After Nielsen announced it was altering the qualifying time for quarter-hour credit in its radio ratings, it was inevitable that ratings would increase. Now we know just how much the metrics rose.
During the first quarter of 2025, the average radio station saw an average 15% increase in average quarter-hour listening compared to the fourth quarter of 2024.
Some markets — like Phoenix (28%), Las Vegas (24%), Sacramento (23%), San Francisco (23%), Memphis (21%), Riverside (21%), and West Palm (21%) — saw more than 20 increases in its average quarter hour listening, according to Nielsen.
“You generally can see Western markets showing the larger increases, which was consistent with our test data,” Nielsen Audio Managing Director Rich Tunkel said during an interview on the Radio Advertising Bureau’s Better Together webinar.
Other markets like Kansas City (8%), Baltimore (7%), Minneapolis (6%), St. Louis (5%), Atlanta (3%), and Nashville (2%) saw single-digit growth in its average quarter-hour ratings.
While individual markets saw increases, so did specific formats. In January, February, and March, contemporary Christian (43%) and all-news (41%) each saw gigantic upticks in their average quarter-hour listening compared to the previous quarter.
Other formats also saw large increases, like Alternative (29%), Spanish tropical (28%), AAA (24%), Rhythmic CHR (23%), Hot AC (23%). Only one format — sports — saw a decrease in average quarter-hour listening, as it fell by 3%. The other spoken word format — news/talk — saw growth of 16% during the first quarter.
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