Dave Van Dyke, dvd@bridgeratings.com Radio has never had more data. We know what people listen to. We know when they listen. We know how long they stay. We know their age, gender, location, and device. We conduct perceptual studies, music tests, focus groups, audience surveys, and analytics reviews. Yet somehow, despite all of this information,

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BridgeRatings: Dave Van Dyke, dvd@bridgeratings.com There was a time when you could feel a radio station. Not hear it. Feel it. You could walk through the front door and immediately know you were somewhere special. Phones were ringing. Music was playing. Air talent were talking in hallways. Salespeople were rushing to appointments. Promotions teams were

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Programming and creating a format is about a focus on your format plan. First, you must ask questions. It is strongly suggest you use some critical thinking. The plan should include Discovery Questions. Here’s a suggested starter sequence of questions that can frame the conversation is: What is the plan? What is the expected outcome?

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Radio and podcasts continued to dominate ad-supported audio consumption in the first quarter of 2026, accounting for 82% of all daily ad-supported listening time, according to Nielsen’s latest edition of The Record, produced in partnership with Edison Research. The quarterly report found that U.S. consumers spend nearly four hours each day with audio, with radio

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Google’s AI Overview is a year old and has generated sharp reductions in organic and paid search clicks. Advertisers must prioritize top of funnel advertising so they can “be known before they’re needed.” Key findings: As a result of Google’s AI Overviews, search traffic is down sharply and maintaining it now costs significantly more than

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A new case study from Katz Radio Group suggests radio advertising can play a significant role in motivating homeowners to explore short-term hosting opportunities tied to the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026. The study, featured in Katz Radio’s Sound Answers blog, examined how audio advertising influenced consumer attitudes and intent for a global travel marketplace

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BridgeRatings: Dave Van Dyke, dvd@bridgeratings.com For decades, radio sounded like people. Not brands. Not positioning statements. Not carefully filtered messaging strategies. People. Stations had personalities. Cities had identities. Air talent sounded like human beings living in the same world as the audience. Even when radio was polished, it still felt alive. Somewhere along the way,

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A new study commissioned by Cumulus Media and Westwood One highlights how long-term AM/FM radio advertising helped Henkle’s Ace Hardware build strong brand awareness and customer loyalty in Joplin, Missouri. The research, conducted by Quantilope in January 2026 among 150 consumers in Joplin, found Henkle’s Ace Hardware ranked third in unaided brand awareness behind national

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Triton Digital announced an expanded integration of its Sounder.AI contextual targeting and brand suitability tools within The Trade Desk programmatic advertising platform, aimed at improving podcast ad targeting and campaign optimization. The enhanced integration gives advertisers access to activation-ready audience segments powered by Sounder.AI, enabling buyers to move beyond traditional podcast show and genre targeting

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Dave Van Dyke, BridgeRatings There’s a growing belief in our industry that the future of radio will be solved by digital. Streaming. Apps. Smart speakers. Connected dashboards. And yes—those platforms matter. They expand reach. They remove geographic limits. They meet listeners where they already are. But let’s be honest about something most people are avoiding:

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