AM & FM radio still king of the Bush

There’s an inevitability in technology that everything tends to trend to digital — and so it is with radio in Australia, as incar head units are increasingly bringing DAB+ digital radio to the car as well as the home. But DAB+ is still stuck in the cities, just given the OK for Hobart, but only longterm hope for the regions (see p14)

So it’s little surprise to find that the latest research from ACMA indicates that it’s still analogue radio that rules the Outback, with AM still crucial for those in isolated areas.

The new research was commissioned specifically to contribute an evidence base on the role of AM radio in the contemporary communications environment, and it focused on radio use and listening habits in remote Western Australia, to see how these might vary from national and regional trends.

The results? People in remote WA spend significantly more time listening to the radio (AM, FM and online) than the nation as a whole. And the number of hours spent listening to AM radio in the bush (6.9 hours in the seven days prior to questioning) is double the regional and national levels. Overall FM got most listeners, with 80% of adults listening to FM either at home or in the car in the six months prior to questioning — in line with figures for the nation as a whole. But the high figure of 71% of adults listening to AM is far above the national 46% figure, and is pushed still higher among older age groups. Those over 65 years of age do 88% of their listening on AM. Above 50 this drops to 60%, tailing to a mere 34% of 18-34 year olds, and that’s almost entirely in the car, with a mere sliver of AM listening at home for the youngsters. That’s because they have internet at home, and the report shows almost half (47%) of those aged 18 to 34 in remote WA used an online music streaming service in the seven days prior to questioning, and nearly a quarter (24%) of remote Western Australians overall.

And the radio station most often listened to in “very remote Western Australia”? Take a bow Triple J, beating ABC Local Radio into second place.

Take-out lessons? Don’t let city-dwellers forget the value of analogue broadcasting in the bush! — at least until DAB+ goes truly national... which looks like being quite a long trip in itself.

More info: www.acma.gov.au

HOURS SPENT LISTENING, BY RADIO ACTIVITY AND AGE FOR REMOTE WA. Question: How many hours have you spent doing each of the following in the past 7 days? © ACMA 2017

RADIO LISTENING AT HOME/IN CAR. Question: Which of the following have you personally done in the past six months? © ACMA 2017