L.A. Radio Listeners Counted On Local Radio During Fires.

As the debate over whether to require AM radio in cars heats up in Congress, new data from Nielsen is providing fresh evidence of the power of local radio during a crisis — even in a digitally connected market like Los Angeles. Nielsen says it saw a “remarkable rise” in radio listening during the L.A. fires last month, with one of every five radio listeners 12 and older in the market at that time tuned to a news-talk station. And in the core 25-54 age group, Nielsen says 13% of listeners tuned to news-talk radio.

The analysis shows the average quarter-hour share among persons 12 and older doubling to 20% on Jan. 8 — the day when fires spread quickly through several neighborhoods across the city — which fell during the fifth week of the Holiday ratings period. During the prior four weeks in the Holiday ratings, the average quarter-hour share among persons 12 and older was 9.3%.

“Local radio, with its ability to deliver hyper-local and timely updates, logged more than 97 million gross minutes, a 40% increase over the average of the seven days prior,” according to the Nielsen analysis.

Los Angeles is among the most ethnically diverse metro areas, with Hispanics making up 43% of the market’s 11.2 million residents. Seven percent are Black. Nielsen says their reliance on radio was just as notable during the L.A. fires. It says Hispanic households consumed nearly 22 million minutes of combined radio listening on average on Jan. 8. And Black audiences logged nearly 5.5 million minutes of radio.

As Inside Radio previously reported, Audacy’s all-news KNX-FM (97.1) saw its AQH persons spike 178% on Jan. 8, and its AQH share jump 181%. Other stations with key gains include iHeartMedia talk KFI (640 AM) with a 103% lift in AQH persons and 107% share increase on Jan. 8. Latino Media Network’s Spanish news-talk KTNQ (1020), where AQH persons (+162%), average daily cume (+188%), and share (+171%) all jumped triple digits. While news-talk “LAist 89.3” KPCC had a 73% growth in its average daily cume that day.

“When the stakes are high, trust becomes paramount. Social media provided timely updates, but also saw instances of misinformation creating confusion. Faced with this challenge, audiences turned to local media for fact-checked, reliable updates,” Nielsen says.

The ratings data backs up Nielsen’s 2024 Truth and Trust survey, which showed 57% of TV viewers ranked local news among their top three most trusted outlets, with trust levels even higher among Black (65%) and Hispanic (52%) audiences.

Beyond radio, Los Angeles television viewers recorded over 1.1 billion minutes of local TV news on Jan. 8, while impressions of that same news content on digital platforms alone surged by 1,693% over the average of the three weekdays prior.

Television also had sizable lifts among the two biggest ethnic groups. Nielsen says Hispanic households consumed nearly half a billion minutes of local TV on Jan. 8, representing a 321% increase. And Black audiences logged 121 million minutes of TV viewing, up 216%. Even younger audiences in the 18-to-34 demo demonstrated a notable shift in viewing behavior during the fires, with linear TV viewing up by 324% among that age group.

“While each platform saw engagement grow on its own, the way Angelenos’ accessed news during the fires shows us the growing trend for multiplatform strategies to reach today’s audience,” Nielsen says. “For audiences, linear TV provided immediacy and authority, while digital platforms offered flexibility and on-demand accessibility. This ensured that audiences could stay informed at home and on the move.” Adults 25–54 showed the highest growth in digital TV viewing during the fires, with consumption skyrocketing by 2,143%.