Article: The undeniable impact of radio in the modern media landscape
International Radio Day (IDR), celebrated on February 13 each year, highlights the importance of this timeless medium. Since its creation, radio has survived the ages and continued to occupy a special place in the daily lives of listeners. Faced with technological challenges, it is interesting to look at the impact of radio in the current media landscape, as revealed by the recent survey carried out by Target Sarl in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The results of the 2023 media study reveal that radio occupies first place in terms of audience, with 52% of listeners. It is closely followed by the Internet, which has an audience of 39%. Television, whether analog or digital, is in third place with 23% audience, while the written press is at the bottom of the scale with only 2% audience.
It is interesting to note that radio is particularly appreciated in the regions of Grand Kasaï and Grand Équateur, both displaying an audience rate of 78%. The provinces where radio is most popular are Maï-Ndombe (98%), Sankuru (98%), Mongala (95%), Kasaï (90%) and Sud-Ubangi (82%). These figures demonstrate the attachment of Congolese listeners to this media.
By analyzing the radio audience in the DRC more closely, we see that the audience is slightly more male than female, representing 52% and 48% respectively. Furthermore, radio mainly attracts active people, representing 48% of listeners, while inactive people and students cover 35% and 17% of the audience, respectively.
Regarding broadcast media, the majority of listeners prefer to listen to the radio on their traditional radio (67%) or on their mobile phone (44%). However, a small percentage use other media such as the Internet or digital television to follow their favorite shows.
The choice of languages is also an important aspect of radio in the DRC. Content in French is mainly listened to, representing 54% of the audience, followed by Lingala with 22% of listeners mainly in the northern regions of the country.
When it comes to preferred times to listen to the radio, Monday and Saturday are the most popular days, representing 27% and 24% of the audience, respectively. The most listened to time slots are Monday from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. (40%) and from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the evening (29%). On Saturday, listeners connect more in the evening from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. (32%) and in the morning from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. (23%).
These figures from the 2023 media study carried out by Target highlight the importance of radio in the Congolese media landscape. Radio remains a flexible and affordable medium, enjoyed by a wide audience across the country. Despite the evolution of technologies, radio retains a preponderant place in the hearts of Congolese listeners.