Pierre Bouvard: Radio Has Kept Its Reach While TV Is Eroding

Pierre Bouvard

A week ago (NET NEWS 6/24), CUMULUS MEDIA/WESTWOOD ONE CMO PIERRE BOUVARD crunched the data from the NIELSEN Q1 2015 Total Audience Report on radio listening (NET NEWS, 6/23) and found plenty of positive indicators. Chief among them is radio resiliency in the new digital era -- especially compared to television.

Among the highlights:

• Radio is #1 in reach among Adults 18+, 18-34 and 35-49.
• Among Adults 18+ Radio’s weekly reach (93%), surpasses TV (87%), Smartphones (70%), Social Networks on Smartphones (61%), PC (54%) and Smartphone video (37%)
• Radio’s 18-34 weekly reach advantage over television (93% to 76%) is significant.
• Among 18-34s, the number of days of weekly usage is led by Smartphones (5.9), followed by Radio (5.0), Television (4.7), Tablet (4.6) and PC (3.6). (Page 5). 18-34s are more frequent weekly users of radio versus television.

Now, BOUVARD adds to those findings in a new blog post. He writes, "Each quarter, NIELSEN releases its 'Total Audience Report,' which quantifies audiences to television, online, mobile, and AM/FM radio. In the past, television was the number one mass reach media based on monthly audiences of persons over the age of two. But there was a problem.

"Radio measurement is weekly and not monthly and begins at the age of 6 or 12 depending on the market. NIELSEN acknowledged, comparing monthly 2+ TV tuning with 12+ weekly radio audiences was not a fair 'apples to apples' comparison. With the publication of the most recent Q1 'Total Audience Report,' NIELSEN leveled the playing field and began reporting weekly audiences for standard audience demographics such as Adults 18+, Adults 18-34, Adults 35-49 etc. The results have surprised many in the industry. According to NIELSEN, more than 90% of Americans are reached weekly by radio -- more than TV and smartphones. While radio is known for its frequency, the medium has always had significant reach. Even with the rise of digital platforms, radio has kept that reach, while TV is eroding."

Read the full post here.

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