What are you listening to while driving in 2026?

[ZLoth]

It's 2026, and I want to know how you "consume media" when you are out driving. I know, it sounds like you are consuming music and podcasts like good BBQ in a hole-in-a-wall off-the-beaten-path but damn-it's good restauwant. The thing is that I'm using the term media to covers things like audiobooks, newscasts, music, podcasts, sports broadcasts, news, and talk stations. Can you imaging how many voting options that would be? So, I'm sticking with the means that the media reaches your ears.

As to the separator between a broadcast station "over the air" verses "streaming"... this morning, while I ran a short errand, my radio kept switching from the local classical station of WRR with the country music station of KRMD in Oil City, Louisiana that is 190 miles away. And, the streaming feed may be better than the over the air feed.

Why do I ask? iHeart Media is doing another mass layoff and reconsolidation so that more stations can be automated "for cost savings". I'm not a fan of mega-media broadcast empires, but I also believe that the ad revenue is lower as people are switching away from broadcast media to other alternatives.

[Max Rockatansky]

That greatly depends on what I'm doing and what I'm driving.  If I'm out doing some sort of road trip I listen AM sports radio.  I use my phone for photos and video.  Strangely the phone actually makes the radio cut out with photo/video modes open unless I disconnect it from the Bluetooth.

The only car I own that has a viable pairing interface with my phone is my 2024 Corolla (which is CarPlay).  My Challenger and Forester both have conventional Bluetooth which just plays through the speakers. 

[kphoger]

NPR over the air on FM radio.  The volume knob on my car's stereo is crap, such that turning it in one direction or the other has very little relation to whether the volume goes up or down—but it kind of trends downward either way.  So, whenever I have to disconnect the car battery, I spend a few minutes fiddling with it until it's at a level that I can hear talk radio at highway speed.  Unfortunately, this means that a CD or music on pop radio is way too loud.  So I just flip back and forth between two NPR stations.

[Bobby5280]

I don't listen to regular broadcast radio. Our "local" radio stations all suck. They're owned by big media companies who strictly dictate their playlists. Basically they play the same 10-12 songs over and over again for months on end, punctuated by lots of commercial breaks. Screw listening to that shit.

Sirius|XM is a bit better. There's a bit more variety in the music. No commercials. My main complaint is the audio quality could be better. It's pass-able when played in my truck. Listening online via a computer or smart phone is terrible. The music is way too data-compressed.

I have a solid state hard drive plugged into one of the USB ports in my truck. It has a copy of my music collection in high bitrate MP3 format. On long road trips I'll alternate between listening to Sirius|XM and playing albums off the SSD.

At work or working out at the gym I'm usually listening to music streaming from Amazon Music Unlimited. A subscription to Prime Video gives you access to the free/basic version of Amazon Music. The Unlimited version unlocks better audio quality and a LOT more music content.

[gonealookin]

I listen to SiriusXM, but streaming through the phone rather than the satellite service.

The one thing I don't like about it is, because the interface is on the phone you have to pull over and stop to change channels.  T-Mobile's coverage is good enough that I rarely lose the signal any more.

[hbelkins]

Can't vote because it only gives one option.

Besides, I listen to an iPod-type device with downloaded digital files, music ripped from my own CD collection or recorded from vinyl (plus a bunch of Usenet and Napster downloads from years ago), and podcasts downloaded from Spotify.

[1995hoo]

Because it said "primarily," I voted for XM, although it's probably a close call overall between that and physical media. Last weekend when I was driving I was listening to a DVD-Audio disc that contains Springsteen's February 2017 show in Christchurch, New Zealand, as part of the Summer '17 Tour.

I also fairly frequently listen to FM radio, specifically WTOP 103.5, to get the traffic report, especially if I'm going more than just a minimal distance (grocery store, bottle recycling place, etc.).

[ZLoth]

Sirius|XM is a bit better. There's a bit more variety in the music. No commercials. My main complaint is the audio quality could be better. It's pass-able when played in my truck. Listening online via a computer or smart phone is terrible. The music is way too data-compressed.

I cancelled SiriusXM a few years back when, to get a phone upgrade, I had to upgrade to a mobile plan with unlimited data, thus the streaming from my own media server. That, plus we aren't driving that much since moving to Texas.

[GaryV]

"The sounds of my own wheels" - and it rarely drives me crazy.

[PColumbus73]

been listening to the new Evanescence album

[I-57/Route 66 Fan]

I don't have a license but read my signature to get the answer.

[tchafe1978]

On shorter trips like back and forth to work I'll just listen to the radio. There is actually a really good locally owned rock station with real live DJ's that plays a great variety. I'll also listen to sports if I happen to be driving while a game of one of my favorite teams in going on. On longer trips I'll stream from Spotify.

[PNWRoadgeek]

Typically Spotify playlists, whatever ones that are saved. I'll sometimes also listen to an album on Spotify or something. Rarely listen to the radio anymore.

[NWI_Irish96]

In the mornings, SiriusXM channel 118.

Later in the day, either channel 15 or 305.

[ZLoth]

Poll is now closed.

[ZLoth]

From Cord Cutter News:

A New Study Says Most People Listen to AM or FM Radio in The Car Instead of Streaming — But Is That True for You?

In an era of unlimited streaming, on-demand playlists, and podcasts covering every imaginable topic, you might assume that traditional AM/FM radio has been quietly losing the battle for your attention during the daily commute. But according to a wave of recent research, that assumption is dead wrong — at least for most American drivers. The numbers are striking, and they raise a question worth asking: do they match your own habits behind the wheel?

FULL ARTICLE HERE