Increase in Internet radio listening among workers

Findings from Arbitron and Edison Media Research’s “Internet & Multimedia” study show the number of people in the U.S. that listen to the radio over the Internet has increased from 12% to 20% from 2007 to 2008.

During the same period the number of employees listening via traditional radio sets dropped from 88% to 80%.

In particular, the study found that education played a big part in whether an employee was likely to listen to radio online. Thirty percent of college graduates listen to online radio most often compared with just 12% of non-college graduates.

"For a growing number of people, obviously especially among those whose work is in front of a computer all day, the Internet is simply a better solution for 'radio' listening than a traditional AM/FM Radio,” said Larry Rosin, president of Edison Media Research. “Thus radio stations need to think about the quality of their streams, and promote their streams. After all, on the Internet, the competition is not just the other stations in town; instead the possibilities are essentially infinite."

For marketers, knowing that there’s a large audience listening during work hours should encourage better use of online radio ad station media, including testing different time slots.

Tags: Internet radio, online radio, traditional radio