How is bad news good news for radio? The answer lies in the latest traffic congestion data. The INRIX 2024 Global Traffic Scorecard shows that 15 of the top 20 metro areas saw increases in time spent in traffic during the past year. That may be frustrating for drivers, but with AM/FM radio the media’s proverbial king of the road, it offers the industry to pitch itself as a media environment that some advertisers are missing.
The latest Global Traffic Scorecard shows Americans spent an average of 43 hours in traffic in 2024. This offers a “huge opportunity” for brands to make meaningful connections while people are parked on the road and listening to the radio. “Between daily commutes and growing ‘third space’ activities in the car, consumers spend a considerable amount of time in their cars,” Katz Radio Group says.
INRIX says New York City is where the most hours were lost by drivers, at 102 hours last year when comparing peak to off-peak drive times. That is well above the 43 hours lost on average across the U.S. Several other cities are also well above the norm, including Chicago (102 hours), Los Angeles (88 hours), Boston (79 hours), Philadelphia (77 hours), Miami (74 hours), Houston (66 hours), Atlanta (65 hours), Seattle and Nashville (both 63 hours). The few big cities that are below the U.S. average include Dallas, Charlotte, and San Antonio.
However, drivers may be most frustrated in places where bottlenecks are getting worse. INRIX says the cities where time spent in traffic increased the most include Denver (+19%), Stamford, CT (+18%), Nashville (+13%), and Philadelphia (+12%). Things did get a bit better in the past year in Los Angeles, Washington, and Boston, however.
The opportunity for radio lies in the use of radio while in the car. Edison Research’s Share of Ear report finds that 86% of the time spent with ad-supported audio while in a vehicle goes to AM/FM radio. Podcasts are a far-distant second, with a 7% share, with even smaller shares for streaming music or satellite radio.
“As Americans get closer to spending two full days in traffic a year, radio is a must for brands looking to reach these attentive consumers in the car with ad messaging,” Katz says in its analysis of the latest numbers. “Time spent in the car, even in traffic congestion, offers significant opportunities for brands to engage with captive audiences through audio. And no audio platform is equipped to turn these opportunities into connections with local consumers better than AM/FM radio.”
Katz also suggests in a blog post that partnering with traffic networks, such as its own TWIN+ Traffic Weather Information Network, allows brands to target even further with ads and sponsorships that are contextually aligned to people seeking content related to their drive.