As radio offers coverage of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, new data is showing the pivotal role of AM/FM in keeping listeners engaged with election news throughout this political cycle, even as ad spend parity fails to keep up with TV.
Audacy’s latest Election Tracker statistics highlight how 70% of weekly radio listeners and 80% of streamers are actively tuning in for election coverage and information. The impact of local radio is particularly notable, with 74% of listeners appreciating its role in explaining the local relevance of election outcomes.
With Harris only maintaining an average lead of 2.9% in national polls at the time of writing, the face that 68% of the radio-listening audience identifies as moderate or centrist also makes the medium the perfect place to meet voters where they are and capture the all-powerful swing votes.
The trend of heightened political engagement is especially evident among female listeners, who have shown increased voting motivation following Vice President Kamala Harris’s candidacy announcement – 38% of women reported feeling more motivated to vote, compared to 30% of men.
Earlier this month, Katz Media Group found 80% of voters consider radio trustworthy, surpassing trust levels in television by 23%, newspapers by 5%, and magazines by 13%. Social media ranked lowest, with only about a quarter of voters finding it trustworthy. This trust in radio spans across political lines, with Independents and Republicans showing particularly high trust, and Democrats favoring it slightly less than newspapers.
Even with the vitality of AM/FM, AdImpact’s updated projections for $10.7 billion in political ad spending this cycle only forecast radio receiving 3.56% of that total, amounting to $381 million.
Audacy SVP of Research and Insights Idil Cakim wrote, “For political leaders and candidates, understanding the preferences and motivations of these engaged radio audiences will be key to reaching and influencing the heart of the American electorate. Radio not only amplifies the voices of its listeners but also echoes the democratic spirit of participation and change.”
