After the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and the news that President Biden is bowing out of the race, audiences are growing at radio stations as Americans seek a trusted live platform for election news and reactions.
Audacy reported a surge in local news radio listenership immediately following the attack on Trump’s rally in Butler, PA. On July 13, the day of the assassination attempt, Audacy news stations recorded a 32% increase in streams over the previous week, with mobile streams jumping by 45% and smart speaker usage by 30%.
Specific regions near the event, like Pittsburgh, saw KDKA-AM’s streams spike by 55%, while Los Angeles’s KNX experienced a 41% increase, highlighting the stations’ importance in providing timely updates.
Days later, this rise continued into the Republican National Convention, where Audacy News Stations saw a 5% increase in listenership.
This spike was observed by other outlets, including ABC News Radio. ABC Audio Vice President Liz Alesse told Radio Ink, “Last Friday, the morning after President Trump accepted the Republican nomination, we saw a spike in listening of our daily news podcast, Start Here. In fact, it was the best performing episode so far this year.”
Demand for ABC Audio coverage has been constant for the past ten day. “Starting in the immediate aftermath of the assassination attempt against President Trump, continuing through the RNC and now amid the fallout from President Biden’s decision to bow out of the race, ABC News Radio delivered upwards of 20 hours of live coverage,” said Alesse.
“ABC News Radio was in live, wall-to-wall coverage within minutes of President Biden’s announcement, and we remained on the air for three solid hours on Sunday afternoon. We also booked hundreds of two-ways and offered stations thousands of cuts and wraps on ABC Newscall, along with round-the-clock updates in our hourly newscasts and status reports.”
65% of news radio listeners trust radio hosts for news updates, significantly more than the 30% who rely on social media influencers. News radio’s audience also shows a higher degree of loyalty compared to the average radio listener, as they are more likely to remain tuned in during advertisements.
Already a contentious, closely followed election, the events of July 13 onward have only solidified the essential role of radio as paradigm-shifting news becomes an almost daily occurrence.
