Edison: Podcast Consumption Hits Record High
Edison Research releases its latest study, The Podcast Consumer 2025 that it says “charts the continued rise of podcast listening in the U.S and underscores the significant appeal of video podcasts.” Among the takeaways from this report are: 1) Podcast consumption continues at a record high: 73% of those ages 12+
have ever consumed a podcast, 55% have consumed a podcast in the last month, and 40% have consumed a podcast in the last week, each measure being an all-time high; 2) Video podcast consumption has redefined the podcast landscape: Over half (51%) of the U.S. 12+ population has ever watched a video podcast; 37% have watched a video podcast in the last month and 26% have watched a video podcast in the last week. Those who actively watch video podcasts are younger and more diverse than those who only listen to audio-only podcasts; and 3) Podcasts offer high engagement and trust from listeners: 88% of weekly podcast consumers agree that hearing ads is a fair price to pay for free content; 68% say they don’t mind hearing ads on podcasts. You can see The Podcast Consumer 2025 here.
Ask any dog: The humans’ greatest invention EVER? Ice cream. Share summer’s sweetest treat with them, and listeners, during National Ice Cream Month.
receive on our mobile phones. With underlying frameworks that are 31 and 13 years old respectively, we think it’s time to explore if structural changes to these systems are needed, with an eye towards making sure we are leveraging the latest technology to save lives. Similarly, we will also vote to initiate a review of our system for collecting real-time data on network outages and restoration during and after major disasters. Since its inception in 2007, our Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) has proven to be a valuable tool for collecting actionable information to help with recovery efforts. While the DIRS reports are valuable, they can be time-consuming to produce, drawing resources away from responding to an ongoing disaster. The Commission will vote on reforms to streamline DIRS to make sure that its benefits outweigh its burdens. We’ll close our August meeting by removing unnecessary regulations and injecting common sense across the Commission’s policies—critical features to streamline the implementation of our Build America Agenda.” 
available free of charge to the first 200 TALKERS readers who respond to the offer. This valuable resource is packed with contact information to reach Members of Congress and their key staffers. 
“Eric from Dominion saying he was going to make sure President Trump lost the 2020 election.” That was picked up and broadcast by OAN network and further repeated by the Trump campaign and Trump attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell. Coomer also sued MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and won a $2.3 million judgement. Courthouse News also reports that Coomer is also suing Salem personality Eric Metaxas who recently filed with the court to settle and is awaiting approval from the court. Interestingly, Corporon – a practicing attorney – is representing Gateway Pundit owner James Hoft who is also being sued by Coomer for defamation. That case is scheduled to go to trial in April of 2026. 
-home media company JCDecaux reveals creative best practices for billboard advertising that the AM/FM radio industry can utilize to improve visual ad impact. Some of the key findings include: 1) Quu visual AM/FM radio ads on auto dashboards increase purchase intent by +89%; 2) You’ve got two seconds so brand fast: Visual logos placed at top of the frame deliver 4X higher brand recognition; 3) Beware the cost of dull: Failure to engage emotionally is the cost of creative mediocrity; 4) Be consistent with a brand’s colors, logos, slogans, and fonts that appear in other advertising; 5) Keep it short: The fewer the words, the greater the brand recognition; and 6) Create happiness: Ads that create positive emotions with happiness, surprise, or humor generate much stronger memorability, brand association, store visits, and website visits. 
How obsolete does this sound? “Newsweek magazine.” News, gathered during most-of the week, had to be frozen by week’s-end, on deadline, to roll the presses in time for hard copy to be delivered in Monday’s snail mail. Back then – picture people dressed like “Mad Men” characters – enough subscribers felt informed-enough to deliver Return On Investment for the magazine’s advertisers. Seems antique. Now, news is reported moment-to-moment, on any device. And newsweek.com is there… along with everyone else competing for attention.
and companies seeking to hire, especially among passive job seekers who are less likely to use job sites: Nine out of 10 job seekers are reached by ad-supported audio. Over-the-air AM/FM radio reaches nearly 80% of active and passive job seekers. Six out of 10 active job seekers are reached by podcasts; 2) AM/FM radio streaming’s audience growth has surged among job seekers: Since 2021, AM/FM radio streaming has soared in usage among both active and passive job seekers. Six out 10 active job seekers are reached by AM/FM radio streaming; 3) Passive job seekers outnumber active job seekers by +50%. Active job seekers are growing: The optimal source for filling positions are passive job seekers who outnumber active job seekers by +50%. Active job seekers have surged from 15% in 2018 to 24% currently; and 4) Advertising works: There is a very linear relationship between ad spend, share of voice, ad recall, and market share. The greater the ad spend, the greater the ad recall and market share. 
last 11 years, the study has been reprised annually to track buy-side podcast advertising consideration and intention. The latest Advertiser Perceptions study, conducted in June 2025 with 302 marketers and media agencies, reveals advertiser/agency podcasting usage and interest has reached an 11-year high.” Some of the notable takeaways from this study include: 1) Nine out of 10 marketers and media agencies say they have discussed podcast advertising for potential investment; 2) Podcast advertising consideration surges to an eleven-year high: 74% of brands and agencies say they are likely to consider advertising in podcasts; 3) Podcast spending intention jumps to 69%, an eleven-year record; and 4) 78% of agencies and advertisers currently advertise in podcasts, a 5X increase since the first IAB podcast upfront in 2015. 
Are archived shows – whole hours – your station’s only on-demand offering? It’s an easy checkbox: post the aircheck, call it a podcast.
2025. The inductees will be honored at the in-person 2025 Radio Hall of Fame Induction ceremony on October 30 at the Swissotel Hotel in Chicago. Among this year’s inductees are: Colin Cowherd, host of “The Herd with Colin Cowherd”; Mike McVay of McVay Media; and Julie Talbott, president of Premiere Networks. 
($2.7 billion), #2 direct mail ($2.5 billion), #3 PC/laptop ($2.3 billion), and #4 TV OTA+digital ($1.6 billion). The report notes that 64% of the state’s total ad spend in done in three markets: Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Tampa-St. Petersburgh-Sarasota, and Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne. 
-24 and, perhaps not surprisingly, their most preferred categories of podcasts are Comedy, Music, Entertainment, and True Crime. News/Information is far down the list with just 17% saying they watched or listened to a news/information podcast in the last month. Also noteworthy is the breakdown of delivery systems for audio for this demographic. Streaming music is the top audio source (42%), followed by YouTube (20%), and AM/FM (16%) in third place. 
solutions executive Michael Katz writes that, according to Scarborough consumer purchase data, consumers were asked to “select auto dealerships where you or other household members might shop if you were planning to buy or lease a new or used vehicle (including in-store and online shopping)” and 36% were unable to name an auto dealer. Katz adds that one out five auto intenders (21%), those who will lease or buy a new or used vehicle in the next year, cannot name one auto dealer. He says, “Auto dealers need ads that teach people who they are and build their brands.” 
are grateful to Steve and Ken Thiele (founder & executive chairman) for their magnanimous corporate contribution to support the work of the Broadcasters Foundation. With support like this from the broadcast industry, the Broadcasters Foundation can continue to deliver much-needed aid to those in our business who need it most. We hope this match campaign inspires other organizations to find impactful ways to support our unique mission.” For information about the Broadcasters Foundation, including how to make a donation or apply for aid, please visit 
If you saved back issues from when TALKERS was a print tabloid, dig-down about 20 years into the stack. A couple times a year beginning then, I was reporting from conferences then called The Podcast and New Media Expo, which later evolved into NMX and BlogWorld and other incarnations.
The drive to stream video of radio shows has always been risky. Remember your shock when you first saw one of your radio heroes? Video streaming can present a constant disconnect between the show in the listener’s head and the show on the stream. Many stations make the disconnect worse by streaming terrible video images. Combine the trauma of how a host really looks with a dreary TV show and the package cannot benefit the relationship between station and listener/viewer.
right, two shows… one on the radio, one on the stream. Seamless and fun.
KPIs and lower CPMs can be misleading, and a channel’s ability to claim conversion credit doesn’t necessarily translate to real value. This bias can lead to underinvestment in traditional channels, like radio, which, despite being perceived as less effective, can deliver substantial ROI.” The perceived effectiveness of radio by marketers puts it dead last in ROI. But a weighted average shows that radio is second only to social media in ROI. The study also found that “podcasts demonstrate strong ROI, comparable to TV and digital display, yet they are often overlooked or undervalued.” 
manager Liz Mayer says, “There is no denying that YouTube is playing an important role in the podcast ecosystem, especially when it comes to discovering new podcasts. However, over half of weekly podcast consumers indicate they consume via audio primarily. So, while the new video capabilities are exciting and need to be focused on, the industry can’t forget that it’s what consumers are hearing that is most important.” Highlights from the report include: 1) Audio remains the primary mode of podcast consumption (58%) despite growing video options; 2) YouTube is the leading podcast platform, yet it is not a walled garden as consumers listen to podcasts across multiple platforms; 3) Podcast discovery: YouTube is the place to be found; 44% of new podcast audiences started listening on YouTube; 4) Downloads and listens underestimate the actual audience: The current download impression model fails to account for co-listening; and 5) Why podcast advertising works so well: Podcasts hosts are three times more influential than social media influencers. 
With so many of us taking vacation time soon, guest hosts are often local somebodies who are not career broadcasters and don’t share our second-nature performance routines. For their benefit, these tips, based on my experience on both sides of the mic:
website: “He was our friend and co-worker at WWJ Newsradio 950 and also a friend to our listeners, bringing you the stories of the day from Detroit and across Southeast Michigan. Someone recently described him as a hero, and we can’t argue with that. We are heartbroken to share that WWJ reporter and anchor Mike Campbell died on Sunday. He was 65 years old, having just celebrated his birthday at the end of May. He was a fearless reporter, with unique style — a way of talking to and connecting with the people who were a part of the stories he told.” Campbell is survived by his wife Terri and is children. 
This coming Sunday, June 15, is Father’s Day. For that day – and the Friday before (hint-hint) – you might have already readied Harry Chapin’s “
study of 303 media agencies and marketers conducted in August 2024 found the perceived combined audience share of Pandora/Spotify is 43%, much greater than the perceived share of AM/FM radio (27%). In reality, “According to the Q1 2025 Share of Ear, AM/FM radio’s persons 18+ share of ad-supported audio (68%) is 14 times larger than ad-supported Pandora (5%) and ad-supported Spotify (5%).” The data also reveals that podcasts take the second-place spot with a 20% share. Ad-supported Pandora (5%), ad-supported Spotify (5%), and ad-supported SiriusXM (3%) lag distantly. 
“Fewer than half of Americans plan to travel this Summer,” according to a 
encompasses four divisions: Local TV and Radio; Network, Syndication Service, Program Service TV and Radio; Digital News Organizations; and Student Awards. RTDNA says the Murrow Awards “recognize local and national news stories that uphold the RTDNA Code of Ethics, demonstrate technical expertise and exemplify the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the community. Murrow Award-winning work demonstrates the excellence that Edward R. Murrow made a standard for the broadcast news profession.”