Radio audience hits all-time high

'Freakonomics' Host: Thanks 'Serial!'
'Freakonomics' Host: Thanks 'Serial!'

It turns out that radio still gets results.

Amid all the changes in television and digital media, a report from Nielsen released Tuesday found that radio's nationwide audience reached an all-time high during the second quarter of 2015.

According to Nielsen, about 245 million Americans ages 12 and up used radio during the that span.

It was a continuation of an upward trend for radio, which has seen its national audience swell to record highs in each of the last two years. In the first quarter of this year, radio eclipsed television as the country's top reaching medium.

Nielsen found that radio's growth was driven by minority listeners. The report found "penetration" among blacks and Hispanic-Americans -- both of whom listen to the radio in a given week more than any other ethnic group -- hitting historic highs.

The weekly black audience has grown 5% to 31.3 million people since 2011, while the Hispanic listening audience rose 11% to 40.4 million. Combined, they account for 29.3% of radio listeners, totaling 71.7 million people.

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