Each week, 93% of U.S. adults listen to the radio. Canadians listen to 16 hours of radio a week.
According to a new report from Nielsen Scarborough, How America Listens: The American Audio Landscape, AM/FM radio is America’s top 'reach' medium. Reach is an advertising term. It's an estimate of the number of people a message can 'reach' in a given time frame, typically a week.
Despite all the choices an audience has in this always-on/always-connected world, traditional terrestrial radio remains a popular format. This report claims tuning tops television, using a smartphone, TV connected device, tablet or PC.
Not surprising, radio is most popular with older demographics. 97% of America's Gen X population and 98% percent Baby Boomers listen to radio on monthly basis. However, Millennials have not tuned out, 95% of the Millennial population knows what a radio is and tunes in on a regular basis.
Syndicated programming is much more common in the United States than in Canada. This report says 94% of listeners tune into a network affiliated show every week.
The growth of podcast listening is extraordinary. More than 30-million Americans listen or download a podcast every month, a 157% increase in the last four years.
In Canada, radio broadcasting is a nearly $2-billion a year industry, with more than 700 private commercial radio stations across the country. According to Media Technology Monitor, Canadians listen to 16 hours of radio programming every week. Almost one-quarter (23%) stream AM/FM radio online. 16% of Canadians subscribe to satellite radio.
