Pending Business: In Car
By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President
What happened to us? Unless we move quickly, the radio business stands to lose the final frontier: in-car listening.
The numbers tell a riveting story.
The good news is 92% of Americans listen to the radio every week.
The bad news, according to Edison Research, is only 68% of homes have a radio. All of us who were trained on the 90%-plus penetration of in-home radios are officially out of touch. The in-home radio listening experience is fading fast and there is no trend in sight to reverse it. Smart speakers aside, that bedside clock radio that helped millions wake up every morning is a silent reminder of days past. That 90%-plus penetration number will soon be the domain of Smart TV as 91% of homes have internet. That’s more homes than have radios.
The good news is 73% of drivers listen to the radio in the car.
Nearly three out of every four drivers tune in. The bad news is emerging retail media will soon be the final purchase influencer, online and on location. By 2025 more ad dollars (nearly $47 billion) are projected to be invested in retail media than TV. If you are still pitching, “in-car radio is the last purchase influence before the shopper steps into the store,” you are joining the growing group of outdated radio sellers. Let’s stop the head-in-the-sand approach and review what will have better sales power in the current landscape.
1. In-car listening is typically a shared attention experience. Adjust your commercials to work in the in-car environment. Simplify the messaging, repeat critical sales points, make the call to action easy to understand and implement.
2. Frequency sells. Forever the foundation of solid radio sales, repetition works, and compelling messaging can be commuter friendly.
3. Do your homework. If your community relies on several major industries, learn how the new remote workforce impacts in car listening. Different commute patterns may be in play. Know your marketplace before you suggest a schedule.
4. Seasonal trends. Summer is here. What changes are impacting your market?
Is there a go-to resource for advertiser info on your station website?
Some things will never change:
1. Auto is typically the #1 ad category. One of the best places to start the sales cycle of buying or leasing a new car is in the car of that money draining repair clunker and radio is right there!
2. Three out of four commuters drive alone and when you have someone one-on-one messaging will be heard.
3. In-car radio listening still is and always will be that uniquely personal experience.
Finally, owners and top-level management must learn to help sellers adjust to ever changing world of how to work with radio advertisers to meet the consumer where they are today.
Steve Lapa is the president of Lapcom Communications Corp. based in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Lapcom is a media sales, marketing, and development consultancy. Contact Steve Lapa via email at: Steve@Lapcomventures.com
AI-generated content in political ads; 2) Proposing to apply the disclosure rules to both candidate and issue advertisements; 3) Requesting comment on a specific definition of AI-generated content, and 4) Proposing to apply the disclosure requirements to broadcasters and entities that engage in origination programming, including cable operators, satellite TV and radio providers and section 325(c) permittees. Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel says, “As 
artificial intelligence tools become more accessible, the Commission wants to make sure consumers are fully informed when the technology is used. Today, I’ve shared with my colleagues a proposal that makes clear consumers have a right to know when AI tools are being used in the political ads they see, and I hope they swiftly act on this issue.” However, Republican Commissioner Brendan
Carr opposes the move, saying, “There is no doubt that the increase in AI-generated political content presents complex questions, and there is bipartisan concern about the potential for misuse. But none of this vests the FCC with the authority it claims here. Indeed, the Federal Election Commission is actively considering these types of issues, and legislators in Congress are as well. But Congress has not given the FCC the type of freewheeling authority over these issues that would be necessary to turn this plan into law. And for good reason. The FCC can only muddy the waters. AI-generated political ads that run on broadcast TV will come with a government-mandated disclaimer but the exact same or similar ad that runs on a streaming service or social media site will not? Consumers don’t think about the content they consume through the lens of regulatory silos. They just view content on screens. Will they conclude that the absence of a government warning on an online ad means that the content must be real? I don’t see how this type of conflicting patchwork could end well. Unlike Congress, the FCC cannot adopt uniform rules.”
be able to alter the course of established radio stations and the marketplace of ideas before the 2024 election or even soon thereafter. Harrison told “America at Night” host Rich Valdés last night (5/22) that radio is far too idiosyncratic an industry – already run by too many people who don’t understand how it really operates – for someone (who also doesn’t really have first-hand experience in the field) to just step in and make drastic alterations to entrenched stations, formats, audiences and sponsors just to make a political statement. Harrison states, “There are more 
expedient uses of his money if that is his main purpose. After all, not all Audacy stations are conservative news/talkers… many are music, sports and a variety of formats. How inefficient such a move would be!” Harrison went on to say that radio is still an extremely powerful and potentially lucrative medium if only its present owners and operators believed in it and invested in its programming and marketing. He encouraged radio broadcasters to understand and believe in the “esthetic of ‘radio’ and not be so anxious to bail out into the utilitarian term ‘audio.’” Harrison and Valdés tied the discussion into the current news about the AM for Every Vehicle Act currently making its way through Congress stating that radio is still a lifeline for service to the community as a place for information, education, and entertainment and that eliminating it from automobile dashboards would be about “five to 10 years premature.” 
Because you can? Because you aren’t doing AM/FM radio? Because you are on radio, but can’t-do-there what you can-do podcasting? Because you are making money podcasting?
Does anyone care anymore?
When a new restaurant opens, smart owners put the phone on busy so would-be diners believe the joint is hot, packed and hard to get in to. At street fairs we are drawn to merchant booths with long lines. Crowds give us confidence.
Audio advantage.” The guide provides data to counter prevailing myths that marketers often believe. Some examples include: 1) the notion that “apps have all the audience” is not true as “ad-supported platforms are key to marketer’s winning and Audacy’s 200 million+ is miles above Spotify (48.6M) and Pandora (41.2M)”; 2) “young people don’t listen to audio” isn’t true as 96% of Gen Z listen to audio daily – with 44% being daily radio users; and 3) “I can’t measure audio” is also false because marketers can “track, measure and analyze 
daypart, starting Monday (5/6). KLIF program director Bruce Collins says, “We are extremely excited to add Brian Kilmeade to the 570 KLIF-AM/96.3 FM-HD2 weekday radio lineup, especially as we head into the election season. Brian will be talking each day to the movers and shakers in the political world, keeping DFW up to date. Together with Sean Hannity weekday afternoons from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, we have the national political scene more than covered.” Kilmeade comments, “I am thrilled to be joining a great station with a rich history like KLIF and enter the fourth biggest market in the country. I’m honored to be a part of this first-class lineup right in the middle of this historic election season, and in short order will be in Dallas to meet all the listeners in person!”
Commerce vowed to sue the FTC to block the proposal, calling it ‘an unlawful power grab’ in a statement shortly after the vote. The chamber, as well as the two dissenting [FTC] commissioners, has argued that the FTC doesn’t have the authority to address this issue and that it should be left to the states.” The Times piece notes that the rule becomes law 120 days after being published in the Federal Register – meaning sometime in late August – but that legal challenges could block or delay the change. In the radio industry, most on-air talent, programmers, and sales staff who work under written contracts have a noncompete clause that prevents them from working “across the street” usually for six months. If this new policy stands, it will be a monumental change for radio companies. 
If you’re looking to jump-start – or optimize – your video interview technique, this session alone was worth the trip to Las Vegas. Washington-based video content strategist/producer/interviewer 
president and market manager Marv Nyren says, “WLS is bigger than a destination on your radio dial – it’s a Chicago institution and treasure. 100 years ago, radio was simply sound communication via radio waves but there’s nothing simple about the impact of WLS on Chicago. WLS has been a neighbor, a friend, and a mentor for people in Chicagoland. It’s been a place where people can go for entertainment and information – and it’s been a companion to the biggest moments in history. We are excited to usher in WLS-AM’s next 100 years with Chicago’s best audio content on-air, online, on-demand, and onsite.”
It seems every hour Nielsen and Pierre Bouvard of Cumulus fame (formerly of Westwood One) put out a release stating that radio is just fine, thank you. Radio is more persuasive than TV, direct mail, streaming and print. Radio is a proven success for over 100 years. Most of the buildings housing Procter & Gamble were built on radio – not TV – advertising success. Happily, P&G realized radio’s clout and is now a dominant radio advertiser – again!
consumer behavior and technology adoption across smart platforms. Marketers and media buyers turn to these insights for important media trends in key channels such as radio, streaming audio, podcasts, social media, and more. Audacy will host a webinar on April 3 with head of research & insights Idil Cakim and Edison Research president Larry Rosin, who will share key trends from The Infinite Dial 2024, including: Media consumption and device adoption, in-car listening habits, podcast trends among key demographic groups, and observations and advertiser insights. 
other platforms. Titled, Hendrie, and produced by Freestyle Digital Media and directed by Patrick Reynolds, the film features people like Hendrie’s one-time program director David Hall as well as comedians and Hollywood figures talking about the unique radio program Hendrie launched in 1990 in which he held kooky conversations with offbeat characters – all played by Hendrie himself – in real time. Hendrie tells KCAL-TV, “It was completely original… and it satirized something that I thought needed satirizing – talk radio.” 
devotion to Internet radio broadcasting, we are launching ‘The Mike Church Show’ into terrestrial radio syndication! The launch date of ‘The Mike Church Show’ will be March 1 and the show will begin its repatriation of AM/FM radio in Atlanta, Georgia’s #7 U.S. radio market on WXKG “The King”! Church adds, “We’ve always known that terrestrial radio was going to play a part in our industry leading development of Internet radio, we just didn’t know in what way. Over the last two years, that role began to materialize with the dearth of quality talk shows and the opportunities to fill that gap left by the wrecking ball that was consolidation’s march through local radio properties.” The program airs live from 7:00 am to 10:00 am ET. 
If you’re a news/talk station, don’t assume that you own “news radio” in your market. Imaging is important, but it merely talks-the-talk. You walk-the-walk with local news copy that delivers what solid commercial copy does: benefits. Just doing local news makes you special. But do listeners simply hear a station voice… reading something? Are you merely… accurate? Or do you deliver “take-home pay,” unwrapping the story to tell the listener something useful?
reach 17% more voters.” The study references Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman’s 2022 campaign, noting that it deployed radio to reach voters in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. In doing so, it allocated 20% of media dollars to radio and generated a 10% lift from radio above the local TV campaign, amounting to 676,000 additional voters at no extra cost. Audacy SVP of strategy, partnerships and analytics Jon Blum says, “When campaigns activate a TV plan, they should activate a corresponding radio plan and incorporate it into the mix with TV. The portion of the population that isn’t reachable via TV could be the swing vote and what throws it over the top for a candidate.” Nielsen’s study noted that if a campaign moved 20% of ad spending to radio, the optimized media plan would connect with 15% more Democratic and Republican voters and 23% more unaffiliated voters. 
the month reaching 3.27 billion total multiplatform minutes, compared to CNN.com’s 1.85 billion, and NYTimes.com’s 1.59 billion. FOX News Media attracted 1.66 billion total multiplatform views, compared to NYTimes.com’s 1.49 billion, and CNN.com’s 1.17 billion. When it comes to total digital unique visitors – similar to radio’s cume – CNN.com still holds the lead with 112.7 million. But FOX News Digital (109.7 million) has gradually been gaining ground on CNN. 
largest share of listening, accounting for more than one-third of daily time with audio among those age 13+. The vast majority of that listening (31%) is to AM/FM over-the-air signals.” (The other 5% comes from radio streams.) Behind AM/FM in listening is streaming music (20%), YouTube (14%), podcasts (11%), SiriusXM (8%), owned music (4%), TV music channels (3%), audiobooks (3%) and other (1%). 
total Audio campaigns — including radio, streaming and podcast advertising— with Veritonic allows us to show the power of Audacy’s content in connecting with audiences and mobilizing customers. We’re thrilled to continue our partnership and enable our clients and advertising partners to leverage audio to achieve the utmost in competitive edge, reach, and ROI.”
announced. Neuhoff states in announcing the sale that this “transaction is part of an overall strategic decision on behalf of the Neuhoff family to depart the broadcast industry after nearly 70 years,” according to Julian Hickman and Makena Neuhoff, trustees of the Neuhoff family. The company still owns 13 radio brands spread across the Springfield, Illinois; Bloomington, Illinois; and Lafayette, Indiana markets and it “expects to make additional announcements regarding future agreements as the Neuhoff divestiture process moves forward.” Hickman states, “We are proud of what broadcast ownership has meant to our family, our employees, and the markets we serve. Our grandfather, Roger Neuhoff, began his ownership in the business during the mid-1950s. He loved the broadcast industry and was proud of the way our radio and television stations served their local communities.” Neuhoff Media president Mike Hulvey adds, “We are pleased to see the iconic local media brands of Neuhoff Media’s Danville and Decatur markets all brought together through this historic transaction with the Champaign Multimedia Group. The next chapter for the Danville and Decatur radio stations and digital platforms will create something very special for each community.” Kalil & Co., Inc. acted as the exclusive broker for this transaction.
available, ‘The Adam Carolla Podcast’ has remained one of the most popular podcasts on the planet for well over a decade. Fans grew to love the pairing of Adam Carolla & Dr. Drew Pinsky that originated on the world famous KROQ radio and became a cultural touchstone and in 2012 they reunited the partnership for ‘The Adam and Dr. Drew Show.’ In each episode Adam and Dr. Drew take uncensored, nothing-off-limits, calls about sex, drugs, medical and relationship issues. Dr. Drew brings the medicine while Adam’s comedic rants are the spoonful of sugar to make it go down.” PodcastOne president and co-founder Kit Gray adds, “Adam Carolla’s contributions to the medium of digital audio entertainment are immeasurable. From his devoted audience of listeners and advertisers, Adam has inspired legions of loyal fans who tune in daily to hear his comedic take on a wide array of topics. His camaraderie with Dr. Drew is the stuff of legends. This is a podcasting duo that will go down in history as one of the greatest partnerships. As we have grown as a network, so have Adam and Drew and we are thrilled to keep the momentum growing.”
Let’s take a minute to welcome back an old reliable that has been part of our sales and marketing world since Adam pitched Eve and got the first “yes” on the original cold call. No telling how cold that call really was.
Take a day off. You get one free this year.
can advance their mission and enable them to better-serve communities with quicker alerts and more local news, he shared broadcasters’ concerns about AI without appropriate guardrails in place. He presented three primary concerns; 1) that the use of broadcasters’ news content in AI models, without authorization, diminishes their audience trust and their reinvestment in local news; 2) the use of AI to doctor, manipulate or misappropriate the likeness of trusted radio or television personalities risks spreading misinformation or even perpetrating fraud; and 3) the rising prevalence of deepfakes make it increasingly burdensome for both newsrooms and users to identify and distinguish legitimate, copyrighted broadcast content, from the unvetted and potentially inaccurate content being generated by AI.
Research shows that readers to trade publications like articles with five bullet points. Here are my five bullet points for 2024. If these were to be deployed, you could be thriving by the end of the year. These actions would increase sales and audience share.