SEPARATING RADIO AS A PRODUCT FROM RADIO AS A DEVICE • LISTEN TO WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED

In case you haven’t noticed, “radio” is becoming more than transmitters and towers. 

The marriage of over-the-air signals with digital gives content creators the ability to reach people in any place and any time.

Edison Research has published [link] the Top Ten findings about how audio is consumed so far in 2019.  

Edison's slides show the shape of the whole forest. You can see the whole report here

Edison's Top Ten is derived from Share of Ear and Infinite Dial plus information client studies. 

Slides are samples from the report

The Edison Top Ten shows us a world where the listener/viewer is in charge. People who came of age in the digital era are native to the digital world.

But, it can become a hostile and dehumanizing mental space. These days, pictures are in and talking is out.

So, how is over-the-air radio doing? The percentage of the U.S. population hearing radio remains unchanged at 92%. But listening to radio via streaming audio isn’t growing.

Edison’s Top Ten Audio Trends

1: Podcasting has worldwide impact

2: Podcasting passes the 50% reach mark

3: Smart Speakers are becoming more user friendly

4: Facebook usage is declining

5: The younger you are, the more likely you are to have been ‘unfriended’ on social media, and be criticized or attacked

6: Parents with teens in the household are more apt to use listen to streaming audio

7:  A quarter of all audio listening is done on a smartphone

8:  Younger people spend 27% of their audio time listening to AM/FM Radio

9: AM/FM Listening is almost exclusively over-the-air…still

10: The number of people listening to online audio continues to grow

KEN DOCTOR DEBUTS LOOKOUT LOCAL

Ken Doctor

Ken Doctor, the news industry columnist writes about how to keep news coverage sustainable. 

His reporting in newsonomics [link] is required reading for people in the field.

In his most recent column Doctor announced boldly:

“I’m starting a company to build out a new model for local news in the 2020”

The company, LookOut Local [link], wants to create a new kind of newsroom. Doctor foresees it as an all-digital news portal with content coming from embedded local reporters.

We wish the Doctor Doctor success in the new venture.