Radio Still Dialed In as Viable Marketing Channel

NEW YORK – Despite the increasing number of ways to connect via media, radio continues to provide marketers with opportunities to influence U.S. consumers, particularly for daily commuters, according to Nielsen's Cross-Platform Report for the third quarter of 2013.

Audio consumption reaches a plateau in the morning before peaking at noon and remaining fairly consistent for the rest of the day, finally tapering off in the evening as consumers turn to television instead, the report shows. The average American radio listener tunes in to AM/FM radio for more than two hours each day.

More than 90 percent of Americans listen to the radio every week, with African-Americans and Hispanics listening the most at 92 percent and 94 percent, respectively. Consumers who spend a large amount of time listening to traditional radio also tend to listen to online radio, especially Millennial consumers.

The report also found that over the course of a full year, the average American consumes nearly 60 hours of content each week across various platforms, including TV, radio, online and mobile. During the third quarter of 2013, the average American totaled an average of 39 hours with content across various screens each week.