Radio stays switched on over summer: CRA

Radio listeners have stayed tuned in all summer long, according to new research released by Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) and compiled by GfK using its wearable technology, the MediaWatch.

The research showed 91.1% of daily listeners continued to listen to radio between 3 December 2023 and 28 January 2023.

CRA Chief Executive Officer Ford Ennals welcomed the findings, saying “It’s a common misconception that radio listening drops off as we all go on our break.”

“The research shows listening starts later in the day as we aren’t rushing off to work. Between 9.30am and 3pm Monday to Friday the proportion of listening increases for all audiences by 4.4% over Summer, and for listeners aged under 40, this proportion increases by 10.8%.”

The GfK MediaWatch was introduced as part of Radio 360.

“This is the first time we have released insights from the GfK MediaWatch, which captures and encrypts the sounds the wearer is listening to and matches it to recordings of every station in the metro markets,” Mr Ennals says.

“These insights are useful for agencies and their clients as they can use them to inform their Summer campaigns – and it is clear that radio remains a powerful way to reach audiences all year round.”