Nielsen: Urban, N/T Soar, Keep Ear On Classic Hits

News/Talk Listening Trend

In a recap of March 2016 PPMs, Nielsen credits the excitement around the U.S. presidential election in 2016 driving the audience of News/Talk radio even higher. At the persons 6+ level, News/Talk now represents a 10% share of all radio listening – a level it hasn’t seen since the last presidential election in 2012.

Among adults 18-34 this year, News/Talk rose from a 4.1% share in February to a 4.2% share in March. In News/Talk’s “money demo” of adults 25-54, the format climbed from a 6.9% share in February to a 7.0% share in March. From Democrats to Republicans, Undecided to Independent, the conversation about America’s future president is being debated on News/Talk radio.

And there are those who wonder how far N/T shares will fall post-election.  There could be a double wammy for N/T, as Holiday format stations also siphon shares in November and December.

Classic Hits Listening Trend

Nielsen suggests keeping an ear out for the Classic Hits format. The Classic Hits format quietly continues to gain share in the radio landscape. This March is the best March in three years for Classic Hits. Comparing March 2013 to March 2016 shows Classic Hits with an even higher share among Millennials. This format tends to gain more share throughout the summer and it’s already poised to set new records in 2016.

And Nielsen notes, Urban Contemporary has catapulted into No. 4 on the list of most popular formats among Millennials, pushing Adult Contemporary down to No. 5 in the March 2016 National PPM Format Trends.

As for the Top Radio Formats in March 2016: