Here’s a sample of the August 2019 Nielsen Audio Ratings for the Seattle-Tacoma Metro. The far right column shows who is on top at the moment, ranked highest to lowest, but the other columns demonstrate the ebb and flow of the market. Our list here at QZVX is limited to ONLY the Top 20 stations. There are other stations ranked, down toward the bottom, but since posting that would make the survey really long we are cutting it off as is. Note that currently they are sampling listeners 6+ years of age. That is a fairly recent change from the long time practice of sampling listeners 12+. Lowering the demo to include children just out of kindergarten increases the perception of the number of people who listen to radio — with fierce competition from other media, market fragmentation and shrinking shares — the theory is that change in methodology will help radio broadcasters.
Presently editor and historical writer with QZVX.COM in Seattle. Former radio broadcaster and radio station owner, 1970-1999. Journalism and speech communications degrees. I enjoy researching articles and online reporting that allows me to meld together words, audio and video. P.S. I appreciate and encourage reader comments and opinions. View other articles by Steven Smith
