Company News · May 5, 2008

Online Radio Listening At-Work Grows

By Tom Webster

Update from the Arbitron/Edison Media Research “Internet & Multimedia 2008 Study”

The portion of American workers who are choosing to listen to radio via the Internet as opposed to through a traditional radio receiver grew dramatically from 2007 to 2008.

According to data from the Arbitron/Edison Media Research Internet & Multimedia series of studies, among people who are employed full or part time and listen to radio at work, the portion listening most often via the Internet has grown from 12% to 20% in one year’s time.

atwork1.png

The difference is particularly stark when looking at the data sectored by education. Among college graduates who listen to the radio at work, fully 30% are listening most often via the Internet, as compared to non-college graduates, among whom 12% listen most often online.

atwork2.png

“The implications of this finding are clear,” says Larry Rosin, President of Edison Media Research. “For a growing number of people, obviously especially among those whose work is in front of a computer all day, the Internet is simply a better solution for ‘radio’ listening than a traditional AM/FM Radio. Thus radio stations need to think about the quality of their streams, and promote their streams. After all, on the Internet, the competition is not just the other stations in town; instead the possibilities are essentially infinite.”

For more information on the Arbitron/Edison Media Research Internet & Multimedia 2008 Study refer to www.arbitron.com or www.edisonresearch.com.

How the Study Was Conducted

A total of 1,857 people were interviewed to investigate Americans’ use of various forms of traditional, online and satellite media. From January 18 to February 15, 2008, telephone interviews were conducted with respondents age 12 and older chosen at random from a national sample of Arbitron’s Fall 2007 survey diarykeepers. In certain geographic areas (representing eight percent of the national population), a sample of Arbitron diarykeepers was not available for the survey, and a supplemental sample was interviewed through random digit dialing.

About Arbitron

Arbitron Inc. (NYSE: ARB) is an international media and marketing research firm serving the media – radio, television, cable, online radio and out-of-home – as well as advertisers and advertising agencies in the United States and Europe. Arbitron’s core businesses are measuring network and local market radio audiences across the United States; surveying the retail, media and product patterns of local market consumers; and providing application software used for analyzing media audience and marketing information data. The company has developed the Portable People MeterTM, a new technology for media and marketing research.

Arbitron’s marketing and business units are supported by a world-renowned research and technology organization located in Columbia, Maryland. Arbitron has approximately 1,900 employees; its executive offices are located in New York City.

Through its Scarborough Research joint venture with The Nielsen Company, Arbitron provides additional media and marketing research services to the broadcast television, newspaper and online industries.

About Edison Media Research

Edison Media Research conducts survey research and provides strategic information to radio stations, television stations, newspapers, cable networks, record labels, Internet companies and other media organizations. Edison Media Research is also the sole provider of election exit poll data for the six major news organizations: ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX, and the Associated Press. Edison Media Research works with many of the largest American radio ownership groups, including Entercom, Citadel, CBS Radio, Bonneville and Westwood One; and also conducts strategic and perceptual research for a broad array of companies including Time Warner, Google, Yahoo!, Sony Music, Princeton University, Northwestern University, Universal Music Group, Time Life Music and the Voice of America. Edison Media Research has a fourteen year history of thought-leadership in the radio industry, and has provided services to successful radio stations in South America, Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe.

All of Edison Media Research’s industry studies can be found on the company’s Web site at www.edisonresearch.com and can be downloaded free of charge.

Get our latest insights delivered to your inbox.