While the radio industry’s focus on the three-minute reporting rule has drifted to the back burner, it is still worth looking at how the change affected listening levels. Expanding on my recent talk with Mike McVay and Cameron Coats, let’s compare Q2 2025 with Q2 2024.
Once again, The Ratings Experts from Research Director, Inc. collaborated with the number crunchers at XTRENDS to look at 48 of the 49 PPM markets. Let’s start with Adults 25-54 listening Mon-Sun 6A-12M by format.
Every format we examined saw increases in AQH, Cume, and AWTE. However, when compiling a list, some had to settle to the bottom. Which formats were the biggest AQH gainers?
| FORMAT | # OF STATIONS | AQH | CUME | AWTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC/Hot AC | 114 | 13.4 | 8.6 | 3.9 |
| CHR | 77 | 18.9 | 8.7 | 8.9 |
| CLASSIC HITS | 101 | 18.6 | 7.4 | 8.7 |
| COUNTRY | 80 | 17.0 | 6.3 | 10.1 |
| NEWS/TALK | 88 | 36.8 | 14.8 | 18.9 |
| RELIGIOUS | 51 | 19.1 | 7.7 | 9.9 |
| ROCK | 77 | 24.7 | 7.1 | 15.1 |
| SPANISH | 158 | 15.0 | 6.2 | 8.2 |
| SPORTS | 46 | 13.1 | 3.9 | 9.3 |
| URBAN | 85 | 12.8 | 5.5 | 5.4 |
News/Talk again (+36.8%), Rock (+24.7%), and Religious (+19.1%). CHR (+18.9%) and Classic (+18.6%) were close behind. As with our Q1 comparison, the AQH gains were largely driven by increased Average Weekly Time Exposed (AWTE). However, it is worth noting that the News/Talk format did experience a 14.8% increase in cume.
The formats that experienced the least amount of AQH growth were: Urban (+12.8%), Sports (+13.1%), and AC/HAC (+13.4%).
While we did not include all the day parts in the list below, here are the formats that gained the most AQH in those categories:
6-10A: News/Talk (+40.6%), Classic (+25.7%), Rock (+25.4%)
10a-3p: News/Talk (+33.7%), Religious (+26.3%), Rock (+19.9%).
3-7P: News/Talk (+37.7%), Religious (+26.8%), CHR (+25.3%)
7P-12M: News/Talk (+45.8%), Spanish (+45.3%), Sports (+34.1%)
Sat/Sun: News/Talk (+50.5%), Sports (+26.2%), CHR (+25.8%), Rock (+25.8%)
The News/Talk format was the biggest beneficiary of the changes in how ratings are reported, it seems.
Remember, these format averages are across many markets. The one constant we have seen in the AQH growth from the rule change is that there is no consistency. Every market is different. That said, this can serve as a comparison guide for your station(s).
One last caveat: 2025 is different from 2024. Market conditions, panel make-up, competitive situations, and other factors are not identical from year to year.
