• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, February 15, 2005

More Radio Demographics: Black Men and Women Between 45 and 54 Spend Most Time With Radio

A new report from Arbitron, Black Radio Today , quoted here, offers a glimpse into the world of radio and its black listeners. Arbitron's Radio Station Information Database indicates that there are more than 13,800 radio stations broadcasting around the country, of which more than 1,100 are black-formatted stations. The report says that radio is a medium of steady popularity among the nation's more than 22 million black Americans, ages 18+.

The number of black people listening to radio weekly is fairly consistent across genders for people 18-64, with black Women 18+ tuning in just slightly more than black Men 18+. Older black people 65+ of both sexes are the least likely to tune in to radio each week. Black Men 50-54 spend more time listening than any other male group. Black Women 45-54 spend more time listening than any other female group.

Weekly Cume Rating

Age	Women	Men
65+	87.7	89.3
55-64	94.4	95.1
50-54	96.8	95.4
45-49	96.6	96.6
35-44	97.3	95.3
25-34	97.6	95.7
18-24	97.1	93.4
12-17	96.7	93.3

Time Spent Listening Hours and Minutes per Week

Age	Women	Men
65+	23:45	24:15
55-64	24:15	25:30
50-54	25:00	26:15
45-49	25:00	24:00
35-44	24:00	24:30
25-34	23:00	22:30
18-24	20:00	20:00
12-17	18:15	15:45

Source: Maximi$er Plus National Regional Database, Spring 2004, Mon-Sun, 6AM-Mid, Arbitron Black-Controlled Metro Survey Areas

Black radio listening starts picking up at 6AM weekdays and remains strong through 6PM. Black radio listening remains consistently higher than the general market from 7PM through 12Midnight. Listening is lowest on both weeknights and weekend overnights from 12Midnight to 5AM.

More than 33 percent of black adult listeners tune in to radio from 12Midnight to 6AM. Black Men 35-64 are the most likely to tune in at night. Black nighttime listeners of both genders spend about four hours weekly tuning in to their favorite overnight stations.

On weekdays before 8AM and after 7PM, the majority of black radio listeners tune in at home. Between those hours, a giant shift occurs, with more than 64 percent of the black audience on average listening to radio someplace away from their homes.

Like the general population, black listeners are tuning in on weekends in the comfort of their homes. During all weekend hours, at least 50 percent of black listeners are tuning in at home. Away-from-home weekend listening is highest between the hours of 12Noon and 7PM, peaking at 52 percent at 2PM.

Black female teenagers and older black people 65+ spend more time listening at home than other age groups. Black women overall spend more time listening at home than black men. Black Men 25-54 spend more time listening away from home than any other age group.

At-Home Listening for Black Men and Women Total Week AQH Rating

Age	Men	Women
12-17	8.3	9.7
18-34	6.5	7.1
25-54	6.5	7.4
35-64	7.3	8.3
65+	11.4	13.3

Away-from-Home Listening for Black Men and Women Total Week AQH Rating

Age	Men	Women
12-17	3.3	4.3
18-34	9.5	9.8
25-54	11.7	11.2
35-64	11.6	10.5
65+	6.4	3.6

Source: Maximi$er Plus National Regional Database, Spring 2004, Mon-Sun, 6AM-Mid, Arbitron Black-Controlled Metro Survey Areas

Black people enjoy Urban-formatted stations as well as those aimed at the general market. Urban formats capture more than 45% of the black listening pie. Urban Contemporary is the favorite overall format of blacks in the U.S. with Urban AC a close second. Religious formats also demonstrate notable strength among black consumers.

You can find out more here.