Tale as old as time.

Pundits predict the death of AM/FM radio as a result of new technology. The latest myth is that smart speakers are killing AM/FM radio. The claim is Amazon Alexa or Google Home owners spend less time with AM/FM radio.

Edison Research’s “Share of Ear”: the authority on American audio time spent and reach
We turned to Edison Research’s “Share of Ear” study to check the facts. “Share of Ear” is the authoritative and definitive view of how Americans consume audio content. Edison reports share of audio time spent and percentage of Americans who use each content source on a daily basis.

Twice a year, Edison Research conducts a study to track consumer use of audio. 2,000 respondents keep a 24-hour diary to record audio usage. Each released study reflects 4,000 respondents, representing a rolling two-quarter average. The latest study is based on surveys from Q2 2017 and Q4 2017.

Here is AM/FM daily time spent and daily reach among smart speaker owners compared to the total U.S.:

Time spent with AM/FM radio is identical among smart speaker owners and all Americans
Smart speaker owners spend 1 hour and 51 minutes a day with AM/FM radio.
Daily total U.S. AM/FM radio time spent? 1 hour and 53 minutes.
Virtually identical.

AM/FM radio average daily reach is identical among smart speaker owners and all Americans
In a typical day, 71% of smart speaker owners listen to AM/FM radio.
Total U.S. AM/FM radio daily reach? 71%.
Identical.

AM/FM radio usage among smart speaker owners and the total U.S. is the same.

Facts.

Pierre Bouvard is Chief Insights Officer at Cumulus | Westwood One.

Contact the Insights team at CorpMarketing@westwoodone.com.