16.3% of Nielsen's Spring Survey Are Cell-Phone Only

RADIO ONLINE | Friday, July 23, 2010 | 3:32pm CT

An estimated 16.3% of households in Nielsen's Spring 2010 survey samples are cell phone only, up 8.7% from 2009. The increase is in line with the 2009 first half vs. second half rise of 8% in CPO households nationally, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Nielsen found that ratings for listeners from CPO households are 8.5% higher than those of the general population age 12+ in the 51 markets, and they listen 5.4% longer, on average, each week.

While the amount of listening in the 51 markets showed a slight uptick over the last year, the places where people listen to the radio have remained virtually unchanged. An estimated 40% of radio listening among persons 12+ takes place in the car, while 34% takes place at home and 23% at work. CPO listeners skew even higher at work, with 28.5% tuning in on the job.

Nielsen also found that while the reach for Black and Hispanic populations is in line with the total population age 12+, ratings and TSL are noticeably higher. Black listeners age 12+ spent 21% more time listening to the radio each week than all persons 12+, while Hispanic listeners 12+ spent 13% more time on the radio each week.