Listeners age 25 to 54 continue to thrive as the “sweet spot” for radio, while consumers in cell phone only (CPO) households continue to listen at a higher rate than the 12+ population, according to an analysis of the spring 2010 ratings in 51 markets released today by Nielsen.

Persons age 25-54 listened to the radio an average of 24 hours and 23 minutes each week during the spring survey, 7.4% higher than the population over the age of 12. The findings are consistent with the 2009 spring ratings which found that average weekly listening within the 25-54 demographic was 7.5% higher than the 12+ population

Additional findings from Nielsen’s analysis of radio data include:

• Listening among persons age 18 to 34 remains consistent with their counterparts age 12 and over in the 51 measured markets, with average ratings for each group hovering around 16.5%
• Black listeners age 12+ spent 21% more time listening to the radio each week than all persons 12+, while Hispanic listeners 12+ spent 13% more time on the radio each week.
• An estimated 40% of radio listening among persons 12+ takes place in the car, while 34% takes place at home and 23% at work

The survey – which measured radio listening in March and April among 115,672 consumers representing a population of 14 million – is based on the most inclusive sample available in the radio measurement marketplace. An estimated 16.3% of households in the spring 2010 sample are cell phone only, up 8.7% from 2009. The increase is in line with the 2009 first half vs. second half rise of 8% in CPO households nationally, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Nielsen found that ratings for listeners from CPO households are 8.5% higher than those of the general population age 12+ in the 51 markets, and they listen 5.4% longer, on average, each week.

“The remarkable consistency of Nielsen’s spring 2010 surveys indicates that there’s no bounce from last year’s results,” said Lorraine Hadfield, Nielsen’s director of global radio measurement. “Nielsen’s address-based sampling (ABS) method – which captures all listeners regardless of whether they have a landline phone, cell phone only, or no phone at all – ensures that our ratings are based on the most reliable representation of the population in the 51 local radio metros.”