By:Bob Lawrence

Date:

October 17, 2025

I wrote this article with the hope that as a professional in radio, you will use what I’m about to say with your own naysayer clients. You know the ones who present you with all the reasons they don’t buy “traditional radio.”

The truth is many marketing managers love to bury radio. Every time a new platform comes along, the eulogies start pouring in. “Nobody listens anymore. Everyone’s on TikTok. Radio advertising is outdated.” Yeah whatever – cute story – but completely inaccurate and downright false. Radio has supposedly been “dying” for decades, yet here we are approaching 2026 and it still reaches more people every week than streaming, podcasts, or connected/cable TV.

So, if clients are still brushing off radio as irrelevant, let’s be blunt – the problem isn’t radio. The problem is them! And if you sell radio – please don’t sell it down the river.

Here is some fodder to keep you firmly on board. Before I seemingly go off on digital marketing, I need to be very clear. I’m a fan of digital. I completely believe in the power it has. I mean we sell digital advertising! It’s not perfect though. I just don’t believe its value and strength should come at the expense of the inherent power of radio.

Radio has true, inarguable reach making real impressions every moment, while digital is known to micro-target and in reality, a portion of ads never even reach a human. Bots, ad blockers, and algorithms eat some campaigns alive. Meanwhile, radio is still connecting with anywhere from 83-89% of U.S. adults every week, depending on which study you’re reading. It would be difficult to chalk that up to “niche” when that’s just “dominance”. Radio doesn’t need to be “programmatic” to deliver – it delivers organically and it just works.

The local businesses you call on depend on a real-world, local community and radio is the singular, no-BS way to connect. No filters, no endless targeting menus, no algorithmic impressions. An ad on a local radio station lands in the ears of the people who live, work, and spend money in your area. That’s called efficiency. I doubt anyone would say those ears may not be human!

Radio listeners don’t “scroll past” or “skip” the ads. We all know what happens to most online ads. Heck, most of us skip, mute, swipe, or ignore them. Radio doesn’t give listeners that easy out. It’s in the car, in the kitchen, in the office. The message plays – period! It gets heard – period! And the most creative audio campaigns stick in people’s heads for weeks – TWO PERIODS!! (Ok, those are exclamation points, but you get the idea.)

Radio hosts already have what digital influencers can only hope to create. Today’s digital influencers build what have become known as “parasocial relationships” with their fans. Google defines that as, “a one-sided, emotional connection an individual forms with a media personality (like a celebrity, public figure, or fictional character) who remains unaware of their existence.” Hey! Guess what? Radio hosts, jocks, and personalities perfected that long before there was such a thing as social media.

Plain and simply put, people trust the voices they hear every day on their commute and if clients invested in endorsements with a host telling listeners why their brand is “legit”, that’s influence with staying power, not just a passing hashtag.

Radio has and always will be inexpensive, fast, and nimble. Want to tweak the offer? Change the copy? Drop in a new promo tomorrow? Radio lets you do it. Go ahead and try that with a video campaign that eats your budget in production costs before they ever go live.

Finally, I really get tired of hearing, “Radio doesn’t deliver the same type of data that digital does.” That is 100% correct! Radio delivers the most important kind of data that every business owner banks on to track revenue and growth. Their Cash Register!

In the end, the smartest of marketers don’t ask, “radio or digital?” They use both. Radio creates familiarity. There is no tool better for branding and creating awareness. Digital delivers the follow-up and empowers you with terrific transactional momentum. You hear a spot on your way to work, then see the same brand in your Instagram feed later. That’s how repetition builds recognition, and that recognition leads to sales. Radio & Digital are the perfect one-two punch.

Radio isn’t outdated. Lazy thinking is. If clients are ignoring a medium that still dominates reach, owns local markets, and delivers affordable impact, they’re not “innovative” – they’re leaving money on the table. Radio is scrappy, affordable, and shockingly effective.

So go ahead and let them keep chasing shiny new platforms if they want. The marketers who understand radio’s power? They’ll still be here cashing the checks while the others are waiting for their “viral” campaign to actually, go viral.

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Bob Lawrence

Bob Lawrence writes weekly columns on radio leadership and business. Additionally, he serves as Market Manager for MacDonald Broadcasting in Saginaw, Michigan. He has held virtually every position in the business over his 40+ year career, from being on-air in Philadelphia, San Diego, and San Francisco to programming legendary stations including KHTR St. Louis, KITS Hot Hits and KIOI (K101) San Francisco to serving as the head of all programming for Saga Communications and working for the Radio Advertising Bureau. Before landing his current role, Bob helped lead Seven Mountains Media’s cluster in Parkersburg, WV/Marietta, OH. He can be reached by email at BGLawrence@me.com.

Bob also honed his research skills over ten years as Senior VP of Operations at Broadcast Architecture, eventually launching his own research company and serving as President/CEO of Pinnacle Media Worldwide for 15 years. Bob spent five years as VP of Programming for Saga Communications before joining New South Radio in Jackson, Mississippi as GM/Market Manager. Prior to joining Seven Mountains Media, Bob served as General Manager for the Radio Advertising Bureau, overseeing its “National Radio Talent System”.