Podcast Listeners Tune in to Radio More Often

In what looks like a surprise (to me!), folks who listen to podcasts tend to listen to more radio. 58% of people asked in a recent Bridge Ratings survey say that they spend MORE time with conventional radio due to their podcast listening habits.

Is it because the podcasts are from conventional radio which steers the listener back to the radio station? Is it because they're finding better stuff on conventional radio because podcasts suck?

Respondents also addressed the question of which medium they spend the most time with. "Adult Hits" listeners spend the most time tuned in to their favorite conventional stations than the other options: MP3, Internet Radio or Satellite Radio.

Bottom line: the competition us getting tougher for all types of media as us mere earthlings adjust to life in the fast media lane of too many choices.

As the report puts it: "Digging deeper into the findings, listeners who consider news or talk radio to be their favorite, the one they tend to listen to most in a typical week, find podcasts of their favorite radio personalities to be an excellent complement to the terrestrial version of those personalities."

But here's the finding that caught my eye the most: "Podcasts provide a way for these adult listeners to hear programming they missed but then do not tend to increase time spent listening to those radio stations."

Radio program directors across the land are scratching their heads on this one...except for the three or four who really get what's happening - and begin to offer complementary programming in podcast form from their top announcers.

I can hear it now. "You want me to work more? That'll cost you! It's not in my contract!!"

Heh heh...