Seth Godin quotes this Slashdot post which alleges that “the number of listeners to radio media has declined by 4% against the previous year.” The source cited is NPD Group which is a ratings source used by…let’s see…none of us.
If I go to the authoritative source, Arbitron – that’s the one both advertisers and broadcasters trust (relatively speaking) the numbers tell a very different story.
Says Arbitron, Radio reached 94.3% of the population (12 and up) in the Fall of ’03.
And roughly 94.1% used Radio one year later.
The picture’s not quite so bright when we look at hours of listening among certain age groups rather than how many ears actually listened overall, but the point remains.
Beware the generalizations you make. And check your sources.