AM/FM Radio offers broad reach that will fill in the gaps of high percentages of the U.S. population not reached by alternative audio platforms.
Radio reaches 225 million adults 18+ every week
(Source: Nielsen Audience Insights Q3 2025)
Traditional radio offers advertisers an established, audited audience ratings system (Nielsen Audio); online audio services make claims based on a variety of untested and questionable metrics.
Radio is the go-to source in weather events, emergencies: Consumers turn to AM/FM radio during emergencies and weather events when access to television and cable signals fails. FM chip-enabled smartphones also help to deliver information during these same emergencies.
Insures Exposure to Ad Messages: On AM/FM radio, everyone hears the same content (both programming and advertising) and advertisers run messages tied to specific content in specific time periods; customized online audio sites allow everyone to listen to their own individualized station, so there's no way to buy against specific content at a specific moment. Airing schedules on both AM/FM and digital/online and/or satellite insures that target audiences will be exposed to the advertiser message.
Radio has a high out-of-home presence, making it an optimal vehicle for retailers and other advertisers who need to reach the on-the-go consumer right before they shop:
Among Adults 18+ who have driven/ridden in a car in the past month
73% have ever listened to AM/FM radio in their primary vehicle
48% have ever used owned online audio in their primary vehicle
37% have ever listened to podcasts
26% have ever used a CD player in their primary vehicle
24% have ever used SiriusXM in their primary vehicle
20% have ever used an MP3/digital files
(Source: The Infinite Dial 2026 - Edison Research/SiriusXM Media)
Be sure to read this article: Time With Radio is Time Well Spent. In Spanish: El Tiempo con la Radio es tiempo bien invertido.
