How much of a mass audience does network radio boast? Radio reaches 91% of Americans aged 12 and older on an average weekly basis, according to the December 2013 RADAR report covering the September 2012 to September 2013 period. Nielsen, which now releases the RADAR study after its acquisition of Arbitron, also recently provided some selected audience results for network radio commercials, revealing that slightly more than two-thirds of the 12+ population heard at least one network radio commercial in an average week during the survey period.
That figure grew to 70.6% of adults aged 18-49, and 71.3% of adults aged 25-54. Network radio commercials’ reach was  greater in the top 25 DMAs, growing to 70.5% among the 12+ population, 73.7% among adults aged 18-49; and 74.5% among those aged 25-54.
Radio’s audience – which looks surprisingly similar to mobile’s audience on an age basis – continues to grow. The December report registered 241.8 million radio listeners aged 12 and older, or 91% of that population. That represents an increase of more than 700,000 weekly radio listeners from the year-earlier period. New listeners aren’t diluting the average consumption of network radio, either, which held steady in the December 2013 report, at roughly 2 hours and 35 minutes per day. (For comparison, TV consumption averages out at about 4-and-a-half hours per day among the 2+ population.)
Radio’s audience also continues to become more multicultural. As of the latest RADAR study, radio reached 94% of Hispanics aged 12 and up during the average week, adding 372,000 listeners from the previous year. Radio also reaches 30 million black, non-Hispanic, listeners of that age, or 91% of that demographic.
A December 2011 study found that on average, radio delivers an impressive 93% of its lead-in audience during commercial breaks.
About the Data: The sample size for the RADAR December 2013 is 396,013 persons aged 12 and older. This sample is designed to provide stability for key demographic estimates, dayparts, and Market-by-Market Analysis reports, which report all individual DMAs®.
The RADAR December 2013 Report includes data from all 48 Nielsen PPM® markets. The survey period for RADAR 119 covers September 13, 2012 to September 11, 2013.
