New Nielsen Report: Top States For AM Radio Listening

This month, state broadcaster associations will converge on Washington D.C. with the National Association of Broadcasters to urge elected officials to support the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act to keep free, local radio in cars. Broadcasters will also relate how AM radio is the backbone of our country’s emergency alert system and how keeping AM in cars protects Americans from risk.

It was just a month ago that Nielsen revealed compelling insights on the power of the AM radio audience from their Fall 2022 survey:

• 82,346,800 Americans listen to AM radio monthly
• One out of three American AM/FM radio listeners are reached monthly by AM radio
• 57% of the AM radio audience listens to News/Talk stations, the very outlets that Americans turn to in times of crisis and breaking local news

Last week, a new Nielsen study reported the 141 local markets where AM radio is listened to by at least 20% of the radio audience.

Now, Nielsen is releasing a deeper dive on the vitality of AM radio in local markets with new data at the state and local DMA level.  Here are the Top 10 state for AM Radio Listening from the Westwood One blog:

Based on the Fall 2022 survey, this new report depicts the % of the DMA audience that listens to AM radio in a month. AM listening for every state is also detailed. Download the PDF here.

These analyses are based on all radio stations in the U.S., not just Nielsen subscribers.

Key takeaways:

• States with the largest proportion of AM listening tend to be from the Midwest with a few from the West Coast
• The states with the largest AM radio usage have a wide variety of sizes and broad geographical diversity

Source: Nielsen Nationwide Fall 2022, Persons 12+, Monday – Sunday 12m-12m, 4-week reach, Nielsen data processed by Act1 Systems