Three minutes vs five minutes. Don’t worry on-air staff, I’m not talking about the length you’re allowed to talk during breaks. The three minute qualifier versus the five minute qualifier has
shown to improve ratings across the board. Last year, Nielsen announced the time qualifier for a station to get credit for an average quarter hour, aka AQH, would drop from 5 minutes to 3 minutes.

The latest ratings book is the first to show how the change has effected listenership and ratings. Since its implementation, Nielson reports last May they saw a 20% bump in ratings, vs the
smaller percentage at the beginning of the year. We do have to take into consideration January is known to be a dismal listening month. We did see drive time and weekends had bigger gains.
Regardless of the amount, the listenership and ratings had an increase.

This is also great for sales! The new data will show advertisers how often listeners tune in. The 5 minute qualifier didn’t count in all the distracted listeners. Think of how many times you get
distracted, forget what you’re listening to, and instinctively switch the station or song. Now, we are better able to show potential buyers the impact radio has. In fact, according to Jon Miller, VP
of Audience Insights at Nielson, “we’re going to capture more impressions. We’re going to give advertisers more choices.”

More listening time has increased by 10%-15%. Clearly, things like drive time, weather events, major events happening in the world…these all make a difference in listenership. Overall, by
switching to the 3 minute qualifier, we’ve gained a clearer picture as to when and how often our listeners are tuning in.

What does this mean for your staff? As said above, this is huge for sales. According to Nielsen, listeners are staying through the commercial breaks! We’ve all heard friends say “they play too
many commercials.” This data shows the avid listener doesn’t care and will stick around to hear their favorite song or DJ. In fact, it’s been forecasted radio will overtake TV this year in the 25-
54 demo. This is great to show potential endorsement opportunities and show sponsors. Overall, the change will continue to show the impact radio continues to have.