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Audience Measurement
Audience Turnover
The calculated ratio of a station's cumulative audience (Cume) compared to its Average Quarter-Hour (AQH) audience.
What is Audience Turnover?
Audience Turnover is the mathematical relationship between Cume and AQH, calculated as Cume ÷ AQH. A turnover of 5.0 means the station's unique weekly audience is five times larger than the number of listeners tuned in at any given quarter-hour: the audience cycles through rapidly. A turnover of 2.0 means listeners stay put longer; the station holds attention.
High turnover is common in music-driven, high-frequency-rotation formats where listeners dip in and out. Low turnover is characteristic of talk, sports, and news formats where listeners commit to longer sessions. Neither is inherently better: each implies a different media-buying strategy for advertisers trying to reach an audience efficiently.
Why it matters
High turnover requires an advertiser to purchase more spots (higher frequency) to ensure their core message is heard by the rotating audience.
Calculate Audience Turnover in real time
Spotwise surfaces turnover ratios for every monitored station so media buyers can immediately see whether a station rewards frequency or reach.