New research has established that commercial radio provides listeners with a value in kind of £1.5bn a year and is highly valued by millions of people in the UK.
The research, conducted by Kantar Media, showed that on average individual commercial radio listeners would be willing to pay over £42 a year to access to access its content.
65 % of those surveyed believe that commercial radio provides them with a unique offering that they could not get elsewhere.
77% believe that commercial radio keeps them well informed; delivering valuable content to their local communities, with 66% considering it has a positive impact and 57 % feeling it’s important for presenters to have knowledge of their local area. Eight in ten commercial radio listeners (78%) said they would miss it if it no longer existed.
Preliminary findings of the project are set to be announced as part of event held at the House of Commons today to mark 40 years since the launch of
commercial radio in the UK.
The event will be attended by politicians and key figures from across commercial radio, including senior executives, presenters and members of the industry’s own ‘Roll of Honour’ – the 40 people who have done most to shape the sector across the last 40 years.
Linda Smith, Interim CEO of RadioCentre said: “Listeners believe commercial radio delivers really valuable content that is important to them personally – whether it’s in music, entertainment, news or information – and we’re exceeding expectations across the board.
“Our message to Government and Ofcom is that this value is at risk unless they provide clarity on digital radio and take a fresh look at commercial radio regulation.”
Posted on Wednesday, October 23rd, 2013 at 10:34 am by RadioToday UK