Whether it’s for the immediacy of lifesaving information like in the ongoing California wildfires or trusted journalism during events like the 2024 elections, more Americans turn to AM/FM as their primary source for audio news, per Edison Research findings.
Edison’s latest Share of Ear reveals that 69% of all time spent listening to news audio occurs on radio or its streams, making it the dominant platform for news consumption. Similarly, 61% of sports audio listening happens via AM/FM radio, solidifying its role as the source for live play-by-play and sports commentary, despite heavy movement toward podcasting.
In contrast, radio accounts for 32% of talk/personality audio consumption and 32% of music listening, reflecting the rise of podcasts and music streaming services in these categories.
AM/FM’s success is even more impressive given growing news fatigue among Americans, with AP-NORC reporting that 65% of Americans feel a need to limit consumption of political and government news, driven by information overload. Democrats expressed the highest fatigue, followed by Independents and Republicans.
Beyond politics, 51% of respondents seek to reduce news about overseas conflicts, 45% limit economic news, and 42% scale back on climate change coverage. While this doesn’t suggest radio outlets should avoid political topics, it may encourage a focus on local coverage.
The report comes as the role of radio journalism is heralded as more important than ever in our digital era. With Meta discontinuing its fact-checking program, the National Association of Broadcasters took the opportunity to praise the critical role of local broadcasters in providing Americans with reliable, fact-based journalism.
