March 24, 2025
When the JANUARY numbers were released, there were a myriad of hot takes about what the new three-minute qualifier wrought upon the radio world. The reality we witnessed – and wrote about – was a bit more nuanced. When comparing JANUARY to HOLIDAY, there were dramatic increases in AQH persons. The year-over-year metrics were quite a bit less dramatic. The one solid conclusion? Every market was different.
Now we move on to FEBRUARY. Will the AQH leap from the previous survey be as profound as last time? What about when compared to 2024? Read on ….
This book ran from FEBRUARY 6TH through MARCH 5TH and did feature one federally mandated holiday weekend. The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – working hand in glove with the algorithmic alchemists from XTRENDS – are here to tell the story of FEBRUARY.
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March 20, 2025
You wake up with a start. Cold sweat on the back of your neck. Your heart is racing, and you expect the hotline to ring at any moment.
You just had “the dream.” Anyone who has ever been on the air at a radio station has had a version of “the dream.”
An old college radio friend of mine, who has not been on the air since then, says he still occasionally has “the dream.”
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March 13, 2025
Now that the first tranche of three-minute qualifier data is in your hands, what should you be looking at?
Let’s begin by saying that whatever you unearth is just a first pass. We would not recommend making any changes or assumptions on such a small sample size.
Second, while national results are interesting you should focus on your market and stations. We saw a great variance in increases from market to market.
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March 5, 2025
Tomorrow join Research Director, Inc.’s Steve Allan along with McVay Media President Mike McVay and Radio Ink Online Editor Cameron Coats for a LinkedIn Live event. They will discuss the fallout from the first month of ratings data under the new three-minute qualifier. This free event is presented by Radio Ink and sponsored by Marketron. While you may be diving into your numbers, here is a great opportunity to get a more global perspective on how this fundamental change to Nielsen ratings has rolled out.
The webinar is at 12 Noon ET tomorrow, March 6th.
You can register here: https://www.linkedin.com/events/the3-minutedifference-nielsen-s7299885599757385728/theater/.
February 27, 2025
The Ratings Experts from RESEARCH DIRECTOR, INC. – along with the buckaroos from XTRENDS – are back in the saddle again with our final batch of ratings results for the JANUARY survey. As you know, this book is noteworthy for two reasons.
First, it is the month where much radio listening is reoriented after the reign of musical terror brought on by the notorious TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA.
Second, there was this NIELSEN rule change that dramatically affected how listening is reported. You may have heard about the three-minute qualifier. So far, we have seen some wild fluctuations in how market PUMM has increased across the four demographics we cover. If you’re just joining the party, we are looking at the percentage change of PUMM from the HOLIDAY book to the JANUARY survey. This one ran from JANUARY 9TH through FEBRUARY 5TH. It had a three-day weekend, lots of football, and plenty of bad weather.
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