Report: AM, FM Dominate Audio In The Car

In the wake of the recent Presidential election, advertising agencies received what The Wall Street Journal calls a “stark realization.” How in touch are New York media strategists with the majority of the American audience?

The Westwood One Insights team looks at how this applies to AM/FM radio in a new blog post titled,  “Advertising Beyond The New York Bubble: How America Commutes And What It Means For Media Plans.”

Key points include:

• Of the 146 million Americans commuting to work daily, 86% commute by a car or truck, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
• AM/FM radio dominates audio in the car, with a 70% share of time spent listening, according to Edison Research.
• In New York, the capital of media planning and buying, only 25% of people commute by car, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
• Media decision makers who commute by car are 75% more likely to have radio in their media plans versus their public transit colleagues, according to a study of 423 advertising decision makers, conducted by NuVoodoo Media Services and commissioned by the Radio Advertising Bureau.

“AM/FM radio is America’s number one mass reach medium, targeting the diversity of America,” writes Pierre Bouvard, Chief Insights Officer of Cumulus Media | Westwood One. “Eighty-six percent of American workers commute by car. AM/FM has a stunning 70% share of all audio time spent in the car. AM/FM is the soundtrack of the American worker.”