The medium everyone underestimates is outperforming everything
In Inside Radio, Howard and Ryan Robertson of Spotset Media Network make the case that radio isn't fading. It's being misjudged.
Howard Robertson and Ryan Robertson · October 20, 2026 · 1 min read
This op-ed by Howard Robertson and Ryan Robertson of Spotset Media Network first appeared in Inside Radio in April 2026. Here is a short summary. Read the full piece at the link below.
Radio's obituary has been written more than once. The Robertsons say it's wrong, and the data agrees with them.
Radio is more than the dial
This isn't a nostalgia argument. Radio today is AM and FM, and it's also streaming, apps, smart speakers, connected cars and the audio people carry in their pockets. Citing Nielsen, they note that radio reaches 93% of U.S. adults every month, more than any other media platform.
A blind spot in plain sight
The authors point to Nielsen's 2025 Global Annual Marketing Report: marketers rank radio last in perceived effectiveness, yet it delivers some of the highest returns of any channel. In their words, that gap is “a multi-billion-dollar blind spot sitting in plain sight.”
All radio is local
Reach is easy to buy. Trust isn't. A listener who tunes in every morning knows the hosts and trusts their voices, so a live read from a local personality lands like a recommendation, not an ad.
“The next time someone says radio is dead, turn up the volume and drown them out.”
