Commercial radio 'go-to' medium for listeners in covid pandemic
Last updated 9th Dec 2020
Commercial radio is playing an “essential” role in the lives of listeners in Northern Ireland, throughout the ongoing covid pandemic, according to a new report today (Wednesday).
They are part of a remarkable 12 million plus across the UK who rely on commercial radio news every day.
It is their go-to source of information, well ahead of any other medium.
The report 'Commercial Radio: Beyond the Bubble' was compiled by the radio industry’s body, Radiocentre – and it highlights news as both relevant and trusted.
https://www.radiocentre.org/research/beyond-the-bubble/
It also showed that radio is particularly strong in being able to reach what it terms ‘outsiders’ - those who are less likely to go looking for news.
This group is a significant proportion (34%) of commercial radio’s audience, which equates to more than 12 million listeners.
It’s this group that particularly value the news from commercial radio and they listen first thing in the morning, for regular updates and during emergencies.
The report says: “During the Covid-19 pandemic commercial radio has provided an
essential role, with listeners finding the regular updates a reliable source
of information.
“As news fatigue inevitably set in, commercial radio was
the source least likely to be avoided by all audiences, ensuring that vital
government messages still cut through.
“Put simply, commercial radio connects with parts of the population that
other media cannot reach in the same way. As a result, commercial radio
audiences should not be underestimated and public figures should seek
to harness the opportunities it provides to connect with Outsiders beyond
the bubble.”
Some of the other key findings include:
• Eight out of 10 listeners found radio a reliable source for regular updates
• Seven out of 10 realised how they relied on radio to provide news relevant about the area they live in
• Half avoided social media as its information was seen as inaccurate or misleading
Meanwhile, in specific reference to Downtown Radio and Cool FM (Bauer NI) the report says the First Minister often speaks directly to the station “to get her message across to younger audiences who hear these important updates because they are either tuning in to their favourite music station or getting their news via the Facebook pages of these stations,”
Commercial radio news is of “huge importance” to Bauer’s listeners.