Radio Users Consume 700B Minutes More Than PP

RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, October 25, 2017

This year alone, adults in the U.S. ages 18+ will consume 700 billion more minutes of broadcast AM/FM radio than pure-play streams, according to annualized national audience data from Nielsen Audio's Comparative Metrics Report Q1 2017. That's an advantage of nearly 50 billion quarter hours. This despite the adoption of smartphones since the introduction of the iPhone.

DMR/Interactive President/COO Andrew Curran says "employment" makes AM/FM radio's continued strength in a mobile age possible. "Everyone in radio can recite statistics about reach, but that's only part of the story. The ongoing power of radio rests with our employed audience, which consumes enormous amounts of AM/FM radio in the car and at-work. Best of all for advertisers, this audience has money to spend," said Curran.

Heavy listeners of radio are overwhelmingly employed with 85% of consumption among ages 25-54 being driven by people with jobs. Even on the younger end, among ages 18-24, approximately 63% of listening across markets and major formats is driven by employed persons.

Curran notes that the reason for this difference in listening isn't due to smart phones or overly simplified theories about millennials, who are already the largest generation in the workforce, it is because agres 18-24 are always less employed than their older counterparts. "Decade after decade, this younger demographic has never been the driving force behind radio listening," he said.

"The employment angle is compelling, not simply because it's a long held programming fundamental, but because these are the consumers who advertisers want to target and reach, people with a paycheck and money to spend," added DMR/Interactive VP/Marketing Strategy Doug Smith.

These employment and consumption insights were recently discussed by RAB President and CEO Erica Farber and Curran on Main Street Podcast.