“Broadcast radio continues to not just survive, but thrive for one very clear reason: no other medium can match what radio can offer,” iHeartMedia Chairman/CEO Bob Pittman boasts in a piece published by The Drum.
In the article, part of The Drum’s Audio Deep Dive, Pittman extols the many benefits of broadcast radio, writing “no other medium – old or new – has replaced radio as the number one audio leader, despite the recurring predictions of its demise.”
He lists the various challengers to radio over the years, from broadcast TV to MTV – which Pittman launched in 1981 – to CDs and streaming services.
“Yet here we are in 2022 and, per Nielsen data, radio continues to reach more Americans every month than any other platform, linear or digital – reaching four times as many people as streaming services and even five times more people than MTV – and twice as many as the biggest TV network,” Pittman says. “And we’ve even seen that time spent listening to broadcast radio and streaming audio services is split 75% to broadcast radio and 25% to streaming audio services, according to a study from Edison Research. The same study shows that radio reaches nearly 44 million Gen Zers every week, illustrating its sustained, multi-generational appeal – and debunking the myth that young people aren’t listening.”
Pittman points to the “accessibility, companionship, and discovery that radio uniquely offers that other mediums simply can’t replicate.”
Radio is free and can be accessed by anyone, pretty much anywhere, “from clock radios and in-car audio – where radio continues to dominate – to digital devices like phones and smart speakers that put radios in our hands and homes in new ways,” Pittman says in the article.
He touts the role radio played in the pandemic, when it was the top source for information about the virus, according to Nielsen data, and radio’s role as a companion. “Whether you’re listening while cooking, driving, working, or simply relaxing, radio hosts keep you company and offer personal connections that other mediums can’t,” Pittman says.
Several studies have noted that radio is the top source for music discovery, which Pittman expresses in the article, saying music streaming services are “complementary” to the radio.
“Think of it this way: digital streaming is today’s version of listening to a record or CD collection,” he writes. “Sometimes you want to tune out the world and listen to your favorite songs, but after a while, you want to rejoin the world and hear a friendly voice you trust and connect to – and radio is where you go to discover new music.”
View the full article HERE.