Using data from researchers Nielsen, Maru and Edison Research, this week the Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group disproves the biggest misperceptions brands hold about AM/FM radio. 82% of Americans are reached by AM/FM radio weekly, nearly twice what advertisers perceive. 85% of pre-COVID commuters are now working outside the home, as the proportion of in-car AM/FM radio listening has returned to pre-pandemic norms.

Other findings include:

• The audience share of AM/FM radio is 17X larger than ad-supported Spotify and 14X larger than ad-supported Pandora.
• AM/FM radio rules ad-supported audio in the car
• AM/FM radio boosts campaign reach, adding over 14 points of incremental reach beyond TV, CTV, and digital.
• In a typical day, digital audio reaches only a third of America. AM/FM radio reaches two-thirds of America.
• Audio is #2 in short-term return on investment and #3 in long-term ROI. On average, AM/FM radio generates a 14% lift in site traffic across 17 campaigns.
• Anything that can measured in digital and TV can be measured in audio with Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group measurement solutions.
• Persons 18-34 is one of the largest AM/FM radio listening demographics. Over 55M persons 18-34 listen to AM/FM radio weekly.