RADIO FACTS

Use the drop downs below to create a custom profile of radio listening or click here to download the 10 Reasons to Advertise.

Report Type

Select a type of report.

Medium

Choose the medium you would like.

Estimate

Select a estimate.

Audience

Choose an audience type.

When you are ready, click SUBMIT to create your report.

52%

% state radio is audio source used most often in-car

Infinite Dial 2019

248,730,000

People 12+ listening each week

RADAR 142, September 2019 (C) Nielsen Audio, M-Su 24-Hour Cume Est.

12.5

Hours listening each week

RADAR 142, September 2019 (C) Nielsen Audio, M-Su 24-Hour Cume Est. P12+

92%

% reached each week (P18+) -- Radio is America's #1 reach medium

Nielsen Q1 2019 Total Audience Report

Effectiveness

Radio is America's #1 reach medium. Explore here for ideas on how to put radio's unique marketing power to work for you.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Browse through a variety of topics covering commonly-asked questions about radio and its extraordinary ability to build brands and motivate consumers.

MORE RESEARCH

Find other important research studies including various studies from Nielsen Catalina Solutions, The Infinite Dial, the Jacobs Media Tech Survey and more.

MATTER OF FACT

Keeping the advertising community in the know about radio across all platforms with information, insights and more. Click here to subscribe.

NEW STUDY: Radio Drives Store Traffic

As a truly mobile medium, radio is the medium closest to purchase. So, when a consumer hears a radio commercial, are they more inclined to visit the advertiser they heard? Does exposure to the radio commercial on certain days of the week have a greater influence on when they visit? The Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) already proved that radio ads drive online behavior in Radio Drives Search, but what about store traffic? Can radio advertising be attributed to a lift in store/location traffic? The RAB partnered with TagStation’s Dial Report team to not only answer that question, but to attribute radio’s traffic lift across various retail ad categories.

Visit Radio Drives Store Traffic

Radio Drives Search

In today's digital world, consumers' path to purchase almost always includes using a search engine. In fact, according to recent Forrester Research data, 71% of consumers begin their journeys by using a search engine to discover new products and services (initiation), and 74% report using a search engine for consideration and purchasing (research, comparison, transaction). One of the most common questions posed to the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) by its members and advertisers is: Does radio advertising drive online behavior? Does radio advertising drive search?

Visit Radio Drives Search

New from Radio Matters

Read the latest blog posts, listen to the Radio on Main Street Podcast or CLICK HERE to get Radio Matters Blogs sent directly to your inbox.

11 November

Culture is Driving Growth

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

Over the next 20 years, the U.S. population will be comprised mostly of multi and intercultural individuals according to U.S. Census population projections. This growth is attributed to the increase in the number of Asian, Blacks/African Americans and Hispanics/Latinx in the country and is being viewed as the catalyst of brand and revenue growth by advertisers and marketers alike.

Combined, these groups are projected to yield a buying power of $4.7 trillion by the year 2020 – up from $3.8 trillion in 2017, according to Nielsen. Despite this projection, the dollars spent to target and advertise to multicultural consumers remain relatively low. While 37% of the U.S. population was comprised of Asian Americans, African Americans and Hispanic Americans in 2018, only 6% of advertising and marketing dollars were targeted to these segments, according to a study compiled and presented by Dr. Leo Kivijarv of PQ Media at the 2019 ANA Multicultural and Diversity Conference. READ MORE

6 November

Mark Maben, General Manager of WSOU 89.5 at Seton Hall University

Gen Z refers to the generation of individuals born between 1996 and 2010. Representing over 65% of the U.S. population, this is a generation raised entirely on the internet and social media. They are beginning to enter the workforce and they are a desired demographic as consumers of our products and services.

In this edition, Erica Farber, President & CEO of the RAB speaks with Mark Maben, General Manager of WSOU 89.5 in South Orange, NJ. Owned by Seton Hall University and operating for 71 years, this non-commercial station is managed by a team of nine students who report into Mark and is staffed with an additional 120 students from the university. This year Seton Hall University had a record number of students attend the Radio Show as part of the Student Scholar Program and, just as important, they are seeing an increased level of interest from the students in the overall audio space. LISTEN

4 November

Keep Your Files in Order

Contributors: Brad C. Deutsch, Principal, Foster Garvey, P.C. and Benjamin J. Lambiotte, Principal, Foster Garvey, P.C.

Just as the 2020 federal election campaign shifts into high gear, on October 16, 2019, the Federal Communications Commission issued two significant orders “clarifying” broadcasters’ political public file obligations in response to complaints filed against several stations. In both orders, the Commission made it very clear that it is station licensees – and not political ad sponsors or their ad buyers – who are responsible for ascertaining, collecting, and uploading in a timely manner to the FCC online political public file, all the information required by Section 315(e) of the Communications Act and the FCC’s political broadcasting rules. READ MORE

Creative

Listen to award-winning commercial audio and be inspired by the Radio Mercury Awards.

Radio Mercury Awards

The Radio Mercury Awards, the only competition exclusively devoted to radio, was established in 1992 to encourage and reward the development of effective and creative radio commercials. The annual Radio Mercury Awards competition draws entries from advertising agencies, production houses, radio stations, and educational institutions across the country.

MP3 Commercial Audio

RAB's Audio Library contains nearly 1,000 commercials in bright, crisp MP3 format.

Radio Advertising Bureau | Radio Mercury Award Winners

Check out the 2018 Radio Mercury Award Winners. Need more inspiration? Click below and
search the full library of Radio Mercury Award Winners and Finalists.

Go to All Winners and Finalists

$5,000 Radio Station Produced Commercial

Space Raccoons

Client: Allied Termite and Pest
Emmis Austin Radio

$1,500 PSA Spot or Campaign

Thoughts and Prayers

Client: Sandy Hook Promise
Southern California Broadcasters Association

$1,500 Game Changer: Most Innovative Commercial Use of Radio

4-Second Recipes

Client: American Egg Board
Will Work For Food Marketing

$1,500 Most Innovative Use of Audio Showcase

Invisible World

Client: Old Spice
CBS Radio

$3,000 Integrated Campaign with Radio/Audio

Battle Against Cancer

Client: Susan G. Komen
Carton Donofrio Partners