Radio and Its Audiences

Monday, January 5, 2009

Radio has more than survived; it has prospered by changing the nature of its relationship with the audiences. The easiest way to understand this is to see pretelevision radio as television as today – nationally oriented, broadcasting an array of recognizable entertainment program formats, populated by well known stars and personalities, and consumed primarily in the home, typically with people sitting around the set.

In an age week, more than 225 million people, 94% of all Americans 12 and over, will listen to the radio. The majority of Americans, 60 % get their first news of the day from radio, and where the large majority of all listening once occurred in cars.
Radio audience, though, is not growing. In fact, it is declining.