6 AM – 10 AM also known as Morning Drive or AM Drive – Considered to be one of the two most desirable time slots for radio advertisers because of the high engagement of listeners.
10 AM – 3 PM also known as Midday – Many talk stations tend to lose audience during this period, however, the shows of major talk personalities such “Rush Limbaugh” are located in this daypart as well. Some music stations gain audience as listeners use radio for background noise during work. During this period, the percentage of women listening tends to increase.
3 PM – 7 PM also known as Afternoon Drive or PM Drive – A coveted time for advertising. Food and entertainment advertisers tend to seek this time out for advertising.
7 PM – 12 AM also known as Evening – Listeners are thought to be less responsive to radio ads during this time frame. With the exception of 7 PM – 8 PM, the audience tends to be much smaller than the daytime. However, there is an opportunity to get “bargain” rates.
12 AM – 6 AM also known as Overnight – Considered the worst time to advertise. Unless you’re running a 24 hour diner or some other business that caters to people that work at night, this time period should generally be avoided.
Weekend advertising is considered its own timeslot. Weekend audiences tend to be much smaller than weekday audiences during similar time periods.
The information on time slots above comes from Bid4Spots’ Radio Daypart Descriptions.