According to statistics, you listen to the radio every day. Is that true?

David Lee

21.5.2018

Translation: machine translated

Most people in Switzerland still listen to the radio every day, they say. Really? Where does this statement come from? A few facts about radio usage and how it is measured.

I have heard several times (but not on the radio) that radio is the most-used medium in Switzerland - even today. The usage figures quoted seem absurdly high to me. Well over 80 per cent of the population in Switzerland still listen to the radio every day.

Really now? I couldn't believe it. For me, television is already half dead; I only use this medium - at least in its traditional form - for live sports broadcasts. I probably listen to the radio about twice a year. I don't know anyone who I'm sure listens to the radio every day. But of course, it's quite possible that I'm in a bubble with my perception, which isn't representative at all.

So I wanted to find out more: How do the figures come about? Can I even find the reason why so many people listen to the radio?

Where the statistics come from

The figures on radio and TV consumption in Switzerland are measured by the independent Mediapulse Foundation and its subsidiary Mediapulse AG. Mediapulse is commissioned by the federal government and publishes publicly accessible reports.

It is also Mediapulse that writes: "Every day, 86.7% of the population in German-speaking Switzerland tune in to the radio for around 115 minutes."

How it is measured

Fortunately, the foundation also publishes the details of the measurement method on its website. This is how it works: the people who take part in the measurements at a certain time wear a special wristwatch. It listens in and, similar to the "Shazam" app, recognises whether a radio programme is currently playing and, if so, which one. The measurements are distributed proportionally to the language regions and are also more or less representative in terms of age and gender. According to Mediapulse, data protection is also guaranteed thanks to irreversible data reduction.

The following point is interesting: "The sensitivity of the measurement system corresponds to that of human hearing and can also detect passive radio consumption," writes Mediapluse on its website. Passive consumption may partly explain the high usage figures. After all, if a radio programme is playing in shops, restaurants etc., everyone who is there automatically becomes a radio listener according to this type of measurement.

If you have your headphones on and are listening to Spotify in an environment where the radio is playing, then the measurement is not correct. Conversely, radio consumption via headphones cannot be measured either.

Despite these reservations, I can't think of a better measurement method. Ultimately, only the listener (or non-listener) can say whether the consumption took place consciously and intentionally. This would rule out automatic measurement. Because, of course, not only the listener's own radio devices can be measured, that would not be precise either.

Mediapulse has been using a new measurement method since 1 July 2017. However, the basic principle with the dial gauges and passive use has not changed. New and significantly more clocks are being used, making the measurement more representative. In the second half of 2017, measurements were taken in parallel using the new and old methods; from 2018, only the new method will be used. As a result of the changeover, the figures from the 2018 annual report will no longer be directly comparable with those from previous years. You can find the details of the new measurement method in this online presentation.

How people listen to the radio

The 75-page report on radio and TV usage provides detailed data. The proportion of active listening and merely passive listening remains a matter of speculation. But there is at least strong evidence in favour of speculation.

This is the distribution of media consumption over an average day.

While TV (black) is, as expected, mainly on in the evening, radio consumption (red) is spread throughout the day. With a peak early in the morning and a smaller peak over lunchtime. The assumption here: People mainly listen to the radio in the car and at work.

Car: The fact that the curve goes up during rush hour (also over lunchtime) fits in with this. Of course, listening to the radio in the car is one of the few things you can and are allowed to do besides driving.

Work: Usage is surprisingly constant during office hours. Although people of working age listen to the radio less than retired people, they still listen to it an astonishing amount. Even in the 15-24 age group, almost 70 per cent still listen to the radio every day. The daily usage time is many times lower than for the 60+ age group, but still amounts to a whopping 46 minutes.

In this context, it is interesting to note that from 10 a.m. onwards, radio and internet usage behave more or less in opposite directions. The chart from 2013, when even fewer people were online while travelling, shows this even more clearly during rush hour. You just can't surf in the car.

How digital is that?

The Mediapulse reports also show how many households have a digital radio set (DAB+).

The proportion of households that do not have a radio set at all has always been around 6-7 per cent in recent years.

My first thought was that these figures show how interested the Swiss are in radio in general. After all, unlike FM radios that moulder away in a corner somewhere, someone had to buy a DAB radio in the recent past. However, DAB radios are often already installed in new cars. It's hard to say whether these buyers are really interested in radio as a medium.

That's where a statistic from our own company comes in handy. It shows that our shop has mainly been selling radios with DAB+ for some time. In home use in particular, 80 to 90 per cent of radios sold are DAB+. Recently, this has also been the case for car radios, where the proportion of DAB has risen sharply in the last two years. It now stands at just under 80 per cent. As these are retrofitted radios, the interest is clear.

Which stations?

This also emerges from the Mediapulse reports: In German-speaking Switzerland, radio is primarily SRF. SRG has a market share of around two thirds, with SRF 1 alone achieving around 30 per cent, the same as all private radio stations combined. These are split into dozens of small local stations, none of which achieve more than three per cent. Quite a few are listed with a share of 0.0 per cent.

Conclusion: an inconspicuous presence in everyday life

Even if it ultimately remains unclear how high the proportion of passive use is, the figures are impressively high. I explain this by saying that radio is an inconspicuous accompanying medium that - unlike television, for example - does not push itself into the foreground. That's why we sometimes don't even realise that we're listening to the radio.

David Lee

Senior Editor

David.Lee@digitecgalaxus.ch

My interest in IT and writing landed me in tech journalism early on (2000). I want to know how we can use technology without being used. Outside of the office, I’m a keen musician who makes up for lacking talent with excessive enthusiasm.

These articles might also interest you