Christian radio’s challenge isn’t distribution. It’s retention. That was NRB Vice President of Public Policy Nic Anderson’s central argument during a joint webinar with Pew Research Center Director of Data Labs Aaron Smith, which had lessons for all of radio throughout.
The headline figure Anderson returned to repeatedly: 98% of US adults live within range of at least one religious radio station. “Christian radio doesn’t have a reach problem,” he said. “Our opportunity is making the case for why people should be listening and giving them a reason to come back on a consistent basis.”
Built on FCC licensing records, a nationally representative survey of more than 5,000 adults, and 440,000 hours of live broadcasts collected in July, Pew’s study found that 45% of US adults listen to religious programming as part of their regular routine. Anderson called that figure his steady answer to members of Congress who ask how the radio business is doing. “It is thriving. People are still listening, but they’re finding different ways of listening.”
That shift is already well underway. The survey found that 87% of online religious audio streaming comes from adults 18 to 29, but stressed the cross-generational dimension of the trend. “65 percent of adults between the ages of 50 and 64 also listen online,” he said. “This isn’t a future trend, this has become the current reality.” He pressed operators directly: “Are you treating your digital presence the same priority as your AM and FM signal?”
The survey also found that 52% of religious audio listeners watched a movie or read a book as a result of programming they heard, 35% started a new religious practice, and 25% made changes to their personal financial habits. Anderson called those numbers a mandate for tighter calls to action. “Are you making the content measurable? Are you using clear calls to action in your messaging? Are you leveraging trackable URLs and QR codes across your platform?”
On news and politics, clarity was urged over total avoidance. Pew found that 40% of listeners said keeping up with current events was at least a minor reason they tune in, and 14% cited it as a major one. Among those who encountered political and social commentary, 48% said they neither liked nor disliked it. “Set clear boundaries between programming segments,” Anderson said. “Lead with values, ensuring hosts and on-air personalities communicate with clarity and consistency and conviction.”
Anderson closed with the data point he said reinforced a lesson from his first week in Christian radio 18 years ago: 40 percent of adults who identify with a non-Christian faith say they listen to religious programming, and 18 percent of those who identify as atheist, agnostic, or nothing in particular say they tune in as well.
“Christian communicators are reaching audiences beyond your core audience who are spiritually curious,” he said. “It’s our job to teach them, it’s our job to invite them.”
The full Pew report on religious radio is now available.
For a deeper look at the format driving those numbers and the lessons Christian radio has for the entire industry, Radio Ink‘s March issue is dedicated entirely to Christian radio. Buy it now in print or digital.
