More than half never listened to the radio

Kathmandu:- As the use of digital technology has increased, so has the number of old-fashioned radio listeners. According to a survey conducted by ShareCast, the number of people who have never listened to radio is 50.9 percent.

According to Madhu Acharya, founder and radio expert of ShareCast, the number of listeners for information, news and entertainment has come down from 50 to 60 percent in the recent past. Radio listeners are surveyed on the basis of radio mapping .

Why don't many listen to the radio? 

A total of 1,903 people were surveyed in 77 districts across the country. The main reason for not listening to the radio (55.5 percent) is that the radio is not set.

In addition, 10.6 percent of respondents said they did not have time to listen to the radio, while 15.6 percent said they used other means of information.

Radio listener survey. Source: Sharecast Nepal

In addition, 9.2 percent have listened to radio in the past but have stopped listening to it now. Similarly, 2.4 percent have responded that there is nothing worth listening to on the radio. 

A nationwide media survey was conducted in 2014 and 2018 at the initiative of Sharecast Initiatives. According to ShareCast, the number of regular radio listeners increased from 24.2 percent in 2019 to 40 to 50 percent during the Corona virus epidemic. 

According to Acharya, the number of radio listeners is gradually decreasing. "Radio seems to be more of a medium of communication than a means of regular communication in times of crisis and outbreak and special circumstances of the country," he says. 

According to a report by ShareCast, the number of radio listeners at certain times of the week is 18.40 and the number of radio listeners at certain times of the month is 6.7 percent. 

Most of the listeners are from mobile

ShareCast's report shows that the number of people listening to radio from mobile phones is more than the number of radio sets. The number of radio listeners from mobile sets is 56.2 percent while those using radio receivers are only 48.6 percent.

Most regular radio listeners (48 percent) spend between one and two hours a day. The remaining 22.2 percent listen to the radio for less than an hour, 13.1 percent for three to four hours, and 15.1 percent for more than four hours a day.