Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
Radio is an extension of every part of us. It’s our ears that listen. It’s our fingers that touch the dial or app. It’s our eyes when we want to know the traffic. It’s our heart when we hear the songs that we grew up with, and it’s our soul when we hear of any devastation in a local community.
Radio is an incredible force and impacts listeners like no other medium does. A look at some of the figures that pertain to radio helps to both quantify and qualify radio as a powerful medium.
249.7 Million — The total number of radio listeners ages twelve and older that tune into radio every week.1
15,514 — Local radio stations connecting with listeners in their communities. 2
90% — The percentage of people radio reaches on a weekly basis even as the population grows. 1
13.7 — The total number of hours tuned into radio by African Americans 18+ each week.1
48% — Percentage of Hispanics and African Americans who use broadcast radio most often in-car. 3
169 million – The number of people 18+ who have listened to online audio in the past week. 3
51% — Percentage of people 12+ who have ever listened to a podcast. 3
8 – Average number of years listeners have been listening to their favorite radio personalities. 4
But radio isn’t just about listening; radio is also about taking care of people in their community annually:
- Millions of dollars raised for charities, hospitals, community centers
- Gallons and gallons and gallons of water bottles collected for emergency relief
- Tons and tons and tons of clothing, food and toys
- Thousands and thousands of lives saved when disaster strikes
No matter how you look at it, the numbers prove it. Radio: It’s every part of us and our lives.
What does radio mean to you?
Sources: 1) Nielsen RADAR 140 (Monday-Sunday 24-Hour cume estimates); 2) FCC.gov, March 2019; 3) The Infinite Dial 2019, Edison Research/Triton Digital; 4) Katz Radio Group, Our Media Survey, April 2019
Source: http://www.radiomatters.org/
Leave a Reply