In radio broadcasting, drive time refers to dayparts in which radio broadcasters attempt to reach the large number of people who listen to their car radios while driving to and from work. The drivetime periods are when the number of radio listeners is at its peak and, thus, commercial radio can charge the most for advertising. Drive times coincide with rush hours.

Content

Mainstream stations employ high-status presenters for drive time shows. In the United States, popular national hosts who are associated with morning drive include Howard Stern, Ryan Seacrest and Steve Inskeep, while Sean Hannity is associated with afternoon drive on the East Coast.

Drive time often includes a heavier run of traffic reports, for which many stations employ their own helicopters or hire a third-party traffic reporting service.

For popular music-oriented stations, morning drive-time is typically dominated by the "morning zoo" genre of radio program, with the afternoon portion is often given over to music (often in commercial-free blocks, especially in markets with long commute times) and light entertainment features. For talk radio stations, drive time is characterized by regular news updates, as well as extremely frequent updates on traffic and weather forecasts to help commuters get to and from work. Primary news radio stations are almost always local during this time period.

Drivetime is an Irish news and current affairs radio programme broadcast by RTÉ Radio 1 on Mondays to Fridays between 16.30 and 19.00. It attracts approximately 229,000 listeners daily.

The programme is presented by the journalist and former RTÉ legal affairs editor, Mary Wilson. It includes news summaries, sports news, and traffic and weather reports as well as live interviews and reports. Fergal Keane is one of Drivetime's principal reporters. Other writers and journalists who contribute to the programme include Joseph O'Connor,Olivia O'Leary, and Fergus Finlay. Special extended editions of Drivetime are mounted from time to time to cover such major news stories as general elections and referenda.

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DriveTime Automotive Group Inc., based in Phoenix, Arizona, is a used car dealership network and automobile finance company focusing on buyers with credit issues. The company has 128 dealerships in 21 U.S. States, and more than 3,500 employees. DriveTime has sold more than 650,000 cars and lent in excess of $3 billion.

Philosophy

In 2004, chairman and CEO Ray Fidel said DriveTime intends to treat customers with financial problems the same as customers at premium auto dealers. That same year, the company introduced Rate Advantage, allowing buyers to get a lower interest rate with a higher down payment. The rate could be as low as 8.99 percent, with 20 percent being average for the industry.

DriveTime buys most of its cars at auction houses. Its cars tend to be five years old with 65,000 to 95,000 miles; many of them were leased. Prior to 2004, the typical DriveTime car was twice as old with 80,000 miles.

In 2009, DriveTime introduced their DriveCare package, which provides customers with benefits that other "Buy Here, Pay Here" dealerships do not usually offer. The program is sold into the price of all vehicles, including a 36-month/36,000-mile warranty, complimentary oil changes, 24/7 roadside assistance, along with a car history report and pre-purchase vehicle inspection.