Belize’s Morning Radio and TV Shows ratings

The views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not necessarily those of Breaking Belize News.

Dr. Philip Castillo

BELIZE’S MORNING RADIO & TV SHOWS

Ratings from UB Managerial Economics Undergraduate Students

Belize’s  media landscape has evolved from a monopoly radio to the present situation where there are multiple radio and TV stations countrywide. The Belize Broadcasting Authority notes that at present, there are forty four (44) active radio stations and nine (9) active on-air television stations countrywide. Belizeans in the border areas also tune in to radio and TV from neighbouring countries.

From their base in the country’s media capital Belize City, all the major TV networks have morning talk shows, many of which are being simulcast on radio stations in the city and countrywide and also on social media.  An objective measurement of audience listenership and viewer preferences for radio and  TV is possible via the Nielsen Ratings. Precisely such a Nielsen Ratings  exercise was undertaken by undergraduate students of the University of Belize in their Managerial economics class. Managerial Economics is the highest level Economics course undertaken by undergraduate students at the Faculty of Management & Social Sciences. This senior level course uses quantitative techniques  to explain the behavior of customers and firms in the market and shows their application to the problems faced in managerial decision-making. The course includes a study of the operations of the firm under different market structures and the significance of these structures in influencing key strategic decisions of the profit maximizing firm. The course also teaches the basics of Game Theory, which is decision making under conditions of uncertainty.

The class was divided in groups of about six students each. One group focused on morning TV viewership in Belize City. Other  groups focused on morning radio listenership in Belize City, Corozal and western Belize, specifically Santa Elena, San Ignacio and Benque Viejo.

THE PROPER METHODOLOGY

The proper methodology to objectively ascertain radio listenership and TV viewership is via a random sample of households. To obtain  a representative sample though, often requires an indication of the population size, from which the sample can then be randomly selected and studied. There may be need to stratify the population and thereafter, the sample, to adequately capture all the variations therein.  Properly doing the above and with modern statistical techniques, the findings from the sample can then be generalized to the broader population – within known and accepted margins of error and within known and accepted degrees of confidence. This is the basis of all sampling and polling.

For radio listenership and TV viewership, the aim is always to estimate the number of households/individuals  tuned in. Given the proliferation of social media and other possible viewing platforms, digital viewership is also accounted for. Out of home listenership/viewership, and co-viewership which occurs in public spaces or even private spaces such as vehicles, is also accounted for. Actual data collection methods, which are usually online, present myriad challenges. Though screening and filter questions facilitate focus on targeted respondents, online data collection is prone to known errors and biases. Pollsters know and acknowledge these shortcomings and continuously update their methodologies to minimize these limitations and also to account for evolving viewer behaviour and content consumption.

Understandably due to time and cost considerations, none of the student groups could have adhered to the proper methodology and data collection processes. These limitations undoubtedly erode the integrity of their findings, for some groups more so than others.  But on the more positive side, and focusing on radio listenership, the data collection technique actually used enhanced validity and reliability.  Drivers at petrol stations were approached and asked the radio station they were presently listening to right now.  The obviously great advantages were that there was a high response rate, known biases were eliminated and  similarly high level of truthfulness  in responses provided, since the researcher could also listen and thereby ascertain the veracity of the response. These are advantages that researchers/pollsters crave.

This data collection method facilitated other observations. One group in one specific municipality noted that during their entire data collection exercise, no driver bought more than $100 worth of fuel, with many purchasing substantially below than amount. It is widely known in social research that questions on income pose particular challenges.  Being in a position where the researcher can verify the actual amount being spent, that monetary sum can obviously be used a proxy to facilitate additional data analyses.

MAIN FINDINGS

TV Viewership in Belize City

Source: Managerial Economics Belize City TV Group – May 2026

Radio Listenership In Belize City

Source: Managerial Economics Belize City Radio Group – May 2026

Radio Listenership in Corozal Town

Source: Managerial Economics Corozal Town Radio Group – May 2026

Radio Listenership in Western Belize (Santa Elena, San Ignacio & Benque Viejo)

Source: Managerial Economics Western Belize Radio Group – May 2026

For media houses, the prime reason to ascertain audience size is to monetize that information. After all, companies would want to maximize advertising outcomes by spending their advertising budget in such a way to enable its widest possible reach.

For the most recent Superbowl half time show, Nielsen Ratings recorded a viewership of 128.2 Million viewers. To reach such a mass audience, a 30 second ad at Superbowl 2026 averaged over $US 8M, with the highest cost being $10M.

Acknowledging all the limitations, for academic purposes, the objectives of the media study were realized. Via a calculation of market concentration ratios, all groups noted that both TV and radio operate in oligopolistic market structures, where there are known high barriers to entry including licensing requirements. Few would challenge their main findings that the established radio and TV stations have the highest audiences and that political and religious stations have comparatively scant listenership and viewership. Listenership and viewership vary substantially by age and employment status, less so by gender.  This is information that can be monetized.

What can also be monetized is the presence of different hosts on different days. Whereas some media outlets have one host, other have multiple anchors  who host on different days.  Given that listenership/viewership can be cyclical, the presence of specific hosts/cohosts or guests on specific days could up audience size. This pull, if any, can be easily measured. Two groups tried to do this.

Any correlation between listenership/viewership and number of adverts must be interpreted with great caution since the Government of Belize, broadly defined to include all quasi government  bodies, is a large advertiser. It has an advertised budget of an undisclosed size which it  wields in a manner that favors some media houses and disfavors others, irrespective of listenership/viewership.

An interesting finding by another group of students is that advertisements have little effect on younger demographics since they may not even bother to listen to any ads. After all, with remote in hand they can easily shift channels/stations when the ads start. This trend has been noted by American pollsters, who have found that younger and more online audiences, are unlikely to be swayed by traditional radio and TV adverts, but are more likely to be influenced by podcasts and social influencers.

For a first effort in undertaking a Nielsen Rating study of TV and radio in select municipalities in Belize, the students did well. All groups were awarded passing grades.

A retired Assistant Professor, Dr Philip Castillo adjuncts in Economics and Research courses at both the graduate and undergraduate level at the University of Belize. Comments can be sent to pjcastillobz@gmail.com

The post Belize’s Morning Radio and TV Shows ratings appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.

The views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not necessarily those of Breaking Belize News. Dr. Philip Castillo BELIZE’S MORNING RADIO & TV SHOWS Ratings from UB Managerial Economics Undergraduate Students Belize’s  media landscape has evolved from a monopoly radio to the present situation where there are multiple radio and TV
The post Belize’s Morning Radio and TV Shows ratings appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.