Campaigns Have Time To Reach Voters with Radio

RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, October 19, 2016

While much of the political buzz in the U.S. has been focused on the race for the White House, the presidential election isn't the only one this November. Races in Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania -- three swing states -- hold a great deal of weight when it comes to deciding who wins the White House and the balance of power in Congress. Nielsen reports that radio has the ability to reach more than 16 million voters across the major metropolitan areas of the three states.

To gain insight into where a state's radio listeners are along party lines, Nielsen Voter Ratings recently matched voter registration data with data from Portable People Meter (PPM) panelists in the major metro areas for these three states. Adults 18+ were then divided into 10 different segments across the full political spectrum.

Campaigns Appeal to Florida's Listeners
Florida's cultural diversity within its population-rich metro areas is one of the key reasons why it's a critical state for either party to win during any election year. The challenge for statewide and national campaigns is effectively and efficiently delivering the right messages across the five major metro areas: Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Tampa and West Palm Beach. These metros account for more than 75% of the state's population and AM/FM radio reaches nine out of 10 voters in Florida in an average week.

The Changing Ways of North Carolina
For 32 years, North Carolina had been a solid red state in presidential elections. However, the state's unprecedented population growth, changing demographics and increased demand for a professional workforce has affected voter composition, and in 2008, the state voted Democrat for president. While it reverted back and voted Republican in the 2012 presidential election, many political pundits still consider North Carolina a swing state. In Charlotte, Urban and Pop radio formats reach the majority of Democrat voters that are under age 35, while AC and Adult Hits reach most Democrats that are over the age of 35. Radio performs extremely well among Republican voters in Charlotte, as 91% of them can be reached by the medium, a higher percentage than Democrats (90.3%) and Independents (90.1%).

Power of the Pennsylvania Suburbs
Pennsylvania has voted Democrat in every presidential election since 1992, and most polls have the state leaning blue in this presidential election. Nevertheless, Republicans have made efforts in the Keystone State to change the state from blue to red. For any candidate running a statewide campaign, it's critical that they ensure that their messages reach key voters in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and these cities' suburbs. In both metros, radio effectively reaches more than 94% of Democrats and more than 95% of Republicans. The medium is also effective in reaching at least 92% of Independent voters.

In Philadelphia, Nielsen data found that one individual radio station has the ability to reach over half of a single voter segment group. When looking at the percentage of voters in each segment, radio is effective in reaching 97.3% of Mild Republicans and 94.6% of On-The-Fence Liberals and 95.6% of Super Democrats. A significant part of the Democrat to Republican voting shift in Pennsylvania is being driven by the more rural, western part of the state. Pittsburgh, which is the second-largest market in the state, remains Democratic but is experiencing an increase in Republican voters.