U.S. Returns To The Office As AM/FM Radio Listening Surges.
- Inside Audio Marketing
- 6 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Audacy Senior Vice President Ray Borelli is highlighting an encouraging fact from the latest Edison Research Q1 2025 Share of Ear report: AM/FM radio listening at work gained a whopping 10 share points vs. a year earlier.
“Radio has been the office soundtrack for decades, dominating at-work listening,” Borelli writes in his latest Audacy Insights piece. “But the pandemic upended work routines and media habits. Now the trend is shifting back. A recent survey reported that 64% of companies have called employees back to the office, a figure that’s expected to rise to 87% by the end of 2025.”
The revival of at-work AM/FM listening — 63% among ad-supported sources, up from 53% in Q1 2024 — plus AM/FM’s enduring in-car dominance (84% of ad-supported listening), reinforces the medium’s ability to reach consumers when they’re closest to the point of purchase.
“Radio provides a valuable opportunity for marketers to engage with office workers throughout their day, from the morning drive, at the office, to the evening commute,” the article says. “Think about the listener who hears an ad for an appliance store sale or the latest deal at their favorite quick-serve restaurant while at work. They are going to be more likely to search online or stop by on their way home.”
Edison’s research finds radio remains resilient: 66% of U.S. adults listen to broadcast or streaming AM/FM radio daily, with AM/FM No. 1 across all key demos. That includes Gen Z and Millennials.
Smart speakers are contributing to radio’s gains. Borelli writes that it has never been easier for consumers (and office workers) to find their favorite radio stations, with radio the top ad-supported listening choice on smart speakers. “AM/FM radio overtook streaming music’s share of ad-supported listening on smart speakers in 2022 and now commands a 17-point advantage (48% vs. 31%).”
Meanwhile, podcast listening gains continue. The share of ad-supported digital audio listening to podcasts has more than tripled in the past decade, with podcasts overtaking streaming music in 2022. It now holds a substantial double-digit share advantage. The latest study finds that 46% of all ad-supported digital audio listening was to podcasts.