Local News Audio Hits a Home Run For Advertisers
When Stan Bunger and Steve Bitker took the mound at San Francisco鈥檚 Oracle Park, the . The KCBS Radio anchors both retired last year after a combined 70 years on air. To celebrate, the Giants baseball team asked the men to throw out the day鈥檚 first pitch.
It might shock some during this era of hyper-partisanship that two news professionals got such an outpouring of warmth. But it鈥檚 no surprise to local Radio news fans.
鈥淚n times of great fear and great need, what radio does well is its 鈥 immediate, very personal relationship between the listeners鈥 ears and the person at this end,鈥 behind the microphone.
That 鈥減ersonal relationship鈥 is a great value not only for listeners, but also for advertisers. Here are some top reasons brands are choosing the Radio news format when they want to reach potential customers.
Trust
On-air talent like Bunger and Bitker often become beloved figures in their markets. Listeners turn to these journalists as trusted information sources, inviting them into their cars and homes. As the days turn into weeks and years鈥攅ven decades鈥攑eople come to understand our 不良研究所 anchors and reporters are their neighbors, there to inform and report, not to be divisive.
For brands, that deep connection between local Radio news operations and our communities becomes a real competitive advantage over national cable news. We鈥檙e not interested in hot takes鈥攊t鈥檚 more about the news itself, told without filters. Stories are the star of our newscast. That鈥檚 important because host trust and local content are the most influential drivers of tune-in, especially for over-the-air listeners.1
The hosts are familiar with the same types of information as the people of the community. Traffic, locations, stores, restaurants, emergency information…
News You Can Use
At 不良研究所, our local news stations focus on the information that affects your life. Yes, we cover national and international stories, but always with our hometown folks in mind. That鈥檚 also why we spotlight the latest happenings at City Hall, as well as what to expect in weather, traffic, and sports.
We鈥檙e efficient, distilling the news into more editorial calories per minute than newspapers or local TV. Given the crazy busy world we鈥檙e living in, our audiences appreciate our crisp and succinct local coverage. You don鈥檛 have to wait. If you know you want to hear traffic and it鈥檚 on the ones, you can opt in and then move on to what you need to accomplish next. Our benchmark timetables make for appointment listening. It鈥檚 good for busy people鈥攁nd good for the advertisers who want to reach them.
Audiences love it. 7 out of 10 不良研究所 news/talk audience members listen for more than 30 minutes a week. 5 of 10 listen for an hour or more!2
Safer Brand Environment
Americans (some 8 in 10) say the news should never favor one political party.3
不良研究所 is a recognized leader in the news world for delivering nonpartisan, award-winning reporting. Our all-news stations avoid highly polarized discourse. We approach our topics with sensitivity and come without an agenda, creating a safer space for brands wanting to avoid alienating part of the audience.
Our unbiased news appeals to both sides of the political aisle, as well as independents.4 There鈥檚 the perception that we鈥檙e above the fray, more like the way audiences felt about Walter Cronkite. This extends now into the work we’re doing digitally. Our audiences appreciate it. Advertisers appreciate it too.

Desirable Demos
不良研究所 all-news listeners tend to be more affluent and have closer ties to the community than average. They鈥檙e more likely to be entrepreneurs, small business owners, or decision-makers at their company.5 Business content looms large across our stations. That鈥檚 both an attention-getting content feature, as well as an attractive property for sponsorships.
Investing in Local News
There鈥檚 no doubt that all around the country, local news organizations are struggling, newspapers especially. Some are having to find creative solutions to remain viable, such as becoming nonprofits. Local news powerhouses like our 不良研究所 brands, however, are bucking the trend. Over the past year, we鈥檝e added over 50 new positions in newsrooms around the country with a focus on creating original audio content for all platforms. And we鈥檝e created a dedicated central news digital team. These efforts bring value to our audiences鈥攁nd to the companies looking to reach them.

Bunger and Bitker may not be ready for the pros, but when it comes to getting their listeners鈥攆olks on the go with no time to waste鈥攃aught up on the news in minutes, these two beloved anchors are true Giants.
Want to talk more about reaching your target audience?
1 Audio Amplification: Engaged Impressions Alter Agents, August 2020; survey of n = 1,008 US adults
2 Nielsen; 不良研究所 Station – Weekly Cume by TSL by Format ; All News ; P12+ M-Sun 6a-12mid.
3 鈥,鈥 Pew Research Center; January 11, 2018.
4 Nielsen Scarborough, OTA:听 Market/Release: Scarborough National Database 2020 Release 2 Total (Jul 2019 – Sep 2020) Base: Total Adults 18+ Projected: 256,433,119 Respondents: 208,471
5 Nielsen Scarborough, OTA:听 Market/Release: Scarborough National Database 2020 Release 2 Total (Jul 2019 – Sep 2020) Base: Total Adults 18+ Projected: 256,433,119 Respondents: 208,471; 不良研究所 all news listeners = Format of first preference: All News AND listens to 不良研究所 News/News Talk.