95% of people in Myanmar listen to the radio, while only 5% use smart phones.

The strength of radio in Myanmar was discussed by Hla Yin Aye, the General Manager of the Mandalay FM and Pyinsawadi FM stations, during last week’s radio Asia conference.

Mandalay FM covers a 10 million population in the areas of Yangon, Mandalay, Taungu, NayPyiDaw and Yangon-Mandalay Main Road.

The station was the first of the new commercial stations to be opened under licence through the national broadcaster as the media landscape opened up in Myanmar. More stations will be opened up when the laws change later this year (see our earlier reports).

It has introduced innovations such as traffic reports for the jammed streets of Yangon, and employs vibrant young presenters as program hosts. The station is using Facebook to connect with listeners on social media

In Myanmar, 83% of listeners tune in at home, while 11% listen in the car and 2% listen at work. Internet usage is slowly increasing, but radio and tv are still dominant in the market. Video usage is declining.