Nielsen: News Radio Made Significant Gains in 2016

RADIO ONLINE | Thursday, February 16, 2017 | 9:45pm CT

It's no surprise that listeners tune to News/Talk formats more than in non-election years in the lead up to November. In 2012, News/Talk radio's audience levels spiked during the election year, and in 2016 proved to be no different. According to Nielsen, the format gained significant listenership across PPM markets in 2016 with more than 38 million listening each week.

News/Talk was also the number one ranked format among persons aged 6 and older. Weekly listenership rose by 2 million from 2015 with a time spent listening of four hours and 41 minutes, as audiences were highly interested and invested in the unique election season.

Although last year's election has now come to an end, much of the political buzz remains front and center, and the format is set to perform well in 2017.