12 Random Facts for National Radio Day (8/20/21)!
August 20, 2021 5:17AM CDT

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Heads up Mad Rock Nation – you have to be EXTRA nice to us today (8/20/21), because it just so happens to be NATIONAL RADIO DAY!
Here are a 12 random radio facts for you to mull over on this very, very, very, very special day:
- The first commercial radio broadcast was in 1920.
- There are now over 15,000 radio stations in the U.S. and more than 40,000 worldwide.
- One in five Americans say listening to the radio is one of the top “little things” they look forward to each day. A poll in June found it was the #1 thing people missed about their commute last year.
- Around half of us love singing along to the radio. Women are more likely to admit they do it than men.
- A study by Tinder in 2016 found “radio personality” was one of the SEXIEST JOBS you could have. It ranked fifth, but we fell off the list in 2018.
- The radio is the 11th most important invention of all time. That’s according to a poll that came out in October. The top three were electricity, phones, and vaccines.
- 9% of people wouldn’t mind it if radio stations played more commercials (really???). 9% also think we should be allowed to play Christmas music all year.
- Here’s a little science: FM stands for “frequency modulation” and AM stands for “amplitude modulation.” When you change channels on AM radio, you’re changing the amplitude of the signal. On FM, you’re changing the frequency.
- In general, if a station’s call letters start with a “W”, it means they’re east of the Mississippi River. Stations west of the Mississippi usually start with a “K” – like Mad Rock’s call letters are KMAD-FM.
- A recent study in Australia found waking up to music on the radio makes you feel less sluggish than waking up to an alarm.
- 31% of dog owners have used the radio to keep their dog company.
- Only 28% of radio hosts agree with the statement, “I have a face for radio.” I mean, come on, I’m the sexiest FAT MAN in the Mad Rock Nation! Don’t you know that by now?!?!
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