Radio Most Resilient Traditional Local News Source, Pew Finds

Why It Matters

Radio’s durability offers a reliable audience for local advertisers and newsrooms amid a broader erosion of legacy news consumption. Its steady preference share signals a unique foothold that competitors cannot easily replicate.

Key Takeaways

• 52% of U.S. adults get local news from radio at least sometimes
• Radio usage fell only 4 points since 2018, outpacing TV and print
• Preference for radio as primary local news source stays steady at 8%
• Online‑only local news share rose to 42% in 2025

Pulse Analysis

The Pew‑Knight Initiative’s latest surveys reveal that broadcast radio has become the most resilient traditional conduit for local news. While overall engagement with local journalism is waning—only 21% of Americans now follow it very closely—radio’s audience has contracted minimally, dropping from 56% in 2018 to 52% in 2025. This modest shift contrasts sharply with the steeper declines seen in television and print, underscoring radio’s entrenched role in the daily information diet of a broad cross‑section of the population.

Demographically, radio’s strength remains anchored in older listeners, with 10% of adults aged 50‑64 and 8% of those 65 and older naming it their preferred local‑news source. The platform also enjoys a slight partisan edge: Republican‑leaning adults favor radio at a 10% rate versus 7% among Democrats. For advertisers, this translates into a stable, age‑and‑ideology‑targeted market that can be leveraged for both traditional spots and emerging digital ad formats on station‑run news sites and apps, which have grown from 23% to 28% of respondents.

Looking ahead, radio’s modest digital migration presents both challenges and opportunities. As news websites and mobile apps become more integral to stations’ strategies, they can capture younger, digitally native audiences that currently gravitate toward online‑only news sources—now at 42% of the population. However, the sector must balance this expansion with the financial pressures highlighted by the report, where confidence in local news outlets’ fiscal health fell from 71% to 57%. Stations that successfully integrate robust digital offerings while preserving their core broadcast audience are poised to maintain relevance in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.