Study: Radio Listening Among Top Use for Smart Speakers

RADIO ONLINE | Friday, September 17, 2021 | 4:47pm CT

Jacobs Media

Among the 30 percent of Public Radio listeners who own devices like Amazon Alexa or Google Home, about four in ten say they "frequently" use Alexa or Google Assistant to listen to radio station streams, a three-point increase over last year (38% in 2020). It's now the number one use case for smart speaker owners according to Jacobs Media's Public Radio Techsurvey 2021 (PRTS).

The firm will present the PRTS results in a free webinar on Thursday, September 30 at 2pm ET, 11am PT. This year's annual study, "Public Radio in the COVID Era," is comprised of nearly 23,000 core Public Radio listeners from 56 participating stations and charts the continued impact of COVID-19 and its disruptive effect on radio listening and other media consumption.

Clearly smart speakers have become an increasingly important way for Public Radio listeners to listen to their favorite stations and programs. This is in direct contrast to the finding that those with access to a traditional radio in the home stands at its lowest level since this survey was launched 13 years ago.

Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs commented, "It's becoming obvious the onus on Public Radio is to meet the audience where they are. This year's PRTS study helps provide a game plan for stations to map out the necessary content and distribution strategy to meet the disruptions wrought by COVID. We hope you can join our free webinar Thursday, September 30 as we reveal these important insights and more."

In order to join the webinar, click here to register.