Giving Them Something To Talk About
There are a lot of stereotypes and preconceived notions about so-called “talk radio”…and about podcasts. And similarly, there are a lot of stereotypes and preconceived notions about who is actually listening to each.
That’s why I love actual data and surveys…because they have the real information, often blasting those stereotypes out of the water.
Edison Research’s latest “Share of Ear” study says over the past five years, podcasts’ share of time spent with talk or personality audio content has more than doubled among adults overall, nearly doubled among those age 25-54, and tripled among those age 35-64.
The research categorizes four types of audio – music, news, sports, and talk/personality shows. When comparing the last part of 2017 with the last part of 2022, the share of audio time those 18 and older spent in the talk/personality category more than doubled…from 23 percent to 49 percent. For those age 35 to 64, the number actually tripled.
Actually, the older the listener, the greater the growth…podcasts, after all, were “native” to the younger adults, but those of us who are a bit more senior had to come around to them…and boy, have we ever, apparently.
Also of interest…podcast listeners are 45 percent more likely than the U.S. population as a whole to have graduated from college, and 50 percent more likely to have a post-graduate degree.
So despite those predicting the death of AM radio, or of talk radio more broadly…these and numbers I’ve shared with you before prove that real live radio is plenty strong, and the talk format is even starting to dominate podcast listening.
So whether you’re listening to this on the radio—or yes, even via podcast—thanks.
