Political advertising has crossed the $10 billion mark in aired spending for the 2025-26 election cycle, a milestone that underscores the extraordinary amount of money flowing into advertising as the midterm elections approach. And with Election Day still ahead, the spending surge is setting records not only in congressional contests but also in statewide races. AdImpact reports that $10.12 billion in political advertising has aired through Oct. 24 vs. $7.04 billion at the sa

Consumers planning to purchase technology this holiday season are balancing their interest in the latest devices with tighter budgets, creating an opportunity for retailers to use radio to promote competitive pricing, product selection and quality, according to an RAB blog post. Citing CNET research, the RAB says 32% of holiday shoppers plan to begin shopping before November, while 27% expect to shop on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Another 11% plan to put off their holiday p

Advertisers may get better results from mid-sized podcasts with loyal audiences than from celebrity-led shows with larger reach, according to an analysis published by Audacy. The article cites data showing that mid-sized podcasts generate lower customer acquisition costs and stronger audience engagement, challenging the assumption that programs with the largest audiences necessarily deliver the best advertising results. According to Podscribe’s Benchmark Report, advertisers o

A new documentary revisits KBLT, an unlicensed, low-power radio station that became a gathering place for musicians and independent music fans in Los Angeles during the 1990s. “40 Watts From Nowhere,” directed by KBLT founder Sue Carpenter and executive produced by actor Jack Black, chronicles the station’s operation from 1995 to 1998, when it broadcast from Carpenter’s one-bedroom apartment in the Silver Lake neighborhood. The film features archival footage of the station an

Eastlan Ratings has added radio industry veterans Jay Kelly and Tommy Ehrman to its client training and support team as the company prepares for continued market expansion into 2027. Kelly joins Eastlan as a broadcast and digital consultant with decades of media experience. He spent years as a major-market radio drive-time personality and program director in Seattle, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and Kansas City. He’ll focus on helping radio sales teams develop strategies for s

For years, marketers have underestimated AM/FM radio’s reach, ROI and measurability. Based on new research from Advertiser Perceptions, this continues to be the case. “Ad industry perceptions of media audiences are often completely opposite reality,” Cumulus Media/Westwood One Audio Active Group Chief Insights Officer Pierre Bouvard says in Westwood One’s blog. Indeed, when asked “What percentage of Americans are reached by AM/FM radio in a typical week?” responses from Adver

As the popularity of podcasts continues to grow, with an active audience making for a compelling advertising environment, how do brands getting started with the medium ensure their ads are reaching the right listeners? A new report from iHeartMedia tackles that question by focusing on choosing podcasts that fit an advertiser’s audience, and starting with the listeners it needs to reach. A marketer needs to identify podcast environments that naturally align with those listener

The radio industry blitz to push a bill that would require AM radio in every passenger vehicle dashboard is among the issues that kept the National Association of Broadcasters spending in Washington during the third quarter. Disclosure filings show NAB spent $2.7 million on lobbying activities during Q3, which was a 6% increase from a year earlier. The increase comes even though the 119th Congress is winding down and often groups pull back on lobbying efforts to save resource

The growing adoption of artificial intelligence and Apple’s expansion into the smart home market could help accelerate growth in a sector that has expanded gradually but steadily, according to a new forecast from S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan. The research firm projects U.S. smart home device shipments will increase at a compound annual growth rate of 4.6% from 2025 through 2030, reaching 105.8 million units. Annual shipments totaled an estimated 84.4 million units in

The political makeup of America’s podcast audience is increasingly looking like the nation as a whole, a significant change from just four years ago when Democrats held a commanding advantage among podcast listeners. New research from Signal Hill Insights shows that as podcasting has grown into a mainstream medium, its audience has become more politically diverse, with Independents now accounting for the largest share of monthly consumers. The shift comes just ahead of the No