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Hurricane Isaias, the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season, made landfall on the northern Gulf Coast late Friday, October 9th, 2026. The AM/FM radio markets of Mobile, Alabama and Pensacola and Panama City, Florida were right in the crosshairs of the storm.

The storm continued inland, hitting Atlanta on Saturday, October 10th. DTS AutoStage next-day AM/FM radio audience measurement proved the importance of AM/FM radio during a weather crisis.

Key findings:

• On Friday, October 9th, Hurricane Isaias hit Mobile: While hour-by-hour in-car AM/FM radio listening occasions reveal drivers heeded shelter warnings, from 9AM to 11AM, there was higher than normal car traffic for last-minute shopping and getting to safety.
• Sunday, October 11th: Mobile morning in-car occasions recovered to 86% of historical levels; On Sunday, noon to midnight, in-car listening recovered to 98% of historical levels.
• Atlanta’s News and Talk WSB notched its highest shares and cumes as Hurricane Isaias hit the market.
• In Panama City, Florida, Christian stations saw strong audience growth during the storm week.
• The Cumulus Pensacola cluster shares doubled versus a typical day.
• In Mobile on Friday, October 9th, hurricane landfall day, the Cumulus cluster share grew 30% compared to a typical day.

On Friday October 9th, landfall day in Mobile, in-car AM/FM radio listening sessions dropped by 55%; On Saturday, in-car tuning volumes recovered to 63% of historical levels; By Sunday, listening occasions were nearly back to baseline

Friday, October 9th, Hurricane Isaias hit Mobile: While hour-by-hour in-car AM/FM radio listening occasions reveal drivers heeded shelter warnings, from 9AM to 11AM, there was higher than normal car traffic for last-minute shopping and getting to safety

• From 5AM to 9AM, in-car listening occasions were 40% lower than the four-week historical Friday benchmark.
• From 9AM to 11AM, vehicular tuning occasions were 7% higher than the norm as people made last-minute shopping trips or headed for shelter.
• From 11AM to midnight, as the storm approached and hit, each hour saw a progressive reduction in tuning occasions. 11AM to noon saw a 12% drop in in-car listening. By 1PM, in-car listening was down by 43%. At 3PM, in-car listening occasions were off by 72%. At 7PM, in-car tuning was off by 90% as the storm hit.

Storm aftermath, Saturday October 10th: Shelter at home continued in the morning and midday; By 3PM, traffic volumes returned to 77% of historical levels; Saturday night, tuning was down 44% versus the norm

Sunday, October 11th: Morning in-car occasions recovered to 86% of historical levels; From noon to midnight, in-car listening recovered to 98% of historical levels

Atlanta’s News and Talk WSB notched its highest shares and cumes as Hurricane Isaias hit the market

In Atlanta, tens of thousands of households lost power Saturday, October 10th. Flooding was reported on I-285, the major Interstate known as the Perimeter, a 64-mile loop beltway that completely encircles the city.

Cox News/Talk leader WSB generated its highest AQH share and cume for the week of October 5th-11th versus the prior three weeks as listeners kept abreast of the storm and the impact on local areas.

In Panama City Florida, during the storm week, listeners sought comfort from Christian stations as the combined Christian share hit month-long highs

The week of the storm in Panama City, Christian stations saw some of their highest shares of the past month. The storm week of October 5th-11th, the four Christian radio stations notched a 25 share, up from a 20 share in mid-September. K-LOVE and Family Life radio saw strong increases.

Cumulus Pensacola cluster shares double versus a typical day

On a typical day, DTS reports that the Cumulus stations in Pensacola have a 23% combined audience share. The cluster share grew to 34% on Friday, October 9th, the day the storm hit the market. In the aftermath of the storm, the stations’ weekend audiences on October 10th and 11th surged to a 45% share, double the typical 23% share.

In Mobile on Friday, October 9th, 2026, hurricane landfall day, Cumulus share grew 30% compared to a typical day

The Cumulus cluster typically generates a 48% share. On Friday, October 9th, the day the storm hit Mobile, the Cumulus share surged to a 62%.

Key findings:

• On Friday, October 9th, Hurricane Isaias hit Mobile: While hour-by-hour in-car AM/FM radio listening occasions reveal drivers heeded shelter warnings, from 9AM to 11AM, there was higher than normal car traffic for last-minute shopping and getting to safety.
• Sunday, October 11th: Mobile morning in-car occasions recovered to 86% of historical levels; On Sunday, noon to midnight, in-car listening recovered to 98% of historical levels.
• Atlanta’s News and Talk WSB notched its highest shares and cumes as Hurricane Isaias hit the market.
• In Panama City, Florida, Christian stations saw strong audience growth during the storm week.
• The Cumulus Pensacola cluster shares doubled versus a typical day.
• In Mobile on Friday, October 9th, hurricane landfall day, the Cumulus cluster share grew 30% compared to a typical day.

Download the slides:

Pierre Bouvard is Chief Insights Officer of the Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group^®.

Contact the Insights team at CorpMarketing@westwoodone.com.