JUNE NIELSEN PPMS SPELL MORE TROUBLE FOR PROGRAMMING CHIEFS AT CHICAGO'S SAGGING WSCR-AM; MARKET LEADERS FLAT
FLASH TICK ON JUNE NIELSEN PPMs FOR CHICAGO:
WSCR-AM BIGGEST LOSER with a staggering dip in audience despite uptick in play of bipolar Cubs; Entercom stepchild limps home tied for #10 (a-a 3.5) with WLIT-FM & WUSN-FM; maybe beleagured sports swillchant can flip to Christmas music/Cubs combo in July to regain traction;
Some heads - and at least one formidable waistline - likely on chopping block; bizarre demotion of ace morning co-pilot Brian Hanley makes even less sense in view of new numbers;
Market leaders notably flat: #1 WVAZ-FM (6.0; +1%); #2 WTMX-FM (4.9; +4%) leapfrogs co-#3 WBBM-AM (4.8; -1%); other #3 WDRV-FM (4.8; no change) retains WLUP-FM refugees; ditto for #6 WLS-FM (4.2; -2%);
Rough go for slow-moving #20 WBEZ-FM (2.5; -11%); even worse for corpulent cadaver WGN-AM (#21, 2.4) and fading ghost of #24 WLS-AM (1.5; -12%);
#25 WMVP-AM (1.3) remains merely a beachhead vanity for ESPN; terrible shame, because there is clearly a huge gap - and significant revenue - awaiting The Next Big Thing in Chicago sports talk.
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