Radio

While much has been written about listener dissatisfaction with radio, Hispanic listeners, particularly younger Latinos, remain positive about their choices. That’s one of the key findings of “Latin And Rhythmic Radio: Bridging The Gap,” a new survey from Edison Media Research in conjunction with the industry publication Radio and Records.

Network radio reaches about 75 percent of all radio listeners every week, according to the 2006 Network Radio Today report released today by Arbitron Inc. The report offers perceptive information on national radio listening and network radio audiences collected from the Arbitron RADAR radio rating service.

These population estimates are based upon Census 2000 counts updated and projected to January 1, 2007, by Claritas, Inc. Additional markets may be added and the survey frequency of some markets may be changed during the year.

The Radio Ad Effectiveness Lab has begun a new series of research projects under the umbrella theme, Radio and the Consumer’s Mind: How Radio Works. The goal is to continue learning how radio advertising affects consumers differently than other forms of marketing. This new study, Personal Relevance Two: Radio’s Receptive Ad Environment, resulted from a high-quality telephone survey conducted by Harris Interactive for RAEL.

Arbitron Inc. announced that effective with the release of the Fall 2006 survey reports, public and non-commercial radio stations will be eligible for reporting in the company’s local market ratings reports.

Radio ratings data from Arbitron’s Portable People Meter and commercial occurrence data from Media Monitors indicate that the lowest rated minute during an average commercial break is 92 percent of the size of the audience before the spots began, according to a new study by Arbitron, Inc., Media Monitors and Coleman.

Arbitron Inc. unveiled the Arbitron 21 plus AQH Audience Composition Report at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Dallas, TX. This new Web-based audience information service provides advertisers, agencies and radio stations with ratings information that clearly defines whether the audience to a particular radio station meets the beer industry’s guidelines for advertising.

Clear Channel Radio announced the launch of a national roll out of mobile radio programming that further extends its local radio station brands, and expands the platforms to which it is distributing content. The initiative kicks off with New York’s number one hit music station, WHTZ-FM Z100 streaming live radio and new features directly to cell phones across the country serviced by Cingular Wireless.

LBI Media, Inc. entered into a definitive agreement to buy five Dallas radio stations from Entravision Communications Corporation for approximately $95 million. The stations include KTCY-FM, KZZA-FM, KZMP-FM, KZMP-AM and KBOC-FM. The purchase, which is subject to regulatory approvals, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2006. Upon closing LBI Media will own six radio stations and a full power television station in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas market.

Nearly 26 million Americans tune into public radio every week, spending an average of eight hours listening to non-commercial stations, according to a new study by Arbitron Inc. While people of all ages listen to public radio each week, the majority of public radio listening comes from adults, age 35 or older, with slightly more men listening than women.