Ad industry perceptions of media audiences are often completely opposite reality. Duncan Stewart, Director of Research, Technology, Media & Telecommunications at Deloitte, puts it best: “Why do people think that nobody listens to radio anymore? Because there is a narrative that new media kills old media, so nobody bothers to look at evidence that doesn’t fit the narrative.”
In this week's Westwood One AudioActive Blog, Perrie Bouvard challenges the narratives and looks at some evidence. He presents frequently heard media agency and marketer myths along with a just released August 2025 study from Advertiser Perceptions, the gold standard of advertiser/agency sentiment.
Using data from research leaders Nielsen, LeadsRx, and Edison Research, the blog disproves eight of the biggest misperceptions brands hold about AM/FM radio.
š Misperception #1: “No one listens to AM/FM radio.”
Reality: 87% of Americans are reached by AM/FM radio weekly, over twice what advertisers perceive.
š Misperception #2: “No one under 35 listens to AM/FM radio anymore.”
Persons 18-34 is the largest AM/FM radio listening demographic. Over 59 million persons 18-34 listen to AM/FM radio weekly.
š Misperception #3: “Audience shares to Pandora/Spotify are larger than AM/FM radio.”
š Misperception #3: “Audience shares to Pandora/Spotify are larger than AM/FM radio.”
š Misperception #4: “In the world of the connected car, the number one thing people do in their car is stream online radio on their smartphones.”
š Misperception #5: “Today’s optimal media plan: Put all of your money into connected TV, TV, and social/digital.”
AM/FM radio boosts campaign reach among light TV viewers, adding over 22 points of incremental reach (nearly 2X CTV) and 4X digital).
š Misperception #6: “The optimal audio buy is Spotify, Pandora, and podcasts.”
In a typical day, digital audio reaches only a third of America. AM/FM radio’s reach is 2X larger.
š Misperception #7: “I would love to consider audio. However, there’s a total lack of ROI and sales lift and outcomes evidence for AM/FM radio.”
Despite marketer perceptions, Nielsen global Media Mix Modeling norms reports AM/FM radio ROI ranks #2 of ten media. On average, AM/FM radio generates a +14% lift in site traffic across 17 campaigns.
š Misperception #8: “AM/FM radio cannot be measured.”
Anything that can measured in digital and TV can be measured in audio with Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group® measurement solutions.
➤Click here to view the full post on the blog.
Pierre Bouvard is Chief Insights Officer of the Westwood One Audio Active Group®.