AM/FM radio still rules the road in “Share of Ear” report

For the third consecutive year, Cumulus Media’s Westwood One Audio Active Group has commissioned a bespoke analysis of Edison Research’s latest “Share of Ear” report — an authoritative examination of time spent with audio in the United States — this time focusing exclusively on drivers by auto brand.

Key findings from Q2 2025:

• AM/FM radio continues to dominate in-car listening, accounting for 56 percent of all audio minutes spent by drivers in vehicles — covering both ad-free and ad-supported formats.
• When it comes to ad-supported in-car audio, AM/FM radio claims an 85 percent share, reaffirming its reach in the automotive space.
• For product design and engineering teams, this highlights the importance of integrating traditional radio into vehicle audio systems. For auto-brand marketing teams, AM/FM radio continues to be a key channel for engaging American drivers and potential buyers.
• Among Tesla drivers, while AM/FM radio still leads, podcasts register a higher share than average, and SiriusXM commands a smaller slice — highlighting an audience segment more inclined toward on-demand audio.
• The proportion of total AM/FM listening that occurs in the car has now returned to pre-pandemic norms, stabilizing around 50 percent, versus a pandemic-era low of nearly 40 percent.

You can read more on Westwood One’s analysis of the “Share of Ear” report here.

You can read the full report here.