The celebration of World Radio Day bears a Spanish hallmark. Indeed, the initiative originated from the Spanish Academy of Radio, garnering UNESCO Executive Board support in 2011 and, a year later, UN General Assembly endorsement, selecting February 13 because it marks the day Radio United Nations was established in 1946. With a history as a mass communication medium several decades shorter than television, radio earned this global recognition fifteen years after television was honored with World Television Day in 1997. The Spanish initiative’s dedication and success ended this anomaly.
The Spanish origin of World Radio Day might suggest that radio enjoys greater penetration and social standing in Spain than in other countries. However, this is not the conclusion drawn from the Eurobarometer’s Media & News Survey data for 2022, which indicates that the percentage of Spaniards who listen to the radio at least once a week is the lowest among Eurozone countries. Although slightly over half of the adult population (54%) in Spain tunes in, this proportion is significantly lower than in other Southern European countries like Greece (69%), Italy (68%), or Portugal (63%), and much less than in the Benelux countries, all hovering around 80%, or Ireland, nearing 90%.
Recent data from the same survey also support a trend already noted by some experts: a downward trend in radio listenership in Spain in recent years. Specifically, between 2012 and 2023, radio listening decreased by 14%, and the reduction in minutes consumed was 17.5%. Those who cited radio as their primary source of information or one of their preferred sources also decreased between 2022 and 2023, albeit slightly in the former case (from 13% to 12%) and more noticeably in the latter (from 36% to 30%).
In summary, international comparisons place Spain in a less prominent position regarding radio audience and its use for news consumption. However, this comparative approach obscures some important issues that become clearer when focusing on Spain alone.
Firstly, the decline in radio’s use for news consumption between 2022 and 2023 is not exclusive to it but affects all predominant media before the advent of digital media and social networks: television and print media. In contrast, digital press, blogs or social networks, and messaging apps have gained prominence in the list of most-used media for news consumption.
Secondly, while the percentage of Spaniards who tend to trust radio (45%) is lower than in other European countries, it surpasses trust in the press by eight points and trust in television by 13 points.
This perception of radio as a more trusted source of information is also evident in the Social Media Audience Study conducted by the Center for Sociological Research (CIS) between September and October 2023. Here, radio appears as a medium whose use as an information source is sharply segmented by age: barely one in six respondents aged 18 to 24, and one in four aged 25 to 34, get informed through it, while more than half of those aged 45 and over do so. However, these significant age group differences diminish significantly when asked about trust in radio.
The paradox is clear: young people scarcely inform themselves through the media they trust the most, and they do so massively through those they trust the least. This paradoxical evidence suggests that social media users satisfy preferences more important to them than being informed, such as entertaining themselves, belonging to a group, or sharing behavioral patterns that confer a certain social identity. In any case, radio’s trust advantage over other media constitutes a reputational asset that, if maintained or reinforced, could be the key to attracting today’s young people to tomorrow’s radio.
Beyond Information and Figures So far, the data has primarily focused on radio audiences and their use for information. However, radio serves other “classic” functions of the media, such as cultural education and entertainment. Additionally, it plays vital roles in generating public opinion and exerting external control over public powers.
But if there’s one social function where radio (both as a news-communication and musical medium) stands out above others, it’s companionship. Due to its technical and programming characteristics, radio is the most effective medium for providing company at any time of day, in any setting, and using economically accessible devices. Thus, in societies where loneliness prevails to the extent of becoming a matter of state concern, radio and radio journalism become even more important.
According to the third wave of the 2023 General Media Study, roughly 22.6 million people in Spain listen to the radio daily for about an hour and a half (an average of 93 minutes). While there are no data available to ascertain how many deliberately or inadvertently tune into stations to feel accompanied, it seems safe to assume that they are numerous.