Radio Bites

Radio Bite: 25 weeks of trust

Radio is a powerful and often underused platform for advertisers. During these unprecedented times our Radio Bites series will give compelling reasons for brands to continue to be heard on the airwaves and why consumers will be listening.

Ofcom has published its latest regular research on how people are receiving and acting on news and information during the coronavirus pandemic.

This is the 25th week of Ofcom’s survey, which includes the finding that traditional media sources (radio, broadcasters, newspapers) remain the most-used source of news and information about Covid-19 (84% in week twenty-five vs. 93% in week one).

This supports the conclusions of the annual Eurobarometer survey, which is carried out by the European Commission and found that radio has been the most trusted medium in Europe for 10 straight years.

Previous Radiocentre research into commercial radio listening during lockdown suggested that confidence in radio as a source of news was a reason for more people tuning in, with ‘it delivers trusted news’ cited by 68% respondents and ‘I trust the news on radio more than other sources’ by 51%.

As we head towards a potential second wave, listeners may be tuning in to find out the latest rules and restrictions, with almost a third (31%) of respondents in Ofcom’s survey agreeing with the statement ‘I am confused about what I should be doing in response to the coronavirus’, up from 17% in week one, but in line with recent weeks. It also found that more than eight in 10 people (84%) continue to access news about Covid-19 at least once a day, down from a high of 99% in week one.

So if you want your brand’s message to be heard on a trusted platform that people turn to for information, radio could be the place for you.