{"id":7200,"date":"2023-06-15T11:55:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-15T16:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?p=7200"},"modified":"2025-09-25T10:02:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T14:02:15","slug":"audio-and-podcasting","status":"publish","type":"fact-sheet","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/fact-sheet\/audio-and-podcasting\/","title":{"rendered":"Audio and Podcasting Fact Sheet"},"content":{"rendered":"
Fact Sheets: State of the News Media<\/a><\/div>
Audio\/Podcasting<\/a>Cable News<\/a>Digital News<\/a>Hispanic\/Black News Media<\/a>Local TV News<\/a>Network News<\/a>Newspapers<\/a>Public Broadcasting<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

Note: This 2023 fact sheet was part of the last update to our State of the News Media report. Find more updated survey data about podcasts in our \u201cPodcasts and News Fact Sheet<\/a>\u201d here. Read archived reports<\/a> on the State of the News Media from 2004-23 and the methodology<\/a> here.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CORRECTION (June 16, 2023): Two in-text citations of data from \u201cThe Infinite Dial 2023\u201d report and source notes for charts on \u201cPodcast listenership\u201d and \u201cOnline audio listenership\u201d have been updated to reflect that data from \u201cThe Infinite Dial 2023\u201d report comes solely from Edison Research. One in-text reference to Audacy has been updated to reflect that Entercom changed its name to Audacy in 2021. These updates do not affect any of the analysis\u2019s substantive or overall findings. In addition, the following sentence about revenue for news radio stations has been updated to read, \u201cAnd revenue for news radio stations dropped in 2020 after years of relative stability, but increased in 2021 and stayed the same in 2022.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The audio news sector in the United States is split by modes of delivery: traditional terrestrial radio (AM\/FM) and digital formats, such as online audio and podcasting. While terrestrial radio reaches a large portion of the U.S. population, online audio and podcasting audiences have grown over the last decade. And revenue for news radio stations dropped in 2020 after years of relative stability, but increased in 2021 and stayed the same in 2022. Explore the patterns and longitudinal data about audio and podcasting below. (Data on public radio beyond podcasting is available in a separate fact sheet<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Audience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The audience for terrestrial radio has remained large and constant over the past few years. Weekly listenership dropped from 89% in 2019 to 83% in 2020, but it has since been relatively stable. In 2022, 82% of Americans ages 12 and older listened to terrestrial radio in a given week, according to Nielsen Media Research data published by the Radio Advertising Bureau<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note: This and most data on the radio sector apply to all types of listening and do not break out news, except where noted. In 2019, Nielsen listed news\/talk among the most-listened-to radio formats<\/a>; in 2022, 47% of U.S. adults said they got news on the radio<\/a> often or sometimes.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Weekly terrestrial radio listenership<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
% of Americans ages 12 and older who listen to terrestrial (AM\/FM) radio in a given week<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Source: Nielsen Audio RADAR 156, March 2023, publicly available via Radio Advertising Bureau. <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
PEW RESEARCH CENTER<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Share this chart<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t