Every week, according to Nielsen, 88% of adult consumers tune in to a Boston radio station. This is significantly more people than watch broadcast TV, local cable, or video streaming services. It's more than use social media sites like Facebook or Instagram.  And, it's more than read local newspapers.

Boston radio is also the medium with the greatest reach among millennials, a generation that not only has embraced an abundance of online media options but also accounts for nearly a third of all local consumer spending.

This reach advantage is a crucial reason why local small business owners depend on Boston radio to market their goods and services.

A study released this week by Edison Research and NPR discovered that their six distinct types of radio listeners. The study also examines how each group of listeners engages with both programming and advertising.  These distinctions are important for Boston small business owners to understand.

The six listener categories as described in the study are:

You've done the research. You now know that by every measure, radio advertising is the most effective way for your New England small business to market its goods and services.

You have learned, for instance, 3,543,709 adult consumers regularly tune-in to their favorite Boston radio stations.  This is more than watch local TV, read a newspaper, sign-in to social media, or log-in to streaming audio services like Pandora and Spotify.

You've also learned that, on average, adults spend almost two hours per day listening to local radio.

If you dug deep enough, then you know radio advertising delivers, on average, a $10 lift in sales for every $1 invested. This is a remarkable return for any New England small business owner.

What you may not have figured out, however, is what is the best time of day to advertise on Boston radio?