Why Public Radio Remains Essential for Effective Brand Development in 2025
In a landscape saturated with fleeting digital trends, there has never been a better time to come together and share public radio’s powerful story and indisputable strengths. Armed with fresh insights from the RAB’s “Why You Should Be Laser Focused on the Radio” and Edison’s “Share of Ear” results from 2024, we’ve compiled the top 10 reasons why public radio remains essential for informed communities and effective brand engagement. Demonstrate the powerful reach, audience quality and measurable effectiveness that make public radio a vital force in today’s media ecosystem.
1. Radio Performs Strongly on Media Fundamentals
- Radio has unparalleled reach, precise targeting and significant attention levels, according to Tammy Greenberg, SVP/Business Development, RAB and Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
2. Radio is Integral to the Communications Mix
- Radio is well-trusted and culturally relevant, giving brands a fresh way to engage consumers with key messages while making all other media work harder.
3. Radio Elevates Audio Impact
- Multi-platform campaigns that include broadcast radio deliver a 50% uplift in Return on Ad Spend compared to those using digital audio alone.
4. Radio Delivers Attributable Outcomes
Effective tools exist to track conversion and other ROI measures, enabling campaigns to be optimized mid-flight. Nielsen’s methodology modernization ensures better inputs for performance, tracking and ROI.
5. Radio Measurement from Nielsen Begins to Level the Playing Field
- The Nielsen three-minute qualifier modernization offers a more comprehensive definition of radio’s audience and their listening behavior.
- More impressions among highly attentive and connected target audiences will drive (and have been proven to drive) even better outcomes and insights from the top to the bottom of the marketing funnel for brands.
6. Radio Dominates Ad-Supported Audio Listening
- Edison Research’s full Share of Ear results for 2024 show nearly 90% of ad-supported in-car audio listening belongs to AM/FM. Radio continues to dominate ad-supported audio listening, whether at work, home, or in the car – even among Millennials and Gen Z.
7. Radio’s Influence Extends Beyond the Car
- Over half of ad-supported listening at home is attributed to AM/FM, far outpacing streaming music at a three-to-one margin.
- Gen Z spends almost as much time with AM/FM radio than with ad-supported streaming. AM/FM broadcast still accounts for 30% of their listening, while streaming music holds a slight lead on their consumption at 32%. Podcasts hold 29%, showing a well-balanced audio diet.
- Similarly, millennials balance traditional and digital audio, with 48% of their listening attributed to AM/FM, 30% to streaming music, and 16% to podcasts.
8. Live, Over-the-Air Broadcasts Hold Enduring Appeal
- Baby Boomers spend 69% of their ad-supported audio time with terrestrial radio, demonstrating the enduring appeal of live, over-the-air broadcasts. Gen X listeners dedicate 64% of their daily listening to radio.
9. Podcasts Enhance the Audio Mix, Providing Deeper Engagement
- In 2024, Edison also found that podcast listening continues to rise, now holding the #2 spot in share of listening for three consecutive years, surpassing streaming music. Podcast sponsorships anyone?
10. Radio Is the Biggest Service Provider to Communities, Day In and Day Out
- Public radio affords listeners entertainment, information, trusted news and companionship.
Find infographics and more tools to help you build stand-out proposals at greaterpublic.org.
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