With so many digital platforms competing for consumer attention, businesses have more advertising options than ever. But a new report from Nielsen offers an important reminder: One of the most effective ways to reach potential customers is also one of the most established.
Radio.
In its October 2026 report, Everyone. Everywhere., Nielsen highlights radio’s remarkable audience reach, its dominance in vehicles and its strong return on advertising investment.
For businesses throughout Cache Valley, Northern Utah and Southern Idaho, the findings reinforce why radio deserves a prominent place alongside digital marketing.
Radio Reaches Nearly Everyone
According to Nielsen, radio reaches 92% of American adults every month, representing more than 242 million consumers.
That’s a larger audience share than TV-connected devices (90%), smartphones (87%) or traditional live and time-shifted television (85%).
And despite assumptions that younger consumers have abandoned radio, Nielsen reports that radio reaches 87% of adults ages 18-34.
For local businesses, these statistics challenge the notion that reaching consumers requires abandoning traditional media in favor of digital platforms.
Cache Valley Media Group operates 10 radio formats serving different audiences throughout the region. Whether listeners prefer news and talk on KVNU, contemporary music on Q92.9 and VFX, country on KIX 96.7, Spanish-language programming on Juan 97.3 or sports on 106.9 The FAN, advertisers have opportunities to reach a broad cross-section of local consumers.
Radio Reaches Consumers on the Move
Another compelling finding is where radio listening happens.
Nielsen reports that 65% of adult radio listening occurs outside the home, increasing to 73% during weekday drive times.
Meanwhile, Edison Research’s second-quarter 2026 Share of Ear study found that AM/FM radio commands more than 80% of ad-supported audio listening time in vehicles.
Think about the opportunities that creates for businesses in Logan and surrounding communities.
People driving to work, taking their children to school, running errands or traveling between communities are hearing radio messages while going about their daily routines.
And those listeners may be just minutes away from making a purchasing decision.
More importantly, radio allows businesses to develop familiarity long before consumers need their products or services.
It reinforces a principle we frequently share with our clients at Cache Valley Media Group: It’s better to be known and loved before you’re needed and sought.
When consumers recognize and trust your business before they need you, you’ve already established an advantage over competitors.
Radio Delivers a Strong Return on Investment
Perhaps Nielsen’s most revealing finding concerns how marketers perceive radio compared with its actual performance.
In Nielsen’s global research, marketers ranked radio last among 10 advertising channels in perceived effectiveness.
Yet Nielsen’s Global Compass benchmarks found that radio delivered $2.00 in return for every advertising dollar invested, second only to social media at $2.22.
Radio outperformed television, search, display advertising and connected television in those benchmarks.
That’s a significant disconnect between perception and performance.
Digital marketing makes it relatively easy to measure impressions, clicks and conversions. But those metrics don’t always capture what influenced a consumer to take action.
A customer might hear a business advertised on KOOL 103.9 or 95.9 KLZX several times before searching for that business online. While digital analytics might credit the search for the resulting sale, radio helped create the awareness that prompted it.
As Nielsen explains:
“The lesson is to scale into digital without substituting away from high-reach, high-return platforms like radio.”
The Strongest Marketing Strategies Work Together
For businesses throughout Northern Utah and Southern Idaho, the takeaway isn’t to choose between radio and digital marketing.
It’s to use both strategically.
Radio provides broad reach, repetition and the familiarity that comes from trusted local personalities and programming.
Digital advertising builds on that awareness through targeted display advertising, social media, online video, search marketing and re-targeting.
A local business might use radio to introduce its brand to thousands of potential customers, then use digital products to reinforce its message among consumers most likely to need its services.
Cache Valley Media Group brings these opportunities together through its radio stations, Cache Valley Daily, community events and a comprehensive suite of digital marketing solutions.
The objective isn’t simply to generate more impressions or clicks. It’s to build a recognizable, trusted business that consumers remember when they’re ready to make a purchase.
Put Radio’s Reach to Work for Your Business
Nielsen’s research confirms that radio remains one of America’s most powerful advertising platforms. It reaches nearly everyone, accompanies consumers throughout their daily routines and delivers competitive returns for advertisers.
For local businesses, combining that reach with precise digital targeting creates opportunities to build awareness, strengthen customer relationships and generate measurable results.
Want to make your business known and loved before it’s needed and sought?
Contact a Cache Valley Media Group marketing consultant to explore how radio and digital marketing can work together to grow your business throughout Cache Valley, Northern Utah and Southern Idaho.
Source: Nielsen, “Everyone. Everywhere.,” October 2026. Findings draw on Nielsen Comparable Metrics, Nielsen Global Compass Benchmark and Edison Research Share of Ear. Audience reach figures are national; ROI benchmarks are global and do not represent guaranteed returns for individual advertisers.
