Approval ratings for Congress are at an all time low. Only 23% of Americans approve of the job that Congress is doing. Yet most Americans think their own representatives are doing a good job. And, most Congressmen and Congresswomen get reelected time after time.
So it is with radio. There is general dissatisfaction with commercial radio. We talk too much, we play too many commercials, and we play the same songs over and over. Yet those criticisms don’t extend to a person’s favorite stations. In studies where we measure satisfaction, we find that listeners are pleased with the stations they tune to and feel their stations meet or exceed their expectations.
That’s why listening levels remain high, and TSL has only taken a small hit. Listeners really like their radio stations.
The resiliency of radio must be really galling to New Media pundits. They vitriolically dismiss radio as boring, archaic, and out of touch, yet people continue to listen. On top of that, it turns out that people spend as much time with radio as they do on the Internet! Think of it. Here you have an obsolete 19th century technology holding its own against the latest most wondrous technology the world has ever seen.
And it appears usage of the Internet has peaked. There’s growing evidence that as new on-line services appear, people are redistributing their internet usage rather than increasing it.
Remember that next time you read some hyperventilating New Media pundit declare the death of radio.
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