76% people now listen to FM radio using their mobile phones: AZ Research Study

AZ Research Partners, one of the leading market research players in South East Asia, conducted a comprehensive survey to study current trends in FM Radio Listenership across the country. Parameters for the study included listenership, frequency, mediums, drivers and motivators, preferences and recall, among others.

According to the study, some 7,000 respondents from 23 cities were asked about the radio station they thought represented the essence of their city best. Radio City topped the charts in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi and Pune while Suryan FM was a front runner in Chennai and Radio Mirchi in Hyderabad. The cultural essence of the city was measured using parameters like local flavour, local preferences with locally popular activations and programmes.

With regards to the place and medium of radio consumption, the study found that 76% of consumers accessed FM Radio through their mobile phones while an average of 22.5% of them listened to the radio while driving. Another 36% used the radio at home. With mobile phone penetration growing in rural India, radio as a medium of mass communication is now reaching the remotest corners of the country via the mobile phone.

The study identified a set of drivers that motivated listeners to listen to one particular type of radio channel. These motivators were centered on four parameters including the image of the radio station, the kind of programs it aired, the kind of music it played and the Radio Jockey who hosted these activations. It is seen that while 100% of respondents considered good music as a motivator, only 50% felt that the image of the station and RJs impacted their listening patterns. A whopping 83% of respondents thought that the quality of programmes aired highly impacted their frequency of listening on a particular station.

In terms of listenership, the study concluded that Radio City topped the list with a listenership of 5.2 crore followed by Radio Mirchi and Big FM with 4 crore and 2.6 crore, respectively.

Based on overall recall and approval ratings, popularity of Radio Jockeys are ranked as below: