Edison Research and NPR have jointly released their findings from a first-of-its-kind study on Radio.
The report identifies six segments of radio listeners, their listening behaviors and their attitudes toward advertising.
The study, “Radio: Live on Air and Everywhere,” reveals that radio plays an important role in the lives of consumers and that the majority of radio listeners are receptive to sponsorship messages on the platform.
Approximately 156 million people ages 18 and higher — some 63% of U.S. adults — listen to AM/FM radio daily.
Radio listeners are driven to the medium for myriad reasons.
According to NPR and Edison Research, the heaviest users of radio are most open to its advertising messages.
Two of the six segments of listeners, “Radio Heads” and “Connection Seekers,” the groups that spend the most time with radio, are the least likely to avoid ads or sponsorship messages on AM/FM radio. They represent 1 in 4 radio listeners.
The six radio listener segments, given cute nomenclature by Edison and NPR, are identified as:
- Radio Heads (9% of radio listeners) Listen for all audio needs; listen to the most radio
- Connection Seekers (16% of radio listeners) Listen for company and connection
- Infomaniacs (18% of radio listeners) Listen for their need to consume news and information
- Rhythm Rockers (27% of radio listeners) Listen for their need to consume music
- Laidback Listeners (17% of radio listeners) Listen to radio only in the background
- Habitualists (13% of radio listeners) Listen to radio when it is the only option available
While that’s proof positive that music still drives radio consumption, advertisers should be somewhat with the overall sentiment among listeners regarding spots.
AD ACCEPTANCE A CONCERN
Regardless of segment, 47% of radio listeners overall agree that listening to ads is a fair tradeoff to consume the free content. Additionally, some 46% of all AM/FM radio listeners has considered a new company, product, or service after hearing an ad on the radio.
Translation: more than half of radio listeners disagree that ads are a fair tradeoff for broadcast radio, and more than half haven’t acted upon hearing a radio commercial.
Of course, the study could be skewed, given NPR’s role.
That may explain the finding that “NPR radio listeners show a particularly strong engagement with radio and its sponsorship messages.”
Still, the study does offer some solid pro-radio conclusions.
Although often eclipsed in the media by other audio platforms, AM/FM radio commands 41% of all time spent listening to audio by those in the U.S. age 18+. “Even with the growth in available online audio and other options, this new research finds that 33% of AM/FM radio listeners say the platform is becoming a more important part of their lives,” Edison and NPR say.
“Even in a world where people have many audio options, radio is by far the most listened-to in terms of reach and the most-used in terms of time,” Edison VP Megan Lazovick said.
How the study was conducted
Radio: Live On Air and Everywhere from NPR and Edison Research is based on a national online survey of 1,500 U.S. adults age 18 and older, conducted January 13-21, 2021. All respondents reported listening to AM/FM radio (traditional or streamed) in the last week. Data was weighted to match the sex, age, and ethnicity of AM/FM radio weekly listeners from The Infinite Dial from Edison Research and Triton Digital.
Edison Research Share of Ear®: A total of 4,000+ respondents age 13+ completed an online or offline survey which was offered in English and Spanish. Data weighted to national 12+ U.S. population estimates and has been tracked since 2014.
The findings were first presented in a webinar hosted by NPR VP of Sponsorship Marketing Lamar Johnson and Edison Research VP Megan Lazovick and is available now at http://npr.org/radioiseverywhere.
