Double Play!

Do you really know where radio stands when measured from the audience side of the hill? Too many among us don't. Two lightning bolts for your consumption: In the last couple of months stunning affirmations hit us full-face. If you missed them, you missed a lot.

ONE: It's hard to find a more credible yet unusual advocate than Deloitte among the Big Eight firms' global elite. Recently the financial behemoth issued a stunning report: Radio's Revenue, Reach and Resilience. Headlining Deloitte's illuminating intelligence, "Radio is standing tall amid the media landscape with any number of digital competitors. Nearly three billion people globally will listen to radio weekly, a 1% increase over last year. The U.S. is the leading market for radio where revenues hit $41 billion last year." Deloitte's global head of research for technology and communications Paul Lee bluntly proclaimed, "Many underestimate the influence radio continues to hold. The perception video or steaming have killed the radio star are simply not the case! Radio at breakfast, commuting or at work, a vast majority of people continue to consume radio during the course of the day. Radio is alive and well; often overlooked as a major factor in branding strategy, yet radio will continue to play a key role in marketing over the years to come. And in a world where Digital has changed everything, radio may be the only exception." There are few incumbent financial institutions more credible or quoted than Deloitte.

TWO: From Pew Research, an equally revered bastion for trending, come these myth busting facts: (1) Radio's audience is growing, not declining; 270+ million says Nielsen. (2) Radio's mobility is the only medium to span listeners' lifestyles; it's universally accessible. (3) Think about this, says Pew research: "Radio has an emotional connection unlike any other medium. 87% say 'personalities make them laugh' and 64% say they would follow their favorite personality if he or she went to a different station!" Never underestimate the impact of your talent. (4) 59% say that without radio, their daily routine would be different. (5) 51% view radio personalities as friends or family. (6) 84% of listeners believe radio's primary value is its local feel. And (7) as an advertising imperium, radio delivers a $10 to $1 ROI plus a 29% incremental lift in Google search-mining.

These gripping affirmations are not wishful fantasy or off-the-wall puffery; instead facts as found and articulated by not one but two pillars in their respective international lane of commerce.

As a programming resource and colleague we ask, what will it take to convince you or your company radio isn't dying and won't ... not in this karma.