Radio: the medium that best copes in crises. Listening habits, consumption, and perception of radio listeners during the lockdown by the Covid-19

Abstract

Radio is the medium best adapted to crises. This has been demonstrated throughout the history of Spain, both in the 1981 coup d´état attempt and in the terrorist attacks of March 11, 2004. The question that arises then is if in the situation of lockdown suffered by the Spanish population due to the Covid-19 pandemic radio is also playing an important role. This study answers this question through a survey answered by 560 radio listeners during the lockdown. The research has focused on knowing the listening habits, radio consumption, and the perception that these listeners have of the medium in this crisis. The data indicate that the respondents have changed their listening habits and have increased their medium consumption. During the lockdown, they are listening to the radio mostly in the living room, bedroom, and kitchen while cleaning or cooking. They are also consuming more hours of radio, more stations (of different ideological positions), and more shows. For these listeners, radio is positioned as the medium that is best covering information about the coronavirus and the one that they consider most credible, the closest, that most stimulates the imagination, that reduces loneliness, and is the most distracting. Overall, the results of this study allow us to conclude that the radio is once again playing a leading role in the coronavirus crisis, as it has occurred throughout the history of Spain.