Local Radio Newscast Completion Rates by Duration [CHART]

Chart: Local Newscast Completion Rates by Duration

National Public Radio examined behavior data generated by users of its NPR One app to unearth some insights into the consumption of local content. In a blog post by Tamar Charney, Acting Managing Director of NPR One, she reveals that the length of a newscast matters in terms of retaining audience attention, a lesson applicable to both radio news broadcasters and podcasters alike:

There is a sharp drop off in newscast listening when a cast exceeds five minutes. Two minutes long works as well as four, but once you get to five minutes you have hit a cliff. This means you don’t have to create big, long complicated newscasts to give listeners the information they are seeking about the headlines in their community.