Familiar voices and cultural connection remain central to radio loyalty among Hispanic listeners, according to new research promoted by Katz Radio Group.
The custom online survey covered 584 U.S. Hispanic AM/FM listeners between June and September 2026. Among respondents, 72% said they had listened to their favorite station for at least six years, while 64% rated personalities as very or extremely important.
Katz also reported that 96% associated their favorite station with cultural connection. The findings suggest that language, community familiarity and recognizable hosts help explain relationships that a music playlist alone may not reproduce.
For advertisers, 65% said a radio personality’s endorsement made them more likely to consider a brand. That is a reported attitude, not proof that respondents purchased a product or that a particular campaign generated incremental sales.
The distinction matters because Katz sells radio advertising and has a commercial interest in the medium. Its sample describes Hispanic radio listeners, not all Hispanic Americans, and these percentages do not measure radio’s share of total listening time.
The useful programming question is how stations sustain that connection: through locally informed personalities, relevant conversation, community involvement and credible recommendations. Advertisers should pair those strengths with campaign-specific measurement rather than treating expressed loyalty as a guaranteed sales result.
Sources: Radio Ink’s research report; Radio Online’s findings