Half of online Americans say radio is important in their lives

Americans still value AM and FM broadcast radio, but less for its content than for its convenience. This is among the key findings of RadioNext—an online survey of 2,378 North Americans aged 18+, to be released at the RAIN Summit held concurrently with the NAB 2008 Las Vegas.

One-half (50%) of online Americans aged 18+ say AM or FM broadcast radio is either "totally indispensable" or "an important part of my life." Only 11% indicate they "couldn't care less" about broadcast radio. Radio's perceived value cuts across all demographics, though 18-24 year-olds (at 15%) are slightly more likely than the overall online population to say they couldn't care less about broadcast radio.

The survey findings also point to the challenges facing traditional broadcast radio: Americans place a big part of the value of broadcast radio on a distribution advantage that may well disappear as wireless broadband ramps up over the next five years. When Americans who said they value broadcast radio were asked what sets AM & FM radio apart from other audio alternatives now available, 40% cited that it is easily accessible, free, a habit or some other reason connected to the convenience of the medium and 13% mentioned broadcast radio’s portability and/or availability in their car. On the other hand, only 30% mentioned what might be considered an exclusive content benefit of AM or FM radio, such as local content, news, talk shows, morning show personalities, or a personal, personable, real connection.

Younger listeners are most likely to value the medium for its convenience rather than its exclusive content benefits. Among 18-34 year-olds with an attachment to broadcast radio, 46% say they value the convenience of the medium vs. just 24% who value its exclusive content benefits.

An estimated 15% of all North Americans listen to some form of online radio each week—9% to AM or FM streaming and 10% to Internet-only radio stations.