Boise loves this country radio station (but not the other two.) And BSU Radio’s NPR, too.

Whether it’s classic hits from the ’70s or modern hip-hop tracks, rock and pop dominate Boise’s crowded airwaves.

But the top radio station in the Treasure Valley? Hold on to your hat — it’s country.

101.9 FM The Bull finished No. 1 among listeners 12 and older in the newly released fall 2019 Nielsen Audio ratings. Nielsen measures listener share among stations every six months.

The Bull grabbed a 6.3 share, edging out 107.9 Lite FM and its 6.2 number. Lite, which rebounded after a disappointing spring book, always gets a seasonal ratings surge by spinning holiday music. Meanwhile, Boise State Public Radio took third place. Yep, 91.5 KBSX-FM and its NPR-laced perspective jumped to a 5.6.

Fourteen of the top 19 stations in the fall ratings are rock- or pop-based. Aside from The Bull, there are three news-talk stations and a sports format among them.

And, wow, is The Bull stomping its country competition (as in Wow 104.3).

Boise’s two other country stations — Wow and Kissin’ 92.3 — each snagged a 1.9 share. That’s good, as in bad, for No. 20 and No. 21 overall.

Why the big disparity? No clue. Longtime country station KQFC 97.9 FM flipped to adult contemporary last October, ostensibly leaving more meat on the bone for the remaining twangy stations. Instead, Wow and Kissin’ saw their ratings drop. Only The Bull shot up.

Does The Bull play better music to Idaho ears — older, ’90s-era stuff, perhaps? Is more Brooks & Dunn gettin’ the job done? You tell, me country fans.

On the other hand, here’s a mystery I can solve. (I think.) In right-leaning Idaho, how did Boise State Public Radio finish near the top by broadcasting NPR and other professorial goodness? Think about it. Stations such as 670 KBOI-AM and 580 KIDO-AM grab ratings with “The Rush Limbaugh Show” and “Sean Hannity.” Hyper-conservative programming. Not everyone in Boise sees the world through the same lens. That’s where 91.5 FM comes in. To use a TV comparison, it’s sort of like CNN or MSNBC as an alternative Fox News.

In the morning ratings, the highest-rated commercial show was long-running cheese-fest “Bob and Tom” on 96.9 The Eagle. Tied for second — only one-tenth of a point behind — were locals “Kevin and Brenda Mee” on The Bull, and syndicated “Brooke & Jubal in the Morning” on Wild 101.1.

However, the actual No. 1 finisher in the 6 a.m.-10 a.m. morning drive was “Morning Edition” on Boise State Public Radio. The mix of NPR programming, local host George Prentice and KBSX-FM’s news department was a winning combination.

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Here’s the breakdown. These are quarter-hour share ratings for Treasure Valley stations among listeners 12 and older between 6 a.m. and midnight.

▪ KQBL-FM 101.9 (The Bull, country): 6.3

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

▪ KBSX-FM 91.5 (news/talk): 5.6

▪ KWYD-FM 101.1 (Wild 101.1, rhythmic contemporary hits): 5.2

▪ KBOI-AM 670 (news/talk): 5.0

▪ KSRV-FM 96.1 (Bob, variety hits): 5.0

▪ KKGL-FM 96.9 (The Eagle, classic rock): 4.7

▪ KTSY-FM 89.5 (Christian contemporary): 4.1

▪ KRVB-FM 94.9 (The River, adult album alternative): 3.9

▪ KQXR-FM 100.3 (The X, active rock): 3.9

▪ KZMG-FM 102.7 (My 102.7, Hot AC): 3.5

▪ KIDO-AM 580 (news/talk): 3.0

▪ KTHI-FM 107.1 (K-Hits, classic): 2.8

▪ KJOT-FM 105.1 (J-105, classic rock): 2.4

▪ KSAS-FM 103.5 (Kiss FM, contemporary hits): 2.4

▪ KBSU-FM 90.3 (Classical): 2.4

▪ KTIK-FM 93.1 (The Ticket, sports): 2.2

▪ KCIX-FM 105.9 (Mix 106, Hot AC): 2.1

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

▪ KAWO-FM 104.3 (Wow country): 1.9

▪ KIZN-FM 92.3 (Kissin’ 92.3, country): 1.9

▪ KKOO-AM 1260 (Kool Oldies): 1.7

▪ KQBL-HD3 96.5 (alternative rock): 1.5

▪ KQBL-HD2 99.1 (I-Rock): 1.3

▪ KOAY-FM 88.7 (rhythmic contemporary): 0.7

▪ KFXD-AM 630 (The Fan, sports): 0.4

▪ KTIK-AM 1350 (The Ticket, sports): Not measured

Explaining the numbers: “Share” is the percentage of listeners tuned in to a station at a given time. 101.9 FM The Bull’s 6.3 means 6.3 percent 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.

This story was originally published January 17, 2020 at 3:45 PM.