Listeners Praise Localism As Radio's Top Virtue

Radio & Records

In a new survey, 33% of participants said local traffic and weather information is what they like best about conventional radio, followed by 25% who like the immediate access the medium affords.

In the survey — conducted by Roper OmniTel for American Media Services — 37% of respondents listed the number of commercials as their top gripe, followed by 23% who tire of hearing the same programming over and over again. Still, 46% said they are listening to about the same amount of radio that they listened to five years ago, compared to 18% who are listening more and 34% who are listening less.

Illustrating that awareness of HD Radio may be increasing, 37% said they'd heard of the technology. Sixty-one percent of respondents said they'd never heard of it before the surveyor asked.

AMS CEO Ed Seeger tells R&R that he tried to get some radio companies to join him in having the study conducted, but he decided to go it alone after issues of timing and availability kept getting in the way.

"This survey has reinforced what we have known for several years: that local radio has a unique and unmatched place in the American community," Seeger says. "Other technologies are going to be there to compete, but radio has made some fundamental changes over the past couple of years, and I think the consumer knows that."