This Boise radio station shot to #1 with a huge, sudden ratings leap. Others slipped

Boise has a new #1 radio station — and it comes as a bit of a surprise.

In the newly released fall 2022 Nielsen Audio ratings, 107.9 Lite FM won the “12-plus” category — all listeners 12 and older tuned in between 6 a.m. and midnight.

Playing “the best variety of the ’80s, ’90s and today,” Lite FM nearly tripled its spring number, rocketing from a 2.3 share to a 6.2. Was it a gift from Santa Claus? The adult contemporary station flipped to nonstop holiday music Nov. 11 and kept the yuletide theme going through Christmas Day. The last time Lite FM had a 12-plus number that big? Fall of 2019 — also a 6.2.

Perennial powerhouse country station 101.9 The Bull fell back to Earth slightly after a titanic 8.3 share last spring. Its 6.0 still was good enough for a second-place tie with headbanging station 100.3 The X. (Like Lite, The X nearly tripled its spring number.) Hot AC station My 102.7 took third (5.5) followed by news-talk outlet KBOI-AM 670 (5.1).

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 important, than the overall 12-plus number, which is mostly about bragging rights.

For example, 100.3 The X was #1 in the 25- to 54-year-old category, which advertisers value highly, followed by My 102.7 and Lite FM.

Still, it feels good for stations that finish near the top in 12-plus. Because plenty of others do not.

There wasn’t an extraordinary amount of inexplicable, up-and-down craziness in the fall book. (Let’s be clear: The accuracy of audience-diary surveys always should be viewed with healthy skepticism.) But disappointments did emerge. Classical-leaning 90.3 KBSU-FM plunged from a 3.3 share six months earlier to a barely existent 1.1. Oof, roll over, Beethoven. And after pulling an eye-opening 3.9 in spring, Wild 101.1 can’t be all that wild about cooling back down to a 2.3 in fall.

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.

▪ KXLT-FM 107.9 (Lite FM, adult contemporary): 6.2

▪ KQBL-FM 101.9 (The Bull, country): 6.0

▪ KQXR-FM 100.3 (The X, active rock): 6.0

▪ KZMG-FM 102.7 (My 102.7, hot AC): 5.5 — My 102.7 had the top-rated morning show, “Joey and Lauren.”

▪ KBOI-AM 670 (news/talk): 5.1

▪ KSRV-FM 96.1 (Bob, variety hits): 4.3

▪ KBSX-FM 91.5 (Boise State; news/talk): 4.2

▪ KSAS-FM 103.5 (Kiss FM, contemporary hits): 3.8

▪ KAWO-FM 104.3 (Wow country): 3.4

▪ KIZN-FM 92.3 (Kissin’ 92.3, country): 3.4

▪ KTHI-FM 107.1 (K-Hits, classic hits): 3.4

▪ KIDO-AM 580 (news/talk): 3.2

▪ KKGL-FM 96.9 (The Eagle, classic rock): 3.2

▪ KKOO-AM 1260 (Kool Oldies): 3.2

▪ KTSY-FM 89.5 (Christian contemporary): 3.2

▪ KRVB-FM 94.9 (The River, adult album alternative): 2.6

▪ KJOT-FM 105.1 (Jack, variety hits): 2.6

▪ KWYD-FM 101.1 (Wild 101.1, rhythmic contemporary hits): 2.3

▪ KQFC-FM 97.9 (Magic 97.9, adult contemporary): 2.1

▪ KQBL-FM HD2 99.1 (I-Rock): 1.5

▪ KBSU-FM 90.3 (Boise State, classical): 1.1

▪ KCIX-FM 105.9 (Mix 106, Hot AC): 1.1

▪ KQBL-FM HD3 96.5 (alternative rock): 1.1

▪ KTIK-AM 1350 (sports): 0.9

▪ KOAY-FM 88.7 (Christian contemporary): 0.8

▪ KFXD-AM 630 (Power 105.5, urban contemporary): 0.6

▪ KSRV-FM HD2 99.9 (Fox Sports Boise): 0.2

Explaining the numbers: “Share” is the percentage of listeners tuned in to a station at a given time. Lite FM’s 6.2 means 6.2% 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.