Audacy CEO Says Sports Radio Is ‘Thriving’ In Digital Era.

Audacy CEO Kelli Turner says the rise of streaming platforms, podcasts, social media and AI-driven personalization has done little to diminish the strength of sports radio, arguing instead that audio remains one of the most effective ways for fans to connect with teams, personalities and each other.

Writing in a contributed article for Sportico, Turner framed sports audio as an enduring medium that continues evolving alongside changes in technology and media consumption habits.

“Sports occupy a unique space in culture — they offer an unscripted, real-time communal connection with people and a civic pride that is hard to replicate,” Turner wrote. “Radio delivers exactly that.”

Turner pointed to Audacy’s recent launch of sports talk station “97.1 The Fan” KNX-FM in Los Angeles as part of the company’s broader investment in sports programming. The move gives Audacy sports brands in each of the nation’s 10 largest markets and more than 30 sports stations nationwide.

She also noted the historical significance of sports broadcasting, referencing KDKA Pittsburgh’s 1921 airing of a Pirates-Phillies game widely recognized as the first major league baseball broadcast. KDKA remains the Pirates’ flagship station more than a century later.

While acknowledging the explosion of sports content across streaming video, YouTube, TikTok, sports betting apps and podcasts, Turner argued that audio remains uniquely positioned because of its accessibility and ability to fit into listeners’ daily routines.

“In today’s media landscape, attention is hard to get and even harder to keep,” she wrote. “Sports listeners are highly engaged, whether they are glued to the game itself or listening to a heated debate over a trade rumor in the off-season.”

Turner also cited research suggesting sports audio listeners demonstrate particularly strong fan loyalty, including higher likelihoods of attending tailgates, wearing team merchandise and actively participating in fan culture.

The article emphasized Audacy’s broader transition from a traditional radio operator into a multiplatform audio company, with Turner noting that nearly one-third of company revenue now comes from digital distribution, including streaming, podcasting, YouTube clips and the Audacy app.

“We say ‘audio’ because we’ve extended our distribution and evolved our content to make sure we are everywhere the fans are,” Turner wrote, noting that Audacy now produces roughly 600 sports podcasts.

At the same time, Turner argued that the core appeal of sports radio has remained largely unchanged despite shifts in delivery platforms.

“The basic idea of the audience’s tribal relationship with their familiar local personalities doesn’t change,” she wrote. “Local voices with national scale is our mantra.”

Turner also pushed back against the idea that radio’s continued relevance is simply driven by nostalgia, arguing instead that sports audio succeeds because it creates shared experiences and real-time community engagement that are increasingly rare in modern media.

“In a world increasingly shaped by isolation and algorithms, sports and audio together deliver a rare, real-time communal bond that extends far beyond the stadium,” Turner wrote.

She closed by noting one additional advantage sports radio continues to hold over many other media platforms: accessibility.

“It’s worth pointing out that the cost of listening to your local sports radio doesn’t go up,” Turner wrote. “It’s the same price today that it was for that Pirates game in 1921: free.”