With the way all forms of traditional media have suffered audience losses in the last decade, it's a little surprising radio hasn't lost that much of its share. And it's all because that's what people listen to while in the car.
Quartz reported today on a Pew Research study that shows in 2013, 91 percent of Americans over the age of 12 still listen to the radio at least on a weekly basis. That's down just 5 percent from 2001. People listening in their cars still makes up 44 percent of the radio audience, compared with 29 percent at home or 15 percent at work.
Even more interesting is that a full 81 percent of people are listening to the AM/FM stations. That, however, might change a little more as Internet connectivity reaches more cars.
Still, this data surprised me since I honestly can't remember the last time I listened to an AM/FM station while driving for more than a minute. But then I've tended to live in places with terrible radio stations (looking at you, LA market).
But it's probably even more surprising to people thinking car makers will eliminate AM/FM radios soon. That makes far less sense than getting rid of CD players.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons