Believe it or not, 96% of Peninsular Malaysia still listen to the radio weekly

It’s rush hour and you’re stuck in gridlock traffic. There isn’t really much you can do, except sit there patiently. You probably have some jams or your favorite podcast playing.

Or, you could be one of the ‘few’ people left that still listen to the radio. According to a recent survey – the Radio Audience Measurement – conducted by insights firm Growth from Knowledge (GfK) in the first half of 2022, 96 percent of people living in Peninsular Malaysia continue to listen to the radio every week. The survey, conducted in partnership with Commercial Radio Malaysia (CRM) , revealed a surprisingly large number of people that still listen to the radio on a weekly basis – 21,273,000 people to be exact, with an average listening time of 13 hours and 36 minutes per week.

GfK’s most recent survey, conducted over six weeks from February 28 to April 2, 2022, collected insights from 6,000 people aged 10 and above in Peninsular Malaysia. The firm also made use of 4,500 paper diaries and 1,500 e-diaries to precisely gauge the strength and scope of radio listening across the country. With the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions throughout Malaysia, life has somewhat reached a sense of pre-pandemic normalcy again.

Throughout the entire country, there’s been a rise in radio listening since the economy fully-reopened. In fact, the study revealed that both in-car and ‘elsewhere’ radio listening have returned to pre-COVID levels. In terms of types of radio listening, the study recorded 16,088,000 registered weekly car-listeners, while another 1,205,000 people listened to the radio elsewhere.

People who tuned into the radio at home amounted to 15,424,000 listeners, while another 2,274,000 tuned in from the office. But why are people still sticking with FM radio, despite the cornucopia of music streaming apps available? The study believes one of the key pulls of radio is its appeal “as an essential medium that keeps society connected”, with more than half of radio listeners (53 percent) saying that besides music, their favorite radio stations provide lifestyle support and company that makes them feel better. One in five millennials (aged 25 to 39) also said their favorite radio station gives them exclusive interviews and information that they can’t get anywhere else.

But we can also credit the success of the radio industry in Malaysia to its quick-adaptability to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the GfK study, breakfast shows (Monday to Friday, 6 a. m.

to 10 a. m. ) recorded the highest number of listeners at 15,315,000.

The drive (Monday to Friday, 4 p. m. to 8 p.

m. ) and morning (Monday to Friday, 10 a. m.

to 1 p. m. ) segments followed closely behind at nearly 14,960,000 and 13,264,000 listeners respectively.

In terms of the amount of new listeners gained, working day midnight segments saw the biggest growth – 8,458,000 listeners. That’s a 36-percent increase compared to the previous study period, which took place from September 5 to October 16, 2021. “Radio has once again proven to be an evergreen medium that is constantly evolving, adapting to changing conditions.

Its wide reach and ability to engage its listeners makes it an effective medium for information dissemination to the masses,” said CRM President Dhan Andreas. Interestingly, millennials spend an average of more than 14 hours (per week) listening to the radio. And perhaps, with the booming popularity of late-night drives, 83 percent of them (5,429,000) listen to the radio in the car.

“Local coverage, trust, mobility, and its ability to foster participation and engagement in the community are some of the reasons why radio will continue to stay relevant and play an important role to listeners’ daily lives,” said June Pang, Malaysia Media Measurement Lead at GfK. Southeast Asians were really into gaming laptops during the pandemic, study says Playing ‘Pokémon Go’ can help alleviate depression, study finds Study: Sleeping with a night light could seriously mess up your heart health & more Even having a little bit of beer a day can shrink your brain, study says.