Radio Advertising – Total Population

Total population and total Radio Listeners
The total population in any market is referred to as the “universe� of potential viewers.
Ratings: ratings are the number of listeners in a universe (total population) expressed in percentages. For example, if the universe (total population) of a city is 500,000 people, and a radio program has 50,000 listeners, then you have a .10 or a 10 rating. (50,000 divided by 500,000 = 10%).
Share: Of all the listeners listening, you have a percent that are listening during a particular time period. In the example above, in a universe of 500,000 listeners, the number of people listening to the station is 400,000 and of the total of 400,000 radio listeners, 50, 000 are listening, then you have a 12.5 share of the total radio audience. (Total people listening is 50,000 divided by the total number of radio listeners in the market = the share percentage.
Cumes: Cumes stands for cumulative. This number represents the total number of unduplicated listeners during a week. It is also referred to as “reach.� That means if you listen on Monday and Wednesday, you are counted as “one� not two. You listened at least once. A cume gives you the total number of listeners during a week that listen to the station.
Since you can’t automatically recall the radio commercial and hear it again, you may hear the same commercial two, four, or maybe six times before the message sinks in. If you missed the address the first time, you consciously or subconsciously are hoping the commercial will be aired again so you can get the information you need. That’s the way radio advertising works. And that’s also the way you buy it.
Most of the time, radio advertising should be bought in chunks. High frequency over a short period of time is much more effective than low frequency over a longer period of time. It’s important for your audience to hear your spot again to get more information out of it. For example, if you wanted two-week advertising campaign and you could afford 42 radio commercials, the following buy would serve you well: On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, place three spots between 7-9 a.m. and four spots between 3-6 p.m. for two weeks. Notice that both day and hour periods are concentrated.