As automakers and lawmakers in Washington await updates on the inclusion of AM radio in vehicles, Nielsen has released a list of 141 markets where at least 20% of the radio audience listens to AM radio monthly.

It’s important to clarify that the list reflects the percentage of radio listeners tuning into AM radio within a month, rather than the overall percentage of radio listening dedicated to AM. Leading the list is Buffalo-Niagara Falls, where 56% of the radio audience in the Nielsen Audio metro area tunes into AM radio monthly.

This market is home to two prominent AM stations, Audacy’s WBEN (930) and sports station WGR (550), both of which consistently rank among the top 10 most listened to outlets in the area. Neither station has an FM simulcast, according to Inside Radio.

Chicago secured the second spot on the list, with 48% of radio listeners in the Windy City tuning into AM radio. The market boasts three successful AM-only stations: Nexstar’s WGN (720), Audacy’s “670 The Score” WSCR, and Cumulus’ WLS-AM (890). A similar trend can be observed in Milwaukee, where iHeartMedia’s WISN (1130) took the top spot in Nielsen’s April PPM survey for all listeners aged 6 and above.

The top three AM radio markets are all located in cities bordering the Great Lakes. Westwood One’s analysis of the data indicates that the markets with the highest proportion of AM listeners tend to be in the upper Midwest. Regions with hilly terrain, such as San Jose, San Francisco, and Sacramento, have traditionally been significant AM markets due to the challenges their topography presents for FM signals.

It’s worth noting that the 141 markets with at least 20% of radio listeners tuning into AM radio monthly exhibit a wide range of market sizes and geographical diversity. The percentages vary from 42% in Seattle-Tacoma to 33% in Shreveport, LA, and from 32% in Philadelphia to 36% in Tucson. Importantly, the list encompasses markets of all sizes, including the top ten markets, as well as smaller Nielsen-rated markets such as Brunswick, GA (No. 249), Jackson, TN (No. 252), and Sioux City, IA (No. 244).

Nielsen’s recent study follows research from their Fall 2022 survey, which revealed that AM radio reaches 82.3 million Americans monthly, representing one-third of all U.S. AM/FM radio listeners.

Westwood One’s analysis indicates that over half of this audience (57% or 46.9 million) tunes into news/talk-formatted stations. These stations play a crucial role as trusted sources of information during times of crisis and breaking local news, as emphasized by Pierre Bouvard, Chief Insights Officer of Cumulus Media/Westwood One’s Audio Active Group.

The full list of list of the 141 local markets where AM radio is listened to by at least 20% of the radio audience can be found on the Westwood One blog.

On Wednesday’s episode of her podcast, The Megyn Kelly Show, Megyn Kelly discusses the corporate media’s coverage of both Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump as “dangerous” with guest Adam Curry, also known as “The Pod Father”.

Kelly starts by playing multiple clips from CNN and MSNBC’s coverage of both DeSantis and Trump, categorizing any platforming of either of the two Republican candidates as “dangerous.”

She began with a clip from MSNBC’s The Mehdi Hasan Show, with commentator and former Republican congressman David Jolly, “Ron DeSantis is far more dangerous than Donald Trump. He is a culture warrior. He wants to take us back to 100 years, he ultimately has a very dark vision of what America will be.”

The two discuss the characterization of DeSantis as more dangerous than Trump as a sign that the media would prefer Trump as the republican candidate, though they still consider Trump dangerous as well.

“It’s interesting about the ‘Trump is so dangerous’ narrative, all it does is point to this terrible media and how they make up their mind on what the narrative will be and then they will mind control you right up to the voting booth, at least they’ll try. So we’ve heard the narrative there from everybody on the left, all of them, CNN, MSNBC, even you know, some former Republicans,” she said.

Curry then responded, “We need to give thanks to President Trump for what he did give us. He showed us fake news. He showed us what the media was really doing. I think that was important.”

The two went on to discuss the media’s coverage of political figures and the implications for the upcoming election cycle, pointing to the positive side of the independent media space, most notably podcasting.

Audacy, formerly known as Entercom, has decided to temporarily halt the online auction for the rights to its Radio.com domain. The company had put the domain up for auction last December with a minimum bid of $2.5 million as part of its efforts to raise funds and reduce debt.

It appears that Audacy did not receive a satisfactory offer and has chosen to retain the domain for the time being. According to Podcast News Daily, the GoDaddy auction page for Radio.com now states that the auction is closed, indicating the suspension of the bidding process. Audacy has not provided any official comment regarding this development.

The Radio.com domain was originally acquired by CBS in 2008 as part of its purchase of CNET for $1.8 billion. It was registered back in 1996, and CNET acquired it, along with TV.com, for a mere $30,000 later that same year. CBS then transferred the domain to its radio division, where it became the streaming platform for CBS Radio and the primary domain for its individual stations.

When Entercom acquired CBS Radio in 2017, the Radio.com domain was included in the sale and continued to serve as the company’s primary domain. The platform expanded as Entercom and CBS Radio stations joined forces, offering a wide range of content through the Radio.com platform.

In May 2020, Entercom made updates to the Radio.com mobile app to enhance content discovery through personalized recommendations based on individual user preferences. Registered users gained access to a personalized homepage featuring additional stations and podcasts tailored to their listening habits.

In March 2021, Entercom underwent a rebranding and changed its name to Audacy, subsequently shifting its focus away from the Radio.com domain in favor of Audacy.com.