Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1964)

"bottomed out," and by the winter of 1962-63, listening had returned to over 20 hours a week. Then came this past winter, when average listening per radio home climbed to almost 25 hours per week . . . within an hour of the spring, 1952, level. Perhaps significant is the fact that the sharpest rise in radio listening has occurred most recently: winter 1963-64 was up 22.6 percent over the comparable 1962-63 period. (See chart below.) Historically it appears that network-affiliated radio stations attracted substantially more than their proportionate share of audience. Back in 1949, when less than twothirds of U.S. AM stations were network affiliated, these stations attracted better than three-quarters of the audience. Sixteen years later, although the number of network affiliates has increased somewhat, there has been a much greater increase in the number of unaffiliated stations. Yet the most recent (January-April, 1964) Nielsen reports* show that network-affiliated stations are still attracting a disproportion, ately high audience share. The net-jj work affiliates, comprising less than ' one third of all U.S. AM stations, nevertheless attract almost one half of the audience. Also examined was the relationship between number of network affiliates. As of Jan. 1, 1964, the 1 four networks had the following !«. TOTAL U.S. HOME HOURS OF RADIO USAGE PER AVERAGE WEEK (MILLIONS) January 1948 1,319.8 April 1952 1,160.6 July 1956 812.9 [ January 1964 1,299.4 Note: January 1948 data based on plug-in radio set usage only "II AVERAGE HOURS OF RADIO SET USAGE PER HOME PER WEEK (Seven Days, 6:00 a.m. 12:00 Mid.) PLUG-IN AUTO BATTERY-PORTABLE TOTAL January 1948 35:05 Not Measured 35:05 (100%) (100%) April 1952 22:52 1:48 1:20* 26:00 (88%) (7%) (5%) (100%) July 1956 12:25 3:54 0.59* 17:18 (72%) (22%) (6%) (100%) ■ DecJan 1962-63 10:17 3:31 6:23 20:11 (51%) (17%) (32%) (100%) Dec-Jan 1963-64 10:46 4:25 9:34 24:45 (43%) (18%) (39%) (100%) * includes listening in public places. Source: Nielsen Radio Index. 1952 & 1956 "Special Report on Radio Today," A. C. Nielsen Co., 1963 (1952 Plug-In, NRI, April, 1952; Auto & Portable data from special personal interview survey. 1956 Plug-In, NRI, July, 1956; Auto, NRI, July, 1956; Portable, special diary survey); 1948, 1962-63 and 1963-64 based on Nielsen Radio Index data for the stated report periods. Source: Nielsen Radio Index, based on average hours usage per week per radio home applied to total U.S. radio homes count. . . . and CBS rode the CBS Radio's analytical look at "the largest single accumulation of information about national radio audiences before and after television became a major medium" also, of course, had its non-altruistic side. Whether the industry picture was a by-product of the CBS research into its own history, or vice-versa, the Hayes-led network must express some glee over the statistics it uncovered on its own ranking and performance. r^RQ T?Qr1ir\ r\rf^ciH(^nt ArtVlllT crest 1949 (the earliest year when Niel spective percentages of stations sen estimates were based on a and share of audience for the four nationwide sample) is: stations networks (NRI, January-April affiliated with the CBS Radio 1964; in-home, plug-in sets only) Network consistently attracted as found in the CBS analysis of the greatest share of the four-net the figures are shown: work audience. A comparison was made of the same fourmonth period (January through ""'Networr Nef-stltion April) for 16 years, 1949 Network stations Audience through 1964. In all but two of ^bc Radio 15.4% 27.1% those years, CBS Radio stations cbs Radio 18.1 31.9 were in first place. ab^ Radio 27.9 23., Hull Hayes says, "We are grat fied by the evidence of radio' new wave of growth following th impact of television, and by th consistency of leadershi achieved by CBS Radio Networ stations over the 16-year period. What Hayes reports finding i the network data going back t LS e e P k n 0 by the networks only (excluding '°°° ^°°° listening to unaffiliated stations and treating the four-network Obviously, in light of what the listening as 100 percent), Mr. over-all analysis of the 16-year Hayes reports that from 1949 period of radio's history shows for through 1964, stations affiliated the industry as a whole, the CBS with CBS led in share of audi radio chieftain must also feel that ence for 14 out of the 16 years. all "augurs well" for his own In the following table, the re team, too. ♦ 46 SPONSOR