Radio’s Role in Today’s Media Landscape

(Source RAB.com)

Radio remains relevant in today’s world of time-starved consumers. It provides programming content
meeting the entertainment needs of people according to their demography, geography, ethnography, etc.
via nearly 11,000 on-air stations, 7,000 streaming stations and more than 1,800 digital stations.

Radio is ubiquitous, reaching consumers on-air, online, on-site and on-demand – whether they are at home, at work or in their car. It is a passive medium allowing consumers to multi-task and listen while they work or play – essential in today’s world. It is a reach medium, delivering messages 24/7 to consumers
personally, one-on-one, in an attentive environment. It provides information as it reaches consumers closest to their time of purchase, as they drive to or from work, or even during a lunch break. When used synergistically with other media, it increases brand awareness, brand recall, and an advertiser’s ROI. In
various studies, it has also proven to increase website visitation and purchase likelihood.

Radio’s core strength continues to be the power of words and sound. With its human voice to convince it can be used as a branding medium. Advertisers continue to use DJ endorsements to build trust and drive business with DJs often providing personal experiences with the brand, on-air mentions and authentic chatter within their shows.

Radio is resilient. Its accessibility continues to expand. Various distribution platforms such as streaming, HD-Radio, MP3 also keep Radio relevant. Unlike other media, the audio experience remains intact platform to platform – whether it is delivered on a desktop, in a car, MP3 player or cell phone. The platforms allow
Radio to maintain its local presence while also delivering to a national audience. Today’s new technologies can increase and enhance consumers' Radio experience thru text messaging, mobile applications, time shifted listening via podcasts, etc., and now also provide a visual experience not previously available.

The future of Radio is bringing all technology and platforms together to deliver true interactivity to the masses, one person at a time. Innovations in interactivity such as BuyFromFM (available only on Zune), listener influenced programming, instantaneous ownership of audio content such as music, advertising messaging, news programming, etc..

Within this world of new technology and media fragmentation, Radio continues to be the #1 source for new music discovery and choice for audio entertainment. Radio listening is also what Americans prefer to do second most during their leisure time.

Supporting Radio’s important role in today’s media environment and proving its Reach, Relevance and Receptivity, Apple most recently announced the addition of an FM receiver in the fifth generation of the iPod nano. In response to this announcement, Emmis Communications CEO Jeff Smulyan stated, "Apple
clearly recognizes that Radio is the number one source for new music acquisition and has made it simpler and easier for today's listeners to access the audio entertainment they value so highly. The ability to bring a live listening experience together with digitally stored music will have a dramatic impact on listener involvement.” Jeff Haley, CEO of the Radio Advertising Bureau, added, "The idea that an 85-year-old medium has the chance to remain relevant and capture new distribution in an environment when those things are hard to come by is very exciting."

 

http://www.rab.com/public/adchannel/radioroleMediaLandscape.cfm