Why Do Most All-News Radio Stations in Brazil Have Pitiful Audiences? (And yes, this also applies to other countries.)

I need to demonstrate how a national broadcaster, by following the formula of “nothing new, more of the same in the (standard) world of journalism,” will end up recording mediocre numbers in a short time, according to my projections. I emphasize that these are my own projections, based on studies of the audience profile such stations think they’re pleasing, but that, according to my data, will actually be the audience they drive away the most. That’s because this new station will simply repeat the same model as others that already have smaller audiences than stations that mix news with humor programs. Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying, based on a long record showing that both radio and TV networks that take themselves too seriously as “All-News” outlets end up with lower ratings than shows that combine information and humor in the same time slots.

But it’s worth clarifying: it’s not the humor itself that brings success. What really drives audiences away from All-News stations is their usual alignment with narratives that treat entrepreneurship, tax reduction, or economic freedom as moral sins, as if anyone seeking lower taxes or less state interference were guilty of something. In Brazil, this has become almost a prayer repeated by many broadcasters: that citizens were “made” to pay high taxes while looking the other way at how wastefully the public sector spends that money. Many of these stations specialize in criticizing businesses and entrepreneurs while condemning market liberalization or any reduction of the state.

You can check the research yourself: the audience profile that enjoys economics, sports, and debate repeats itself everywhere, from Argentina to the United States. Just look at the massive audience lead of Radio Mitre in Buenos Aires or Fox News in the U.S.

Let me make this clear in intuitive terms:Who tends to be interested in mathematics, economics, finance, and business? The same type of person who often invests in their own ventures, loves soccer, but not as a violent fan, enjoys MMA fights, celebrates wins casually with friends, and even pauses everything to watch the Super Bowl, which has become a spectacle even in Brazil. That’s the audience addicted to data-driven information, to well-argued analysis, not rhetorical gymnastics wrapped in moral sermons.

The Audience That Loves News... but Isn’t Loved by News Radio

This “numbers-oriented” audience has the patience to consume news, follow economic indicators, understand the implications of currency fluctuations, and explore market opportunities. They don’t recoil from this type of content, quite the opposite of what many news outlets assume when they treat such topics in a chaotic or even disdainful way.

Coincidentally or not, this isn’t usually the crowd that enjoys MPB shows in theaters, and that’s not a flaw. It simply shows that there are different audience profiles: some people love the arts, others are fascinated by numbers and current events. Of course, many enjoy both, but we’re talking averages here.

And yes, news has everything to do with numbers. The way data about the economy (the dominant topic), public spending, and accountability (who’s to blame when the economy falters) are framed is constantly shaped by the bias of those who “throw” these numbers into the public debate. Understanding what’s behind them is essential to perceiving the deep intellectual dishonesty that flows from much of the media on a daily basis.

Mastering Numbers Is No Longer Optional

Mastering the language of numbers is no longer a choice: today, virtually every piece of news is driven by data, and by the manipulations that come with it. Without that understanding, people risk accepting distorted narratives as absolute truths.

We’re constantly being told that we need to pay even more taxes. At the same time, there’s an effort to sell the absurd idea that certain taxes, which in practice affect everyone, would only apply to a specific social class. These are ridiculous attempts at manipulation.

Grasping all this requires more than superficial knowledge. That’s why many small entrepreneurs, even owners of tiny convenience stores, often outperform many “PhDs”: they deal directly with the world of numbers, not with poetic daydreams. And those who don’t understand, who never had patience for journalism, are unlikely to become loyal listeners of stations with this kind of profile.

The Irony of Journalism

It’s ironic that journalism schools, on average, produce professionals with profiles almost opposite to those who consume news passionately rather than out of obligation.

And it doesn’t take much to notice that TMC represents exactly the kind of content that the “numbers-oriented” audience struggles to digest. Ever wondered why, despite all its flaws, Fox News is listened to several times more than its competitors in the U.S.? Mitre, for example, maintains much higher journalistic ethics than Fox, but it also knows how to “speak the language” of this audience, offering solid economic analysis by people who genuinely love the market and understand its pains and opportunities.

I’m sorry, but to me it’s evident that TMC has chosen the kind of journalism that most displeases precisely those who love journalism. And while its “colors” represent half of Brazil, that’s the half that likely prefers to listen to Rádio Nova Brasil, enjoy a live samba, or attend an MPB concert. That’s not a flaw, it’s simply a matter of taste. They just don’t enjoy a radio station full of numbers, data, and economic analysis. Again, I’m talking in averages.

I’m not being deterministic, I’m not saying it will happen exactly this way. But I’d bet, and I’d bet high, that the results won’t be impressive.

Choosing the Smallest Room for the Mattress

To make matters worse, this is precisely the “slice of the pie” that most news stations have chosen to fight over. They all decided to compete for the small audience least fond of journalism, the one least interested in “numbers.” TMC has simply arrived to divide that small space even further.

How Unexpected! #NotReally

Curiously, among the major broadcasters, only one decided to create a few programs in the “capitalists without guilt” style, and by doing so, it shot straight to the top of the ratings.

Audience Segment of a Pro-Market Station

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Audience Segment of a Station Perceived as Pro–Higher Taxes and That Routinely Labels Any Opposition as Far-Right

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Spotlight here: In Argentina, Mitre 790 AM, a pro-market and overall leading radio station, far surpasses both AM and FM competitors.

I need to be very clear about one point. In comparison with Fox News, I see Fox as a strongly Trump-aligned and overtly partisan channel, while Radio Mitre maintains a non-partisan yet pro-market stance. Many people mistakenly assume that this means automatic alignment with right-wing politicians, without realizing that it’s actually a legitimate editorial perspective, one not beholden to politicians and genuinely open to criticizing leaders from both the right and the left.

Yes, politicians who define themselves as right-wing are criticized, especially when they act against the principles of sound public-spending practices, fall into contradictions, or overheat the market. It’s equally natural for left-wing figures who promote monetary expansion, show disregard for public spending, and sustain an economic mindset whose results the market already knows well, to face scrutiny.

I could summarize by saying that, in my view, Mitre’s approach to radio sounds more honest, with a far more engaging format and, generally, without the passions that compromise analysis. Another point worth noting is precisely this: the analytical tone runs throughout the entire programming, not confined to a single time slot, and I’d say the average level is quite high.

I can assure you that in Brazil we don’t have a station on Mitre’s level. Most radios merely reproduce news, with occasional segments for analysis, and usually with strong partisan alignment. Of course, there are journalists whose individual quality makes them valuable exceptions, transcending the generalized classification that unfortunately defines the face of Brazilian journalism, but among so many, they represent only a tiny minority within the dominant stream of uniform thinking Brazil has “adopted.”

Overwhelming Dominance

Mitre’s dominance on the AM band is an exception in a global context where AM has been systematically eroded by technical and cultural shifts. Expecting this leadership to remain intact for another decade is unrealistic, not because the station will decline in quality or abandon its proven style, but because every winning formula eventually finds its mirror on FM. When that happens, a competitor, possibly even from within the Clarín Group itself, will take advantage of FM’s broader reach in Buenos Aires to challenge Mitre’s stronghold on amplitude modulation.

Mitre is powerful, well-consolidated, and still has a comfortable five-year window to strategically build its FM counterpart. The question isn’t whether it can take that step, but whether it will do so in time. In a future article, I’ll present a practical digital-transition framework tailored to Argentina, one that could help the country avoid the kind of costly and prolonged indecision that has paralyzed the future of AM radio in Brazil.

Here are the average audience figures that can be easily verified, even Kantar data roughly aligns with these values:

Average audience share in 2024

• Mitre 790 AM: ~36–40% share

• La 100 FM: ~21.7%

• Radio 10: ~16%

Program: “Alguien Tiene que Decirlo”

The long-running program “Alguien Tiene que Decirlo”, broadcast by Radio Mitre AM 790 in Buenos Aires and hosted by Eduardo Feinmann, achieves remarkable numbers, with over 40% audience share (the proportional participation of listeners among all stations). Mitre’s overall average hovers around 36%, according to data published even by competitors such as La Nación. This gives the station a substantial lead over the runner-up in the overall ranking, La 100 FM 99.9, which records 21.79%. Among AM stations, Mitre more than doubles the audience of the second-place Radio 10, which maintains about 16%.

Eduardo Feinmann, the Driving Force Behind the Programming

Feinmann’s show easily surpasses its competitors in the same time slot. Described as “far ahead” of the competition, Alguien Tiene que Decirlo is one of the greatest audience phenomena in Argentine radio. Mitre is the most listened-to station in the country, and Feinmann’s program is its flagship, particularly in the mornings, the most competitive hours in radio.

Its strength lies in a direct approach, focused on political and current issues, which builds loyalty among a broad and engaged audience. Eduardo Feinmann is a central figure in Argentine journalism, which amplifies the impact of his positions. Mitre also stands out on social media, with over 2.1 million followers on Facebook, and its 100-year tradition further reinforces its authority.

Eduardo Feinmann’s Profile

Feinmann doesn’t hide, in fact, he emphasizes, the traits that define his style and connect him with a mostly male, pro-market audience. In his public statements and in the program’s editorial line, he defines himself as:

• A defender of free trade, which places him in opposition to Argentina’s historically strong protectionism.

• A fierce critic of Kirchnerism, using harsh and unfiltered language — including insults, which are far more common and accepted in Argentine media than in Brazil.

• An advocate for a smaller state, supporting privatizations, tax cuts, and greater economic freedom.

In the Argentine context, openly expressing an ideological position is not seen as a loss of journalistic neutrality but rather as a sign of intellectual honesty toward the audience. It’s worth emphasizing that ideology is not the same as partisanship: a journalist can coherently condemn a party they once supported if that party betrays its principles.

Feinmann also criticizes the leniency of the judicial system, particularly regarding crimes with light sentences.

Feinmann and Javier Milei

During Javier Milei’s rise to the presidency, Feinmann largely supported his proposals, though he hasn’t refrained from criticism, especially regarding the president’s occasional aggressiveness toward journalists. The ideological alignment between the two is natural, but Feinmann shows independence when pointing out mistakes he deems significant.

Uncomfortable (But Honest) Questions

Is Alguien Tiene que Decirlo a right-wing program? Yes. Its political profile is clear. Its agenda revolves around pro-market positions, opposition to state interventionism, privatizations, tax reductions, economic freedom, and tough-on-crime policies.

Is Radio Mitre Right-Wing?

Mitre belongs to the influential Clarín Group, traditionally identified with pro-market positions. This editorial stance has been reinforced by repeated attempts from populist governments to impose state control over the media. In the Argentine context, a free media environment that supports private initiative is also a matter of survival.

Between a Pro-Market Program and a Pro-State One / Which Draws More Audience?

The numbers in Buenos Aires speak for themselves: Alguien Tiene que Decirlo led with 41.3% share (May 2023), while its main ideological rival, Radio 10, scored around 16%. The difference is striking.

Is This an Exclusively Argentine Phenomenon?

Definitely not. The high ratings of right-leaning news and talk programs with predominantly male audiences are not exclusive to Argentina. I’ve observed this, for example, in Natal (RN, Brazil) while analyzing YouTube audiences. The pattern repeats itself: more neutral or left-leaning programs attract fewer views, while those aligned with right-wing perspectives stand out.

The Fox News Formula?

In the United States, the classic example is Fox News, the ratings leader since 2017. According to a Gallup poll (2013), 94% of its viewers identify or tend to identify as Republican. The contrast with channels such as CNN, MSNBC, and ABC is evident.

The paradox: journalism tends to lean left, with strong female representation, yet the majority of the male audience leans right, consuming debate, opinion, and political analysis content with far greater intensity.

Mitre, however, differs fundamentally from Fox News: it does not embrace political contradictions. Even with a pro-market orientation, it doesn’t shy away from tough questions about politicians aligned with that philosophy. It will address corruption suspicions, point out glaring mistakes, and demand explanations — something increasingly rare to see on Fox.

Thus, Mitre continues to capture the largest share of the public that enjoys “All News” radio, as Fox seeks to do, but without requiring unconditional alignment with political figures. It earns this position simply by being pro-market, which grants it the freedom to criticize even those politicians who share that worldview but fail to live up to it.

Does Journalism Attract One Gender More Than the Other? One Political Side More Than the Other?

In the world of engineering, there are women and men with extraordinary abilities, which already invalidates any argument that one gender has greater aptitude than the other in any field of science. What truly exists is a matter of personal choice.

In engineering classrooms, civil, electrical, mechanical, and others, there tend to be more men enrolled not because they have “taken” those spots, but because women have shown greater interest in other programs, such as Law, Medicine, Psychology, and a wide range of courses in the humanities.

We cannot claim that, on average, men are more passionate about the exact sciences than women, nor that most women are more passionate about the human sciences than men. What the data shows so far, and this is not exclusive to Brazil is that men apply in greater proportion to engineering and exact science programs, while women apply more frequently to humanities programs, which, notably, include Journalism.

Ironically or not, journalism ends up being strongly influenced by its close relationship with economics, which may help explain this asymmetry: could that be the reason why so many men from the exact sciences are passionate consumers of journalism? Only through further research can we get closer to an answer to that question.

Coincidence or not, in communities where leadership is exercised by a female figure, tensions truly tend to be lower. And if we observe this “peacemaking” capacity of the feminine world beyond humans, we can see how much more peaceful bonobo communities are very similar to chimpanzees.Among chimpanzees, group dominance is exercised by males, and conflicts are frequent. Among bonobos, however, dominance lies with females, and conflicts are rare. It is a much less stressful and far healthier coexistence for members across different hierarchies — beneficial not only for those at the top of command, as happens among chimpanzees.

Hence my point: journalism, economics, and contact sports such as soccer naturally carry a certain level of tension. This does not fully explain why there is a greater male preference for radio stations that communicate with this kind of “weight,” but it may be a contributing factor. Since the feminine world tends to be more peaceful and conciliatory, it may end up rejecting being part of the audience that tunes in daily to the chaos of the world’s news.

According to several studies, journalism tends to lean to the left across much of the free world, including Brazil, the United States, and Europe. This pattern can be seen both in newsrooms and in the coverage of political and social issues.

What’s interesting is that, although women have a strong and visible presence in journalism, the female audience, on average, shows less interest in political debate programs, especially those with a more confrontational tone. This observation, based on empirical evidence, can be confirmed by analyzing media consumption patterns among acquaintances or through actual audience data.

For example, over the course of a year, I closely monitored the metrics of a political debate program broadcast on YouTube in Natal, and found that male viewers accounted for 83% of the audience. This proportion does not appear to be an isolated case, since male predominance is typically observed in similar programs across different regions of Brazil, particularly in live chat interactions.

A possible explanation lies in thematic affinity: more hard-edged and confrontational debates, often centered on politics, economics, or public security, tend to attract male audiences, while lighter formats, focused on culture, well-being, or social themes, tend to attract female audiences. This, of course, does not imply lesser intellectual capacity or interest in world affairs, it’s simply a reflection of content preferences.

Another relevant point concerns political inclinations between genders. Data suggests that, on average, men tend to identify more with right-leaning ideas, while women show a greater inclination toward the left. This divergence can influence journalistic content preferences and even the balance of power in electoral disputes, where ideological polarization becomes more evident.

This dynamic is not unique to Brazil. Audience analyses in other countries reveal similar patterns, with male predominance in more intense political debate spaces. To confirm these trends, one only needs to observe live broadcasts of political programs across Brazilian states and note the ratio of male to female names in the comments and interactions. Although these observations are not definitive, they point to a segmentation of interests that deserves deeper investigation, taking into account format, tone, and subject matter.

AM Radio in Argentina

It’s important to highlight that Mitre is an AM station, a band that in Brazil has been practically emptied out by the dominance of FM and the loss of commercial relevance. In contrast, in Argentina, AM radio remains alive and strong, largely thanks to its emphasis on political and economic analysis and critical journalism.(Website and live stream: Mitre 790 AM)

The Key to Mitre’s Audience

Mitre’s distinctive advantage lies in its strong presence of analysts, more than mere journalists, and in its use of intelligent humor to navigate dense and complex discussions. It is, at its core, a word-oriented station: nearly all its programming revolves around analysis of facts rather than mere journalistic description.

The focus is on Mitre’s exclusive content, offering well-founded opinions from experienced figures with real authority, and forecasts that frequently match reality, reinforcing the station’s credibility.

It’s also fair to note that a certain philosophical alignment with the majority of its listeners may be a key factor in achieving such resonance and audience loyalty.

From Rio Grande do Norte: Following Mitre and Argentina’s Success

I’ve been following Radio Mitre via streaming since late 2023, as I mentioned in another article. I usually listen during my travels between cities in Rio Grande do Norte, and have tuned into several programs at different times of day.

One of the station’s great figures, Jorge Lanata, passed away at the end of 2024. His program, Lanata Sin Filtro, was a benchmark of investigative and independent journalism. Lanata was not a right-wing journalist, but his independence led him to harshly criticize the abuses of Kirchnerism. He was incisive in exposing economic maneuvers that benefited “friendly” companies with privileged access to subsidized dollars.

I decided to follow Argentina’s reality directly, without relying on intermediaries who distort information, as often happens with the news that reaches Brazil. My interest was to observe the libertarian experiment led by Javier Milei, with his proposal to implement a freer economic model, similar to that of countries like New Zealand.

In Brazil, such a debate is almost a taboo, but Milei, an intriguing president, has moved forward with initially unpopular measures that, while controversial, are often necessary to neutralize the economic poison of populist policies.

By following Argentine sources directly, such as Radio Mitre, La Nación+, A24, TN, and the ridiculous C5N (worth watching as an example of how not to do journalism). I felt much more confident about obtaining firsthand information close to reality.

Contrary to the pessimistic forecasts of leading Argentine and foreign economists who bet on failure, I chose to trust the project and even invested in the country. Many of these analysts, in my view, lack practical economic understanding, treating the subject as academic literature while ignoring the real mechanics of how economies function.

The recent end of the currency control (“cepo cambiario”), for instance, was a sophisticated move, worthy of a masterclass in economics, demonstrating precision and strategic calculation.

I plan to explore this subject in more depth in a future article, but for now, I emphasize that Argentina’s current experience deserves attention, without the filters that so often distort our perception.