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A survey released by Edison Research, Share of Ear®, reports that almost 70% of Americans still listen to traditional radio for news and sports in 2025, while the digital revolution is taking over.
This surprising revelation runs against assumptions about the decline of traditional media in the face of the digital revolution and gives insight into how Americans consume audio content on different platforms. The data is derived from a study conducted by Edison Research on audio consumption patterns.
The Key Highlights:
AM/FM Radio: 70% of all news audio consumed is on AM/FM, making it its most powerful channel of news.
Sports material constitutes 61% of the radio platforms' consumptive time; this evidences a high propensity for sports in audio content consumption.
Traditional radio contains lower but significant shares in talk / personalities and music categories.
Podcasts have surpassed Radio in the category of talk/ personalities.
Music consumption is most diversified across platforms, with listeners using multiple streaming options
Why It Matters:
This data runs counter to the narrative about the decline of traditional media, as it shows AM/FM radio remains a key player in news and sports content categories. Results show that, with digital, too, a great deal of Americans still rely on broadcast radio for immediate news, local information, breaking news, and live sports. This is reinforcing radio's continued importance in delivering timely and critical information. This is extremely important to all advertisers, content creators, and media strategists for the planning of distribution strategies for 2025.
The Big Picture:
These are creating a series of opportunities and strategic considerations for podcasting. First, the data show that though podcasting has really done well in the talk/personality markets, tremendous potential exists in news and sports-two formats where radio is still king.
Podcast creators might develop news-centered content or hybrid formats which merge the best in radio immediacy with depth and texture possible in podcasting. This strategy would attract those listeners who depend on the radio for news but look for further examination and background information in podcasts, catering to listeners looking for quick news updates while desiring comprehensive analysis.
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