Nielsen’s First Comparison of Year on Year
Radio Ratings Marked by Stability of Overall
Listening Habits
Nielsen Radio Audience Measurement: Spring 2010
Largest and most inclusive sample reveals the truth about
radio listening.
Nielsen’s Address Based Sampling (ABS) method - which captures all listeners regardless
of whether they have a landline phone, cell phone only (CPO) or no phone at all ensures that the Radio ratings are based on the most reliable representation of the
population in the 51 local radio metros.
Analysis of the measurement for March/ April 2010 among 115,672 diary keepers
representing a population of 14 million persons 12+ revealed that key radio metrics of
Cume ( Reach), Ratings and Time Spent Listening (TSL) were entirely consistent with
2009 findings. 18-34 continue to listen as much as their 12+ counterparts, CPO homes
are consistently higher than 12+ and 25-54 are the “ sweet spot” for radio. While Black
and Hispanics reach are in line with the total population 12+, Ratings and Time Spent
Listening are consistently higher.
True Cell Phone Only Representation is Essential
In the 51 markets, 16.3% of households were CPO, up 8.7% from 2009. The increase is in line with the 2009 first half vs. second half
rise of 8% in CPO households nationally, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Ratings for listeners from CPO households are 9% higher than those of the general population age 12+ in the 51 markets, and they
listen 5% longer, on average, each week.
Place of Listening Remained Consistent
Place of listening to the radio have remained virtually unchanged. An estimated 40% of radio listening among persons 12+ takes place
in the car, while 34% takes place at home and 23% at work. CPO listeners skew even higher at work, with 28.5% tuning in on the job.
NIELSEN SPRING RADIO RATINGS, KEY DEMOGRAPHICS 2009 vs. 2010
12+
Weekly Reach
18-34
CPO Only
25-54
2009
2010
2009
2010
2009
2010
2009
2010
90.2%
91.4%
93.2%
94.3%
91.8%
92.8%
94.2%
95.0%
15.7%
16.6%
17.7%
18.4%
21:32
23:41
22:29
Hispanic 12+
24:23
Weekly Rating
15.7%
16.5%
17.1%
17.9%
NIELSEN
SPRING
RADIO22:01
RATINGS,22:42
KEY DEMOGRAPHICS
2009
vs. 2010
23:07
23:56
Weekly
TSL
(hr:min)*
Black 12+
2009
2010
2009
2010
Weekly Reach
89.3%
91.2%
92.1%
92.9%
Weekly Rating
18.9%
19.8%
18.3%
18.9%
Weekly TSL (hr:min)*
26:39
27:22
24:59
25:41
No bounce. No wobble. Just ratings you can trust.
Nielsen Radio Audience Measurement
51 Nielsen Radio Metro Markets (Sample 12+)
Metro Name
Target
Actual
Metro Name
Target
Actual
Metro Name
Target
Actual
Abilene, TX
1200
1629
Flint, MI
2200
2814
Odessa-Midland, TX
1600
2293
Albany, GA
1200
1828
Florence, SC
1200
1545
Oxnard-Ventura, CA
2200
3460
Amarillo, TX
1600
2219
Fox Valley-AppletonOshkosh, WI
1600
1803
Pensacola, FL
2200
2964
Ann Arbor, MI
2200
2597
Ft. Smith, AR
1600
2168
Poughkeepsie, NY
1600
2255
Bangor, ME
1600
1844
Ft. Walton Beach, FL
1600
2402
Quad Cities, IAIL(Davenprt-MolineRck Isl-Betten)
2200
3151
Battle Creek, MI
1200
1500
Grand Junction, CO
1200
1687
Rochester, MN
1200
1525
Beaumont-Port
Arthur, TX
1600
2417
Green Bay, WI
1600
1892
Rockford, IL
2200
2774
Bismarck, ND
1200
1408
Huntsville, AL
2200
3013
Santa Barbara, CA
1600
2795
Bridgeport, CT
2200
2767
Kalamazoo, MI
1600
2104
Savannah, GA
2200
3029
Cedar Rapids, IA
1600
2064
Killeen-Temple, TX
1600
2159
Shreveport, LA
1200
1902
Columbia, MO
1200
1548
Lake Charles, LA
1200
1739
Tallahassee, FL
1600
2305
Columbus-StarkvilleWest Point, MS
1200
2178
Lexington-Fayette, KY
2200
2903
Topeka, KS
1600
2084
Danbury, CT
1600
1887
Macon, GA
2200
2859
Waterloo-Cedar
Falls, IA
1600
1788
Dubuque, IA
1200
1416
Montgomery, AL
2200
2778
Westchester, NY
2200
2665
Eugene-Springfield,
OR
2200
2622
Myrtle Beach, SC
1600
2104
Wichita Falls, TX
1200
1579
Fayetteville-AR, AR
2200
3157
New River Valley, VA
1200
1780
Wilmington, NC
1600
2312
Fayetteville-NC, NC
2200
3338
NewburghMiddletown, NY
1200
1890
Youngstown-Warren,
OH
2200
2732
For more information on Nielsen Radio Audience Measurement, please contact:
Northern States: Brent Lightfoot at 630-499-9104 or brent.lightfoot@nielsen.com
Southern States: Julia Johnston at 630-898-4188 or julia.johnston@nielsen.com
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