First is the good news. Mobile radio is getting a good nod from cellphone users. In a recent report, TNS Global Telecoms found that 43% of all mobile users listen to some form of music on their phones, and 73% of smartphones double as music players. And while the use of MP3 players on phones is up 78% in the last year, mobile radio uptake has seen a whopping 140% increase.

TNS — which polled an astounding 16,000 consumers in 29 countries for the study — also found that 45% of users list AM/FM as one of the top three factors in purchasing a mobile phone. Meanwhile, a recent study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 17% of U.S. mobile users play music on their phones, nearly matching the 19% who use mobile e-mail or surf the wireless Web.

What do these mean? These mean that radio is not dead. However, something and someone is going to put radio to the death throne.

Continue reading iPod Kills The Radio Star: Good News and Bad News for the Future of Radio →