What's up with Radio? (Part 1)

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

What's up with Radio? (Part 1)

Wayne Ens sends out a newsletter that I receive. Here's a recent one that tells about the relevance of the radio advertising business:

Look at this research of younger demos from the September 2010 American Youth Study by Edison Research, and know that radio’s continued acceptance with older demos is even more impressive.

A follow-up to Edison Research's landmark 2000 study on the media habits of 12-24 year olds reveals that America's youth are still very much in tune with Radio, despite living in a gadget-filled world where media is increasingly pulled and not pushed. While challenged by a proliferation of alternative media choices, Radio continues to play an important role in the lives of the 12-24 population.

-- 80.2% of 12-24 year-olds listen to AM/FM Radio to hear their favorite songs;
-- 71.9% listen to learn about new songs;
-- 66.0% listen to find out what the popular songs are

Radio is the leading source for new music discovery among 12-24 year-olds.

88.2% discover new music listening to the radio (50.6% frequently; 37.6% sometimes)
72.2% -- YouTube
64.7% -- Music featured on TV shows
61.7% -- Music video channels
58.8% -- Social networking sites (MySpace, Facebook)
41.6% -- Internet radio stations (Pandora, Last.fm, Yahoo Music)
35.7% -- streaming AM/FM radio online

Radio is also the top medium to first hear about upcoming concerts (which respondents attended), at 16.9% -- far ahead of #2 social network sites (10.2%). Word-of mouth (friends, family, coworkers) are the leading source of news about concerts, at 43.5%.

Including AM/FM Radio, streamed AM/FM, and Internet-only stations, 12-24s spend over 1 day per week (24 Hours 23 Minutes) listening to Radio. Among this age group, online delivery is the preferred method:

Hours/Minutes per week:
AM/FM Radio/Streamed AM/FM Radio:		10:15
Internet-only Radio:	Pandora Other	6:53 7:15
Total Radio Listening:		24:23

The average household with a member in the 12-24 age group has 3 Radios (not including Radios in vehicles driven by the household).

Nearly half (46.7%) of 12-24s listen to radio in places other than the car. One-third agreed somewhat to the statement that they listen to AM/FM Radio only in their cars, with another 20% agreeing strongly that in-car listening is their only venue for AM/FM tune-in.

"We were pleased to have Edison Research findings revealed at the Radio Show, and excited about the continuing prominence of over-the-air radio in the lives of 12-24 year olds," stated Jeff Haley, President and CEO of the Radio Advertising Bureau. "Radio retains its position as the number one source of music discovery and its leadership in time spent with all forms of audio entertainment. The Edison study highlights important trends in social media and new forms of audio that I'm confident will be a source of inspiration and innovation by smart broadcasters everywhere."

(Source: From the American Youth Study 2010, by Edison Research, 09/29/10)