Audience Measurement
AQH (Average Quarter-Hour Persons)
The average number of individuals tuning into a station for at least five consecutive minutes within a specific 15-minute interval.
What is AQH (Average Quarter-Hour Persons)?
AQH (Average Quarter-Hour Persons) is the foundational audience measurement unit of linear radio. Rather than counting every listener at every second, ratings services sample 15-minute blocks and count a person as part of the AQH audience if they listen for at least five minutes of that quarter-hour. The metric therefore represents expected concurrent listenership at any given moment within the daypart.
Because AQH is calculated at the quarter-hour granularity, it feeds directly into almost every other radio metric. Gross Rating Points, Gross Impressions, cost per point, and reach-and-frequency models all derive from AQH numbers supplied by Nielsen Audio, Kantar, or equivalent measurement bodies. A station that wants to move rate card pricing upward focuses first on growing AQH in its highest-value dayparts.
Why it matters
This metric dictates baseline pricing. A station with a consistently high AQH commands premium rates because it demonstrates strong, sustained listener retention.
Related terms
- AQH Rating— AQH Persons expressed as a mathematical percentage of the total measured demographic population in a specific geographic market.
- Arbitron / Nielsen Audio— The legacy and current primary authoritative bodies for radio audience measurement in the United States.
- Average Audience— The estimated number of people listening to a radio station or viewing a television program during any given minute of the broadcast.
- Audience Composition— The demographic, psychographic, or socioeconomic breakdown of a station's listener base, usually expressed in percentages.