Urban contemporary and news/talk radio continue to soar

At the end of last summer, Urban Radio peaked with a 3.7 percent share of listening for all persons 6 and older – an all-time high. Six months later, the format has started to surge again, tying last summer’s record. So far this year, Urban Contemporary has gained 0.1 percent each month in Nielsen’s portable people meter (PPM) ratings, moving 3.5 percent-3.6 percent-3.7 percent from January to March among all listeners (6+). The format has also been climbing among adults 25-54, growing from 4.2 percent in January to register an all-time high of 4.4 percent in March. The biggest change since February occurred among Urban Contemporary’s core audience of adults 18-34, where the share jumped three-tenths of a point to a 6.9 percent share in March.