Drivers’ top pick remains FM/AM by a mile.

INSIDERADIO

March 3, 2015

 

    

Top News

The traditional FM/AM car radio, long a fixture of the dashboard, remains the king of the road.  That’s according to new Ipsos research being released today.  It reveals 84% of Americans still regularly listen to broadcast radio while driving, showing FM/AM remains firmly in place as the most-used in-car medium.

Broadcast radio has a 20 point lead on the No. 2 audio medium — CD players — and broadcast radio is used by roughly four-times as many drivers as either Sirius XM Radio (22%) or Pandora (18%).  “The in-car AM/FM radio is still a universally known audio platform — and its ease of use, convenience, features and familiarity continue to make it a top consumer choice for in-car audio,” Spinelli says.

The study shows nearly four in ten drivers have used some form of streaming radio while in the car.   But when asked what feature they’d require their next car’s dashboard to include, a smaller number (34%) said they’d want a streaming service built-in.  Instead, far more drivers — 48% — said they’ll look for a way to plug in a smartphone or mp3 player.

Attention Detroit: 99% of drivers like FM/AM radio just the way it is.  There’s little that brings Americans together like this.   The Ipsos research shows near-unanimity on broadcast radio’s ease of use.  So much so that 99% of drivers say they’re comfortable with how traditional car radios work.   And 91% say they prefer the typical car radio with buttons and knobs.   Only 9% say they’d be happy with FM/AM as an app embedded among other choices in the dashboard.  How about their next set of wheels?  Eight in ten say a regular FM/AM radio better be there.
“This study makes it clear that in spite of consumers’ love of apps and new digital products, they have a great attachment to their AM/FM radio and an overwhelming desire to keep its operation and function as it is,” Spinelli says.

The study may provide carmakers with the ultimate example of if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it consumer research, yet the march of technology means the dashboard will evolve nevertheless.   That’s not all bad for broadcasters.  One in four people say they’d like HD Radio in their next car.  But it’s also noteworthy that CD players — which are being taken out of dashboards by car companies — are still a feature sought by 68% of those surveyed.  That’s a 20-point lead over either satellite radio or the ability to connect a smartphone.
It’s unlikely to be an either-or choice however.  “This study shows that the consumer isn’t replacing existing services and products with new ones; instead, they want them all — making the car even more music-enabled with a number of choices at any given time,” Ipsos MediaCT VP Thomas Spinelli says.

The study, commissioned by iHeartMedia, was conducted February 11-13 among a nationally representative sample of 1,036 adults aged 18 and older.