I’m a fan of David Samson. The former Marlins executive turned host at Meadowlark Media speaks candidly, and usually supports his positions with solid evidence. He’s been gracious with his time to our writers over the years. His prior conversations with Pablo Torre and John Skipper on The Sporting Class always made me think. Whether Marlins and Expos fans like him or his opinions are right more than wrong doesn’t change my position.
But earlier this week, David stepped on a landmine. He declared that we don’t need baseball on the radio anymore. David said, “We all live by the clock that is kernels of sand through an hourglass. So, radio will go the way of Kodak and Blockbuster. It doesn’t mean the voices will go away. The voices will find a different way to get into your brain because you have a different way of engaging with content.”
In my opinion, David couldn’t be more wrong. The response to those remarks has been huge across social media. Most feel similar to yours truly. I respect David’s knowledge of the baseball business. He ran the Miami Marlins for 15 years. He spent a few years with the Expos too. He’s been a part of media deals on the team’s side pointing out that teams “buy a block of time, and then go out and sell ads.” Some clubs do that. But most big brands don’t. Let’s examine the issue a little deeper.
Radio’s Reach Isn’t Shrinking
Reach matters in today’s media climate. Nielsen data shows AM/FM radio reaches 87% of U.S. adults every week. Those numbers aren’t from 10-15 years ago. They are from the first quarter of 2026. That beat smartphones at 82%, TV-connected devices at 78% and live TV at 71%. Even among adults 18-34, radio reaches 81%.
Is radio’s revenue down from its peak? Yes. The industry produced over 21 billion in 2006. BIA projects local radio will earn $12.2 billion in 2026. That’s still a lot of money even if it’s less than what existed 20 years ago. Still, Samson said there is no money in radio. Twelve billion Benjamin’s suggests otherwise.
Samson pointed to podcasting and YouTube as growth areas, two spaces most stations are active in. I love both and believe there’s a lot of room to explore and grow business there. But those two spaces don’t come close to delivering the financial return that radio advertising does. iHeartMedia posted $3.87 billion in revenue in 2025. Cumulus generated $741.7 million. Stations such as 98.5 The Sports Hub and WFAN made over 30 million each and were among the top 10 billing stations across all formats in 2025. Those aren’t Blockbuster or Kodak numbers.
If we turn our attention to television, linear revenue has declined from 56 billion to 41 billion since 2006. Streaming and connected TV are responsible for adding 28 billion, which is great except that’s only half of what linear produced 20 years ago. Put the linear and streaming numbers together and the television industry has a winner.
Conversely, podcasting produced just under 3 billion in 2025. That’s up significantly from 2006. Add podcast revenue to radio the way streaming gets coupled with television, and the audio business collectively earns 15 billion. However, if you do a side by side comparison, radio currently delivers 4x the revenue that podcasting does.
Will that remain the case in 20 years? Maybe. Maybe not. I’m bullish on podcasting, streaming, and YouTube and believe all are growth areas for brands. But replacing and even surpassing 4-5x the revenue let alone the massive reach is a tall order.
Radio Still Owns the Dashboard
Now let’s consider the car. Edison Research’s Share of Ear data shows AM/FM radio claimed 55% of in-car audio time in early 2026. All streaming audio combined took just 16%. Even among listeners 13-34, radio led streaming 46% to 30%.
Podcasts are great but nobody’s waiting for a podcast to tell them the score in the eighth inning. That’s live. That’s local. And that’s radio. Both mediums have value and matter for different reasons. Suggesting one is needed and one isn’t misses the complete picture.
Nielsen data showed MLB broadcasts in PPM markets averaged an 8.9 share in 2024. In fact, more than 40% of teams posted double-digit shares. The Guardians led that year with a 27.5. In 2026, WEEI was strong at night thanks to the Boston Red Sox. Seattle Sports 710 enjoyed similar success courtesy of the Mariners. I’ve also seen massive ratings turned in by the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and many other teams across most markets.
Those numbers reflect 25-54 listening to live, local, baseball games on the radio. They’re not reflective of a 65+ audience or group of people standing with one foot in the grave. In fact, research from Katz Radio Group in 2026 showed that 61% of all U.S. sports audio time is spent with AM/FM radio, compared to 27% with podcasts and 12% with SiriusXM. Scarborough USA data showed 85% of Adults 18+ interested in MLB listen to radio weekly. One in five MLB-interested adults listened to MLB play-by-play on radio, with that figure increasing to one in four tuning in among the game’s most passionate fans.
If one wants to ignore the research and Nielsen data, fine. Juan Galdamez presented findings at the 2026 Barrett Media Audio Summit based on actual in-car listening through Xperi. Watch the session below. You’ll learn how much fans value baseball play by play on the radio.
Big Brands Don’t Rent Time
Samson’s radio experience in Miami is different from what exists in other cities with other teams. For instance, the Dodgers own an equity stake in iHeartMedia’s AM 570 KLAC. The Cardinals and KMOX keep extending a partnership that also gives the team daily shows. Likewise, KNBR has carried the Giants since 1979, and commands a strong rights investment. The Atlanta Braves command the same respect from Dickey Broadcasting and deliver big results.
Those are partnerships. Stations invest because baseball on the radio delivers audience and advertisers. Yes, the Marlins and Athletics have operated closer to the model Samson described. So do a few others. But those clubs aren’t in position to command major investment the way other brands can. That’s a team problem, not a radio problem.
Why Root for Radio’s Funeral?
What I don’t understand is why so many people feel the need to declare radio dead. People not involved in it frequently take aim at it. Even some working in radio or previously involved in the business can’t resist publicly bashing the medium they say they love. Rarely do I see radio people trashing television on social media. They don’t use their airtime to bury podcasts or streaming. They know their industry isn’t perfect but they care about it, enjoy working in it, and want it to succeed.
Creators, executives and businesspeople should want every medium and platform to thrive. More brands generate interest in their content that way. That allows broadcasters to continue earning a living and the outlets they work for to continue operating. On top of that, radio connects local and national businesses to local communities. That helps owners support their families, and their employees and their employees’ families. It also links the local audience to the businesses, products and services they rely on.
Will podcasting and YouTube replace radio tomorrow? No. Within five years? Also no. Anyone who says otherwise isn’t fully informed.
Radio has challenges. Revenue tops the list. Industry perception is right behind it. Many frame the medium as outdated and less effective than it truly is. My biggest criticism is that industry owners and executives do a poor job combatting that narrative. Few invest in marketing their stations or their industry’s strengths. They remind the ad community that they’re also in digital, social, podcasts, and video because they lack confidence in their own medium. Yet that very medium is one they control and it delivers results. Digital is awesome but it is rented land with landlords who won’t think twice to raise the rent or move someone else in.
If radio’s critics want the business to fail, the dashboard has to change first. Every major automaker would need to redesign it. Roads would need the infrastructure to deliver WiFi to every vehicle. Autonomous cars would need to handle most driving, letting people enjoy their phones without watching the road. Until all of that happens, the dashboard remains a big part of radio’s story. And no matter how loud the naysayers raise their voices against the medium, radio is going nowhere.
JB’s Final Take
I love podcasts and video streaming. Having audio and video content available for any subject we can think of is a positive. More people care about consuming and creating content today than ever before. Creativity is also higher and better. But as much as I love video and podcasts, they are additive to radio and television. Podcasts are not replacing live and local radio. If anything, they will become radio more than radio will become podcasting. People value real-time reaction, local connection and in-person engagement, things radio has done well for decades.
Let’s not ignore or deny how big radio’s reach is. Or the fact that it still produces more than 12 billion dollars annually. It dominates the in-car dashboard experience. Teams value that reach because it helps them reach fans, sell tickets, remain part of daily conversations, and earn rights fees to grow their bottom line. There may be a few smaller situations where teams operate without radio partners, but if you look closer, it’s usually because local operators see limited value in the rights for those teams.
When I spoke with John Skipper at the BSM Summit in 2024 he made it clear that he wanted no part of selling ads at Meadowlark. It’s why the company partnered with DraftKings to own all of its content. The reported investment in 2021 according to the Wall Street Journal was 50 million for 3 years. Other outlets reported the number being closer to 40 million. The two sides renewed their partnership later but no financial details were disclosed.
In looking at Samson’s channel, he’s built a base of nearly 60,000 subs. His channel posted 92 videos during the past 30 days, averaging over 20,000 views per video. One video in particular, Red Sox facing NIGHTMARE performed exceptionally well, generating 157K. If you go by YouTube’s monetization rules, the RPM (revenue per mile) is usually between $1 and $5 per 1,000 views, depending on the niche and where the audience lives. Most channels sit around $2 to $4. That adds up to $20-$100 per video per 20K views. Multiply that by ninety two videos and you have $1,840 to $9,200 per month.
More dollars are likely pouring in between a Meadowlark salary, brand deals, Super Chats, memberships, merchandise, licensing of content, and other revenue steams. I’m sure the financial structure is even better for Meadowlark because this is just one show. They have many others too. They’re also not saddled with some of the expenses that traditional radio operators encounter. But even if their deal with DraftKings doubled from the first agreement, that’d just put the company on par with WFAN and 98.5 The Sports Hub. Ironically, those two brands operate in a business that was just declared dead and making no money.
Having programmed and consulted on the East Coast, West Coast and in the Midwest, I know of many different business arrangements in place with teams. David Samson knows one side of this story based on his own personal and professional experience. I don’t fault him for believing baseball on the radio is set to expire based on what he’s encountered. I just wish he knew the rest of the story before suggesting the industry’s use and value to baseball is on borrowed time.
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