UTICA-ROME — For the first time since 2006, the radio stations of Galaxy Media are appearing on the publicly-viewable “top-line ratings” reports issued by Nielsen. We now have a glimpse at how stations like Mix 102.5 (WUMX), 94.9 K-Rock (WKLL) and ESPN Radio Utica-Rome (WTLB) compare to other stations in the Mohawk Valley.
Even though Galaxy still owns the stations for now, Albany-based Pamal Broadcasting officially assumed day-to-day operations of the Galaxy yesterday, through a local marketing agreement that based on the expectation that the Federal Communications Commission will approve Pamal’s purchase of the Galaxy stations. Galaxy CEO Ed Levine announced in August that he planned to retire by year’s end. (Editor’s note: for the rest of this article, we’ll refer to the stations as Pamal stations.)
We hear that Pamal met with staffers yesterday to introduce themselves. Within that meeting, Pamal revealed they would be subscribing the stations to Nielsen’s Syracuse and Utica-Rome ratings reports effective immediately.
As a result, Nielsen has already revised its top-line ratings data for the Spring 2026 book for the Utica-Rome market, where ratings data is tabulated just twice a year: 12 weeks in the spring and 12 weeks in the fall. The table below lists the Pamal stations in bold:
Data updated by Nielsen 10/2/26. Persons 12+, Monday-Sunday, 6AM–Midnight, Average Quarter-Hour Share.| Subscriber | Format | SP 24 | FA 24 | SP 25 | FA 25 | SP 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WFRG-FM | Country | 13.3 | 11.1 | 9.6 | 7.1 | 11.0 |
| WLZW-FM | Adult Contemporary | 5.2 | 9.3 | 8.8 | 8.4 | 7.0 |
| WOUR-FM | Classic Rock | 6.4 | 6.6 | 5.0 | 5.9 | 6.6 |
| WSKS-FM | Pop Contemporary Hit Radio | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 6.3 | 6.1 |
| WODZ-FM | Classic Hits | 5.2 | 7.1 | 4.6 | 6.7 | 5.7 |
| WUMX-FM | Hot AC | 4.0 | 3.8 | 5.0 | 4.8 | |
| WKLL-FM | Active Rock | 5.3 | 5.4 | 6.7 | 3.9 | |
| WIBX-AM | News Talk Information | 4.7 | 4.4 | 2.5 | 5.0 | 3.1 |
| WKVU-FM | Contemporary Christian | 3.0 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 2.2 |
| WUTQ-FM | Talk/Personality | 2.1 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 2.2 |
| WBUG-FM | Country | 2.1 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| WRVO-FM | News Talk Information | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| WCAN-FM | News Talk Information | 0.4 | * | * | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| WKVU-FM Stream | Contemporary Christian | * | * | * | * | 0.4 |
| WRVN-FM | News Talk Information | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| WTLB-AM | All Sports | * | 1.3 | * | 0.4 | |
| WRUN-FM | News Talk Information | * | 0.4 | * | 0.4 | * |
| WAWR-FM | Contemporary Christian | * | * | 0.4 | * | * |
As always, these are “top line” ratings, meaning they’re an overall average of all listeners ages 12 and up across the entire week between 6am and midnight. That’s the only data available to the public; only subscribers to the full “book” can see how each station performs within specific dayparts or amongst specific demographics within the overall audience. The top-line report only shows stations who hold an active subscription to Nielsen’s reports; non-subscribing stations are embargoed from this report.
You have to scroll down 6 slots to see the first Pamal station, Mix 102.5 (WUMX). The Hot AC station posted a 4.8 share for the spring, its second best out of the last 4 books, down just a fraction of a point from the fall.
Right behind it is the Utica-Rome feed of 94.9 KROCK (WKLL), which was Levine’s first station when he founded Galaxy (originally “The Radio Corporation”) in 1990. Today, WKLL is largely a simulcast of the company’s Syracuse KROCK stations (WKRH/WKRL), but splitting away to cover commercial breaks with Utica-area ads. WKLL garnered a 3.9 share for the Spring 2026 book, a notable drop from the 6.7 it posted in the Fall and the 5.4 it had the previous spring. (As of yet, we’re not sure if this is specific to Utica, as Nielsen has not yet re-released the latest Syracuse top-line ratings to include the Pamal stations.)
Both of those stations wind up sandwiched between Townsquare’s classic hits 96.1 The Eagle (WODZ) and news-talker 950 WIBX, both of which also saw audience numbers drop since the previous book.
With all these stations dropping, is anyone gaining? Yes. Townquare’s 100,000-watt country flamethrower Big Frog 104 (WFRG) reclaims its top spot in the market, soaring from a 7.1 in the fall to an 11.0 share in the spring. Townsquare classic rocker 96.9 WOUR (a Galaxy property from 2007 to 2018) also enjoyed an increase of a little more than half a point, chalking-up a 6.6 for the spring.
Closer to the bottom of the list, ESPN Radio (WTLB) scored a 0.4 for the Spring 2026 book, even though Galaxy took WTLB off the air earlier this year, shortly before tearing down the station’s towers and selling the transmitter site property on Kellogg Road in the Washington Mills section of New Hartford.
How did WTLB get any ratings even though it’s off the air? Because ESPN Radio is simulcast on other stations in the market and Nielsen generally combines the ratings for simulcasts into one line. We suspect the ratings company chose to list WTLB for consistency’s sake, even though all that listening should technically be credited to 1350 WRNY Rome, with help from 96.5 FM, translator W243DY.
Not making the survey: variety hits Tony 99.1, which is an FM translator (W256AJ) whose primary station is 1230 WIXT Little Falls.
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