Nielsen state radio has a legacy as THE audio medium audiences are used to. It’s also easily accessible to anyone, as most, if not all, cars come equipped with radios.  Nielsen’s data shows that 69% of weekly radio consumption is done outside of the home, primarily in cars and at work. Audience numbers spike from 6/7am through to 5pm, the average work day. On weekends numbers are at their highest around mid-day, when people are out or shopping. Radio is the companion you take with you on your daily commutes, that helps you get through long days at the office and makes your chores just a little more bearable. This makes radio very advertiser-friendly. In modern times when people favour subscription services where they won’t encounter advertisements, radio is the medium that will not only allow advertisers to reach large audiences but target them when they’re out and closest to retailers. 3. Radio is FreeRadio doesn't require any form of monthly subscription, due to being advertiser-funded, unlike many current media services. [Radio is] accessible anywhere and to everyone online. Even podcasts are often on subscription sites such as Spotify, making radio a free alternative when most other services are becoming increasingly costly. Take Soho Radio, accessible anywhere and to everyone online via radio directories and on their site through their player. 2. Radio is AdaptableRadio adapts with changing technologies and consumer trends. Radio is now accessible through laptops, computers, phones and even smart speakers, so you can listen to your favourite station whenever you want, however you want. Radio doesn’t need you to set time aside the way TV does, as it asks less of its audience, being an audio-only medium. TV requires the full attention of its audience due to audio and visual elements, people can take the radio with them anywhere without missing out on half of the experience. 1. Radio is InclusiveNielsen’s findings show the appeal of radio across demographics, drawing large listener numbers across all ages, genders and ethnicities. Radio attracts 99% of Hispanic Americans, 98% of African Americans, 98% of women aged 25-54 and 93% of teenagers aged 12-17. Radio has a diverse variety of stations able to appeal to all audience tastes. Many podcasts aim for limited audiences, covering niche topics. Plus, podcasts aren’t that easy to discover. Listeners usually have to go out of their way to find them. Radio has an established, easily digestible format that aims for larger audiences by promoting generalised content presented by regular DJs. Radio has no long-form narratives or story arcs, audiences can jump in and out without missing anything. Make radio, not war. Radio presenters play a large part in drawing people, as they often become like friends to regular listeners, some of whom tune in every day just to hear them. This makes radio a less demanding medium to get into than podcasts, which often require listeners to go back and familiarise themselves with older content, a problem radio does not have. As it’s all about reaching a broad audience, unsurprisingly, stations which focus on what’s popular have the most success. Nielsen’s data supports this; the most popular stations amongst people ranging 12-54 are country music stations, which hold a 13.2% share of America’s total time spent listening. To Sum UpHow we consume our favourite content has changed, but Nielsen’s research demonstrates radio still has a firm hold on the market in the digital age. Where do you think radio is heading? Will radio still be relevant in the next 50 years? Let us know what you think on socials or down below 👇 CORRECTION (June 16, 2023): Two in-text citations of data from “The Infinite Dial 2023” report and source notes for charts on “Podcast listenership” and “Online audio listenership” have been updated to reflect that data from “The Infinite Dial 2023” report comes solely from Edison Research. One in-text reference to Audacy has been updated to reflect that Entercom changed its name to Audacy in 2021. These updates do not affect any of the analysis’s substantive or overall findings. In addition, the following sentence about revenue for news radio stations has been updated to read, “And revenue for news radio stations dropped in 2020 after years of relative stability, but increased in 2021 and stayed the same in 2022.” The audio news sector in the United States is split by modes of delivery: traditional terrestrial radio (AM/FM) and digital formats, such as online audio and podcasting. While terrestrial radio reaches a large portion of the U.S. population, online audio and podcasting audiences have grown over the last decade. And revenue for news radio stations dropped in 2020 after years of relative stability, but increased in 2021 and stayed the same in 2022. Explore the patterns and longitudinal data about audio and podcasting below. (Data on public radio beyond podcasting is available in a separate fact sheet.) AudienceThe audience for terrestrial radio has remained large and constant over the past few years. Weekly listenership dropped from 89% in 2019 to 83% in 2020, but it has since been relatively stable. In 2022, 82% of Americans ages 12 and older listened to terrestrial radio in a given week, according to Nielsen Media Research data published by the Radio Advertising Bureau. Note: This and most data on the radio sector apply to all types of listening and do not break out news, except where noted. In 2019, Nielsen listed news/talk among the most-listened-to radio formats; in 2022, 47% of U.S. adults said they got news on the radio often or sometimes. Weekly terrestrial radio listenership % of Americans ages 12 and older who listen to terrestrial (AM/FM) radio in a given week YearListen to terrestrial radio200992%201092%201193%201292%201392%201491%201591%201691%201790%201889%201989%202083%202184%202282% Source: Nielsen Audio RADAR 156, March 2023, publicly available via Radio Advertising Bureau. PEW RESEARCH CENTER However, the share of Americans who listen to podcasts has substantially increased over the last decade. As of 2023, 42% of Americans ages 12 and older have listened to a podcast in the past month, according to “The Infinite Dial” report by Edison Research. 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. In 2023, 31% of those 12 and older said they have listened to a podcast in the last week, up from 26% in 2022 and 7% when this was first measured in 2013. (The data in this chart, as well as in the subsequent chart about podcasts, is for all types of content and does not break out news programs.) Podcast listenership % of Americans ages 12 and older who have listened to a podcast … YearEverIn the past monthIn the past week200611%200713%200818%9% 200922%11% 201023%12% 201125%12% 201229%14% 201327%12%7%201430%15%8%201533%17%10%201636%21%13%201740%24%15%201844%26%17%201951%32%22%202055%37%24%202157%41%28%202262%38%26%202364%42%31% Note: Edison Research’s survey is conducted in January/February of every year. Between 2014 to 2021, Edison Research partnered with Triton Digital to conduct this survey and produce “The Infinite Dial” report. Weekly podcast listening data was first reported in 2013. Source: Edison Research, “The Infinite Dial 2023.” PEW RESEARCH CENTER The average weekly unique users who download NPR podcasts, which include some of the most popular podcasts in the Apple Podcasts charts, such as Up First and Fresh Air, has declined from 10.6 million in 2020 to 8 million in 2023, according to data provided by NPR. Public radio podcast users Average weekly unique users who download NPR podcasts YearAverage weekly unique users who download NPR podcasts20142,000,00020152,500,00020163,538,00420175,401,23120187,118,171201911,275,441202010,605,99220218,924,17620228,030,222 Note: Starting in 2020, listener measurement reflects IAB 2.1 measurement technical guidelines, which is a methodological change from previous years. Source: Podcasts weekly users via NPR Podcast Logs, DataStudio. PEW RESEARCH CENTER According to survey data from Edison Research, the share of the public listening to online audio has slightly increased in recent years. As of early 2023, 75% of Americans ages 12 and older have listened to online audio in the past month, while 70% have listened in the past week. After online audio listenership remained flat between 2019 and 2021, this increase marks the highest these figures have been since 2002 when data was first tracked. Online audio listenership % of Americans ages 12 and older who have listened to online audio in the past … YearMonthWeek200212%6%200317%8%200416%8%200515%8%200621%12%200720%12%200821%13%200927%17%201027%17%201134%22%201239%29%201345%33%201447%36%201553%44%201657%50%201761%53%201864%57%201967%60%202068%60%202168%62%202273%67%202375%70% Note: Edison Research’s survey is conducted in January/February of every year. Between 2014 to 2021, Edison research partnered with Triton Digital to conduct the survey and produce “The Infinite Dial” report. Online audio includes listening to terrestrial (AM/FM) radio stations online and/or listening to streamed audio content available only on the internet. Source: Edison Research, “The Infinite Dial 2023.” PEW RESEARCH CENTER EconomicsAfter dropping sharply by 24% in 2020, average radio revenue for stations in the all-news format rose by 13% in 2021 before leveling out in 2022, according to Pew Research Center analysis of MEDIA Access Pro & BIA Advisory Services data. Average station revenue for stations in the all-news format stayed relatively stable, from $17.9 million in 2021 to $17.8 million in 2022. (The BIA Advisory Services database contains revenue data during these years for only 15 of the 27 all-news stations, therefore, only those stations are included in the averages.) Average revenue for a combination of stations in the all-news, news/talk, and news/talk/info formats is substantially lower than when looking at all-news stations alone – in 2022, $2.5 million per station. This likely stems from the fact that this category contains a sizable number of stations with low total revenue. (The BIA Advisory Services database contains revenue data during all of these years for 355 stations in this category.) Average station revenue by programming category Average station revenue for all-news radio stations (in U.S. dollars) YearAverage station revenue2015$22,625,0002016$22,670,0002017$21,422,0002018$21,115,0002019$20,990,0002020$15,863,0002021$17,865,0002022$17,773,000 Note: Data from previous years is updated annually. The BIA Advisory Services database contains revenue data for every year shown in the chart for 15 of the 27 all-news stations; therefore, only those stations are included in the averages. BIA Advisory Services does not typically report revenue for stations that are not part of a radio market. Data includes full-power AM and FM radio stations in the BIA Advisory Services database in 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Source: Pew Research Center analysis of MEDIA Access Pro & BIA Advisory Services data. PEW RESEARCH CENTER Average station revenue for all-news, news/talk and news/talk/information radio stations (in U.S. dollars) YearAverage station revenue2015$2,964,0002016$2,965,0002017$2,859,0002018$2,799,0002019$2,791,0002020$2,198,0002021$2,442,0002022$2,478,000 Note: Data from previous years is updated annually. The BIA Advisory Services database contains revenue data for every year shown in the chart for 355 of the 965 all-news, news-talk, and news-talk-info stations; therefore, only those stations are included in the averages. BIA Advisory Services does not typically report revenue for stations that are not part of a radio market. Data includes full-power AM and FM radio stations in the BIA Advisory Services database in 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Source: Pew Research Center analysis of MEDIA Access Pro & BIA Advisory Services data. PEW RESEARCH CENTER OwnershipAs of 2022, there were 27 AM or FM stations listed as “all-news” in the BIA Advisory Services database of radio stations. Audacy (previously known as Entercom) is currently the parent company of 12 of these 27 stations. Ownership of all-news radio stations Number of all-news stations, by parent company Name2022Audacy12Hubbard Radio LLC3Lotus Communications Corp.2IHeartMedia Inc. 1Jet Broadcasting Inc.1MultiCultural Radio Broadcasting Inc.1Storm Front Communications LLC1Kensington Digital Media LLC1Bryan Steele1VPM Media Corporation1Brian R. Walsh1Nebraska Rural Radio Association1Kankakee Valley Broadcasting Co. Inc.1 Note: Data includes full-power AM and FM radio stations in the BIA Advisory Services database in 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. Entercom changed its name to Audacy in 2021. Before 2019, the stations listed under Hubbard Broadcasting Inc.; the stations under Cumulus Media Holdings Inc. were previously listed as Cumulus Media Inc.; and the stations under iHeartMedia Inc. were previously listed as CC Media Holdings Inc. Source: Pew Research Center analysis of MEDIA Access Pro & BIA Advisory Services data. PEW RESEARCH CENTER Find out moreThis fact sheet was compiled by Research Assistant Christopher St. Aubin. Read the methodology. Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder. This is the latest analysis in Pew Research Center’s ongoing investigation of the state of news, information and journalism in the digital age, a research program funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, with generous support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. |
