Jacobs Media’s 22nd annual TechSurvey captures a critical hardware transition among radio’s most dedicated listeners. According to the database-driven study, super-users now consume AM/FM programming on traditional receivers just 54% of the time, while digital alternatives account for 44% of total listenership. This 10% hardware gap represents a massive contraction from the 71% spread recorded in 2013. Based on current adoption curves, digital consumption of broadcast signals will definitively eclipse traditional terrestrial hardware within the next 36 months.
This infrastructure shift fundamentally alters how programmers must optimize audience retention across competing in-car infotainment ecosystems and smart home environments. Furthermore, the sector faces an existential demographic crisis—with the average core listener aging up to 58.4 years—forcing broadcasters to entirely rebuild their audience acquisition models for younger, digitally native cohorts.
Curated by MusicResearch.com from Billboard Pro. Read the full article at: Radio’s Future Shaped By Tech: What Music Execs Need To Know About Impending Changes
