX-FM 105.9 (Mix 106, Hot AC): 3.2
▪ KKOO-AM 1260 (Kool Oldies): 3.2
▪ KIDO-AM 580 (news/talk): 2.9
▪ KBSU-FM 90.3 (Boise State, classical): 2.7
▪ KTHI-FM 107.1 (K-Hits, classic hits): 2.7
▪ KIZN-FM 92.3 (Kissin’ 92.3, country): 2.4
▪ KWYD-FM 101.1 (Wild 101.1, rhythmic contemporary hits): 2.4
▪ KKGL-FM 96.9 (The Eagle, classic rock): 2.2
▪ KJOT-FM 105.1 (Jack, variety hits): 1.7
▪ KTIK-AM 1350 (sports): 1.7
▪ KQBL-FM HD2 99.1 (I-Rock): 1.2
▪ KQFC-FM 97.9 (Magic 97.9, adult contemporary): 1.2
▪ KRVB-FM 94.9 (The River, adult album alternative): 1.2
▪ KQBL-FM HD3 96.5 (alternative rock): 1.0
▪ KSRV-FM HD2 99.9 (Fox Sports Boise): 1.0
▪ KFXD-AM 630 (Power 105.5, urban contemporary): 0.5
▪ KOAY-FM 88.7 (Christian contemporary): 0.5
Explaining the numbers: “Share” is the percentage of listeners tuned in to a station at a given time. KQBL’s 5.9 means 5.9% 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. Find out more here.
