Local Radio Service to Diverse Audiences
Monday, October 23, 2006

Radio stations in local markets battle daily to attract and retain listeners. That competition is largely driven by adjusting and improving the programming provided by these radio stations to local audiences.

Consequently, local radio broadcasters are constantly examining their stations programming and evaluating opportunities to alter that programming in order to better serve their local communities, attract larger audiences and generate greater revenues.

Following passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, radio station owners began to provide more diverse types of programming to listeners. A number of previous studies have confirmed that the post-1996 ownership changes in the radio industry resulted in this offering of more varied types of programming to audiences.

BIA has recently examined the current state of affairs for an updated review of whether the trend toward greater programming diversity has continued. The results of this update clearly show that the trend continues:

• The number of general programming formats provided by local radio stations increased by 7.5% since 2001.
• Markets of all sizes saw substantial increases in the average number of specific programming formats provided, with an average 22.2% increase since 2001.
• Across all markets since 1996, the number of general and specific programming formats has increased by 16% and 36.4%, respectively.

BIA also examined whether the terrestrial radio industry is providing additional services for diverse audiences and the total population as a whole. That analysis demonstrates increased services to different demographic groups such as:

• In just the last six years the number of U.S. Spanish-language radio stations increased by 45.5%.
• Over half (50.4%) of the Hispanic population in Arbitron markets have over-the-air access to ten or more Spanish-language radio stations, with more than three-quarters (79.5%) having access to six or more Spanish-language stations.
• Nine of the top ten Asian markets (in terms of total local Asian population) have at least one Asian-programmed station in their market.
• Currently, 72.1% of African Americans in Arbitron-rated markets can receive three or more Urban programmed stations compared to only 61.9% six years ago.
• Over 52% of all African-Americans living in Arbitron metro areas have four or more Urban programmed stations in their markets.
• Since 2000, the number of news/talk stations has increased by almost 21%.
• Nearly 71% of the total population in Arbitron metro areas have at least four news/talk stations in their markets, with 55.5% having access to at least six such stations over-the-air.
• Radio stations throughout the country are providing expanded services with very new and different types of programming, some of which are being provided on multicast HD radio signals. After updating the previous analyses on radio programming and digging deeper into the data, one can easily see that radio station owners are expanding their offerings to serve a broad range of demographic groups. Local broadcasters clearly see opportunities in providing expanded services with new programming to the diverse audiences in their local communities.

After updating the previous analyses on radio programming and digging deeper into the data, one can easily see that radio station owners are expanding their offerings to serve a broad range of demographic groups. Local broadcasters clearly see opportunities in providing expanded services with new programming to the diverse audiences in their local communities.

Mark Fratrik, VP BIAfn, was invited by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) to prepare a special report on over-the-air radio service to diverse audiences. In his report, he discusses:

• Programming Availability
• General Programming Formats
• Specific Programming Formats
• Provision of Specific Programming to Diverse Audiences
  • Spanish-Language Programming
  • Asian-Language Programming
  • Urban Programming
  • News/Talk Stations
  • Niche Programming
• HD Radio Multicasting

We invite you to click below to read the complete report