Advertisers Underestimate Radio’s Reach, ROI And Measurability.

For years, marketers have underestimated AM/FM radio’s reach, ROI and measurability. Based on new research from Advertiser Perceptions, this continues to be the case.

“Ad industry perceptions of media audiences are often completely opposite reality,” Cumulus Media/Westwood One Audio Active Group Chief Insights Officer Pierre Bouvard says in Westwood One’s blog. Indeed, when asked “What percentage of Americans are reached by AM/FM radio in a typical week?” responses from Advertiser Perceptions’ August 2026 sample of more than 300 media agencies and advertisers averaged 43% vs. Nielsen’s actual weekly reach of 86%. Additionally, radio reaches nine out of ten Americans monthly, according to Nielsen.

Nielsen also shows that persons 18-34 is the medium’s largest listening demo with a weekly reach of 63.5 million, vs. 57.8 million for adults 35-49, 54.9 for 50-64, and 58.1 for 65+.

While results from Advertiser Perceptions’ study show perceived audience share for ad-supported Spotify and Pandora rival that of AM/FM radio, Edison Research’s “Share of Ear” puts AM/FM’s share of ad-supported audio at 64%, vs. 5% for Spotify and 4% for Pandora. In-car listening to AM/FM is even stronger, with an 81% share vs. ad-supported Spotify’s 3% and ad-supported Pandora’s 2%.

As a result of these marketer misperceptions, brands may overlook AM/FM radio in their media plans, focusing instead on TV and digital media. Not a good move, according to Nielsen Media Impact, which shows that shifting 10% from a plan heavy on connected TV, linear TV and digital to AM/FM radio increases monthly reach by 20%.

Likewise, a plan with all the chips on digital – including ad-supported Spotify and Pandora, along with podcasts – reaches only 32% of persons 18+ vs. AM/FM radio’s 56% reach, according to Edison, which shows how AM/FM gives a significant lift to daily reach.

“A media plan is not complete without AM/FM radio,” Bouvard says. “AM/FM radio always elevates the media plan.”

For marketers claiming a lack of ROI and sales lift and outcomes evidence for AM/FM radio, there is again a wide gap between perception and reality. While in Nielsen’s survey of Chief Marketing Officers, AM/FM radio ranked dead last among 12 media with a 46% perceived sales effect, its actual weighted average ROI placed it fourth.

Further proof of AM/FM radio’s sales effect is its ability to drive search and site traffic, according to findings from LeadsRx’s five-year study of a wide variety of ad categories, which showed that for 17 ad campaigns, AM/FM generates a 14% lift in site traffic.

Finally, there is the advertiser claim that AM/FM radio cannot be measured. However, studies of brand lift, sales and digital audio brand effect, audio creative testing, retail location and site-and-search attribution, and use of enhanced media mix modeling data show that, Bouvard says, “Anything that can be measured in TV and digital can be measured in audio.”