Commuters are Tuning in to Traditional Radio

With all the music options available to today’s working commuter, some might wonder if traditional radio is still an active media. Commuters have options like paid satellite radio subscriptions, streaming radio services including Pandora and Spotify, listening to their personal music library, or dialing in to traditional FM/AM radio frequencies.

Edison Research released new survey results affirming that commuters do in fact still favor the traditional radio option. Results showed that nine out of ten commuters listen to traditional radio while on their way to work.

For advertisers, the biggest question comes when discussing the commercial time. Do listeners tune out immediately? Well, 23% do. However, 29% of respondents said that they don’t typically switch away during commercial breaks at all.

When Commercial Comes On AM/FM Radio During Commute
Action	% of Respondents
Do not switch	29%
Listen to at least one commercial	23%
Listen to part of one commercial	25%
Tune away immediately	23%
Source: Edison Research, April 2016

When it comes to switching stations due to commercials, Pandora listeners are less likely. Edison Research states that 61% of Pandora listeners never switch away at commercial breaks.

From this research, it’s evident that traditional radio is still very viable. More listeners give advertisers more opportunities to get their message across. With the majority of Pandora listeners staying tuned during commercials, it might be wise to combine the two platforms in your media mix to best reach daily commuters.