Listeners have new merits (5)
I believe the answer is:
earns
'merits' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'listeners have new' is the wordplay.
'listeners' becomes 'ears'.
'have' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'new' becomes 'n'.
'ears' going around 'n' is 'EARNS'.
(Other definitions for earns that I've seen before include "ready for work?" , "Works for pay" , "Makes - deserves (by one's efforts)" , "Grosses" , "Deserves for snare" .)