Study: AM/FM Radio Adds Reach Across Media Plans

RADIO ONLINE | Monday, August 17, 2026 | 2:18pm CT

Cumulus Media | Westwood One

AM/FM radio can generate significant incremental audience reach when added to digital, social media and television advertising campaigns, according to an analysis of new data from MRI-Simmons, Edison Research and Nielsen.

The findings are examined by Cumulus Media and Westwood One Audio Active Group Chief Insights Officer Pierre Bouvard, who argues that mass reach remains one of the primary drivers of advertising effectiveness and brand growth.

According to Nielsen, Edison and MRI-Simmons data cited in the analysis, AM/FM radio is the leading mass-reach medium among adults 25-54. Nielsen's Q1 2026 Audience Insights report also shows radio reaching 81% of adults 18-34 weekly, placing it ahead of other measured media among the demographic.

MRI-Simmons' Spring 2026 study indicates radio can also expand the audience reached by social media campaigns. Adding AM/FM radio produces a 34% incremental reach increase to Facebook, a 60% increase to Instagram and 2.1 times the reach of TikTok alone.

Similar results were found for YouTube, with MRI-Simmons reporting that adding AM/FM radio to a YouTube media plan generates a 46% lift in incremental reach.

Bouvard also points to Edison Research's Q2 2026 "Share of Ear" study to illustrate the difference between digital and broadcast audio reach. According to the analysis, the combined daily reach of ad-supported Pandora and Spotify among adults 18 is 12%. Adding podcasts increases digital audio's combined reach to 32%.

When AM/FM radio is added, the combined net daily audio reach climbs to 72%, more than twice that of digital audio alone. Radio reaches an additional 40% of Americans who are not reached by digital audio on a typical day, according to the analysis.

Radio also provides incremental reach when combined with television. Nielsen's Q1 2026 Audience Insights data indicates adding AM/FM radio increases TV reach by 23% among adults 18 , with the gains becoming larger among younger demographics.

Among adults 25-54, adding radio increases TV reach by 32%, while the lift reaches 45% among adults 18-49 and 65% among adults 18-34.

Bouvard says the findings reinforce marketing research that emphasizes reaching broad groups of category buyers rather than relying heavily on frequency or narrowly targeted audiences. The strategy is designed to build "mental availability," or the likelihood that consumers will remember and consider a brand when making a purchase.

The analysis concludes that AM/FM radio's broad reach allows it to complement digital audio, social media, YouTube and television campaigns by reaching consumers those platforms miss.

Read the full Audio Active Group blog here.