Personalities truly matter for retaining radio listeners. … Lack of music choice is driving some listeners away from radio. … Smart speaker ownership has stalled. … Localism really makes a difference.
These are among the findings of the 2025 Techsurvey from Jacobs Media, which was released this spring. This is the 21st year that the consulting firm has produced studies about the opinions of core listeners to commercial stations in the United States and Canada.
“During that time, much has changed in the world of media and technology,” Jacobs states. “From the rise of the smartphone, social media, smart speakers and podcasts to new technologies like AI, we continue to track what radio listeners are doing when they’re not listening to the radio.”
The findings are based on replies from approximately 24,500 listeners to 500 radio stations. Most respondents are members of station databases — this is a survey of people who presumably are inclined to be connected to radio, rather than of the general population, and the average respondent age is up to 58, which must be kept in mind while interpreting results in an industry that loves the 25–54 demo.
But even among this cadre of presumably loyal respondents, Jacobs found that broadcast radio in North America is treading water. “It is aging, and while some vital signs are OK, others show erosion.”
The study reinforced that “being local” is a perceived asset, not just a slogan, and that localism has become even more important to listeners since the pandemic. And for seven years running, personalities surpass music as a main driver of broadcast radio listening as shown in the accompanying slide.
The survey found that one in 10 respondents are listening less, which Jacobs said is due to a combination of digital choice, COVID lag and “unforced content errors.” Meanwhile radio’s digital transformation continues but has slowed and become more incremental.
“It’s still about ‘meeting the audience where they are,” Jacobs found. “New paths include newsletters, smart TVs and short videos.”
Mobile is like “connective tissue,” it is everywhere. Podcasting is becoming a mainstream medium. Social media is more important than ever as a news source and for influencing purchasing decisions.
And as for the automobile, this cadre of listeners appreciates the ease of listening to radio in the vehicle; and yet the better equipped a car is with dashboard technology, the more radio listening is challenged, even for this group.
Additional specific findings
- AM/FM listening is lowest among the youngest generations; but even for Gen Z, 84% of respondents listen to radio (on any device) at least an hour each weekday. Again, the survey starts with a population of people inclined to like radio, but still this feels like an encouraging number.
- Among those who listen to radio, 66% said the main reason is because it’s easy to listen to in the car. The second most popular reason was “because it’s free,” followed by DJs, hosts and shows. Reasons like traffic, weather and sports were far down the list.
- Turnover in personalities is a growing reason for listening less.
- Among listeners who said they’ve listened less in the past year, non-radio audio options are the big reason among the youngest demographics.
- Even among this presumably friendly pool of respondents with an average age in their late 50s, only three in four have a radio at home that they use. Millennials are least likely to have one.
- Though past rapid growth in smart speaker ownership has stalled, smart speakers and mobile have become more important for radio listening as “regular” radios disappear.
- One in three smart TV owners listen to audio on their TV at least occasionally.
It seems clear to me from looking over the findings that in our increasingly challenged environment, it’s more important than ever for radio managers to embrace their remaining differentiators: strong personalities and a sense of local connection. The more radio departs from those strengths, the faster it will lose listeners to other options.
You can download a presentation and watch a webinar about the findings at the Jacobs Media website.
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