Last month, Crowd React Media released its 2026 State of the Media report. It’s 50+ slides of data, research, and information that can be incredibly valuable for anyone in the media space. And buried on Slide 28 of this 56-slide study is an unbelievable tidbit for local radio: Who wants local radio content? Younger people! Yes, that’s right.
When those polled were asked why they listen to radio, 30% of listeners overall cited local content and events.
However, among those 18-34, that number jumps to 40%. And for those 55+, the number falls to 20%.
The Local Content Opportunity
This is the opposite of what most people polled would expect. They would assume that older folks would like the local flair, while those younger could not care less about what’s happening in their backyard. The conclusion: the audience the industry most wants to grow is also the audience most motivated by exactly what local radio does best — provide local content, information, analysis, and opinion.
Now, does that mean leaning into “cat stuck in tree” for top stories is the play, in favor of a story or topic on the Iran War or an update from the Trump White House? No. However, what it does mean is that you might be able to structure topic importance differently and make sure you’re finding local angles to the national stories of the day. And while you’re doing this, you aren’t alienating the younger end of the demo; in fact, you might be giving them exactly what they want.
Also, since this study was done exclusively for radio and applies to all formats, it likely means that these younger listeners may be less in tune with the politics of the day, but may like getting their local sports analysis and local concert information from local radio. What’s the news/talk radio play of all of this? Talk about those things when appropriate.
No one needs you to break down a mid-summer baseball game or go into hyperdrive about a Sabrina Carpenter concert in your town. But if there are ways to blend the top local news stories that might seem “out of your news/talk radio lane” into your content, what do you have to lose? Maybe you tick off a 55+ listener for a segment or two, but my guess is they’ll be loyal to you over the long run. If it gives you the opportunity to get the younger demographic to sample or stick around your station and local shows, it’s well worth the trade-off.
Digital Access and Radio’s Enduring Consistency
Now, when it comes to other conclusions from this study, does this mean you can go back to doing radio like it’s 1996 instead of 2026? Of course not. The data also made it clear that, among the 18-34 demographic, combined digital access (mobile + desktop + smart speaker) exceeds traditional AM/FM listening.
So by making sure your younger audience can find you where they are or where they want to be — via an app, smart speaker, desktop, or any other streaming device — along with giving them the local content they want, this can be a winning formula.
Lastly, consistency remains radio’s great advantage. Cume sits at 76% usage in 2026, up from 75% in 2025, and down slightly from 80% in 2024. Frequent usage (30-60 minutes per day) has remained steady at 30% for the last couple of years. So when every other platform is trying to explain why its numbers moved, radio gets to explain why its numbers didn’t. There’s a huge benefit to telling that story, which remains under-told across the advertising space.
Now the question is: can radio sell its story and make the necessary tweaks to give listeners and advertisers what they want and need from the platform going forward? That is TBD.
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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.