Media Audit: The Digital Era Presents Revenue Opportunities

New Survey

New analysis from THE MEDIA AUDIT's National Radio Format report highlighting radio's relationship with all things Internet suggests there are significant opportunities for generating revenue in the constantly changing digital era. According to the analysis, 17.6% of U.S. adults have visited a local radio station website in the past month. The latest figure represents more than 25.5 million unique monthly website visitors across THE MEDIA AUDIT's 80 measured U.S. cities.

TODAY, terrestrial radio continues to represent a significant portion of the typical consumer's total daily media exposure. According to the same study, radio represents 22.4% of total daily media exposure for the average consumer. Additionally, among the Internet's heaviest users, radio represents 18.6% of total daily media exposure. Heavy Internet users are defined by THE MEDIA AUDIT as having spent more than three hours per day online in the typical day. The findings suggest that even the heaviest of Internet users continue to depend on terrestrial radio listening. Among users of the popular social media website FACEBOOK, radio represents 21.4% of total daily media exposure.

While radio website visits lag behind visits to newspaper and TV websites, some radio markets are stronger than others. According to the same report, 26% of local adults in AUSTIN, TX have visited a radio station website in the past month; a figure that is 48% higher when compared to radio station website visits for the general U.S. population. The city ranks as the top market for radio website visits.

Age is one characteristic that distinguishes AUSTIN from other local markets, possibly influencing the number who visit radio websites. Among the market's general population, 35.7% are between the age of 18 and 34; that figure that is significantly higher when compared to the age distribution of the general U.S. population. As a result, top-rated stations such as CLEAR CHANNEL Top 40 KHFI (KISS-FM), which targets younger listeners, can significantly increase its reach by as many as 60,000 persons if an advertiser chooses to add CLEAR CHANNEL's local websites to a KISS-FM buy.

The same study reveals that radio website visitors in general are younger. According to the report, radio website visitors nationwide are 18% more likely to be between 18 and 34 years of age, and 23% more likely to be between 25 and 44 years old. Both age groups represent significant buying power in advertising categories such as automotive and consumer electronics, making radio and radio websites attractive to advertisers.

Other prominent radio website markets include MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, where 23.3% of the general population have visited a radio station website in the past 30 days, followed by SAN JOSE (22.8%), SEATTLE-TACOMA (22.1%) and SAN FRANCISCO (22.1%).

Furthermore, the study reveals which formats are more likely to cross over into the social media realm, paving the way for radio to extend their brand and content into new digital marketing channels.

An analysis that includes the top-20 highest reaching radio formats reveals that among radio listeners, Top 40, Top 40/Rhythmic and Alternative are among the formats with the highest percent of listeners who visit FACEBOOK. Among Top 40 listeners, 72.8% are FACEBOOK users; a figure that is 48% higher when compared to the general population. Nearly 70% of Top 40/Rhythmic listeners are also FACEBOOK users, while 68% of Alternative listeners use FACEBOOK. Among all U.S. adults, 49.3% have logged onto FACEBOOK in the past 30 days.

Among the top radio stations with the highest percent of listeners who visit TWITTER.COM are Urban, with 17.4% of the format's listeners who also visited TWITTER in the past 30 days, followed by Top 40/Rhythmic (16.5%), Top 40 (15.2%), Alternative (13.6%) and Urban AC (13.4%).

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