AM/FM Radio Maintains Dominance In Car As Commuting Increases.

A new study commissioned by Cumulus Media | Westwood One finds that marketers, media agencies and the average American are spending more time commuting to work, creating opportunities for AM/FM radio to reach consumers during their daily drives.

The October 2026 research also shows that AM/FM radio continues to account for the overwhelming majority of ad-supported audio listening in cars and trucks.

Westwood One’s Audio Active Group commissioned the research as part of its examination of media consumption and advertising opportunities. Pierre Bouvard, Chief Insights Officer for the group, authored the blog post on the findings.

The study found that 59% of marketers and media agency executives were commuting to the office all or most days in October, up from 22% in April 2022. Another 32% said they commuted some days, while 8% worked exclusively from home.

Overall, 91% of buy-side executives were commuting to the office vs. 63% in April 2022. The share working remotely full time had fallen to single digits for the first time since the pandemic.

The research included an Advertiser Perceptions survey of 304 media agencies and brands conducted Oct. 1-13. The results were compared with nine previous studies dating to April 2022. A separate Quantilope survey of 1,600 U.S. adults 18 and older examined consumer commuting habits.

Among Americans who commuted to work before the pandemic, 87% were working outside the home in October 2026, according to the Quantilope study.

The findings indicate that the return to the workplace has increased opportunities for advertisers to reach consumers through out-of-home media, including billboards, digital signage and radio.

AM/FM radio accounted for 81% of ad-supported audio listening in cars and trucks in Edison Research’s third-quarter 2026 “Share of Ear” report. The study measures daily reach and time spent with audio across platforms.

Westwood One said the return-to-work trend has had less impact on digital audio services such as Spotify, Pandora and podcasts, which are primarily consumed at home.

The study also found that Americans are spending more days at work than advertising industry professionals. The average American reported working 4.7 days a week vs. 4.2 days for marketers and media agencies. About 51% of advertising industry respondents said they worked in the office five days a week.

Both groups were most likely to work in the office Monday through Thursday, with Friday recording the lowest level of in-person attendance.

The report said 80% of marketers and agency executives had resumed in-person media vendor meetings, while 81% had returned to in-person conferences and events.