A new study into public radio listening in the US by Pew Research Center shows bad news for audience retention, mixed news on revenue, and good news on digital. The survey looked into NPR and Public Radio Exchange data from 2021 and 2022.
The report reveals that the top 20 NPR-affiliated public radio stations experienced an average total weekly listenership of 8 million in 2022, a 10% decrease from the previous year. Overall, weekly terrestrial broadcast listenership declined by 6% for NPR programming between 2021 and 2022, down to about 23.5 million. PRX’s weekly audience also declined to approximately 6.7 million average weekly listeners, a significant 24% drop since 2021.
On the economic front, NPR appears to be financially strong while PRX is having more trouble. NPR’s total operating revenue in 2022 was $316.7 million, up 8% from 2021, while PRX saw a decline of about 17%, falling to $36.1 million in total revenue. At the local level, total revenue for the largest news-oriented public radio licensees reached $1.2 billion in fiscal year 2021.
The number of NPR’s member organizations was slightly down at 249 from 251 in the previous year, while PRX’s broadcasting reach remained roughly the same with 936 stations airing their programming in 2022.
Digital platforms such as the NPR One app and the NPR News app continue to play a role in NPR’s reach, with varying trends observed in completed sessions among Android and iPhone users.
