• by Mike Bloxham , Op-Ed Contributor, August 16, 2012

Many of us that commute in and around major metropolitan areas may use the subway or railroad to get to and from work. Others will walk. But how representative are we? This analysis from USA TouchPoints of media use during the average daily half-hours when we travel to and from work reveals the relative position of different media at this time.

Whether consumed while traveling, just before leaving or arriving home, or just after arriving or leaving work,  media delivers some segment of the commuting population in varying degrees and contexts.

• Radio is far and away the dominant medium in the commuting schedule with 68% reach. Many people listen to the radio at home to provide music, news and -- crucially -- local traffic information before leaving home. As a great body of data has previously shown, radio also dominates in the car and USA TouchPoints bears this out -- both for music and for talk-based content.

• The ubiquity of the mobile phone, it’s multifunctionality as both a communications, work and leisure tool places it second in the rankings of most-used media in the commuting period at 26%. Regrettably, it’s safe to say that at least some of this will also be done in the car.

• The presence of TV at 9% reach will mostly be accounted for by the number of people using it just before leaving home and the computer will be primarily used by those arriving at work during the half-hour reported -- though some will also be using it on trains, etc.

• The relatively low reach of newspapers and magazines will partly be accounted for by the dominance of the car as the commuting vehicle of choice for the vast majority of the country, where mass transit is either not available
or the preferred option.