The big changes for radio's 55+ audience

Above: community radio station 2SER’s studios in Sydney NSW, Australia.

Edison Research at SSRS released the Infinite Dial 2026 in the US, which I co-presented. You can download the slides and watch the webinar over here.

My takeaways:

• Real growth in 55+ listening to online music services like Spotify and YouTube Music (YTM is the #1 in this demographic). It’s unsurprising, really - today’s 55 year-olds were using computers in their late teens, and Napster and Limewire in their late 20s. When the iPhone and Spotify came along, they were more likely to be able to afford it. The old trope of 55 year-olds not understanding technology is not really a thing any more. I should know - I hit that age this week.
• Of course, people aged 55+ are radio’s stronghold. But significant growth of online music services for this agegroup suggests, again, we need to think carefully about what radio’s unique proposition is. And for more on that, I’ll be speaking at Radiodays Europe next week.
• AM/FM is still #1 in the car (and we all know that really means FM). But AM/FM use has decreased by 11% in the last decade, and if you’re aged below 35, AM/FM radio is not number one any more; that’s online audio (Spotify etc). Indeed, for 18-34s, 55% listen to podcasts in the car.
• A new high for podcast listening, as you’d expect. YouTube unequivocally the #1 for podcasts. But the weekly podcast reach is growing faster than the monthly podcast reach - which would suggest that people are listening to podcasts more often than before. (The only thing that matters is the total time spent with podcasts; last year that was 773mn hours a week in the US, and this year’s number will be out later in the year: Infinite Dial measures people, not time).

I really enjoyed co-presenting this for a second year. The data is useful, the trends are fascinating, and I’d love to see Infinite Dial in more countries as well.

Classifieds

• In The Quarter Hour with Wade Kingsley: employment lawyer Michael Byrnes highlights what we know so far about Kyle and Jackie O’s potential legal action against ARN; and the Fin Review’s Sam Buckingham-Jones on ARN’s financial situation.
• Supercharge your radio show with world-class prep: the right show prep delivered to you on time, EVERY day, without fail. Grab a £1 week-long trial of Show Prep and stop chasing round looking for things to use on your show, running out of time before the show, and trying to sight-read the newspapers!

• TikTok Radio launched in the US on 28 broadcast stations in the US as well as the iHeartRadio app. TikTok Radio has existed on SiriusXM for four years, but this seems a new launch, with iHeart personalities who also happen to be on TikTok (and jointly-branded). You can listen here. There is also a TikTok Podcast Network. There has been a station called TikTok Trending in Australia since 2021 (listen here) - that’s been slickly programmed by ex-TripleJ Ollie Wards and is apparently the #1 digital radio station for under 30s; though Ollie “hung up his headphones” in January. The US station sounds slick but the Australian station sounds more recogniseably “TikTok”. (Frankly, I’m unsure why ARN wouldn’t replace the automated CADA with this, and put it onto FM in Sydney).

• Media regulator news #1: The ACMA still hasn’t made a decision about ARN’s licence conditions. (Even if the K&J show is dead, the additional licence conditions are still relevant, since they govern both Kyle Sandilands and Jackie “O” Henderson separately, and right now at least, Kyle Sandilands is still contracted to ARN). The ACMA received ARN’s “representation” on or before Dec 9; K&J broadcast for a further six weeks. (The ACMA’s legal responsibility is, in part, “to encourage providers of broadcasting services to respect community standards in the provision of program material”).

  • I’ve submitted a Freedom of Information request to see these documents. As you’ll see, the ACMA has referred the decision to ARN.

• Media regulator news #2: The ACMA released new data on “trends and developments in viewing and listening”. Some of this information is pretty good (and there are revenue numbers in here for both radio and television), but the “what app do you listen to podcasts” is fatally flawed: the regulator asked about “Apple Music” - which, er, doesn’t have podcasts in it; and “YouTube Music”, which does have podcasts in it but most people use the proper YouTube. I’ve asked the ACMA for the exact options given to respondents; they’ve not bothered to respond quite yet.

• AM deathwatch: In Spain, many COPE AM stations (full service, religious) are broadcasting loops telling listeners to retune to FM frequencies. Public service broadcaster RNE closed its AM network at the end of last year.

• I followed a bus the other day, promoting the new 4BC breakfast show with Sofie and Dean. Big picture of Sofie and Dean. A logo saying “4BC Brisbane”. Things missing: any frequency (4BC switched frequency five years ago); and any mention of the word “radio”. Perplexing.

• Worth a peek: the Jacobs Media TechSurvey 2025. Best thought-of as a piece of research of radio fans, since it is completed by people on radio station listener mailing lists; but no less interesting as a result. Of note: when asked why they listen (or don’t), “people” scores higher than “music” in every single chart.

Where I am speaking next

• Radiodays Europe, Riga, Latvia, (Mar 22-24) The future of audio is people-powered: The way people consume media is changing. James Cridland, the radio futurologist, takes a look at global trends in radio and on-demand. How will we listen - on which devices? How can we make our output truly unique? How do we do it in a resource-efficient way? And what part does video play in the future of audio? In this wide-ranging session, bringing together data from North America, Asia, Australia and Europe, we’ll learn why the future is bright - as long as we understand why our audience comes to us in the first place.
  • I’m also talking with Steve Jones of Stingray, on TuneIn, Canadian radio, and more.
  • And I’m in a session about what happens when you lose your big star.
• The Podcast Show, London UK (May 20-21) - I’ll be keynoting at this event, as well as recording a Podnews Weekly Review.

Supporters

Thank you to the supporters below, plus Marty from New Yawk, Gavin Watson, Greg Strassell, Sam Phelps, Richard Hilton, Emma Gibbs, Jocelyn Abbey and James Masterton for being regular supporters.

If you’d like to support my work in any way, you can BuyMeACoffee - become a member to give regularly or just give a one-off coffee, or five. Here’s where to do that. Or, alternately, here’s a way direct with Stripe.

There’s a podcast version of this newsletter if you prefer that. I’m on Mastodon as @james@bne.social if you’re there too. And my website has more detail about who I am, and what I do, and whether I can help you further.

Selected bits from Radioland are in RadioInfo in Australia, and RAIN News in the US
Lesen Sie außerdem ausgewählte Artikel auf Deutsch in Radioszene