Radio makes waves with seniors
The latest radio survey reveals what older Australians prefer to hear on the airwaves.
In the late 1970s, a pop band called The Sports had a modest hit with the song, Who Listens to the Radio?
It’s a question a lot of people are still trying to answer, with hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising money at stake as commercial radio stations vie with each other for the most listeners.
And then there’s the ABC, which is government owned and obliged under its charter to provide radio, television and online media services to Australians.
Radio is all about entertainment and information. It plays the songs we like to hear and tells us the news we need to know. It can be a lifeline, providing essential information in times of food, fire, and others disaster, and a companion for insomniacs, shift workers, and the elderly.
Back to the question: who listens to the radio? Or, more to point for Connect: which stations are most popular with seniors Australians
Research over decades has shown that older people prefer “classic hits” – that is, songs that were popular when they were young – and news-talk stations.
Survey results issued on 27 August confirm the trend.
In the nation’s biggest radio markets, Sydney and Melbourne, talk stations dominate the ratings overall and among senior listeners.
In Melbourne, 35% of the radio audience aged 65 and over listens to commercial talk station 3AW, with a further 14.7% tuning in to the local ABC station. Among Sydneysiders 65+, 2GB attracts 29.1% and the ABC 13.7%.
“Easy” music station 2UE also has its best results among older listeners in Sydney, as did GOLD FM with Melbourne audiences over 55, while many seniors in both capitals like the relaxed musical offering on smoothFM.
In Brisbane, it’s “golden oldies” music station 4BH that attracts 28.2% of 65+ audiences, with the ABC on 16.6% and commercial talk station 4BC with 13.8%. 4BH also performed especially well with listeners aged 55-64.
Classic hits, talk, and local ABC stations also do well with older listeners in the other two major metropolitan markets of Adelaide and Perth.
However, the ratings only tell part of the story of what’s now often called “audio” rather than “radio”.
That’s because traditional broadcast radio no longer has a monopoly on what sounds go into our ears.
We now have the choice to stream music from services such as Spotify, where we pay a fee to listen to almost any music we like, whenever and wherever we like, or to listen to podcasts.
Podcasts have been around for quite a long time – the first iPod player came out in 2001 – but they’ve really taken off in recent years.
While the ABC and commercial networks make their own, many podcasts are independently produced and crafted for niche audiences.
If there isn’t yet one to suit your interests, stay tuned.
