A new study reveals that the radio audience doesn’t just overlap with podcast listeners – it often outperforms other platforms entirely, making AM/FM one of podcasting’s most engaged and loyal pipelines for fan growth, monetization, and audience retention.
The Advertising Landscape 2025 from Sounds Profitable surveyed monthly ad-supported podcast listeners and asked them to rate how much of a “fan” they were of the medium.
Among daily users of AM/FM radio, 42% identified as podcast “fans” (rating 8–10 on a 10-point scale), while just 11% fell into the “anti-fan” category. That fan rate exceeds TikTok (34%), YouTube (33%), and cable TV (29%), reinforcing that podcast engagement is strongest among audiences already aligned with radio’s long-form, spoken-word strengths.
Streaming AM/FM radio listeners scored even higher: 57% identified as podcast fans, the highest rate of any medium surveyed.
Overall, the report found that 40% of monthly ad-supported podcast listeners qualify as fans, while 11% are “anti-fans” – listeners who’ve sampled podcasts but haven’t fully embraced the format. The remaining 49% fall into a lukewarm middle.
The gender gap is notable: while 44% of men identify as podcast fans, just 33% of women do. For broadcasters and audio creators alike, that’s a signal to invest in formats and shows that connect more deeply with female listeners who are already sampling the content but aren’t yet hooked.
The most podcast-enthusiastic demographic was adults 35–54. Nearly half (46%) of those listeners identify as fans, with just 7% calling themselves anti-fans. Listeners 55 and up, meanwhile, remain more hesitant: only 27% of them are podcast fans despite monthly listening, suggesting content or discovery gaps within older demos that radio programmers may be uniquely positioned to bridge.
The research also underscores a correlation between paid media and podcast fandom: subscribers to satellite and paid streaming audio services reported higher levels of engagement than users of free platforms, but traditional AM/FM still outperformed key video-first platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and cable.
For radio, the takeaway is clear: audio-first audiences remain podcasting’s most fertile ground for growth. That makes broadcast radio’s role in driving podcast discovery, affinity, and advertiser ROI even more critical as the medium matures.
This study highlights the strong connection between radio and podcast audiences. With radio listeners showing higher podcast fan rates, it’s clear that leveraging this relationship can drive significant growth and engagement.
Comments are closed.