This graph shows the percentage of the UK population over four years who watched television and listened to the radio at various times of the day during the period October to December 1992. The data clearly shows a general trend of use of media during the day, recording ups and downs showing when either the TV or the radio was more popular.
Obviously, the viewing of television peaks during the evening hours. From a minimal set of viewers in the very early hours of the morning, there was a gradual increase from 4:00 PM to its peak at around 8:00 PM, where almost 45% of the population were viewing television. What this means is that most people tend to favor television during prime time, likely because favorite programs are shown and people have spare time on their hands. The viewership for television, however, drops drastically from 10:00 PM, reaching around 5% by 2:00 AM. The viewership remains low up to 6:00 AM.
In contrast, radio listening follows a different pattern, peaking in the morning. At about 8:00 AM, slightly more than a quarter of all persons are listening, no doubt connected to getting news, weather, and entertainment as part of morning routines.
It decreases linearly for most of the day, to about 5% by 6:00 PM. There is a slight bump at around 10:00 PM, but at no time after the morning peak does it rise above 10%, indicating that radio just isn’t preferred later on in the day.
Comparing the two media, it clearly indicates that the radio leads during morning hours, mainly from approximately 8:00 AM with a larger percent of listeners as compared to viewers on television. At 1:00 PM, though, television starts pulling ahead, with huge peaks in the late afternoon and evening. By 8:00 PM, television views are far greater than radio listeners, establishing that it is very clear how time is king for TV primetime. Both radio and television tailed off dramatically after midnight, but again, the television had slightly higher usage than the radio. These data clearly show, however, the peaks of use: radio in the early morning and television during the evening. Generally speaking, there were more viewers for television, especially during prime time, but in the morning hours, it was dominated by radio. This is indicative of differing everyday roles both media appear to play for the population of the UK in the given time period.