Chicago is still a classic rock town - Axios ChicagoLog InLog InAxios Chicago is an Axios company.

Chicago is still a classic rock town

These rankings are based on quarter hour ratings (AQH) of people ages 6+ who listen Monday through Sunday. Data: .; Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Hi, it's Justin. Ever since columnist in July, the lack of daily Chicago media coverage has been painful. Why it matters: There is no shortage of media news, from investigating , revealing new or announcing . . The intrigue: After Nielsen audio put out its September radio ratings for our metro area, we decided to pick up — a bit — where Feder left off. State of play: Chicago is a radio town. Just take a trip downtown to the to check out the history of radio exhibit. But gone are the days of radio dominance by stations like WGN, WBBM-AM and WGCI. New streaming technology and the pandemic helped shift our listening habits. ? Driving the news: The Drive (WDRV) remains the last of the classic rock stations in town. In September, the station was far and away the most popular listening experience. Runner up: The Lite (WLIT) ratings usually drop outside its popular, late-year, all-holiday programming, but the soft rock station continues to do well without it. Watch them retake the top spot when they start spinning Bing Crosby and Gene Autry classics in November. The other side: Summer is usually down for talk radio. Both WBEZ and WGN-AM saw drops from August to September, but they should rebound as we near Election Day. And the once dominant Top 40 stations that now compete with streaming music services didn't crack the top 10. Of note: These ratings don't break down dayparts or specific demographics. Full disclosure: I've worked for a number of these stations. What's your favorite radio station? We want to know in our informal for a story next week. Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

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