Report: Many Reasons Why People Love Radio

NextRadio®, the smartphone app that provides free, portable FM radio listening, has introduced a blog series aimed at advertisers and broadcasters. “For the Love of Radio” uses data and insights garnered from the app, original research and the industry. These findings will be highlighted through social media, blog posts and articles in the coming months.

The first blog is focused on data from a study the company conducted with Edison Research. The survey examined 2,094 NextRadio online respondents*, and the data pointed to three key roles radio plays in the consumer marketplace today: radio portability, radio’s role in the community, and its fostering of musical connections. While these topics will be covered in-depth on a NextRadio blog over the next few weeks, here are key findings:

Love of Radio Portability: According to the NextRadio-Edison Research survey, 90% of audio-listening respondents said they listen to traditional FM radio in the car, and 91% of FM radio listener respondents said they stayed in the car longer to continue listening to a show or program. While the future of radio portability is rooted in the smartphone, consumers have concerns about the strain streaming places on batteries and data plans.

Love of Radio’s Community Roots: Half (50%) of the NextRadio-Edison Research survey respondents who are FM listeners say they tune in for community news. Thirty-five percent attend local events by an FM station frequently or sometimes. Further, radio is essential during times of local emergencies.

Love of Music on the Radio: The survey found that more than half of FM listener respondents say they listen to hear their favorite songs. Forty-two percent want to discover new songs.

“Radio listeners are evolving, but their reasons for loving radio have remained constant,” said Paul Brenner, President, TagStation. “Advertisers have benefitted from the consumer’s love of radio for decades, and these key attributes serve as an important backdrop to radio’s new ability to deliver digital metrics that measure advertiser impact – features that brands like Starwood’s Aloft and Disney are already using to inform their radio campaigns.”

Follow NextRadio’s “For the Love of Radio” blog series to obtain more insights from the NextRadio-Edison study, as well as other key NextRadio and radio industry research.

* Respondents were smartphone users recruited though the NextRadio database who opted into receiving updates on NextRadio phone compatibility, contests or the blog.

SOURCE: NextRadio 2016. The data is derived from a NextRadio-Edison online survey of 2,094 adult smartphone users recruited through NextRadio’s database. Survey dates: 4/22/16-5/2/16. Sample base is made up of people who opted into receiving updates on NextRadio phone compatibility, contests, or blogs.