Àngels Barceló, Carlos Herrera and Carlos Alsina set a milestone in Spanish radio history. For the first time this Monday they combined their voices and communication skills in a simultaneous radio show on Cadena SER, COPE and Onda Cero. The meeting, which was followed by eight million listeners, took place during the conference organized by the Spanish Commercial Broadcasting Association (AERC) on the occasion of World Radio Day.
Just after noon, the three communicators, moderated by comedian Juan Carlos Ortega “who is responsible for presenting the tables and presentations”, addressed the seven million listeners who listen to their respective programs to highlight the value of radio, a Medium, trusted by 31 million people in Spain; that is, every fourth person over the age of 14, according to the General Media Study (3rd/2022).
The credibility, the importance for the music industry, the commercial efficiency and the development of the systems to measure the audience were some of the axes around which the meetings of these conferences closed by the President of the AERC, Ignacio Soto, and the Minister for Culture and Sport, Miquel Iceta, which culminated in the simultaneous broadcast of part of the three most important morning programs on Spanish radio: “Today”, “Herrera en Cope” and “Más of one” by the Telefónica Foundation.
In 2022, the all-rounder radio reached the largest number of followers in the last 16 years with more than 18 million monthly listeners. Audiences trust the medium’s credibility, especially in moments of uncertainty or crisis when rigorous and verified information is demanded. An example of this reality is the average 166 minutes each listener spends listening to the radio each day.
Throughout the conference, the importance of music radio was discussed around a table attended by Cristina Boscá (LOS40), Mar Amate (Cadena 100), Jota Abril (Melodía FM) and Xavi Rodríguez (Kiss FM) and in which the consolidation of radio audience was estimated to reach 20.7 million listeners monthly. Diversity, specialization, and segmentation by genre to respond to audience demand is driving music radio, with listeners spending an average of 143 minutes a day listening to it.
More and more players in the recording industry are recognizing the importance of music radio for starting or continuing a successful professional career. This is the case of Dani Fernández, who affirmed: “Through the radio, our music reaches all kinds of listeners.” Similarly, Álvaro de Luna explained that radio helped them fill spaces when they lacked resources: “Radio is a great support for artists.”
The AERC conference also explained how advancements in audience measurement systems are being made. In this sense, unlike other traditional media, the Internet is confirmed as a great ally of radio. Streaming makes it easy to listen to the radio anytime, anywhere, and gives additional context to the broadcasts thanks to the information and services provided by websites and apps.
Morning presenters Carlos Alsina, Ángels Barceló and Carlos Herrera, moderated by comedian Juan Carlos Ortega, broadcast the special day of World Radio Day on the three channels.
20% of listeners already listen to radio via the Internet. In the case of general radio, the figure is almost 25%, and the trend is rising. According to data from The value of radio in the new audio Ecosystem study, presented at this conference by Isabel Peleteiro of Imop Insights, 6.8 million people listen to podcasts every day. Audio is becoming more important, and with that, smartphones are among the most commonly used devices to listen to it.
The credibility of radio
According to the European Commission’s latest Eurobarometer, radio is the means of communication most trusted by Spaniards. It is the medium with the greatest credibility (at 45%), ranking ahead of print (37%) and television (32%). Next comes digital media and social media, which inspire the least trust.
The power of radio, based on its credibility, the trust it generates and its very high and loyal audience, makes it the medium that has recorded the largest increase in sales in 2022: 7.7% to 416 million euros, so the data from I2p. Radio investment triples advertising market growth figures. According to Arce Media, around 1,400 new advertisers brought more than 18 million euros into the radio medium in 2022. In addition, the remaining brands invested EUR 11 million more than in the same period last year.
Radio advertising is one of the most profitable in terms of investment and return. With 6.4% of investment, it is able to generate 9.3% of brand mentions according to data from i2p, MediaHotline and IOPE. It far exceeds the average effectiveness of the other media. This is also aided by radio’s greater ability to segment audiences, greatly increasing the accuracy and reach of advertising.
The Spanish Association of Commercial Broadcasting (AERC) conference to mark World Radio Day included important presentations by Luis Pistoni (ODEC) and Miguel Ángel Fontán (AIMC) on the evolution of radio measurement; Enrique Yarza (Media Hotline) and Isabel Peleteiro (IMOP), who addressed the value of the radio medium from different perspectives; and Lucy Barrett (Radiocentre UK) who drew a photo of the European radio map sponsored by ONCE and El Corte Inglés.
This February 13, at 8:00 a.m., Àngels Barceló opened the microphone of Cadena SER and celebrated Radio Day: “Our commitment is to make a calm radio that explains the problems and tries to find solutions: a Radio that is curious and asks questions all the time, and also a fun radio that can laugh at itself and at itself”.