community radio national listener survey 2010

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Overall Radio Listening in an Average Week - Australia

14,282,000 (83%)

4,433,000 (26%)

10,848,000 (63%)

7,605,000 (44%)

2,026,000 (12%)

640,000 (4%)

1,398,000 (8%)

Listeners to radio

Listeners to community radio

Listeners to commercial radio

Listeners to ABC and/or SBS radio

do not listen to commercial radio

do not listen to ABC/SBS radio

do not listen to commercial radio or ABC/SBS radio

Listeners to community radio who:

Community Radio National Listener Survey 2010

4,433,000 people listen to community radio in a typical week. This is 26% of Australians aged 15+. More than 9 million people (54%) listen in a typical month. These are the latest results from the fourth community radio National Listener Survey – conducted every second year since 2004.

2004 2006 2008 2010

Weekly ListeningAll radio 83% 86% 84% 83%

Community radio 24% 25% 27% 26%

Monthly ListeningAll radio 91% 93% 93% 91%

Community radio 45% 47% 57% 54%

After four surveys community radio audiences remain strong and well up on the 2004 and 2006 results. Over the same period overall radio listening has followed the same pattern, indicating that irrespective of the slight dip in the most recent results, community radio listening has grown as a proportion of overall radio audience in the long term.

Overall, 70% of Australians aged 15+, are aware of community radio. People who listen to radio in an average week or month are more likely to be aware of community radio than the general population. When identifying listening patterns to community radio, ABC/SBS and commercial radio, significant

exclusive audiences are revealed.

*To ensure comparability over time, all four surveys were undertaken at the same time of the year, using largely the same sampling process amongst over 5,000 people each year and the same telephone survey method. *83% of Australians aged 15+ listen to some radio in the course of a typical week.


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Exclusivity – people that can only be reached by Community Radio

• In an average week, of all people aged 15+ throughout Australia (17,304,000 people):

- 1,398,000 people, or 8%, listen to community radio but not commercial radio

- 2,026,000 people, or 12%, listen to community radio but not ABC/SBS radio

- 640,000 people, or 4%, listen to community radio exclusively, that is, listen to community radio but not commercial radio or ABC/SBS radio

• 33% of community radio listeners in an average week do not listen to commercial radio and 48% do not listen to ABC/SBS radio. 14% of community radio listeners do not listen to either commercial radio or ABC/SBS radio. In other words, almost 1 in 7 community radio listeners are exclusive listeners.

• For those interested in airtime sales, nearly 1.4 million people who exclusively listen to community radio and ABC/SBS can only be reached through community radio.

Overlapping Radio Audiences Weekly

Total Listen to Community

Radio4,433,000

Listen to Community & Commercial

Radio1,387,00

Listen to Community &

ABC/SBS Radio758,000

Total Listen to Commercial Radio

10,848,000

Total Listen to ABC/SBS Radio

7,605,000

Listen to Commercial &

ABC/SBS Radio

3,162,000

Listen only to Community

Radio640,000

Listen only to Commercial Radio

4,651,000

Listen only to ABC/SBS Radio

2,036,000

Listen to Community & Commercial &

ABC/SBS Radio1,648,000

detailed results available at www.cbonline.org.au


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Reasons for Listening to Community Radio

• Nationally, the key reasons for listening to community radio are that they have ‘local information/local news’ and that they have ‘specialist music programs’. Listeners aged 15-39

really value the “Australian music / local artist” on Community Radio.

• For non-metro listeners, “local information/local news” is easily the most cited reason, followed by other statements with a “local” emphasis. For metropolitan listeners “specialist music programs” and “programs not available elsewhere / I hear something that I don’t hear

anywhere else” are the most frequent reasons.

Listener Demographics

• Community radio draws its audience from a wide cross section of the community with a reach of at least 18% of most demographic groups tuning in to community radio during a typical week. For example, 27% of part-time employed people and 27% of people whose annual gross income is over $60,000, listen to community radio during a typical week. 29% of people who regularly speak a language other than English in their household listen to community radio during a typical week, although this is likely to be understated as the survey is only conducted in English .

• Looking at the demographic profile of the weekly community radio audience, 53% are men and 47% are women. 18% are aged 15-24, 25% aged 25-39, 28% aged 40-54 and 29% are aged 55 or over. 45% are engaged in full-time work and 20% in part-time work. Comparisons by State, city and non-metro areas of these groups against the population are shown in the Fact Sheets appended to this report.

Time spent listening to Community Radio

• Nationally, listeners to community radio in an average week spend 7.1 hours listening to community radio per week. Older people aged 55+ listen the most to community radio, averaging 10.1 hours per week. Followed by people aged 40-54 with an average 6.7 hours per week, people aged 15-24 and people aged 25-39 average 5.5 and 5.4 hours

per week respectively.

• Non-metro listeners are also likely to listen to community radio for longer, with the time spent listening in non-metro areas averaging 9.2 hours compared to 6.1 hours per week for metro areas. The Northern Territory is the State/Territory with the highest level of listening time with 8.5 hours per week. Western Australia and South Australia also have high levels of listening time, averaging 7.6 hours and 7.5 hours per week respectively.

The ACT has the least listening time averaging 5.7 hours per week.


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Survey Highlights

SA 391,000 (30%)

WA 542,000 (31%)

QLD 866,000 (25%)

NSW 1,462,000 (26%)

NT 72,000 (43%)

Vic 934,000 (22%)

Tas 122,000 (30%)

ACT 44,000 (16%)

Sydney Listeners to community radio has increased from 772,000 to 861,000 in an average week, and from 1,708,000 to 1,852,000 in an average month

Women who listen to community radio has increased from 358,000 to 424,000 in an average week, and from 766,000 to 875,000 in an average month

People who consider themselves to be of a Christian faith’s average weekly listening to community radio has increased from 467,000 to 615,000

CanberraProfessionals, managers, executives and farmers’ average weekly listening to community radio has increased from 12,000 to 20,000

HobartProfessionals, managers, executives and farmers’ average weekly listening to community radio has increased from 7,000 to 19,000

TasmaniaWomen who listen to community radio has increased from 47,000 to 62,000 in an average week, and from 113,000 to 126,000 in an average month

People who are employed full-time or part-time’s average weekly listening to community radio has increased from 59,000 to 72,000

AdelaidePeople aged 15-39’s listening to community radio has increased from 168,000 to 180,000 in an average week

Professionals, managers, executives and other white collar workers’ average weekly listening to community radio has increased from 144,000 to 153,000

People with an annual gross income of over $60,000’s average weekly listening to community radio has increased from 42,000 to 52,000

South AustraliaPeople aged 15-39’s listening to community radio has increased from 201,000 to 218,000 in an average week

Non- Metro South Australia

People aged 15-24’s listening to community radio has increased from 13,000 to 17,000 in an average week

PerthListeners to community radio has increased from 365,000 to 475,000 in an average week, and from 743,000 to 812,000 in an average month

People who are employed full-time’s average weekly listening to community radio has increased from 163,000 to 220,000

Professionals, managers, executives and farmers’ average weekly listening to community radio has increased from 79,000 to 155,000

Western AustraliaProfessionals, managers, executives and farmers’ average weekly listening to community radio has increased from 98,000 to 163,000

People with an annual gross income of over $60,000’s average weekly listening to community radio has increased from 131,000 to 192,000

Non-Metro Western AustraliaPeople aged 15-24’s listening to community radio has increased from 31,000 to 43,000 in an average month

Northern TerritoryListeners to community radio has increased from 66,000 to 72,000 in an average week, and from 112,000 to 120,000 in an average month

Non-Metro QueenslandPeople with an annual gross income of over $60,000’s average weekly listening to community radio has increased from 66,000 to 75,000

BrisbaneOther white collar workers average weekly listening to community radio has increased from 83,000 to 114,000

MelbourneNinety seven percent (97%) of Community Radio Listeners rated Community radio as a very or quite valuable service to the Australian community.

*Produced as part of CBOnline, a project managed by the CBAA *Produced with the assistance of the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy through the Community Broadcasting Foundation

Detailed fact sheets for each state, capital city and non-metro area

available at www.cbonline.org.au

community radio national listener survey 2010

Documents