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Consumer Group: Radios Are Still Selling In The Millions
There's always a lot of doom and gloom about people not owning radios anymore, but according to one group, while the numbers have fallen slightly, sales of sets are still going strong. The Consumer Technology Association predicts some 4.2 million units will wind up in people's hands this year.
My immediate question was: where are they buying these? I can't remember the last time I saw a radio on sale in an actual (non specialty) store, like a Wal-Mart. But it has an answer to that query.
"Radio is still out there, and there’s broadcasts, so there’s going to be a need to replace that radio,” says Rick Kowalski, Senior Director of Business Intelligence at CTA. “You definitely have to shop around, but you can find them online and in some of the large retailers.”
I'm skeptical of those numbers, but I hope they're true. You can't listen to the radio if you have nothing to listen to it on - although there's always an online option.
The last time I bought an actual radio that wasn't from an online retailer (Hello, Amazon!) was at a Sony Store in the 90s. And they've since stopped making and selling radios. Thankfully, there are still enough places on the Net where you can find an excellent selection. But I noticed that even a once great place like Radioworld on Steeles Ave. no longer boasts as many models as it used to.
CTA Forecasts 4 Million Radio Receivers Will Sell This Year
- RadioAaron
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Re: Consumer Group: Radios Are Still Selling In The Millions
Bay-Bloor Radio (it's right in the name!) has a wonderful selection. I try to avoid the place to prevent bankrupting myself any further
- Radiowiz
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Re: Consumer Group: Radios Are Still Selling In The Millions
Sticking with the basics...
RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person.
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.
- mace
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Re: Consumer Group: Radios Are Still Selling In The Millions
Several radios I own that have been out of production for many years. Panasonic RFB-65 [My first experience with SW] Sony-2010 [Still occasionally DX with it] GE Super Radio II. For its size, it has amazing sound and at one time could receive most of the Buffalo FM's with its quite long telescopic antenna. However, today at home almost all my listening is done online with my Sonos box.
- Leslieville Bill
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Re: Consumer Group: Radios Are Still Selling In The Millions
I bought 4 radios last year for our emergency kits and another because you can't hear Jays games on the Internet without paying. Other than that, I don't ever see myself in the market for another radio.
- Not an industry person. Just a guy with a love of Toronto radio.
- tdotwriter
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Re: Consumer Group: Radios Are Still Selling In The Millions
Just as the lockdowns were getting underway and most of us thought or suspected that "you-know-what" could have brought about much worse disruptions to supply chains and infrastructure than we (thankfully) ever saw, I bought amongst other things a C Crane CCRadio 2E. It's a great AM/FM tabletop portable radio that also tunes the 162 MHz weather radio band and the 143-148 MHz VHF amateur radio band. It runs on 120VAC (regular household/office power) or 4 D batteries and can also be equipped with an optional carrying case and the AM tuner is excellent in places with less interference. Besides that the other radio I own that's in regular use is the AM/FM tuner built in to my Yamaha RS-202 stereo. I have a few other radios that I don't use regularly.
I'd imagine that emergency supplies are probably the biggest contemporary market for traditional radios, followed by stereo and home theater receivers with AM/FM tuners built in.