Roy Morgan has released data for ThinkNewsBrands showing that 96% of all Australians aged 14+ are engaging with print and digital news each month.

This has led to some happy mastheads, and is counter to the 2023 Digital News Report (DNR): Australia which showed a decline in heavy news consumption.

With commercial and community radio a significant news supplier this data had some interesting food for thought about audio news.

56% of Australians who were assessed this particular day read the news, either in print or via a digital provider. 52% watched the news and just 29% listened to it with people doing various combinations of the above.

I wondered, due to how low the audio consumption was, if this data was collected on a weekday or weekend, as I am far more likely to listen to news to and from work.

The breakdown of a typical heavy news consumer showed that those who pay for their news were 20% more likely to be homeowners and bigger spenders.

It appears that heavy news consumers, and this has implications for advertisers looking to place their product around a breaking story, are increasingly more likely to find it via a news website or their socials, than radio.