NIELSEN: 77% of American Adults Listen to Radio Daily

Nielsen, which analyzed behavioral data collected by the Council for Research Excellence in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Seattle in 2008 states broadcast radio reached 77% of American adults every day, making it second only to television, which garnered 95% daily reach. The Nielsen data bolsters radio’s audience claims at a critical time for the medium — but it’s unclear whether these kinds of findings can still sway advertisers. Within the audio category, radio’s daily reach far exceeded the percentage of American adults who listen to CDs or tapes — at 37% — or listen to portable audio devices like iPods or MP3 players, at 12%. What’s more, Nielsen found that the 12% who listen to iPods or MP3 players every day overlap a great deal with the 77% who listen to radio, with radio reaching 88% of the iPod/MP3 group. Compared to other media, on a daily basis radio also beat the Internet — excluding email usage — at 64%, newspapers at 35%, and magazines at 27%.