August 12, 2004
A recently published analysis of July PPM trends by Nielsen notes that (as those of us who have worked in News/Talk/Sports radio have long understood) summer ratings for spoken-word formats tend to cool off as seasonal temperatures heat up. “The heart of summer has once again proven to be a cool period for News/Talk/Sports listening,” said Nielsen in its published analysis of July PPM data from 45 markets (Monday-Sunday/6am-midnight). “The changes in lifestyles, work habits and consumer trends that occur each summer, coupled with news and sports cycles, create an annual down-trend for spoken word formats during the middle of the summer. 2014 is no different, as July revealed that the 6+ shares for News/Talk dropped to their lowest mark in PPM since we began tracking this data in 2011 (8.1%), All-News stayed flat relative to last summer (2.5%), and Sports fared slightly better this July (4.1%) than in 2013 (3.8%).” Despite the seasonal drop, Nielsen notes that better days, as usual, are likely ahead for News/Talk/Sports radio. “For all three of these formats, the coming months should bring an upswing in listening as football returns and we head into the mid-term election news cycle.”
http://www.ntsmediaonline.com/
