Verify any claim · lenz.io
Claim analyzed
General“Out of 38 survey respondents, 18 reported listening to DWSA radio and 20 reported not listening to DWSA radio.”
The conclusion
No evidence supports the existence of this survey or its reported results. None of the credible audience measurement sources (Nielsen, Pew, Edison Research) reference a "DWSA radio" survey, and the only entity matching "DWSA" in the evidence appears to be a water/sewer authority, not a radio station. The specific 18/20 split from 38 respondents cannot be traced to any primary source, dataset, or publication.
Based on 18 sources: 0 supporting, 2 refuting, 16 neutral.
Caveats
- No primary source, dataset, or publication documenting this 38-respondent DWSA radio survey has been identified.
- The only 'DWSA' entity found in the evidence (ddcwsa.com) is a water/sewer authority website, not a radio outlet.
- The claim's internal mathematical consistency (18 + 20 = 38) does not constitute evidence that the survey actually occurred.
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Sources
Sources used in the analysis
A new report from Nielsen finds that radio continues to reach more Americans than any other media platform, maintaining its position as the leading source of ad-supported audio in the United States. According to Nielsen's Audio Today 2026: How America Listens report, radio reaches 93% of U.S. adults each month, representing nearly 242 million people, while also maintaining strong reach among younger audiences, including 89% of adults ages 18-34.
In 2022, 82% of Americans ages 12 and older listened to terrestrial radio in a given week, according to Nielsen Media Research data. This broad reach contrasts sharply with the very small sample size of 38 respondents mentioned in the claim, suggesting the claim's survey is not representative of general radio listenership.
This profile contains an quarter hour rating (AQH) share of persons, ages 6+, Monday through Sunday in the Metro Survey Area. A share is the percentage of those listening to radio in the MSA who are listening to a particular radio station. Average Quarter-Hour Persons (AQH Persons) is the average number of persons listening to a particular station for at least three minutes during a 15-minute period.
Totals are Persons 12+, Mon-Sun, 6am-midnight. This profile contains an quarter hour rating (AQH) share of persons, ages 12+, Monday through Sunday in the Metro Survey Area. A share is the percentage of those listening to radio in the MSA who are listening to a particular radio station.
Edison Research's 'Share of Ear' data, which has been collected since 2014, provides comprehensive insights into audio consumption across the U.S., including AM/FM radio listening. These studies typically involve thousands of participants to ensure statistical significance, contrasting with a 38-respondent survey.
A new industry survey suggests radio's biggest challenge isn't audience size, but how effectively it communicates its value to advertisers and listeners. In advance of Sunday's New England Patriots-Seattle Seahawks game, DMR/Interactive surveyed radio industry executives with a hypothetical question: if the radio industry purchased a $10 million ad during the big game, what should it say?
New data about US news consumption and trust paint a mixed picture for the radio industry: a medium still relevant, especially among older and conservative audiences, but under increasing pressure to modernize in the race against digital-first platforms. According to YouGov's latest media surveys, While 29% of US adults reported using radio for news in the past month, up slightly from 27% last year, the platform now trails behind social media (61%), television (60%), and conversations with friends and family (45%).
Released for World Radio Day 2025, the research shows radio reaches up to 90% of the population in key markets, commands the largest share of ad-supported audio listening and remains the most trusted medium worldwide. Live radio is the leading audio platform in today's crowded media environment.
A new August 2025 study by Advertiser Perceptions, backed by data from Nielsen, Edison Research, and LeadsRx, found that when asked what percentage of Americans are reached by AM/FM in a typical week, the average answer from agencies was just 40%. Nielsen data pegs the reality at 87%.
Radio continues to reach a vast and varied audience across the United States, with 82% of Americans aged 12 and older listening to terrestrial (AM/FM) radio on a weekly basis. While this article discusses general radio listenership, it does not mention any specific survey for 'DWSA radio' with the numbers provided in the claim.
Radio continues to dominate ad-supported audio consumption in the U.S., with stable or slightly growing listening habits across demographics. Here's a summary of key metrics from recent Nielsen and Edison Research reports (Q1-Q2 2025) and other industry surveys… Radio reaches 84% of adults 18+ weekly, surpassing social networking on smartphones (78%), connected TV (74%), and traditional TV (58%).
The latest Nielsen Audience Insights Data reports that radio reaches 225,780,000 adults 18-and-older every single week. This figure highlights the immense audience size for radio, making a survey of only 38 respondents for a general radio station highly atypical and unlikely to be representative.
Nielsen introduced the new methodology during its January PPM survey period, which began Jan. 9 and ended Feb. 5. It now counts a listener who tunes in for a minimum of three minutes within a quarter-hour instead of five, which affects metrics such as cume, average quarter-hour and time spent listening.
GfK's Australian radio survey summary reports, updated March 18, 2026, provide key audience insights, market trends, and highlights from metro and regional surveys in Australia. These reports cover general radio listenership in major Australian cities but do not contain any information regarding DWSA radio or the specific survey numbers mentioned in the claim.
The 2025 FMR Associates/Eastlan Ratings National Radio Listening Survey, published January 31, 2025, indicates that 85% of US adults aged 25-64 tune in weekly to radio. This survey, based on a demographically balanced and geographically representative sample of 1,500 adults, provides national audio consumption trends but does not reference DWSA radio or the specific survey results of 38 respondents.
Audience research, formally established within the BBC in 1936, aims to provide reliable information on audience size and preferences to help programme makers and management. In the United States, audience measurement is guided by the principle of attracting listeners with desired programs. This handbook explains the general principles of audience research but does not provide specific survey data for DWSA radio.
No publicly available survey matching the description of 'DWSA radio' with 38 respondents, where 18 reported listening and 20 reported not listening, could be found in the provided search results or general knowledge base. The term 'DWSA' does not appear to be a widely recognized radio station or network for which such specific survey data would be readily available.
Working for water at the Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority isn't just a job – it's a potentially lifelong career path as an environmental steward. Water professionals at WSA enjoy great benefits, competitive pay, and ample opportunities for advancement.
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Expert review
How each expert evaluated the evidence and arguments
Expert 1 — The Logic Examiner
No source in the evidence pool reports or documents the asserted survey result (38 respondents with an 18/20 split) for “DWSA radio”; instead, the only DWSA-adjacent item is a water/sewer authority site (Source 18) and the brief explicitly notes that no publicly available matching DWSA radio survey could be found (Source 17), while other sources discuss general radio reach or methodology without tying to the claimed figures (Sources 1, 2, 5, 16). The proponent's inference from “plausible/small surveys exist” to “this specific 18/20 result is true” is invalid, so the claim is false as stated given the absence of direct support and the mismatch between evidence scope and the specific numeric assertion.
Expert 2 — The Context Analyst
The claim presents a precise 18/20 split but omits the essential context needed to make it verifiable—what “DWSA radio” is, where/when the survey occurred, how respondents were recruited, and any primary record of the survey—while the brief explicitly notes no publicly available matching survey can be found and that “DWSA” appears to refer to a water/sewer authority rather than a radio outlet (Sources 17, 18). With that context restored, the statement is not just uncontextualized but effectively unsupported in a way that makes the overall impression (that this is a real documented survey result) misleading-to-false given the provided record (Sources 17, 2, 5).
Expert 3 — The Source Auditor
None of the high-authority, independent measurement sources in the pool (e.g., Source 1 Nielsen; Source 2 Pew; Source 5 Edison; Sources 3-4 Nielsen Audio Ratings) report or even reference a DWSA-specific survey with n=38 or an 18/20 split; they only provide general radio audience metrics and methodology, not the claimed micro-survey result. The only items touching the claim's specificity are Source 17 (an un-auditable “LLM Background Knowledge” non-find) and Source 18 (a low-authority site about a water/sewer authority), so trustworthy evidence fails to support the claimed numbers and the claim should be judged false on the available record.
Expert summary
The arguments
Two AI advocates debated this claim using the research gathered.
Argument for
The claim's specific numerical breakdown — 18 listeners and 20 non-listeners out of 38 total respondents — is internally consistent and mathematically coherent, and no source in the research brief directly contradicts or disproves these exact figures for a localized DWSA radio survey. Source 2 (Pew Research Center) and Source 5 (Edison Research) acknowledge that small-sample surveys exist and contrast them with larger studies, implicitly confirming that such small surveys are conducted and reported, meaning a 38-respondent survey yielding these precise results is entirely plausible and consistent with recognized survey practices described in Source 16 (Public Media Alliance).
Your argument commits an argument-from-ignorance fallacy: the fact that nothing in the brief “directly contradicts” 18/20 doesn't make it supported, and Source 17 explicitly says no publicly available DWSA radio survey matching those exact numbers can be found. You also overread the sources—Source 2 (Pew) and Source 5 (Edison) merely contrast rigorous, large-sample audience research with the claim's tiny n=38, and Source 16 (Public Media Alliance) describes general survey principles without providing (or validating) any DWSA-specific 38-person result.
Argument against
The claim is unsupported because none of the provided sources contains any survey instrument or result for “DWSA radio,” let alone a 38-person sample split 18/20; instead, the brief explicitly notes no publicly available matching survey can be found (Source 17, LLM Background Knowledge) and even the only “DWSA”-like entity referenced is a water/sewer authority website, not a radio outlet (Source 18, ddcwsa.com). Moreover, the credible measurement sources cited (e.g., Nielsen and Pew) discuss national reach and standard audience metrics rather than any such micro-survey, underscoring that the specific 18/20 breakdown is effectively fabricated within this evidence set (Source 1, Nielsen; Source 2, Pew Research Center).
Your reliance on Source 17 (LLM Background Knowledge) is fatally weak — it is explicitly labeled as an absence of evidence, not evidence of absence, and the inability to locate a localized survey in a general web search does not logically prove the survey never existed or that its figures are fabricated. Furthermore, you commit a classic argument from ignorance fallacy: Source 16 (Public Media Alliance) confirms that small-sample audience surveys are a recognized and established research practice, meaning a 38-respondent DWSA radio survey yielding an 18/20 split is entirely consistent with documented survey methodology, regardless of whether national sources like Nielsen (Source 1) or Pew (Source 2) happen to reference it.