Opinion by NRB President & CEO Troy A. Miller
The “death of radio” narrative collapses under one statistic: AM/FM still reaches far more Americans each week than any individual streaming‑audio or social‑media service.
Pew Research Center’s National Radio Day analysis shows that 82% of people ages 12 and older listened to terrestrial radio in a typical week in 2022 – a figure essentially unchanged since before the pandemic. By contrast, Edison Research’s Q4 2024 “Share of Ear” data reveal that all digital‑only, ad‑supported audio outlets combined (Spotify, Pandora and podcasts) touch just 29% of the country on a given day, with ad‑supported Spotify alone reaching only 6 percent. In other words, broadcast radio’s audience is nearly three times larger than the entire ad‑supported streaming sector and more than 10 times larger than Spotify’s own daily footprint – proof that the medium remains America’s most pervasive audio channel.
From late‑night truckers to parents on the school run, radio accompanies Americans through both the routine and the raw. Its airwaves carry prayers, sermons, and hymns to listeners who may never set foot in a church, offering real‑time companionship in predawn cabs and busy cubicles alike. Letters from patients steadied by a worship chorus or soldiers strengthened by a call‑in prayer testify that Christian broadcasting still delivers pastoral care when it matters most.
The spiritual reach is matched by practical service: a farmer tracking market prices at dusk, a night‑shift nurse catching an encouraging word on break, or a commuter grabbing local news—all find what they need on the AM dial. Radio’s free, ubiquitous signal puts community updates, civic dialogue, and the Gospel within easy reach for the everyday American, bridging economic and social divides newer media often miss.
Yet the medium’s impact is broader than ministry alone: local stations knit together civic life with hometown scores, farm reports, and neighborhood alerts that never trend on national feeds.
Beyond city limits, radio is a lifeline for hard-working Americans. A recent survey by the National Association of Farm Broadcasting found that 42% of U.S. farm producers rely on farm-format radio as their primary source for market prices and weather updates, and nearly nine out of 10 listen while operating heavy equipment. When broadband falters in a steel-cab tractor or a distant rural home, a 50-kilowatt AM tower stands as the most reliable link to the outside world. In crises, this resilience becomes national policy: FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System rests on 77 hardened AM stations that can reach over 90% of Americans even when cellular and internet networks collapse. Those stations carried evacuation instructions and even a word of faith long after last year’s hurricane season silenced power grids and cell towers in North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
Scale is matched by infrastructure. Federal Communications Commission records list more than 11,000 licensed commercial AM and FM stations—4,427 on the AM band and 6,663 on FM—as of March 2024. Those signals knit together the nation’s information network in ways newer media cannot replicate. Pew’s survey data show that 47%of adults say they sometimes or often get news from radio, and one‑in‑five say radio is a regular source of local news. Trust follows reach: nearly six‑in‑10 radio journalists report feeling “very connected” to their audiences, a higher figure than for their print, television, or online peers.
For the Christian communicator, the numbers translate into substantial ministry opportunities. Nielsen’s 2024 format tables place Contemporary Christian music and Religious Talk/Teaching together among radio’s five most‑listened‑to genres nationwide, while Pew Research Center counts over 2,500 U.S. stations whose primary format is religious broadcasting—a total that has grown steadily over the past decade. In aggregate, those stations deliver faith‑based content to tens of millions of listeners every week, making broadcast radio one of the largest, most reliable channels for evangelism and theological teaching in the United States.
Radio also remains a meaningful business. Pew’s review of BIA Advisory Services data shows average revenue at all‑news stations rebounding to $17.8 million per outlet in 2022, up from the pandemic trough and within reach of pre‑COVID figures. The industry’s 11,000 commercial licensees are overwhelmingly small enterprises; FCC economists estimate that 99.98% qualify as small businesses under federal definitions. Preserving free reception protects not only audiences but thousands of local employers.
Threats nonetheless loom on the dashboard. As electric‑vehicle makers look to simplify hardware, at least eight major automakers—including BMW, Mazda, Tesla, Volkswagen and Volvo—have removed AM tuners from select models. The engineering hurdle is minor; the policy cost is high. Eliminating the band would strip the Emergency Alert System of its most resilient carrier and silence scores of rural and faith‑based voices. Congress has taken note: the bipartisan AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (S. 1669/H.R. 3413) would require over‑the‑air capability in all new passenger vehicles. Lawmakers should advance that bill without delay, and manufacturers should regard free broadcast reception as basic safety equipment, no less essential than seat belts or airbags. The bill would enshrine the critical lifeline in every car, ensuring that every American can receive the Word of God and emergency alerts even if other networks fail on highways across the country.
The figures are decisive. Radio reaches four‑fifths of the nation every week; it commands two‑thirds of ad‑supported listening minutes; it undergirds emergency alerts, agricultural trade, and the daily rhythms of worship. Preserving that capacity is not an exercise in nostalgia but an investment in public safety, civic pluralism, and spiritual vitality. The signal is strong; our stewardship of it must be equally so because radio still has America’s ear.
A senior executive with more than 30 years of management and business experience, Troy A. Miller was elected as President & CEO of NRB in 2022. NRB is a nonpartisan, international association of Christian communicators whose member organizations represent millions of listeners, viewers, and readers.
Wow, who knew radio was still such a big deal? I always thought streaming had totally taken over. Good to see it’s still reaching so many people, especially in rural areas and during emergencies. Makes you appreciate the old tech!
The car manufacturers want your cellphone to take the place of their built-in navigation. They’re also just fine with the cellphone being the car’s entertainment hub. Cellphones fulfill that role for drivers when they are outside of the car, so why not satisfy it for them inside as well.
That’s where it’s going, and that’s why it’s headed there. Yep, it has an AM radio, but they’re using their cellphone the minute it connects to the car, which usually begins a few seconds after the engine starts.
At times, yes Morty. But let the tornado come, and you bet people are listening. Let the blizzard come and they’re wanting traffic and weather information. The best radio is LOCAL. And it still exists. Just not in big cities for the most part. Local radio with local personalities still delivers local results.
“reach” and active attention aren’t the same thing. Many people ignore radio broadcasts…. it has become background sound.
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