Words by Katie Kasperson
In the era of new media, radio risks its signal fading for good. We take a peek at its past, run some checks on the latest trends and assess the future
s radio dead? This question has plagued us since 1979, with songs like Video Killed the Radio Star and Radio Ga Ga gracing our ears – and, significantly, our screens. These tracks marked a major shift from audio to video, particularly in the music industry. In 2020, the pandemic sent workers home, threatening radio’s popularity
among ‘passive’ listeners such as commuters. But people didn’t tune out altogether; according to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, live radio still dominated UK audio-only listening during that spring. Radio still enjoys global consumption, with most people tuning in at least once a year – and many doing so once a
week. In the audio industry, it competes primarily with streaming as society moves towards digital and away from analogue. It (generally) doesn’t require a subscription, remaining an accessible way to stay informed – and entertained. Radio doesn’t appear to be dead yet, having survived thus far. But we’ll let the numbers speak for themselves.
A STICKY MEDIA SOURCE According to YouGov’s Global Media White Paper in 2022, 85% of participants listened to the radio at least once, while 75% streamed music and 61% listened to podcasts. When asked to anticipate their media consumption,
84% planned to listen to the radio in 2023 – a predicted 1% drop from the previous year. That said, radio listening tended to increase with age; 75% of those aged 18 to 24 reported listening to the radio, rising to 88% for those 45 and older.
95%
94%
39%
48% 9%
10% 56%
28%
Visiting websites or apps
88%
86%
30%
40% 18%
16% 47%
23%
Interacting with social media
87%
85%
23%
41%
22%
17% 49%
18%
Watching live TV
85%
85%
20%
42%
22%
17% 49%
18%
Listening to the radio
Reading a newspaper or magazine in print or online
83%
82%
20%
41%
22%
17% 47%
18%
82%
81%
26%
39% 17%
16% 46%
19%
Watching non-live TV
82%
81%
35%
33% 14%
13% 42%
26%
Streaming video
78%
76%
17%
22%
39%
25%
31%
20%
Watching movies at the cinema
75%
75%
28%
33% 14%
12% 40%
23%
Streaming music
75%
73%
18%
23%
34%
22%
30%
21%
Attending live in-person events
66%
66%
22%
27% 17%
16% 33%
17%
Playing video games
61%
61%
20%
23% 18%
15% 29%
17 %
Listening to podcasts
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