It should come as no surprise that with the kind of election year we’ve been having that News/Talk stations are experiencing increased listening. Nielsen says PPM ratings for October show News/Talk stations are growing audience, which is a trend Nielsen says has been happening over the past year.
October’s 9.9% share of audience among all listeners six and older is up from 9.1% in October 2015, and represents significant growth for the format from the summer months of June and July, when News/Talk was a full share point lower (8.9% in June).
Nielsen says these results show a rising tide for News/Talk, with audience growth happening across the board. And while this growth is expected during a presidential election year, it’s worth noting that the 25-54 audience to the format reached its highest point this month (7.3%) in more than three years. News/Talk ranked second in the PPM markets in October, vaulting ahead of Country, Hot Adult Contemporary, and Adult Contemporary.
Sports radio is also experiencing a healthy increase. According to Nielsen, Sports stations peaked at their highest levels ever seen in PPM measurement and October was record-setting, particularly with millennials. Read more from Nielsen HERE
