How Americans Listen To Radio Here are a few fun facts about how Americans listen to radio, according to figures from the Spring 1997 Arbitron survey. Radio is an equal opportunity medium. It reaches people of all ages and almost everyone spends 22 hours per week listening. Female teens are the most frequent users of radio, while males 25-34 spend more time listening to radio each week than any other group. Watch the clock to hear radio listening at its peak. Radio listening varies significantly hour by hour. Peak weekday listenership occurs during morning drive time at 7:00 a.m. Listening remains strong through 5:00 p.m. after which it starts to taper off. Radio is a moving medium. During the peak 7:00 a.m. weekday time period, over half of all radio listening occurs at home. By 3:00 p.m., a giant shift has occurred, with 69 percent of all radio listening now happening away from home. Early to bed and early to rise creates a weekend listening surprise. People start listening to radio early on weekends. The heaviest listening occurs at home from 9:00 a.m. through 2:00 p.m. Away-from-home weekend listening is strongest between noon and 2:00 p.m. Young people prowl at night. More persons 18-34 listen to radio overnight - 12 midnight to 5:00 a.m. - per week than any other age group. Americans are driven people. According to 1990 Census data, 69.3 percent of working Americans 16+ drive to work every day with an average metro commuting time of 25 minutes. On weekday mornings, over one-third of all radio listening occurs in cars. During afternoon drive time, this figure rises to almost 37 percent, with more people listening in their cars than anywhere else. Source: Courtesy of the Arbitron Company