Survey: 85% of Adults Listen to Radio Weekly

RADIO ONLINE | Thursday, January 30, 2025

FMR/Eastlan Ratings

New data from the 2025 FMR/Eastlan Ratings National Radio Listening Survey reveals that 85% of adults, 25-64, listen to Radio weekly. Radio has been remarkably consistent over the last three years, revealing stable dominance in the audio space.

The most significant change in the 2025 Survey as compared to a year ago is the unprecedented jump in podcast listening. However, that large increase did not affect weekly radio, streaming or satellite consumption, instead it appears to represent additional weekly audio listening.

Two thirds of all primary radio listening came from the traditional AM/FM radio, while 9% of listening was through a phone app, 16% from a stream. In markets 31 , 71% of all listening is from traditional AM/FM radio.

New in 2025 listeners were asked if they preferred a couple longer commercial breaks per hour versus several shorter commercial breaks. The study revealed no consensus among radio fans with half preferring more shorter breaks and half the longer breaks. Sports radio fans did prefer shorter breaks while large market music radio fans would rather have fewer longer commercial breaks.