Radio ratings for mid-size markets across Canada were released this week by BBM Canada. Unlike big markets like Montreal and Toronto, these markets are measured twice a year by written diaries, which are less accurate than electronic meters.

Here’s what they show (updated with notes from Bell Media Radio’s analysis):

Quebec City

RNC Media’s CHOI Radio X continues to lead the market with a 16% market share, followed by:

• Cogeco’s FM93 (14%), up three points from the fall, moving from fourth to second overall
• Bell’s Rouge FM (13%)
• ICI Radio-Canada Première (12%)
• Cogeco’s 102,9 FM (9%)
• Bell’s NRJ (7%)
• Leclerc Communication’s WKND 91.9 (5%)
• Leclerc’s CKOI 102.1 (5%)
• Radio Classique (5%)
• RNC’s Radio X2 (4%)
• Espace Musique (3%)
• CBC Radio One (0.5%), down from 1.4% in the fall

But the biggest story in this market is NRJ. It hired former CHOI shock-jock Jeff Fillion to host a noon-hour show on the station. The result? Its ratings at that hour went up by 447%, from 3600 to 19,700 listeners among adults 25-54. It went from being in 7th place at that hour to being tied for first, in a dead heat with CHOI.

I’ve never seen that kind of ratings turnaround before.

Sherbrooke

Bell’s Rouge FM, whose 100kW signal can be heard in Montreal, again leads the market with a 23% share. It’s followed by:

• Bell’s NRJ (20%)
• ICI Radio-Canada Première (13%)
• Cogeco’s talk station 107,7 (10%), up two and a half points from the fall
• Cogeco’s Rythme FM (10%)
• Espace Musique (3%)

Combined, the market share is 43% Bell and 20% Cogeco.

Trois-Rivières

Bell’s NRJ leads the pack here with an 18% market share. It’s followed by:

• Cogeco’s Rythme FM (17%)
• Bell’s Rouge FM (13%)
• ICI Radio-Canada Première (9%)
• Cogeco’s talk station 106,9 FM (8%)
• Independent Bécancour station CKBN FM 90,5 (6%)
• Espace Musique (5%)

Saguenay

Bell’s Rouge FM is at the top with a 25% share. It’s followed by:

• Bell’s NRJ (16%)
• RNC Media’s KYK Radio X (12%)
• ICI Radio-Canada Première (11%)
• Attraction Radio’s CKRS FM 98, which is looking for a format change (8%)
• Espace Musique (5%)

Ottawa-Gatineau (Anglo)

CBC Radio One leads the English market in the national capital by far with a 20% market share, more than twice any other station, a larger lead than it had in the fall. It’s followed by:

• Bell’s news-talk station CFRA 580 (9%)
• Newcap’s Hot 89.9 (8%)
• Bell’s Majic 100 (7%)
• Rogers’s CHEZ 106, which climbs slightly thanks to reduced competition from The Bear (7%)
• Newcap’s modern rock station Live 88.5 (6%)
• Rogers’s Country 101.1 in adjacent Smiths Falls (6%)
• Rogers’s KISS-FM (6%)
• CBC Radio 2 (6%)
• Bell’s TSN Radio 1200 (3%)
• Bell’s 93.9 Bob FM (3%)
• Evanov’s The Jewel (3%)
• Corus’s Jump 106.9 (2%), down a bit more than a point
• Corus’s Boom 99.7 (2%)
• Torres Media’s blues station Dawg FM (1%)
• Rogers’s 1310 News (1%)
• Espace Musique (1%)
• Other French stations with shares under 0.9%

It might be tempting to read into the drop in share for The Bear/Jump, but the survey period covers March and April. In March, the station ran as a zombie with just music and no real programming. And even if that wasn’t the case, radio stations take time to build audience after switching formats so radically. We’ll have to wait until the fall to see if the new format is making traction.

Ottawa-Gatineau (Franco)

Bell’s Rouge FM dominates the market among francophones with a 23% share, which is impressive considering not only the number of French stations but the number of English music stations that could attract listeners away. It’s followed by:

• ICI Radio-Canada Première (15%)
• Bell’s NRJ (11%)
• Cogeco’s talk station 104,7 (8%)
• Newcap’s Hot 89.9 (7%)
• RNC’s Planète 97.1 (5%)
• Rogers’s KISS-FM (4%)
• Espace Musique (4%)
• Rogers’s CHEZ 106 (3%), which has doubled its market share among francophones
• Other English music and talk stations whose shares in French are below 2.5%
• RNC’s Capitale Rock (0.6%)

Among francophones, Jump’s share is 1.9%, below the 3% it had last fall. Same warning applies here.

Even among adults 25-54, Capitale Rock performs poorly, getting 1/5 the audience of Espace Musique.

St. John’s, N.L.

Newcap-owned talk station VOCM 590 leads the market with a 27% market share. It’s followed by:

• CBC Radio One (16%)
• Newcap’s K-Rock 97.5 (13%)
• Coast Broadcasting’s Coast 101.1 (13%)
• Newcap’s 99.1 Hits FM (12%)
• Newfoundland Broadcasting’s hot AC station Oz FM (7%)
• CBC Radio Two (2%)
• Newcap’s touristy CJYQ 930 (0.5%)

Combined, Newcap has a 53% market share with its four stations, or 65% if you exclude the CBC stations.

Halifax

CBC Radio One once again has the strongest market share here with 19%. It’s followed by:

• Maritime Broadcasting’s FX 101.9 country station (14%)
• Bell’s hot AC station C100 (11%)
• Newcap’s rock station Q 104 (9.5%)
• Maritime’s classic hits station 89.9 The Wave (6.4%)
• Bell’s hit station 101.3 The Bounce (5.7%)
• Rogers’s adult hits station Jack FM (5.1%)
• Rogers’s News 95.7 (4.6%)
• Newcap’s adult album alternative station Radio 96.5 (4.1%)
• Evanov Radio’s modern rock station Live 105 (3.7%)
• CBC Radio Two (3.2%)
• Evanov’s Energy 103.5 (2.9%)
• Espace Musique (0.5%)

The ranking of the top stations hasn’t changed since the fall.

Saint John, N.B.

Acadia Broadcasting’s Country 94 is the big winner here with a 26% market share. It’s followed by:

• Acadia’s 97.3 The Wave (21%)
• CBC Radio One (19%)
• Maritime Broadcasting’s classic hits station Kool 98 (12%)
• Maritime’s hit station K100 (6%)
• News 88.9 (which Rogers has sold to Newcap) at 4%
• Maritimes’s country station CFBC 930 AM (2%)

Moncton

Newcap’s XL Country 96.9 has the lead at just under 20% market share, followed by:

• Newcap’s classic rock station C103 (15%)
• Maritime’s K94.5 (15%)
• CBC Radio One (10%)
• Maritime’s 103.9 Max FM (8%)
• Acadia’s News 91.9 (purchased from Rogers) (6%)
• ICI Radio-Canada Première (2%)
• Radio Beauséjour’s BO-FM (2%)
• Maritime’s French country station Choix 99.9 (0.5%)

Kingston

Rogers’s Country 93.5 is the top station with a 22% share. It’s followed by:

• Bell’s Fly FM (10%)
• Rogers’s K-Rock 105.7 (9%)
• Corus’s Hits 104.3 (7%)
• Corus’s rock station FM 96 (6%)
• Bell’s modern rock station 98.9 The Drive (5%)
• Rogers’s Kiss 102.7 (3%)

And more

For markets further west — Belleville/Trenton, Oshawa-Whitby, Hamilton, St. Catharines-Niagara, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Windsor, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Lethbridge, Red Deer, Victoria, Kamloops, Kelowna and Prince George — you can check out BBM’s numbers directly. You can compare the larger ones to results of last fall.

I’ll point out that in Saskatoon, CBC Radio One’s share went up by two points from 6% to 8%, possibly an indication of increased interest after the station began broadcasting a local morning show last year.