In the reality of COVID-19, our lifestyle and consumption habits have undeniably changed. Audiences are spending an inordinate amount of time with news, treating every update as an indicator of how society is coping and proceeding. In this time of need, live and local radio serves as a nerve center for communities across the nation.

UNIVERSAL REACH | 96%¹ of audiences across the nation indicate they have consumed audio content in the past week through an AM/FM radio, mobile or smart speaker. And over 70% of people seeking breaking news on audio, turned to AM/FM radio².

CAPTURING TV AUDIENCE | In moments of crisis, Radio presents advertisers with a clear advantage over TV. 46.5 million Americans who are unreachable through TV advertising³ (i.e., cord-cutters and cord-nevers who stream TV content), turn to radio for their news and information.

LIVE AND LOCAL CONNECTION | People seek voices they know and trust in trying circumstances. As radio consumption surges, audiences are turning away from disconnected music services. Reports show Spotify⁴ demand is down 15% and overall double-digit declines permeate algorithmic streaming service listenership.

ENGAGEMENT GROWTH | We also note strong increases in engagement with Entercom’s radio content. As of March 19, week-over-week total listening hours on RADIO.COM news channels was up 21%, setting a record for highest TLH in one day. The trend holds true across: