The latest Nielsen ratings reveal a continued dominance of AC and news/talk stations in the radio airwaves, with a few surprises and shifts in the rankings. The data covers 20 non-embedded PPM markets, providing a comprehensive view of listener preferences. AC stations lead in six markets, followed by news/talk in four, with sports and classic hits stations also making appearances. The quarterly performance shows AC stations with 16 wins, followed by 11 for news/talk, indicating a strong showing for these formats. However, a closer look at the first quarter of 2026 reveals a different landscape, with AC stations taking 13 wins, news/talk with 11, and sports and classic hits stations with fewer wins. The top-performing stations in each market showcase a variety of formats, with AC, news/talk, and sports stations leading the way. For instance, in Washington, DC, WAMU-FM's news/talk format has seen a significant share gain, moving into 12-share territory. In Boston, AC and classic hits stations have been bouncing back to the top spots, with WMJX-FM and WROR-FM making a strong comeback. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood sees a repeat at the top for Spanish/bilingual AC, while Seattle-Tacoma's news/talk pubcaster KUOW is in a tight race with the Mariners flagship station. Phoenix's new champ is iHeartMedia talker KFYI, with AC sister KESZ close behind. Detroit's top three are tied, with sports, classic hits, and country stations in the lead. Minneapolis-St. Paul's classic hits station KQQL remains on top, while Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater's soft AC station WDUV has a strong lead. Denver-Boulder's AC station KOSI has been consistently ranking high, and San Diego's classic hits station KXSN has won three consecutive surveys. Baltimore's urban AC station WWIN-FM has been dominant, and St. Louis's heritage rocker KSHE is in a close race with classic hits KLOU. These ratings provide valuable insights into listener preferences and the performance of various radio formats across different markets.
