This article from Radio Ink, published on January 3, 2025, reviews the current landscape of all audio listening including radio AM/FM.
The FCC opens the Audio Marketplace segment by recognizing terrestrial AM, FM, and low-power FM broadcasters as the “mainstay” of audio programming. As of March 2024, there were 17,370 licensed terrestrial stations in the United States, including:
- 4,427 AM stations (down from 4,580 in 2020)
- 6,663 commercial FM stations
- 4,320 non-commercial FM stations
- 1,960 LPFM stations
This marks only a one-station decrease from the previous year. However, AM/FM radio’s share of total audio listening continues to erode, dropping to 36% in 2023, according to Edison Research, as online platforms gain ground. In-car listening remains a stronghold, but competition from integrated streaming services is intensifying.
However, if an advertiser knows how to use radio correctly, and that’s the key, “correctly,” good ROI results can still be obtained.
Full article can be found here.