Katz: Radio Ad-Influenced Consumers Are Valuable
Katz Radio publishes an insight piece based on data from Nielsen Scarborough looking at the action taken by consumers of various measured advertising types. Katz’s analysis concludes that “two-thirds of consumers say they have taken action as a result of an ad in the past three months. One in 4 of
those consumers report having taken an action based on radio ads, in particular. Such actions can be recommending something to others, posting or following on social media, visiting a website, going to a retail location, or actually making a purchase. While we do not know which advertisers’ messaging they responded to, we do know that these radio-influenced consumers are highly engaged across categories, making them advantageous to brands – and more valuable than ad-influenced adults in general. Radio-influenced consumers are more likely to be spending money on sports betting, vacations, cars, movies, and retail than the average adult, and even more than other ad-influenced adults.” See the Katz piece here.
follows: For the past 100 years, AM radio has been free for U.S. consumers. “Recently, General Motors and other car manufacturers have spent over $7 million trying to eliminate AM radio. Do not buy a car without AM radio. GM is attempting to influence Congress, making themselves an adversary to consumers. We will publish a list of all House and Senate members who have received money from these lobbyists. Keep AM radio free.”
“Draft Legislation to Preserve Americans’ Access to AM Radio” is the title of a legislative hearing that House Energy and Commerce Committee chair 
on his long-running “Urban View” channel program on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. The two legendary radio figures took a deep-dive into the subjects of podcasting, AM radios in cars, the role of boomers in today’s culture and the way in which the annual TALKERS Heavy Hundred list is compiled. Don’t miss this conversation! 
Safety Administration to require AM in new vehicles at no additional cost, citing safety for citizens, access to foreign language programming and more. While Ford’s change of heart takes some of the immediate heat off the industry, there’s no indication legislators won’t continue pushing the legislation. Reacting to the bill, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation called the bill unnecessary and said the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Integrated Public Alerts and Warning System sends public safety messages across numerous platforms including FM radio, streaming sites, satellite radios, and cellular networks. 
findings show what we expected – AM radio across America is a diverse mix of music and talk and a vital link for millions of listeners. The goal of our station survey was three-fold. First, we wanted to confirm AM radio’s diverse landscape of formats, languages, and ownership. Second, we wanted to quantify AM radio’s crucial part in the nation’s Emergency Alert System. And third, we wanted feedback that will guide our state association response going forward.” The NASBA survey also found that “more than half of AM stations do not currently have a standalone mobile app and 40% are not currently found on radio aggregators. For many AM operators working diligently to keep their over-the-air signal on the air, providing the local news, music, entertainment, and emergency information that their communities rely upon, the expense of streaming their station and paying additional royalties is simply not realistic. The most telling survey result is that 8 in 10 respondents listed their level of concern a 10 out of 10 when it comes to AM being eliminated in the car.” 
One out of three American AM/FM radio listeners are reached monthly by AM radio. From the Edison study: 1) AM/FM radio dominates listening in the car with an 88% share of ad-supported audio; 2) AM/FM radio’s near-90 share of in-car ad-supported audio has been steady as a rock for the last six years; 3) AM/FM radio’s ad-supported shares in the car are dominant across all demographics, even among 18-34s; and 4) ‘Perception’ vs. ‘reality’: Agencies and advertisers underestimate AM/FM radio shares and overestimate Pandora and Spotify audiences (‘Perception’ from Advertiser Perceptions data). MRI Simmons shows Ford owners represent 20% of all U.S. AM radio listeners and are more likely to listen to AM radio. Cumulus chief insights officer Pierre Bouvard comments, “AM stations serve very unique, targeted constituencies and represent many languages and voices. As automobile manufacturers consider eliminating AM radio, it’s important to underscore that the AM dial is one of the most diverse media platforms in the world. Why would we eliminate this variety from the car?”