Local 2018 Radio Ad Spending in California to Hit $1.66B

RADIO ONLINE | Tuesday, June 12, 2018 | 7:56pm CT

BIA Advisory Services

Local advertising in Los Angeles will top $9.1 billion in 2018, while statewide spending is expected to exceed $18.8 billion across California's 12 media markets, according to BIA Advisory Services' local advertising forecast. Of the 16 advertising platforms tracked in the BIA's forecast, the top five choices for expenditures in California for 2018 included broadcast radio with a forecast of $1.66 billion.

"Our California ad forecast shows that key advertisers are getting more comfortable with a cross-platform advertising approach that includes significant mobile and digital along with their traditional advertising," said BIA Advisory Services chief economist and SVP Mark Fratrik.

The Los Angeles market represents 48 percent of California's local ad spending. Key vertical markets of retail, general services and financial/insurance across the state will cumulatively spend nearly $8 billion divided between traditional and digital media, with mobile advertising experiencing the highest growth of any media. BIA's forecasting shows that financial and insurance industry advertisers will increase its spend by at least 18 percent from 2018 through 2022.

Ad Spend in Top Media in California

1. Direct mail ($4.81 billion)
2. TV Over-the-Air ($2.66 billion)
3. Mobile ($2.38 billion)
4. Online ($2.21 billion)
5. Radio Over-the-Air ($1.66 billion)

BIA will present its California market intelligence at its LOCAL IMPACT Los Angeles event on Thursday, July 12 in Los Angeles.

Rick Thomas to Exit Beasley Media Tampa in June Rick Thomas Beasley Media Group announced that Rick Thomas will step away from his leadership role in Tampa effective June 1, as he shifts his focus toward spending more time with his family. Thomas joined Beasley Media Group in January 2023 as Brand Manager for the company's Tampa radio cluster, overseeing WLLD-FM, More

Beach Football League Partners With iHeartMedia Beach Football League The Beach Football League has entered into a strategic partnership with iHeartMedia, naming iHeartRadio the league's Official Audio and Radio Partner beginning with the 2026 season. Under the agreement, iHeartMedia will provide promotional support for the league through its radio, podcast, digital, social More

AI-Run Radio Experiment Reveals Distinct Personalities Andon Labs A new experiment from Andon Labs found that artificial intelligence models tasked with autonomously operating internet radio stations quickly developed dramatically different on-air personalities - ranging from calm and polished to repetitive, conspiracy-focused, and politically activist. The project, More

NPR Cuts Jobs Amid Funding, Revenue Challenges National Public Radio (NPR) NPR is restructuring its newsroom and offering voluntary buyouts to employees as the public media organization works to address budget pressures tied to declining sponsorship revenue and the loss of federal funding for public broadcasting stations. NPR President and CEO Katherine More

Screamin' Scott Randall Joins WCSX Morning Show Screamin' Scott Randall Beasley Media's Classic Rock WCSX-FM has promoted longtime Detroit radio personality Screamin' Scott Randall to mornings, effective May 18. Randall moves into the morning slot after serving as the station's afternoon host. Before joining WCSX, he spent years as part of the morning lineup at Detroit rock More

PodcastOne Extends Lindsie Chrisley Deal, Adds Show PodcastOne PodcastOne has extended its agreement with podcast host Lindsie Chrisley for sales and distribution rights to "The Southern Tea" in a new multi-year deal. The company also announced it has acquired distribution rights to "Dude Dads," a podcast from the KILLR Network hosted by Jeri More