Radio still makes waves: Nielsen
For all consumers who listen to ad-supported audio offerings, 67% tuned in to radio in the second quarter. Credit: Getty Images / maodesign
When MTV premiered in August 1981, its first video was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles. Forty-three years later, MTV no longer plays music videos but radio is still a star.
A new report from Nielsen found that radio remains by far the most popular ad-supported audio platform. For all consumers who listen to ad-supported audio offerings, 67% tuned in to radio in the second quarter. Podcasts, at 16%, were a distant second. Radio’s appeal spans all generations, with Nielsen noting it “consistently reaches all corners of the population.”
And even as local news icon WCBS-AM pulls the plug on its all-news platform, Nielsen found news/talk is the most popular radio format, followed by adult/contemporary music stations.
Adidas phishing email surges
If you get an email purporting to be from Microsoft, be suspicious. And keep your guard up for emails from other top brands, especially Adidas. Check Point Research says Microsoft was the top brand used by cybercrooks for phishing emails in the second quarter, followed by Apple and LinkedIn. Adidas moved into the top 10 as Check Point warned about “several phishing campaigns” by hackers impersonating the popular apparel brand.
About a third of gamers said they had hearing difficulties, mainly in noisy environments. Credit: Getty Images / Alistair Berg
Gamers risk hearing loss
Video gamers “regularly engage in activities that can be detrimental to hearing,” especially using headphones cranked at high volume, according to a survey from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the World Health Organization. About a third of gamers said they had hearing difficulties, mainly in noisy environments, although most didn’t think it was caused by gaming. Overall, respondents said they spent 17 hours a week playing video games.
X pulls out of Brazil
Social media platform X is shuttering its operations in Brazil after the country’s top judge allegedly threatened to arrest the company’s legal representative for not complying with orders to shut down certain accounts. The move comes after X owner Elon Musk announced the platform would defy orders from the Brazilian Supreme Court to block accounts the judge said were spreading disinformation. — THE WASHINGTON POST
