Radio

Radio in Canada: Still not dead

Despite the onslaught of new technologies, radio, which has been with us in its commercial form for almost a hundred years, continues to hold its own.

According to a new Media Technology Monitor report (subscription), 87% of anglophone Canadians listened to AM/FM radio on various platforms (traditional radio, online, etc.) in 2017. That represents a drop of 1% from last, a figure easily tucked into the margin of error.

  • Digging a little deeper, we find the following figures for anglophone listening in this country:
  • 79% of Canadians listened to radio on a traditional receiver in 2017. That’s down from 80% in 2016. Again, margin of error.
  • 23% report listening to radio online. That figure has remained pretty much stable since 2014.
  • Listening to Sirius XM Canada dropped by 1% from 15% to 14%. More margin of error.
  • Overall, Anglophone Canadians spent an average of 8.3 hours a week listening to radio on an actual radio.

So the medium is not dead yet. Not by a long shot.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 39671 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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