Rich Tunkel of Nielsen Audio delivered this message at the 71st Annual NJBA Conference and Gala in Atlantic City, New Jersey along with this slide (see below).
Tunkel pointed out that when it comes to total media usage in America today, the ten and a half hours of daily media use has remained unchanged year-over-year. However, Nielsen is seeing shifts in what and how media is being used during the day. The big increase is in the use of internet connected devices, with almost seven out of ten homes now having a device capable of streaming audio content.
RADIO is King of All Audio Media
92% of adults in America today listen to radio each week according to Nielsen’s Q3 2018 survey. That’s more than twice the reach of streaming audio on smartphones It’s almost five times the reach of podcasts, and virtually six times the reach of satellite radio.
Yes, there’s more competition for the ear than ever before, but broadcast radio is “the load bearing wall of audio media.”
I love that description!
A load bearing wall in a building is the one wall you can’t take down without having the entire structure collapse. And so, it is with reach via the medium of audio. If your advertising buy doesn’t include radio, you’re missing the masses with your message.
Nielsen’s New Research on the Impact of Radio on Light TV Viewers
When it comes to reaching America’s light TV viewers, radio dominates. (see below)
Light TV viewers are most of us in today’s world. We are commuting, busing our kids and grandkids to their activities, leading active lives ourselves and are now spending less time home in front of the tube.
Rich Tunkel showed a real-life demonstration of how taking an advertiser’s TV budget and diverting 50% of it to radio, the advertising campaign increased its reach by over a 100,000 people without increasing the dollars the advertiser spent. In this case it was a 45% lift in reach.
I’ve known Rich for years and have never seen him deliver more impactful data on the power of radio advertising.
‘Nielsen Media Impact’ brings together consumer media behavior information data 
across TV, digital, and print media into one easy to use planning interface. It’s a product that should have everyone in radio sales salivating to get their hands on.
Radio #1 in Reach
Reach, for the advertiser, has never been more important. Radio’s 92% reach of adults in America is unchanged year-over-year and that’s a statistic worth shouting about, especially with huge losses in reach of television and newspapers.
Radio’s ability to reach the masses is why Proctor & Gamble has returned to radio as a major advertiser since the summer of 2017. Over the course of the year in 2018, P&G virtually tripled its radio advertising. 2019 could see P&G become radio’s biggest advertiser.
Why Radio
One of the panelist’s on Rich Tunkel’s NJBA panel was Stuart Burkhoff. Stu is the Senior Director of Media Strategy and Planning for Altice USA (4th largest cable provider in the US). He shared with the audience why radio is important to him using a clever acronym called RADIO, which stands for:
Relevant
Authentic
Delivery
Impact
Original
Radio is relevant for all kinds of people, whether they want sports, news or entertainment. Radio has authenticity with listeners because of its radio personalities who are stars in their communities and have earned their love and trust. Radio delivers an advertiser’s message with impact, and radio is the original, it’s the audio medium that’s been around for almost a hundred years and still works. In fact, radio may be entering its finest hour.
Each of Tunkel’s panelists stressed the importance of the local radio personality to powerfully deliver their message and endorse the product. Radio personalities have never been more important to advertisers.
In today’s world, reach continues to be the most important factor when deciding which medium to use to get an advertising message out.
Radio is the undisputed reach & frequency leader.
It’s the…
DickTaylorBlog 
So well said by Rich Tunkel of Nielsen Audio. And as usual by Dick Taylor. The impact and memoires of Radio and Radio personalities are chronicled in my book American Radio Then & Now – Robin Miller.
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Great Radio is personality driven, IMHO Robin. I’m not familiar with your book. Sounds like it would be a good read.
-DT
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Interesting. I was around when 92% of households used the yellow pages.
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Today, I’ve watched the yellow pages go from the mail box to the trash bin at apartment complexes I’ve lived in. I can’t even remember the last time I consulted a yellow pages directory. And I also noticed they are no longer found in hotel rooms.
-DT
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Retired from broadcasting in ‘92 having enjoyed 42 years as an air personality, salesman, manager and ownership your article confirms my feelings that now is a great time to be selling radio advertising. I cannot see the internet advertising getting the results that radio does. The internet may give the advertisers an immediate result of impressions but does that always result in sales. Radio still provides its audiences with personal contact which is surely missing in todays business day. With all the internet replies and recorded phone messages radio still projects the warmth of the human boice
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Thank You John for sharing your perspective.
-DT
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I would love to see these survey results broken down by age groups. We have to get a beat on the future to keep terrestrial radio viable. Radio is still not on the cutting edge.
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Rich Tunkel has some of those age breakouts, and I’m sure if you’re curious he’d be happy to share them with you Bob.
-DT
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Like to hear more correlation between the new, older spending demos and connection to refreshed radio.
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