Radio on the rise . . . but not for the young
BRITONS are spending more time listening to their radios, but younger listeners are turning off in favour of the internet.
Although over-35s continue to tune into their favourite shows, radio is falling out of favour with those in their teens and early 20s.
A study by media regulator Ofcom found that last year Britons listened to an average 22.5 hours of radio each week – an increase of 24 minutes on 2010.
However, the medium was less popular with younger people, with those aged 15 to 24 listening to only 17 hours a week – a fall of 22 per cent in ten years.
Similarly 25 to 34-year-olds tuned in for only 19.3 hours last year compared with 22.7 in 2001.
Ofcom said the reason was down to young people using music
Increase in MP3 players
sharing websites such as Spotify and Soundcloud, and the increase in MP3 music players, such as iPods, which can hold thousands of songs on one device.
Radio accounted for 82 per cent of the time adults spent listening to audio material, compared with only 56 per cent for those in their late teens.
The success of Radio 4 could also be part of the reason that older listeners are still tuning in, the research suggested.
The station recorded listening figures of around 11million a week last year, while its flagship show the Today Programme, which is fronted by John Humphrys, almost overtook Chris Moyles’s Radio 1 Breakfast Show, aimed at listeners in their late teens.