Celebrating World Radio Day 2022

To mark this year’s World Radio Day, Radiocentre is shining a light on radio’s position as the most trusted medium in the UK and Europe.

World Radio Day, taking place on Sunday (13th February), is an annual UNESCO initiative to highlight the unique power of radio to touch lives and bring people together across every corner of the globe. It provides an opportunity to increase awareness of the value of high quality, distinctive broadcasting from both public and commercial radio, as well as its economic and cultural contribution.  The theme for this year is “Radio and Trust”.

Radio has always been a trusted friend in the corner of the room for millions of listeners across the UK but that friendship has been more important than ever during recent times.  As well as providing companionship and entertainment, it can be an important lifeline for listeners, helping people to cope with loneliness and to stay in touch with what’s happening in the world. During the second lockdown in November 2020, people increasingly turned to radio for companionship with 90% of people saying they listened to commercial radio because ‘it kept them company’.

Radio listeners have a unique relationship with their favourite stations and presenters, there’s a personal connection – one of trust. It’s why radio is a broadcast medium that can facilitate important conversations about meaningful topics, for example the Mental Health Minute, which has united stations across UK radio to continue the important conversation on mental health.

These last few years have also been a lesson to us all on how important it is to hear news and information that you know is impartial, concise and factual. Radio’s trusted news output has been relied on by millions of listeners during the pandemic. Radiocentre’s research demonstrates the high level of trust in radio among all listeners, with respondents ranking radio as the most trusted source of news (77%), and social media the least. This is backed up by research from external sources such as Ofcom and the European Commission’s annual Eurobarometer survey. In times of crisis, people turn to radio.

When it comes to advertising, there is a lot of debate around the importance of building brand trust – an area in which radio has clear strengths. IPA Touchpoints now includes a measure of the extent to which advertising is trusted by each medium’s audience. The data for “I trust the advertising… (in this medium)” reveals that trust in radio advertising is higher than other media when measured in this way.  In addition, analysis of the IPA Databank highlights how campaigns that feature radio generate 4x the level of brand trust as those that don’t.  Radiogauge data also shows that people exposed to radio advertising within a campaign are 62% more likely to trust a brand.  Radiocentre’s Clearance service also helps ensure that ads heard on radio are compliant with CAP’s advertising code, protected from ASA-upheld complaints and trusted by consumers.

In challenging times it’s important that audiences and advertisers have a trusted medium to turn to. A space which can be relied upon for companionship, a platform where brands know the content surrounding their ads will be safe and in a world of click bait and fake news, voices that be trusted to deliver accurate updates. Radio has and always will be that medium, which is why this World Radio Day, we are looking at why radio has been a force for good throughout this difficult period.

Stations and listeners can share their examples of radio being a trusted medium by using the hashtag #ForceForGood and tagging us @Radiocentre.