2016 brings a pattern shift for radio

Many things change after the New Year and out of the holiday season: The weather, vacation schedules, playoff aspirations among football players, as well as what people listen to on the radio. Traditionally, January marks the beginning of seasonal spikes for both the Sports and News/Talk formats, while the major music formats look to reset and begin anew. The results of the January 2016 survey suggests that this year will follow suit. Sports radio, lifted by higher-than-ever levels of interest in the NFL, matched last January’s 5.1 percent share among all listeners 6 and older. The annual rise in sports listening typically begins in the fall with the kick-off of college and professional football, the MLB postseason, and culminates in early February with the NFL playoffs.