Radio Still Relevant, Particularly Among Diverse Audiences

Debunking any notion that radio is being eclipsed by the myriad other media options available to us, the study found that the national radio audience hit an all-time high in the first quarter of 2015 with 245 million Americans listening to radio each week.

Perhaps most interesting is the fact that there are 71.7 million African American and Latino radio listeners, and these diverse audiences spend more time listening to radio each week than other groups. Of the national radio audience, Latinos comprised 16.5 percent; 12.8 percent of radio listeners are African American. These percentages roughly reflect each group’s share of the total U.S. population, which is 13.2 percent African American and 17.1 percent Latino, according to the U.S. Census.

In Denver and Colorado, however, the Latino population is far higher than the national average. Denver’s population is 31 percent Hispanic or Latino, and the state’s Latino population now tops 21 percent.

Additional interesting information in the report:

Of the 210 media markets nationwide, Denver ranks number 17 in terms of the number of Latino TV households – just above El Paso/Las Cruces and just below Philadelphia.

So what’s the point?

Even with the dizzying array of media and listening options available, the FM / AM airwaves are still essential and effective vehicles to deliver our messages.