Got Radio?

Yellow vintage radio on yellow background.

We’re just a bit more than a week away from the “Big All Access Audio Summit Research Presentation” that NuVoodoo is prepping for the opening day of the All Access Audio Summit on April 21. Last week I said we were pulling in data from our most recent Ratings Prospects Studies along with questions we’ve asked within the daily tracking studies we started at the onset of the pandemic. BUT, since then we realized there were some points that really needed a sharper point. So … we drafted a quick questionnaire and collected over a thousand interviews with 18-54’s nationwide.

Facing a future where more are working from home, even in the anticipated post-pandemic world, we wanted to get a look at usage of FM stations in the car, out of the car on a RADIO and using an app or computer to connect to station streams. Before we get to how often they’re using radio on those devices and in those places, we need to confront the status of the radio outside the car.

In the chart below, 26% say they either don’t have or don’t use a car radio (shown in gold) – that drops to just 17% among those who model through as likely ratings participants (“Ratings: Yes”). Over half, 55% overall, say they don’t have or don’t use a radio not installed in a car (shown in teal green) – dropping to 2 in 5 among the ratings likelies in the sample. Comparatively, just 44% say they don’t have or don’t use the capability of listening to local FM radio stations streamed on a smartphone or computer (shown in dark gray) – and dropping to about a quarter among ratings likelies in the sample.

In other words, in 2021 people are more likely to be listening to a station via streaming than using a radio not installed in a car. Looking at the demos shows another problem: among 18-24’s, about 2 in 5 aren’t using car radios – and over half aren’t using streaming. We’ll show the other side of these tables – how regularly they ARE using these sources in our session – along with a daunting list of topics. Some of our agenda items:

  • How connected are people with the radio stations they listen to?
  • Are they happy listening to DSP’s (Spotify, Amazon, Apple, Pandora)?
  • Does anyone really listen to FM streaming on a smart speaker in their bedroom? Is that really a thing?
  • Is the new work-from-home crowd using FM (over the air or streaming) while they work or do DSP’s rule that roost?
  • What’s the outlook among the work-from-home crowd? Are people expecting to go back to workplaces or is work-from-home here for the long haul?
  • What things that stations can be involved with are listeners EAGER to do as things open up with more vaccinations?
  • Do Social Media posts actually connect listeners with radio stations?
  • Which contest prizes get the biggest attention among those who matter most?
  • What’s the 30,000-foot view on DJ’s? Do they make listening better for a majority of listeners?
  • How many say they would pay monthly for a commercial-free version of a station?
  • What are the latest numbers on the vaccine rollout?

We’ll cover all of that – and try to leave some room for Q&A at the end on April 21 at the All Access Audio Summit. Register at allaccessaudiosummit.com.