Listeners also spent more time with radio on average: New York listened on average 33% more, while Bostonians listened 56% more. These findings were based on a phone survey of 200 New Yorkers and 200 Bostonians conducted by Arbitron on Feb. 4.
Radio was not the preferred medium for the Super Bowl itself, however--presumably losing out to TV: Only 9% of Bostonians and 8% of New Yorkers said they listened to pre-game, game, or post-game broadcasts. However, those who did listen to the game on the radio were glued to their broadcasts, reporting themselves 52% less likely to change stations during the game.
This year's Super Bowl turned out to be a bonanza for broadcast media in general.
In television, the close game between the New York Giants and New England Patriots gave Fox 97.5 million viewers--3% more than 1996's 94.1 million, according to Nielsen. The game was also up 5% versus last year's numbers, which counted 93.184 million viewers.
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