Commercial Radio Advances Evening Audience

Commercial radio is extending its audience outside of the traditional peak listening time of weekday breakfast times, according to new analysis of RAJAR data by Ipsos-RSL. Significant growth in evening listening has been found to have been driven by younger audiences.

The RAB-commissioned analysis shows a 16.5% increase in evening listening over the last two years. This growth during the 6pm to 11pm segment compares favourably to the 10.9% increase in total listening hours for commercial radio seen across the whole week since the beginning of 1999.

Justin Sampson, managing director of the RAB says: “Technological and societal changes are leading to much speculation about the way in which established media consumption patterns are changing. Radio’s role in a time-squeeze society is clearly on the increase as it complements people’s precious, primary activity. Radio has always dominated share of mind at breakfast time and continues to do so. This analysis shows that it is mounting an increasing challenge in the new media diet of UK consumers.”

The growth has been driven by children, whose listening hours have increased 37.3% since the start of 1999, 15-24 year olds, up 28% and 35-44 year olds, up 27.9%.

RAB: 020 7306 2500 www.rab.co.uk RAJAR: 020 7903 5350 www.rajar.co.uk

Subscribers can access ten years of media news and analysis in the Archive