By Mike Kinosian
Managing Editor
TALKERS

LOS ANGELES — When someone quotes or inquires about the ratings status of a particular format or an individual station, the almost universal response is to cite the AQH share.

While cume numbers haven’t necessarily become a complete afterthought, they undoubtedly take a backseat to share.

As the coronavirus crisis continues to grip the nation, it’s time to revisit the sometimes-forgotten element of cume and examine its performance among spoken-word stations during the pandemic.

In the first of a two-part series addressing cume, we will focus on news, and sports talk facilities; part two with deal entirely with news/talk.

A top 20 ranking (May 2020, 6+) is the inclusion threshold for the news, and sports talk breakouts that appear below.

Nielsen Audio only releases audience estimates for stations subscribing to its services. As a result, ratings stats in this analysis are limited to outlets paying that company for its information.

Up next: Part Two of “Coronavirus’ Cume Factor” deals with news/talk; email managing editor Mike Kinosian at Kinosian@TALKERS.com 

Tags: AQH share, Coronavirus’ Cume Factor (Part One), Mike Kinosian, PPm markets, talk radio, TALKERS

Category: Analysis