NPR Maintains its Highest Ratings Ever

RADIO ONLINE | Thursday, March 29, 2018

NPR

NPR says that it and its member stations have upheld their highest broadcast ratings of all time, with solid growth across digital platforms. According to Nielsen Audio's Fall 2017 results, the total weekly listeners for all programming on NPR affiliates is 37.7 million people -- a record that has been maintained since Spring, 2017. NPR's Newscasts, updated live every hour, can now be heard on 947 stations by nearly 28.7 million listeners.

NPR also says as broadcast listenership remains strong, it continues to experiment with audio crossover -- turning podcasts into radio shows. Its monthly podcast audience has grown to 20.4 million unique users and a 103.1 million global unique streams and downloads according to Splunk, NPR Podcast Logs. This growth has been fueled by new offerings like "Up First," "How I Built This" and "Hidden Brain, Planet Money," the NPR Politics Podcast, and "Fresh Air." With 42 active programs, NPR remains the top publisher of podcasts per the Podtrac industry ranker, holding the number one spot since it began counting in May, 2016.

"NPR has maintained the ratings gains picked up during the 2016 election while commercial news and talk radio has declined," said NPR President/CEO Jarl Mohn. "People have a real desire for credible journalism, in-depth discussion, and compelling storytelling - and they are tuning to NPR. And now, through new and innovative technology like smart speakers that allow listeners to stream their favorite public radio stations we are able to reach more people in more ways than ever before."