Welcome to modern Boise, where an AM radio station is No. 1 in the market

Hear that static crackling?

That’s the sound of a winner, Boise.

An AM radio station was No. 1 among listeners 12 and older in the fall 2020 Nielsen Audio ratings, which were released last week. Talking Trumpism and right-wing politics, KBOI 670 AM was the market’s top-rated station. Nielsen measures listener share among radio stations every six months.

If you’ve lived in Boise for more than a minute, you realize that KBOI’s win isn’t unusual. The station, which lures an older demographic, has won the 12-plus category as recently as spring 2019.

Not everyone in Boise spins the dial of a vintage transistor radio, though. With one exception, the rest of the Treasure Valley’s top-rated choices were FM stations.

Country powerhouse 101.9 FM The Bull, which easily topped the ratings in spring 2020, slipped to No. 2 in fall. Rounding out the top five were 107.9 Lite FM, 96.1 Bob FM and 91.5 FM Boise State Public Radio.

Nielsen Audio carves ratings into near-endless demographics. With its wide range of listeners, the 12-plus category essentially is the bragging-rights division.

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

▪ KBOI-AM 670 (news/talk): 7.8

▪ KQBL-FM 101.9 (The Bull, country): 6.9

▪ KXLT-FM 107.9 (Lite FM, adult contemporary): 4.9

▪ KSRV-FM 96.1 (Bob, variety hits): 4.7

▪ KBSX-FM 91.5 (news/talk): 4.6

▪ KIDO-AM 580 (news/talk): 4.6

▪ KKGL-FM 96.9 (The Eagle, classic rock): 4.0

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

▪ KZMG-FM 102.7 (My 102.7, Hot AC): 3.6

▪ KCIX-FM 105.9 (Mix 106, Hot AC): 2.9

▪ KTSY-FM 89.5 (Christian contemporary): 2.9

▪ KQXR-FM 100.3 (The X, active rock): 2.7

▪ KIZN-FM 92.3 (Kissin’ 92.3, country): 2.6

▪ KTHI-FM 107.1 (K-Hits, classic): 2.6

▪ KAWO-FM 104.3 (Wow country): 2.4

▪ KWYD-FM 101.1 (Wild 101.1, rhythmic contemporary hits): 2.4

▪ KJOT-FM 105.1 (J-105, classic rock): 2.2

▪ KRVB-FM 94.9 (The River, adult album alternative): 2.2

▪ KBSU-FM 90.3 (Classical): 2.0

▪ KKOO-AM 1260 (Kool Oldies): 1.8

▪ KQBL-FM HD3 96.5 (alternative rock): 1.5

▪ KTIK-FM 93.1 (The Ticket, sports): 1.5

▪ KQFC-FM 97.9 (Magic 97.9, adult contemporary): 1.1

▪ KFXD-AM 630 (Power 105.5, urban contemporary): 0.7

▪ KQBL-FM HD2 99.1 (I-Rock): 0.7

▪ KOAY-FM 88.7 (rhythmic contemporary): 0.2

Explaining the numbers: “Share” is the percentage of listeners tuned in to a station at a given time. KBOI’s 7.8 means 7.8 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 19, 2021 at 2:28 PM.