Britain’s broadcasting regulatory agency has released a new survey on listener attitudes towards radio. Among the bullet points: more than half of the nation’s local radio listeners want local presenters (radio hosts) between six and 10 a.m.
“Considering the role of sharing programming across stations, 59% of BBC local/nations listeners and 52% of local commercial listeners think it is important to have a local presenter during breakfast drivetime,” the poll notes.
Other findings:
• 59 percent of the United Kingdom’s adult population listen to local radio every week; eighteen percent of adults listen to the BCC; 51 percent to commercial stations.
• A majority of those polled say they are interested in “local news,” but that mostly means weather and traffic. “Radio listeners in Scotland and Northern Ireland are more likely to say they are interested in news about their nation than in local news.”
• Most responders said they were happy with how their station covered local news:
“The majority of listeners to BBC local/nations and local commercial radio listeners are satisfied with the way their station covers local news (82% and 70% respectively). The role of local news on local radio is vital to many; over half (56%) of local commercial and over two-thirds (67%) of BBC local/nations listeners say they rely on their station to keep them updated on local news headlines.”
• Almost half of local radio listeners say they check local online sites every month:
“Listeners to local radio use a range of different local media sources each month, with the majority using local/regional TV in addition to local radio. Seventy four per cent of all local radio listeners also read local newspapers on a monthly basis, although only 50% of those in Northern Ireland do so. Forty eight per cent of local radio listeners also use local online sites each month, increasing to 76% in London.”
