Radio, Podcasts Drive Higher Brand Equity for Wireless Providers, Analyses Show.

AM/FM radio and podcasts are emerging as high-impact media channels for the nation’s major wireless carriers, according to a series of recent analyses showing stronger brand equity, higher return on investment and greater reach among consumers likely to switch cellular providers.

The findings were summarized and presented by Pierre Bouvard, Chief Insights Officer at Cumulus Media, in the latest Westwood One blog.

The “Big 3” carriers — Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T — rely heavily on audio to build brand awareness and drive subscriber growth. Industry data show AM/FM radio is the fourth most used media platform among cellular service providers, and MediaRadar reports it ranked fourth in telecom media spending in the first half of 2025.

Although telecom brands still spend roughly three times more on TV than on AM/FM radio, audio outperforms TV across several measures. Heavy audio users are more likely to be in the market for a new cellular plan, with MRI Simmons finding heavy AM/FM radio listeners are 8% more likely to be shopping for a new provider than heavy TV viewers (110 index vs. 102).

AM/FM radio’s reach is a major factor. In a typical month, the medium delivers the greatest reach among adults 25-54, and it leads all platforms in monthly reach among adults 18-34. Audio listeners also mirror the demographic and lifestyle characteristics of consumers intending to switch carriers in the next year, while “the heavy TV viewer profile looks nothing like consumers who plan to switch cell phone services in the next year,” according to the findings. Fifty-seven percent of likely switchers are 18-44.

Meanwhile, a Nielsen case study found AM/FM radio delivered substantial sales impact for one major cellular brand. By matching radio ad occurrences captured by portable people meters to credit and debit transactions, Nielsen reported that a $15 million radio investment produced $209 million in incremental sales over one quarter — a $14 return for every dollar spent. “Radio generated $14 of incremental cellular brand sales for every dollar of AM/FM radio advertising,” the study concluded.

A range of audio formats — including Urban, Hispanic, Top 40/CHR, Christian, Adult Standards, Adult Hits and Soft AC — contain large proportions of listeners who expect to change providers soon.

Brand perception data also favors audio. A Harris Poll Brand Tracker study of 8,913 respondents for a major cellular brand found that “key measures of brand equity (momentum, consideration, quality and familiarity) are much stronger among audio listening segments compared to heavy TV viewers.”

Despite significantly higher spending on TV, the brand showed weaker strength among heavy television audiences. The report called the results “odd” and “bizarre” given the size of the linear TV investment and suggested heavy TV viewers “are not really interested in the cellular service category or the brand,” reducing the effectiveness of TV impressions.

Modeling from Nielsen Media Impact shows that reallocating a portion of TV spend to audio can measurably boost campaign performance. Verizon’s radio and TV campaign in a recent month reached 71% of adults 18-49. “Shifting 20% of Verizon’s linear TV monthly investment to AM/FM Radio increases monthly reach from 71% to 82%, an increase of 16%,” the analysis found. The lift is strongest among younger adults, who are more likely to be shopping for a new wireless carrier, and among light TV viewers who rarely encounter Verizon’s television advertising.

Analysts say those results highlight radio’s “superpower” — generating incremental reach that TV alone cannot deliver.