Survey Shares Unique Insight on Today’s Consumers’ Trust of iHeartRadio and the Appeal of Live, Local and Culturally-Relevant Conversation with On-Air Human Personalities

New York, NY – January 07, 2019 – iHeartMedia today released the results from a survey that provides deep insights into why radio is America’s most trusted medium. The survey found iHeartMedia’s focus on live and local programming and the deep, connection on-air personalities have with listeners has led to iHeartRadio being considered the most trusted name in radio and its on-air personalities being more trusted than leading talk personalities in other media.

Research continues to show that 9 out of 10 Americans listen to radio every day and the new survey revealed that 84% of respondents (people) said radio understands what is important to them, a number that is over 20% greater than network and cable television and social media. In addition, 8 out of 10 people feel that radio aligns with their core values, which is number one across all media. 

In addition, leading iHeartMedia personalities were cited as more trustworthy and relatable than top television personalities. People cited these on air personalities’ ability to “make radio more expressive and real than other media” and that these personalities “care about things that matter” to listeners. Furthermore, this trustworthiness leads to greater consideration of brands that advertise on iHeartMedia radio stations.

“In a moment where consumer trust in media and marketing is eroding, it’s important to know that consumers continue to trust iHeartRadio most because of our live, local and human focus,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. “We empower our on-air personalities to curate the conversations, content and culture that are important and relevant to the everyday life of their specific audiences. It’s this human first approach to programming that differentiates iHeartMedia and provides the perfect context for brands wanting to connect and build deep, trusted relationships with their consumers.” 

“In a time when trust matters most to consumers, trust has become a critical criteria for media investment decisions and these findings are extremely compelling because they spotlight our unique and personal role in people’s lives each and every day,” said Gayle Troberman, Chief Marketing Officer of iHeartMedia. “Furthermore, it spotlights why iHeartMedia is a leader in audio and reaches over a quarter billion listeners each month. Our personalities are more than just a voice on the radio, they are a trusted friend who shares common values 24/7 across 850 stations nationwide…and only iHeartMedia can deliver that scale, with the intimacy and authenticity consumers want.”

Some key findings:

·       More people trust radio than any other medium. When broken down, radio is:

o   +81% more trustworthy than cable TV

o   +27% more trustworthy than network TV

o   +36% more trustworthy than public TV/radio 

o   Two times more trustworthy than social media 

·       8 in 10 people feel radio aligns with their values

·       75+% of listeners believe radio on-air personalities are more trustworthy than TV personalities

·       85% of listeners believe radio personalities make radio more real and expressive than other media

·       80% of listeners feel radio personalities care about their audience and care about “things that matter to me”

·       iHeartRadio is the most trusted brand in radio, two times the trust of other radio companies

Source: AskSuzy Survey December 2018; *iHeartMedia “Influencer Marketing,” April 2018