Radio is Still Growing

According to the latest figures from Nielsen’s quarterly Global AdView Pulse report advertising spend in radio is on the increase in all corners of the globe. Radio in the UK, US and Europe have all seen modest increases while Africa, South America and the Middle East have seen double digit growth. This would make sense as radio is in a rapid growth phase in these areas right now (especially in Zimbabwe) where they have recently seen the launch of their first ever commercial radio station.

While radio continues to do well and punch well above its closest competitor (no, not the TV, outdoor billboard advertising). The internet is the place that has seen the biggest advertising increases.

Radio of the Future

You may conclude from this study that people still love their radio especially in places where it is a young fresh medium.

However, as I’ve mentioned in the Music Radio Creative podcast, the internet is changing the way we consume audio content and we are no longer spoon fed radio shows and music radio playlists at the discretion of radio programmers. You can choose what you want to listen to and when you do it. Gone are the days when you made an appointment to be at your radio for the late night ‘shock jock’ at 10pm or tuned in at 5am for the tech news because “it’s not mainstream enough to have a daytime slot”.

Niche internet broadcasting (podcasting and to a lesser extent internet radio) is the way forward and – by the look of these figures – if you’re getting started today you’re putting yourself in a very strong position for the future.

I remember the days I used to bundle together 10-15 demo tapes at a time and send them out to my local radio stations in the hope of landing an on air gig.

Today your demo tape is your own podcast, the world your audience, they decide if you make it or not… and that is the most democratic way of programming any radio station.

What do you think? Do you still listen to mainstream radio or are you a podcast listener?