Radio Most Resilient Traditional Local News Source, Pew Finds
More than half of U.S. adults still turn to AM/FM for local news, according to new Pew Research Center data released as part of the Pew-Knight Initiative, part of a seven-year decline so small that it separates radio from all other traditional platforms measured.
The fact sheet draws on two surveys conducted in late 2025: one conducted in August and one in December, both of U.S. adults nationwide.
Radio stations rank as the second most used source of local news in 2025, with 52% of respondents saying they receive local news on the radio at least sometimes. This figure is down only four percentage points from 56% in 2018; a modest decline compared to the five-point decline in local television and seven-point declines in local daily newspapers over the same period. In contrast, online-only news sources more than doubled, from 15% to 42%.
Preference numbers are less favorable. Only 8% of respondents named radio as their preferred platform for local news; however, there is a silver lining. Radio is the only traditional local information platform whose share of preference has not decreased for seven years. Television went from 41% to 34% and print media from 13% to 8%.
For radio stations now broadcasting news on digital platforms, there are even more positives. Information sites and applications increased from 23% in 2018 to 28% in 2025.
The demographic chart reinforces the radio’s basic audience profile. Adults ages 50 to 64 prefer radio for local news at 10%, and that figure holds steady at 8% for the 65-and-older cohort, which is where radio’s listening strength has long been concentrated. Republican and Republican-leaning adults prefer radio 10%, compared to 7% among Democrats and Democratic Party leaners.
The broader context of the report is not favorable to any traditional media outlet. The share of Americans who follow local news very closely increased from 37% in 2016 to 21% in 2025. The share of Americans who say their local media is doing well financially fell from 71% to 57% over the same period.
