Wait, so you’re telling me radio isn’t dead? But social media influencers, ad agencies, and brand executives across the country are convinced that it is. Oh, so many of the same people who were convinced that the hyper-liberal worldview was here to stay in 2021–22 turned out to be wrong about something else? Color me shocked.
New data released by Nielsen and Edison Research shows that AM/FM radio still accounts for the vast majority of daily time spent listening, with 64% of all listening taking place on ad-supported audio. Of that total time, 62% was spent with AM/FM radio. An additional 20% was spent listening to podcasts, 15% listening to streaming music, and 3% listening to satellite radio.
Now, this is not to say that programmers or content creators should turn their backs on podcasting, live streaming, YouTube, or any of the other important platforms that our brands need to thrive in the future. But it is a reminder that the notion that no one listens to radio — because of what an advertising executive who rides mass transit in a high-density coastal city claims — is simply not backed by data.
And yes, the time-delayed listening to shows via podcasts and other avenues is real and continues to increase. However, radio still doesn’t do a good enough job bragging about what it brings to the table. This is the latest example of hard data that should be shouted from the rooftops.
Another narrative put to rest is the notion that, well, if there are radio listeners, they’re all old. Also not true.
For those aged 25–54, podcast listening rises to 24%, while radio sits at 59%. Meanwhile, in the 18–34 demographic, both podcasts and streaming music see significant growth. In that group, 31% of daily audio time is spent listening to podcasts, while 24% is spent with ad-supported streaming music. AM/FM radio falls to 43% in that sector.
Podcasting clearly has a larger share among the younger demographic, but AM/FM radio still leads by a wide margin with 25–54-year-olds and is even tops with 18–34-year-olds. While margins are shrinking, there is still reason for celebration—especially when considering the narrative that too many unfortunately believe.
And the news gets even better from a News/Talk perspective because talk has inherent advantages that music doesn’t.
Young people are looking for compelling talk content, and while they’re likely to find it on a podcast, the fact that they want it suggests radio has a chance to compete. These potential younger listeners may have to find your station on a social media platform first, then realize that radio is where they can consume your content in real time. But the key point is they want your kind of content: talk. They just may not know where to find you.
Last week, we had high school students stop by our Cumulus KC radio cluster. I began my conversation by asking the room who listened to podcasts. Most of the hands went up.
Then I said to them, “What if I told you that you could listen to your favorite podcaster in real time, knowing that the person on the other side is having that specific conversation with you live, at that exact moment? And if you wanted to, you could interact with that person by phone. That person would also deliver you breaking news in real time that your favorite podcaster would have to take time out to record, upload, and deliver to your phone—and you would be at the mercy of a notification from Apple or Spotify.”
All of a sudden, talk radio’s live and highly personable edge seems awfully compelling, no?
And it’s why, while there are real challenges and headwinds — and serious investment is needed in the future of the format to grow our brands on other platforms — there is still an incredibly strong and compelling case to make for radio, especially talk formats. And the recent data drop this week just backed it up.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
Pete Mundo is a weekly columnist for Barrett Media, and the Vice President of News/Talk for Cumulus Media, while also hosting “Mundo in the Morning” and programming KCMO Talk Radio in Kansas City. Previously, he was a fill-in host nationally on FOX News Radio and CBS Sports Radio, while anchoring for WFAN, WCBS News Radio 880, and Bloomberg Radio. He’s also the owner of the Big 12-focused digital media outlet Heartland College Sports. To interact, find him on X @PeteMundo.
How do you know that those ad agencies and brand executives are many of the same people who were convinced that the hyper-liberal worldview was here to stay in 2021–22?