Happy National Radio Day! Okay, I am late in celebrating, but last week, on August 20th, National Radio Day was acknowledged in the United States. Even Fox TV’s Chris Myers and Audacy noted the big day.
The Pew Research Center analyzed the state of radio in the U.S. and published its Key Facts About Radio Listeners and the Radio Industry. The group’s reputation for being nonbiased is solid, using rigorous research methodologies, transparent reporting, and peer-reviewed processes. They were a newspaper-founded entity that has morphed into a 160-person think tank surveying public opinions, demographics, and the media. I thought looking at the broader radio picture that could impact your sales story as Pew presents it would be a good reminder of what we have to offer.
1. About eight in ten Americans ages 12 and older listen to terrestrial radio weekly.
The numbers have stabilized in the last two years at 82%. Pew cited Nielsen data on this and pointed out that listenership had dropped from 89% in 2019 to 83% in 2020. This is handy when we are told that “NOBODY listens to the radio.”
2. Nearly half of U.S. adults sometimes or often get news from the radio.
In a summer 2022 Pew Research Center survey, 47% of U.S. adults said they got news from radio at least sometimes. When it comes to age, adults 50 to 64 are the most likely to get information at least sometimes from radio, with just over half (55%) saying they do this; 48% of those ages 30 to 49, 46% of those 65 and older, and 35% of those 18 to 29 say the same. It is safe to say that almost ½ of everybody over 30 gets some news off the radio. Think about that! Of course, Hollywood news counts, too, but this is an impactful reminder to the younger ad buyers that their news adjacency has value!
3. One in five U.S. adults often gets local news from radio.
Pew used a 2018 Pew Center survey here, so it seems outdated. Yet I still can’t believe that only 17% of adults get local news from daily newspapers. Online only accounted for 12%. I would steer away from this for sure, as it seems dated.
4. NPR listenership is down.
NPR-affiliated public radio stations weekly terrestrial broadcast listenership declined by 6% between 2021 and 2022. This is a positive note if you have a NPR station doing decent numbers in your town and taking away share from your news/talk station.
5. Average revenue at news-focused radio stations in the U.S. remains lower than before the pandemic.
All news stations are still struggling to hit pre-pandemic revenue numbers-off about 16% from 2019. If this concerns you, at least you have some proof that the decline is accurate, and you are not alone.Plan accordingly.
6. Podcast listenership has been up big in the last decade.
As of 2023, 42% of Americans 12+ listened to a podcast in the past month, according to “The Infinite Dial” report by Edison Research. And, according to the exclusive BSM interview with ESPN Content President Burke Magnus Derek Futterman published this week, ESPN knows all about the power and influence of sports pods grabbing TSL. This has remained relatively constant since 2020, when 37% had listened to a podcast in the past month. A decade ago, in 2013, just 12% of Americans 12 and older said they had listened to a podcast in the past month. More data to sell those pods and a good reminder that the train has left the station, and your ad buyers need to get on board! 20% report listening to podcasts at least a few times a week, according to a 2022 Center survey. 2/3 say that news is discussed on the pods. And yes, 2/3 of 18- to 29-year-olds have listened to a podcast in the past 12 months, compared with just 28% of those 65 and older.
So, celebrate National Radio Day (even fashionably late), and remember that while our devices may be “smart,” most Americans are even smarter for tuning in to the radio.
Jeff Caves is a sales columnist for BSM working in radio and digital sales for Cumulus Media in Dallas, Texas and Boise, Idaho. He is credited with helping launch, build, and develop Sports Radio The Ticket in Boise, into the market’s top sports radio station. During his 26 year stay at KTIK, Caves hosted drive time, programmed the station, and excelled as a top seller. You can reach him by email at jeffcaves54@gmail.com or find him on LinkedIn.
