Feature: Radio Shows Its Sex Appeal

The radio industry is entering a state of flux, with the introduction of digital radio and the Government’s recently published draft Communications Bill setting the wheels of change in motion. Radio listening also seems to be evolving and new research commissioned by the BBC and the Radio Academy has highlighted some key differences in the way that men and women listen to the radio.

According to the Sex Appeal study of gender and radio, which was presented by RAJAR’s Jane O’Hara at last week’s Radio Festival, the profile of radio listening among men and women is relatively even, with national commercial radio reaching 56% of men and 44% of women in the first quarter of 2002.

However, the study shows that men spend more time (25 hours) listening to the radio than women (23 hours) and are more likely to tune in during the day and at certain times during the weekend. Male listeners were also found to devote more of their attention to the radio than female listeners, with some men sitting down in front of their sets when listening to sport, news or certain music programmes. Women on the other hand tend to do other things whilst listening to the radio. Both men and women were found to switch from passive to active listening at different times, making their habits hard to characterize.

The research shows that men (53%) are more likely to listen to speech-based radio stations than women (41%), with talkSPORT and Radio 5 Live ranking highly among male listeners. However, the split is less notable for classical and other music orientated stations (see below), with Classic FM and Radio 2 proving equally as popular among men and women.

In terms of radio listening sport was found to be the most popular category for men (see below), with 38% specifically tuning in to sports-based stations. This was followed by news and current affairs (34%) and mainstream chart stations (28%). Easy listening (22%) and request shows (17%) were low on the list for male listeners, with few specifically tuning in for this type of format.

In comparison, chart/mainstream was found to be the most popular category among female listeners, with 37% attracted by stations based around this format (see below). Easy listening (29%) also ranked highly among women, with dance and boy-band orientated stations attracting a respective 21% and 20% of female listeners.

While the research emphasises certain fundamental differences in the way men and women listen to the radio, it also identifies that the roles of the sexes and the subject matter that both men and women are interested in are beginning to blur. In general radio was viewed positively with both men and women feeling well catered for.

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