When it comes to personality-based talk shows, podcasts have already achieved parity with AM/FM radio, according to a Westwood One analysis of Edison Research’s “Share of Ear” study. It also reports that both adults 18-34 and 25-54 spend more time with personalities/talk shows via podcast than on AM/FM.
Now, just-released research from Westwood One and MARU/Matchbox shows that among listeners of five nationally syndicated news/talk hosts, more than nine of ten listen to either the AM/FM radio program or the podcast, but not both.
“For AM/FM radio personalities, that means it is time to develop a podcast strategy,” Cumulus Media Chief Insights Officer Pierre Bouvard says in the latest entry in Westwood One’s “Everyone’s Listening” blog. “Personality shows need a multi-platform strategy to capture sufficient shares of audio time spent.”

Broken down by key demographics, the podcast share of ad-supported personalities/talk audio time spent is as high as 67% among adults 18-34 and 51% among adults 25-54, while its 40% among adults 35-64 rivals still-dominant AM/FM.

“Marketers who utilize both of a personality’s podcast and AM/FM radio platforms generate significant incremental reach as the vast majority of audiences only listen via one platform,” Bouvard says.
The Infinite Dial is based on a national telephone survey of 1,502 people aged 12 and older in both English and Spanish. Download the full study HERE.