Among other things, the Arbitron data shows that radio still reaches a sizable majority of Americans every week. Broadcast radio's total reach among U.S. adults ages 12 and up increased from 189,990,000 in June 2010 to 191,891,000 in June 2011, for an increase of 1% over this period. In proportional terms, radio's reach increased from 73.8% to 74% of the U.S. population 12+. Among U.S. adults ages 18+, radio's total reach increased 0.9% from 172,706,000 to 174,299,000; in proportional terms, reach in this cohort remained stable at 74.3%. Aadults ages 18-39 saw total reach increase from 103,336,000 to 103,841,000, resulting in a proportional increase from 76.5% to 77%. The number of adults ages 25-54 listening to radio in an average week increased from 97,489,000 to 97,992,000, or from 76.9% to 77.2% of this age cohort.
Despite this good news, the fact remains that broadcast radio revenues are still significantly down from just a few years ago. Due in part to the recession, total advertising revenues plummeted from $21.7 billion in 2006 to $17.3 billion in 2010, according to the Radio Advertising Bureau. That's a 20% decline in four years.
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