Edison and Cumulus/Westwood Make the Case for Radio Over Streamers

Using Edison Research Share of Ear data, Cumulus punches back on behalf of radio…

By Paul Marszalek
TheTop22.com

We all know the narrative — no one listens to radio anymore. And those of us who dig into research know that the narrative is false.

Combating that narrative is difficult, and so it’s refreshing when you see sales collateral that makes the case for radio.

A recent example, from Cumulus’ Westwood One, uses Share of Ear data from Edison Research to take on ad-supported streamers. While it’s true that a lot of people are listening to Pandora, Spotify, and Sirius/XM, it’s also true that on a typical day, most people only listen to AM/FM radio.

(click on graphic for a larger view)

The sales pitch takes the data further, making the case that an advertiser can reach a large portion of the streaming audience just by buying radio.

For example, of the combined AM/FM radio and Pandora audience, 85% listens to radio and never listens to Pandora. Yet more than half of Pandora’s audience also listens to AM/FM radio on a typical day. Arguably, an ad buy on radio reaches half of Pandora’s audience at no additional cost.

Certainly, it’s a bit more nuanced than that, as the data does not provide demographic breakouts. But it’s great presentation of data that shows the still very impressive reach of radio.