“How? How is it possible?” That was my first reaction when I saw the report on Barrett Media that only 3% of political advertising thus far has been spent on terrestrial radio.
That almost seems impossible. Meanwhile, digital media has earned 34% of all political advertising to this point. Connected TV has secured 22% of political marketing, while cable is just behind at 21%. 19% of election cycle spending has been earmarked for broadcast television.
But … 3%, really?!
I understand the challenges all traditional media outlets are facing, but there is arguably not a more efficient spend for politicians than radio, where there is a true one-on-one connection with the listener in a way they can’t pay for on YouTube, digital static ads, or even broadcast TV.
Now we understand that political candidates often like to look at themselves on TV. Heck, that’s a big reason many of them end up wanting to run for office anyway. They want to be noticed around town. They want to become semi-famous. And they want the high Q scores and notoriety that can come with the job.
But when you combine an engaged audience — one that can’t fast-forward, that is connected to the local communities where candidates are running — along with a very competitive bang for their buck, terrestrial radio should be blowing away its 3% number reported by AdImpact.
Radio is fighting an uphill battle against the visual appeal of television, along with the attractiveness of digital media in today’s environment. But collectively, we need to do a better job explaining what makes our medium appealing to politicians and their ad buyers.
There are plenty of studies suggesting that radio spending can be cost-effective and additive for political campaigns, along with three other main benefits: reaching across political divides; listeners who are often more engaged and less distracted, leading to better ad recall; and a proven ability to effectively reach voters not easily found through other media.
And speaking of some of those harder-to-reach voters, as the Hispanic demographic grows and becomes more politically active and less monolithic in its voting patterns, radio is primed to lead the way in reaching these voters. Radio remains the dominant ad-supported audio platform among Hispanic listeners, accounting for 55% of daily audio consumption in the third quarter of 2025.
Combined with podcasts, these two formats account for 76% of all daily ad-supported audio time among Hispanic adults, ahead of music services, which account for only 21%. According to Edison Research’s Share of Ear, radio is the top ad-supported audio source in cars, accounting for 76% of all in-car audio use among Hispanic consumers attributed to radio.
So as we kick-start 2026, radio needs to sell itself better, and much of that should start at the hyper-local level. The local campaigns in your market that can’t otherwise afford big TV ad buys may be the places where you can begin to sell the value of radio. It’s also a great place to hone your presentation on radio. Build success stories. Incorporate digital components, as many radio companies can, and take dollars from local television, where political silly season becomes nonstop repetition of smiling candidates and their families, who all eventually end up blending together.
We have a product that can work at an attractive price point in an overcrowded market. Which candidate(s), and which stations, are poised to take advantage in 2026?
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Pete Mundo is a weekly columnist for Barrett Media, and the Vice President of News/Talk for Cumulus Media, while also hosting “Mundo in the Morning” and programming KCMO Talk Radio in Kansas City. Previously, he was a fill-in host nationally on FOX News Radio and CBS Sports Radio, while anchoring for WFAN, WCBS News Radio 880, and Bloomberg Radio. He’s also the owner of the Big 12-focused digital media outlet Heartland College Sports. To interact, find him on X @PeteMundo.
