NPR Touts Highest Ratings Ever

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National Public Radio says it now has 37.4 million listeners, which is their largest audience in history. NPR’s Senior Vice President of News and Editorial Director Michael Oreskes says, “At a time when many news organizations have been forced to contract, NPR is expanding coverage and focusing resources on the local and national issues that listeners care about. Now, more and more people are turning to NPR as their source for unbiased fact-based news.” Here are all the numbers…

– According to Nielsen, the total weekly listeners for all programming on NPR stations reached an all-time high of about 37.5 million in the fall of 2016 – a nearly 4 million person increase from the same period in 2015. Listeners for NPR programming and NPR newscasts account for about 30 million of that total.
All Things Considered and Morning Edition, reached their largest weekly audience ever, at 14.4 million and 14.65 million listeners, respectively.
– The number of listeners for all NPR programming increased in the 25-44 demo, up by 26%.
– NPR podcasts are heard by over 4 million listeners every week – that is a 47% increase compared to a year ago.
– Use of the digital content available at NPR.org also climbed to record highs, growing its average monthly users by 28% compared to last year.
– Over the past year, NPR One’s monthly users have grown by 175%.

5 COMMENTS

    • NPR is 15% government funded, the rest is private and coporoate contributions as well as academic instituation participation. There should not be a need for commercialization. If your worried about YOUR tax dollars being wasted on it, than consider the tax dollars of the 37 million others who do want it. Your tax dollars probably aren’t being touched.

      • The Reality Show Con Artist wants to defund NPR for purely partisan reasons but in this case, he is right. NPR has a fantastic product and news programming that should be self-supporting.
        The mantra is great content wins, right?
        The problem NPR has is that no one goes into Public Radio to compete and these days, EVERYONE has to compete. They relied on people and businesses that were simpatico in the past and they have never went out and made a case as to why advertisers want to be in such a high quality, low clutter environment. That is what they need. Plus they still have pledge drives. Change your mindset NPR and you will do fine.

      • Who said anything about commercialization? Monetize does not equal commercialization. Rather than expect others to underwrite a good product you believe is deserving, it isn’t too much to ask NPR do what many others do without Government funding and that is become self sustaining. Seriously at 20 trillion in debt, some one needs to be the adult in the room!

        • You are correct, I was equating commercialization with monetize. I take it your belief is that is should be a subscription base? I always saw NPR as a public service, perhaps that is naive viewpoint. I maintain that naive viewpoint in seeing how the other media outlets sensationalize content in order to get the ratings. I think their ratings have increased, because they don’t pander to the most outrageous ideologies. Are they biased, yes. I would not argue that viewpoint. Would monetizing alter the character of the NPR, probably. I think that altering the platform would eventually lead to a more diminished presentation and lower ratings. With that said, maybe your right … since we’re experimenting with the country, why not that information outlet.

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