Radio is the most widely consumed mass media in America, with 93% of Americans tuning in each week via AM/FM radio. There are over 12,000 radio stations broadcasting in the US, reaching 228.5 million consumers weekly. While television and digital media have grown, radio remains popular due to its portability, ability to be consumed alongside other activities, universal availability, and ability for listeners to select their preferred format.

1. Radio:The First Mass
Communication
Each week, more Americans tune into AM/FM radio (93%)
than watch television, or use smartphones, tablets or
computers.

2. Radio in
America
 Radio is America’s top weekly reach platform,
according to Nielsen’s ratings data comparing
adults 18+,
 AM/FM radio continues to reach more
people each week than any other medium
in the U.S. at 228.5 million consumers,
 There are ½ billion radio receivers in use—that’s 2
or 3 for every man, woman and child in America.
 There are 12,000 radio stations broadcasting in
America.
 Americans spend an average of 3 hours and
18 minutes daily listening to radio.
 Broadcast radio’s weekly reach of 228.5
million also outpaces the 68.5 million for
streaming audio, 35.7 million using satellite
radio and 21.9 million consuming podcasts.
 AM/FM radio counts for 86% of the total time
adults aged 25-54 spend listening to three main
audio platforms. Adults listen to eight times more
AM/FM radio than satellite radio and seventeen
times more than internet audio streaming.
 Source:Where Radio Fits: Radio's Strengths in the
Media Landscape", Arbitron, 2012

3. RadioAudience:
Hispanic
Consumers

4. Radio in the
World
75% of households in developing countries having access to a
radio.
There are about 44,000 radio stations worldwide.
The Brazilian radio market is the second largest in the Americas,
being one step behind the United States. According to data from
the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) of 2009,
radios are present in 88% of homes, 80% of cars in circulation,
and in 36% of mobile telephones.
Source:TheWorld Factbook, 2010. Central Intelligence
Agency, USA

6. Development
of Radio
German physicist Henrich Hertz
demonstrates (1887) that waves (he
named them RADIO) existed.
Today we measure electrical
frequency in hertz (such as kilohertz
and megahertz
David Sarnoff envisions
broadcasting: using technology to
instantaneously reach a wide
audience.That term was agricultural:
scattering seeds over a wide area.
Sarnoff wrote a memo to the
American Marconi company in which
he explained his vision for radio as a
mass communication form providing
entertainment and news. Marconi
was not impressed because radio
could not carry voice.

7. Development
of Radio
During WW1 (1819)the military takes over radio for strictly military purposes—takes ALL
THE PATENTS and declares a moratorium on patent lawsuits.The military train 10,000
service personnel in the new technology by the end if the war.
Government gets involved in the Radio Act of 1912, the first law for radio…a reaction to
theTitanic disaster. This law established CALL LETTERS for radio broadcasters.
Lee De Forest invents the vacuum tube in 1907 and transmits voice.
Reginald Fessenden—made the first wireless voice transmission in 1906 using a special
high-frequency generator he invented.

8. History of
Radio
Frank Conrad, an engineer ofWestinghouseCorp. starts broadcasting.
Westinghouse forms a radio station KDKA, signs on in 1920—and it is
still broadcasting today—oldest station in the country
Then RCA forms---and the president is ……..David Sarnoff. He buys up
the assets of the U. S. division of the Marconi Company.
AT&T decides to sell time on radio…and advertising begins to support
broadcasting.
The first radio network was… AT&T in 1923—linked a Boston station to
a NewYork station…..then National BroadcastingCompany NBC—a
subsidiary of RCA, set up in 1926….CBS forms in 1927
ABC forms in the 1940s when the government forces RCA to sell one of
its networks.

9. History of
Radio
Edward Armstrong shows frequency modulated radio (FM) to his
buddy David Sarnoff. David is seduced byTV that is developing so he
declines the chance to fund FM development.Armstrong develops FM
radio transmitter and sells to others----in 1940 Sarnoff offer Armstrong
$1 million for the invention----Armstrong says, “No thanks!”
Federal Communication Commissions [FCC] is formed by President
Roosevelt, and Congress passes the CommunicationACT of 1934 to
regulate the communication industry.

10. History of
Public Radio
In 1945The FCC offers several
FM frequencies for educational
broadcasting.
By 2003 there were 1,900 non-
commercial radio stations.
These noncommercial stations
are served by National Public
Radio (founded in 1970) and
funded by Congress through
the Corporation for Public
Broadcasting.

11. The golden age of radio: 1930 – 1950s.
Impact? Unifies the
country by providing a
common experience
coast-to-coast.
01
Content? Soaps, serials,
news, sports, music.
02
The biggest radio
moment perhaps was
Halloween 1938, when 23-
year-old OrsonWells
broadcast a program
called “TheWar of the
Worlds.”
03
The day after Pearl
Harbor, 1941, 60 million
Americans listened to
President Roosevelt’s
address to Congress, still
the largest audience ever
for any radio talk.
04

12. TV wrecks the
golden age of
radio
TheTOP 40 is one of the most popular formats along
with News/Talk format.
Format: a consistent programming formula that creates
a recognizable sound and personality for a station.
Music format is the largest category.
RADIO competed withTV by:
turning to FM (much better
sound)
changing to format
programming
The invention of the transistor
to make radio mobile

13. Radio survives
TV
Radio survives TV because: Radio is portable Radio is supplemental (you do
something else was you listen)
Radio is universal (try to find a
place without radio!)
Radio is selective (you decide
which format you wan to hear)
Web broadcasting almost dies
in 2002 when Copyright
Arbitration Royalty Panel ruled
that webcasters had to pay
artist royalties.

14. Who owns
Radio?
Top 6 owners are Clear
Channel Communications,
Cumulus Media Inc., Disney,
Emmis, Entercom
Communications,
and Viacom
Clear Channel leads in radio
broadcast station ownership
Viacom owns Infinity
Broadcasting, with 176 radio
stations
Cumulus Media Inc. reaches
70 of 287 possible markets on
250 stations in the United
States.
Cox Communications owns
74 radio stations
EntercomCommunications
owns and operates 91 radio
stations in the United States.
Emmis Communications
Group owns and operates 23
radio stations in the United
States
Disney owns ABC network
with 66 radio stations in the
United States.

15. Streaming Radio:The Internet
In early 2000s, Clear Channel
Communications cut jobs at local
radio stations across the U.S. In
2014, Clear Channel rebranded
itself as iHeartMedia, a streaming
radio network, in an effort to
create a more friendly public
image.
01
Listeners today are unlike radio’s
first audiences in several ways.
•Radio has become a secondary or
background medium.
•Peak listening time is during drive time
rather than prime time.
•Stations are more specialized.
02
Satellite radio
•XM and Sirius merged to become Sirius
XM Radio in 2008.
•Accessible through satellite radios,
mobile devices, and cars with a satellite
band
03
HD Radio
•Enables multicasting by AM and FM
broadcasters and provides program
data
04

16. Most PopularU.S. Radio Formats,Ages 12+

17. Rating Radio
ARBITRON surveys the
audience in 280
markets….and talks
about
Rating: the ratio of
listeners to a particular
station to all the people
in the market
Audience share: ratio
of listeners to all the
listeners in the market.
The best radio time is
DRIVETIME: 6 a.m. to
10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7
p.m.

18. Radio and
Convergence
• Broadcast radio stations now
have an online presence.
• Online-only radio stations like
Pandora growing in popularity
Internet
radio
• A popular way to listen to
radio-style programs on a
computer or portable music
device
Podcasting
and
portable
listening