There are about 267,000 registered passenger vehicles in the Fayetteville, North Carolina area. Some are cars. Some are trucks. Some are Hondas. Some are Fords. Some are Teslas. Some have four doors. Some have two. Some go fast. Some go slow. Some guzzle gas. Some sip. Some are red. Some are blue.

The one thing that almost every car and truck in the Fayetteville area have in common, though, is the AM/FM radio smack-dab in the middle of the dashboard.

The first car radio went on sale in 1930. It was an invention of the Galvin Manufacturing Company. The company named the radio 'Motorola,' and its cost was $130, around $2000 in today's dollars. By 1935, more than three million car radios had been installed.

Today, AM/FM radio is part of every car and truck on Fayetteville area roads. In addition to the radio, many of these vehicles also provide drivers with other audio options, including a CD player, Sirius/XM, Pandora, Spotify, podcasts, and easy access to personal MP3 collections.

It is fair, then, for small business owners who depend on Fayetteville radio to advertise their goods and services to ask: with all the audio options on today's dashboards, is anyone listening to local AM/FM radio in the car anymore?

In 2020, there were 17,494 new cars and trucks registered in the Fayetteville metro area. This number is based on projections from the National Auto Dealers Associaton (NADA) and the U.S. Census bureau.

In all, says NADA, there are 249 new-car dealerships in North Carolina. Despite the pandemic, these dealers, including those in the Fayetteville area, sold $20.1 billion worth of new vehicles.

Through June of this year, these same dealers have already rung up $17 billion in new car sales.

When it comes to buying new vehicles, Fayetteville consumers have a broad range of preferences. Some buyers want Fords while others want Chevrolets, Toyotas, or Teslas.  Some buyers want pick-up trucks, while others want sub-compacts, SUVs, or sports cars. Of course, some want blue vehicles, while others want pearl white, orchard green, or redolent red.

There is one purchase criterion, however, that most Fayetteville car buyers can agree on. They want an AM/FM radio smack-dab, in the middle of their dash.

At the dawn of 2020, Fayetteville small business owners were expecting the area's retail economy to expand by 4.1%. This optimism was stoked by the National Retail Federation's chief economist who said, "Consumers remain upbeat and have the confidence to spend, and the steady wage growth that has come with the strong job market is fueling their spending. The state of the consumer is very healthy."

By February, however, the country entered into a COVID-19 induced recession. Then, to slow the spread of the pandemic, on March 30, the Governor of North Carolina locked the state down. This brought the Fayetteville area's $8.1 billion retail economy to a standstill.

As stores, restaurants, and offices in the Fayetteville area begin to re-open, consumers' appetite for spending is returning. According to Nielsen, loyal radio listeners are very likely to be first in line at the cash registers.

March is the biggest single month for used car sales in Fayetteville. During these 31 days alone, local pre-owned vehicle dealers are expected to bring in $16 million in sales. This will represent 10% of their annual revenue.

By the end of May, these dealers owners will sell more than $45.6 million worth of pre-owned cars and trucks. This, undoubtedly, makes March-May 'used car season' in the Fayetteville area.

Although most Fayetteville used car dealers are small business owners, they do really big business. In all, over the next 12 months, more than 56,000 pre-owned vehicles will be driven off their lots.

To capture a larger share of the area's $164 million used car market requires pre-owned vehicle dealers to advertise. By any measure, the best way for these business owners to advertise is on Fayetteville radio.

If you were one of the 288,946 consumers who tuned-in to a Fayetteville radio station last week, then chances are you heard at least one commercial from GEICO, Progressive, or Liberty Mutual. That's because insurance is big business in Fayetteville.

Each year, Fayetteville consumers spend $560-million to insure their homes and cars. That's almost $1500 for every area adult.

There is good news and bad news for the 724 local insurance agents who are competing to earn a substantial share of the home and auto premiums consumers are paying.

According to Nielsen, 27,000 policyholders in Fayetteville are planning to switch insurance providers during the next 12 months.