Spend an hour listening to any News/Talk station and you’ll probably hear 20-30 commercial messages.  Traditional 60- and 30-second ads.  10- and 15-second traffic, weather and sports sponsorships.  Maybe even a top-of-the-hour news or time sponsorship.  And the audience stays tuned in.  The reason why is the big reason why local radio isn’t going away anytime soon.

CONTENT.

Listeners rely on News/Talk stations for news, weather and sports.  They route their workday commutes based on six-times-an-hour traffic reports.  And because they’re mentally-engaged with programming content, direct response marketers have learned they’re more likely to hear, process and respond to their advertising messages.

The News/Talk audience is largely comprised of Active Listeners; listeners who are actively consuming programming content.  That’s not to say that listeners to other formats are less likely to be passive consumers, but many music radio listening hours are racked up during the workday when listeners put their time and attention in places other than the sound emanating from the speakers.

techsurvey9, a newly-released study from Jacobs Media, reveals a host of other insights to the attributes of regular users of News/Talk radio:

> They are big users of email and use Facebook and twitter to connect to their favorite radio stations.  They are also far more likely to be members of LinkedIn.

> 65% of them download digital radio apps, including TuneIn and individual station apps.

> Compared to the same Jacobs Media study conducted a year ago, News/Talk fan’s use of Internet radio rose 15%.  They upped their tablet usage by 36% and registered a 19% increase in the use of digital dashboards.

For marketers, this trumpets the need to create and maintain digital Calls To Action, so these tech-savvy radio consumers can tap a screen or one-touch a device to link to your website and/or call center.

Technology will continue to evolve.  News/Talk listeners are likely to remain early adopters and high index users.  Direct marketers who keep pace will reap the rewards.  Those who don’t will eventually lose access to this profitable medium.  And as those who maximize leads and sales from radio can tell you, it’s worth the effort to make the investment.

Mark Lipsky is the President and CEO of The Radio Agency. Please follow The Radio Agency’s Blog “Sounding Board” by subscribing to the email or RSS links above.Visit our website TheRadioAgency.com