Media trust is increasingly challenged, while the radio industry’s historical relationship with Black Americans continues to hold strong. Radio is trusted by nearly twice as many Black Americans, compared to social media. That is one of the findings of a new survey of public perceptions by Katz Radio Group. It finds that nearly eight in ten (79%) of Americans have trust in radio. That extends to Black listeners, among whom 78% say they believe what they hear from radio. Newspapers closely follow radio at 77%, while both share a roughly ten-point advantage on television and magazines.
While radio was the winner, there was also a clear loser. Four in ten Black adults said they would rate social media trustworthy, which is about half those who find radio trustworthy.
“In general, Black Americans’ trust in media mirrors that of the broader population, with radio being the most trustworthy,” Katz says in a blog post. “The notable difference in Black American trust is with social media. While it remains firmly in last place, social media scores 13 points higher in trustworthiness among Black Americans than the average adult. However, even with this increased trust level, most Black consumers still do not trust social media.”
The findings are based on a Katz Media survey of 340 Black adults, which it asked how trustworthy they found various sources of information.
For brands looking to capitalize on the halo that a media provides, Katz says the survey results offer a warning to advertisers funneling their dollars into social media.
“If the medium is the message, then trust in the medium is crucial to messaging impact. Social media platforms, mistrusted by more than half of Black consumers, are cutting a brand’s potential campaign impact in half,” it says. By contrast, the rep firm says AM/FM radio delivers high reach and high trust among Black Americans, which translates to high impact for brands using over-the-air radio to reach the demo. And with many marketers focused on brand safety, Katz points out that radio has another advantage. “Radio, especially urban formatted stations, allows brands to speak to Black consumers on brand-safe, local, and authentic platforms to truly resonate with Black audiences,” it says.
The Katz Multicultural report “The Importance of the Black American Consumer” released last year said Black Americans are avid media consumers spending over 81 hours each week. That’s 17% more than the general population. No medium reaches more of this life-group, or engages and influences more, than radio. According to Nielsen, AM/FM radio out-reaches all other media among Black adults age 18 and older. It said radio captures 94% of the ad-supported audio pie in reach and 62% of time spent listening.