Last Friday, I presented the results of our Listener Truth Project at Morning Show Boot Camp in Cleveland. Ten listeners from various Top 50 markets across the United States, between 24 and 46, share why they still listen to radio in 2026 and what keeps them away. The twist? Morning Show Boot Camp attendees were invited to submit the questions.
One of the value propositions of a project like this is Outside Thinking. When you listen to your radio station 10 hours a day, it can be challenging to view it through your customers’ lens. Your station is the center of your universe, but it is not the center of theirs. One-on-one interviews provide us the opportunity to hear their perspective in their language. It is also important to remember that the responses of ten people will not necessarily scale to a wider population. So while we don’t overreact, we do look for commonalities and throughlines, and they emerge in this study.
The clear throughline throughout the Listener Truth Project is connection. Connection manifests itself in several ways in which these listeners talk about radio. It is not unique when listeners tell us they use radio as an escape, but many of these ten listeners express an elevated type of emotional trauma from the world. They talk about being “overwhelmed” and “bombarded” and use words like “onslaught” and “horrors” when mentioning their exposure to the news cycle. FM music radio is an escape hatch, essentially playing the role of a therapist. Here, they explain a few things they want from radio, and also what they don’t, starting with 24-year-old Cyan.
Convenience, Connection, and Mood are consistent themes that emerge in this research. Listen to Jesus towards the end of this clip, who describes how he chooses his morning station. It’s not driven by a certain personality or segment – rather, he listens to his local Contemporary Christian station when he wakes up feeling down, and an Adult Contemporary station when he’s feeling good and wants to stay that way. In the last section, Alex gives an honest assessment of why radio needs to remain vital, which again ties back to a crucial connection.
Even when talking about commercials, the idea of connection comes up. Listeners understand that commercials are the price to pay for radio being free, and their frustration isn’t so much with the commercials themselves. Rather, it’s with the quality and number of spots played in a row. They recognize that good commercials provide a connection to their community.
There are fascinating insights from several Gen Z listeners. While song repetition is a universal frustration with radio, 24-year-old Carolyn believes radio is more random than Spotify and that she loves the nostalgia aspect.
Other themes addressed in the study include whether FM music stations still need to offer weather and traffic; if teases work; how valuable contesting is; and their feelings on AI DJs vs. humans.
Keep an eye out for more from The Listener Truth Project. Special thanks to Don Anthony at Morning Show Boot Camp and Radio Resources for their sponsorship support.
