Radio's Captive Audience 

TRACKING TIME SPENT IN TRAFFIC THROUGHOUT THE U.S.

Traffic congestion tacks minutes onto your daily commute – and even after schedules and behaviors were disrupted in 2020, those minutes are certainly adding up again! According to the 2022 Global Traffic Scorecard put together by transportation analytics company INRIX, Americans spent an average of more than two days (51 hours) in congestion traffic last year. Drivers added +15 hours of congestion year-over-year and +25 hours since 2020. 

Residents of major American cities, and top Radio Metros, faced even more daunting levels of traffic. In all, 19 cities were found to clock in over the U.S. average for congestion. Drivers in Miami, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston experienced more than double the U.S. average congestion time during their daily travels, while Chicago drivers sat in 3X the average traffic. 

Close to 40% of the U.S. cities analyzed by INRIX have exceeded their pre-Covid traffic congestion levels, including Chicago, Miami, Las Vegas, and Nashville. As we have seen throughout the pandemic, smaller markets experienced less impact and have already returned to pre-Covid traffic levels, whereas only a quarter of the top 50 traffic cities have surpassed 2019.

Click gray circle to enlarge chart.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR RADIO?

INRIX points out that traffic does not just mean a standstill, rather it is "the flow of people and goods around the country." And AM/FM radio is positioned for reaching people on the move better than any other medium. According to the the Infinite Dial 2022, nearly every one of these commuters tunes into radio in the car (90%). And if you consider all of the hours spent in congestion to be time spent listening to audio, it works out to huge real estate for radio. Edison's Share of Ear reports that 6 out of every 10 minutes spent listening to audio in the car is done to AM/FM radio - meaning radio is on for around 30 of the 51 hours spent in traffic across the U.S. and nearly 90 out of the 155 hours spent in Chicago traffic. AM/FM radio provides more than ample opportunity for advertisers to reach millions of engaged and attentive consumers in the car, where and when they're in a position to act on messaging. 

Chart is interactive.

For more information from INRIX.

Revisit 2022's Greatest Hits with the Sound Answers Top 10

Over the past three years, Katz has been sharing its Sound Answers newsletter, updating the marketplace regularly with insights on consumers' perceptions and behaviors toward radio, brands, and their local communities. Moving into 2023, Katz will continue to promote timely and engaging insights, case studies, analyses, and more, to help provide the sound answers needed to succeed in today's ever evolving media landscape. To see how far radio has come and what issues were of interest to readers in the past year, here are the top 10 most read Sound Answers releases from 2022: 

Release 61 (5.5.22): This issue covers radio's dominant place in the media landscape with data from Nielsen's Audience Insights Report, a look at what car buyers want in terms of in-car audio, and a Katz deep dive on radio and the D2C category. Click to read more.

Release 64 (6.23.22): This week covers new Nielsen data on the AM/FM radio streaming landscape, Katz's analysis of MRI-Simmons data that shows why MLB listeners are valuable consumers, and a new back-to-school sales forecast from Mastercard SpendingPulse. Click to read more.

Release 53 (1.13.22): This issue kicks off 2022 with a fresh Katz case study showing radio's impact on brand health metrics for a Digital Wellness Brand, the newly launched Katz Multicultural website, and a year-end look at Nielsen PPM data. Click to read more.

Release 63 (6.9.22): This issue shares findings from two new Katz case studies covering why early radio investment pays off for political campaigns and how consumers engaged with radio over Memorial Day. Also learn about the NRF's Father's Day spending forecast. Click to read more.

Release 58 (3.24.22): This issue highlights radio audience growth in Nielsen's February 2022 PPM release, tracks smart speaker growth with stats from the new Infinite Dial , and reveals what's in store for radio in BIA's local ad forecast. Click to read more.

Release 54 (1.27.22): This week highlights consumer trust in radio with data from MRI-Simmons, shares Westwood One insights on how radio can supersize QSR campaigns, and examines Nielsen RADAR data on where consumers are listening to radio throughout the day. Click to read more.

Release 66 (7.21.22): This week covers "Share of Ear" data on radio's ability to maximize audio ad messaging across locations, a new Katz survey showcasing how AM/FM radio resonates with satellite radio listeners, and a new Audacy report that finds audio ad engagement rises with frequency. Click to read more.

Release 57 (3.10.22): This issue highlights radio's "Share of Ear" dominating in-car messaging opportunities, a Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group study on how radio audiences are more receptive to ads, and evidence of a local awakening for retailers with data from WD Partners. Click to read more.

Release 62 (5.19.22): This week celebrates radio's massive "Share of Ear" in the car, radio's ability to deliver local consumer connections with Techsurvey 2022 data, and the relaunch of the Katz Local Vote, your go-to guide for navigating the midterm election cycle. Click to read more.

Release 70 (9.29.22): This issue shares Katz's new political case study on how early and diverse radio buys drive results for incumbents, Nielsen's Audio Today report focusing on Black Americans, and a look at consumers' waning trust in social platforms. Click to read more.