The latest Edison Research Infinite Dial 2025 report confirms what many of us in the audio industry already know: on-demand audio is booming. Podcast consumption continues to hit all-time highs, with 158 million Americans listening to or watching a podcast in the last month and 115 million engaging weekly. Meanwhile, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto adoption are growing, now available in 40% of vehicles and actively used by 33% of drivers. Despite this shift toward digital, one statistic stands out: AM/FM radio remains the dominant in-car audio source, with 74% of drivers still tuning in.
This begs the question: why does traditional radio still hold such a strong grip on in-car listening, even in an era of endless on-demand choices?
Why AM/FM Radio Still Wins In the Car
There are two primary reasons why radio remains king in the car: audio consistency and ease of use.
- Consistent Audio Levels in a Noisy Environment
Anyone who has listened to a podcast in the car knows the frustration of constantly adjusting the volume. One moment, the host is speaking softly, the next, a guest is whispering, and then an ad comes in at full blast. Unlike podcasts and streaming audio, AM/FM radio is processed with sophisticated audio levelling tools like Optimod, ensuring a consistent, easy-to-hear sound even in noisy environments. This processing, used by nearly every major radio station, means listeners don’t need to fumble with volume controls while driving—an issue that podcasters haven’t fully solved yet.
- Ease and Convenience of Use
Even with the rise of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, radio remains the most effortless option. It’s always available, requires no pairing, loading, or searching for the right episode, and is often just one button press away. While podcasting platforms are improving their in-car usability, they haven’t yet matched the simplicity of turning a dial and getting instant, uninterrupted content.
How Podcasters Can Compete
For podcasters to truly compete with radio in the car, they need to borrow from radio’s playbook. That means leveraging professional-grade audio processing to deliver a more consistent, radio-like listening experience.
Audyllic’s processing technology provides podcasters with the same broadcast-level audio optimization that radio stations use, including:
- Loudness levelling, with sophisticated speech / music detection algorithms ensure speech remains clear and uniform, even in high-noise environments like a moving vehicle.
- Dynamic range compression to balance soft and loud sounds, reducing the need for manual volume adjustments.
- Advanced background noise control to enhance intelligibility, ensuring voices cut through road noise.
By implementing these tools, podcasters can offer listeners a seamless, distraction-free experience that rivals radio—making their content as easy to consume in the car as a traditional AM/FM broadcast.
The Bottom Line
Podcasting is the future of spoken-word audio, but radio’s dominance in the car proves that superior audio processing and ease of use still matter. As podcasters aim to grow their in-car audience, they must prioritize audio quality and consistency—and that’s exactly where Audyllic can help.
Want to make sure your podcast sounds just as polished and listenable as AM/FM radio? Explore Audyllic.com ’s audio processing solutions today and bring broadcast-quality audio to your listeners—wherever they are, no volume knob required.
