Podcasts Take the Crown From Talk Radio
Podcasts have officially edged past AM/FM talk radio as America’s top spoken-word format: Edison Research’s Share of Ear shows podcasts now claim 40% of listening time versus 39% for spoken-word radio. After a decade of podcasts steadily rising while radio steadily slipped, the crossover finally happened, and yes, Edison says those podcast numbers include video. Even with YouTube and Spotify pushing video hard, the audience still behaves “audio-first,” with only a small slice watching without listening and genre tastes splitting across formats.
Turns out video was framed for a murder in the 70s that never happened. The radio star just changed channels
More Evidence Video is Becoming the “Front Door” to Podcast Discovery
Audio is still where podcast consumers actually build the habit according to a report by Digiday.
Most consumers now use both formats (one study cited puts it at 76%), while audio-only still makes up a bigger share than video-only.
Where they land depends on genre: sports, comedy, news, music, and culture skew more video-friendly, while science, history, art, fiction, and true crime stay more audio-led. Even on YouTube, a huge chunk of “podcast use” is basically audio use, about 41% listen without watching versus 59% watching while listening.
And while newer podcast consumers are more video-first for discovery, many migrate to audio afterward: 72% of first-year consumers (and 68% of long-time consumers) say they started listening to the audio-only version after finding a show on video.
Podcasting Made Conan Bigger Than Late Night
Conan O’Brien Says Podcasting Made Him Bigger Than Late Night Ever Did. Nearly five years after his late-night show ended, O’Brien says podcasting (and his travel work) has helped him reach more people, with the creative freedom to go longer, wider, and weirder than the old TV format ever allowed. Next up, he’ll bring that same voice to the Academy Awards when he hosts the Oscars on March 15, 2026.
