NPR Demographics

“As NPR came of age in the 1980s, its audience matured with it. Three decades later, that is starting to look like a problem.

Many of the listeners who grew up with NPR are now reaching retirement age, leaving NPR with a challenge: How can it attract younger and middle-aged audiences — whose numbers are shrinking — to replace them?”

— “NPR is graying, and public radio is worried about it,” Paul Farhi, Washington Post

“Though NPR is seeing some listening gains on digital platforms, particularly with podcasts, its broadcast audience has dropped. Average–quarter-hour (AQH) listening during morning drive time has dropped 11 percent in the past five years, and afternoon drive audience has declined 6 percent. The only age bracket that has increased listening to NPR stations is the 65-plus audience.”

— “Drop in younger listeners makes dent in NPR news audience,” Tyler Falk, Current

More:

“Who Isn’t Listening to Public Radio,” Justin Fox, Bloomberg View

“WNYC is leading public radio’s transition to public podcasting,” Jack Murtha, Columbia Journalism Review

“Why I Left NPR,” Stephen Henn, Medium

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Image (“NPR Demographics, after Norman Rockwell”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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