Has Podcasting Caught AM/FM Talk Radio?

The Jag Show

Has Podcasting overtaken AM and FM Talk Radio? Well, yes and no.

This is from Edison Research’s Share of Ear Survey. In 2017, 66% of all spoken word audio was consumed over AM and FM radio. Only 13% of ears went to podcasts. Well fast forward to the second quarter of 2024. Talk Radio is at 43%, and Podcasts are catching up at 36%.

But if we dig a little deeper, among ages 13-64, Podcasting has ALREADY surpassed AM/FM Talk Radio – 41% to 39%. So the only reason the radio still wins is the 65+ demo, who pick the radio 5-1 over podcasting. So while talk radio listeners are yelling “get off my lawn!” podcasting will catch up – if not this year, probably by 2025.

This change will be accelerated by increased podcast discoverability. According to PodNews, Matthew Passy and the folks at Custom Podcast Solutions will be debuting an NFC-enabled Bluetooth Beacon. You can wear it on your wrist, and instead of telling someone to search, or scan a QR code, you can have them tap their phone to open your podcast. This is supposedly going to be on display at the Podcast Movement this August in DC., so I’ll be sure to report back.

Some Spotify-related news to close with this week

First, Spotify is ditching polls and adding comments to podcast episodes. And unlike Apple, you can approve comments, block trolls, and manage the comments on their new Spotify for Podcasters app, not to be confused with the Spotify App itself.

And finally, Spotify is now bragging that they have 250,000 Video podcasts on their platform. I’m still leery of this – I don’t want to use Spotify for Podcasters to access this tool, because I don’t want Spotify to own my show. For me, I’m going to stick to producing an audio podcast via my RSS host, Simplecast, for Apple, Spotify, and more. And I’ll put the video directly on YouTube, which has a much bigger audience than Spotify. And because these episodes are short, I’ll keep posting the video directly on my social media channels via JAG in Detroit.Because each social media app’s algorithm likes videos that keep people in their app. I’m more interested in getting my content to as many people in as many places as possible.

Find jag on social media @JAGinDetroit or online at JAGinDetroit.com