Media Monitors Expands Radio Ad Coverage Nationwide

RADIO ONLINE | Monday, August 18, 2025 | 2:26pm CT

John Fix

Media Monitors, the commercial ad occurrence measurement firm, has announced two major enhancements designed to strengthen the role of AM/FM radio in media mix modeling and attribution analysis. This week's Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group blog features a piece from John Fix, formerly of P&G. It examines why this expansion is a breakthrough for AM/FM radio's performance in Media Mix Modeling.

The company expanded its radio ad monitoring market coverage from 106 to 250 markets, boosting national representation of as-run radio advertising. The move represents a 20% increase in average quarter-hour audience and a 22% lift in reach, with Media Monitors' footprint now covering 86% of U.S. AM/FM radio listeners.

In addition, Media Monitors will now retain audio files of all radio advertising indefinitely. This allows modelers to verify creative content and ensure accurate brand attribution, resolving longstanding data gaps caused by missing or blank ISCI codes.

Media mix modeling, a statistical tool used by advertisers to measure return on investment across media channels, has historically struggled to capture radio's impact due to reliance on planned rather than actual ad deliveries. By supplying as-run data with greater weekly variation, Media Monitors' updates are expected to improve accuracy and strengthen radio's performance in these models.

According to Nielsen benchmarks, AM/FM radio ranks second in return on investment among media channels, despite being widely perceived as lower performing. Industry analysts say the improved data inputs will help bridge the gap between perception and reality, supporting stronger advertiser confidence in radio.

Read the entire blog post here.