Local radio provides both the mass reach needed to quickly inform voters just before they cast their ballots, as well as the local appeal that campaign strategists need to win an election.
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 Nielsen’s Portable People Meter (PPM) panelists in the major metropolitan areas for these three critical states. Adults 18+ were then divided into 10 different segments across the full political spectrum.
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. The solution to that challenge, however, is radio. How? AM/FM radio reaches nine out of 10 voters in Florida in an average week.
As illustrated, Florida voters are voracious radio listeners. As an example, radio in Jacksonville reaches 95.4% of Ultra Conservatives voters, the highest for this voter segment in Florida, compared with 86.4% of Ultra Conservative voters in West Palm Beach. Interestingly, Adult Contemporary is the top radio format for Republican voters in Jacksonville and for Democratic voters in Orlando.
For candidates trying to win the state and reach voters across Central Florida’s Interstate 4 corridor, identified as the area’s biggest swing area, it’s critical for them to know where their voters are and what they are tuning to.
In Tampa, radio has the ability to reach 93.4% of Independent voters, the highest in the state, while also reaching a high number of Super Democrats and Uninvolved Conservatives. Whether it's a local, statewide or national candidate, reaching the right voter and encouraging voter turnout is key.
Like in Florida, candidates who want to connect with specific voter segments in North Carolina can leverage the power of radio to deliver a message that is targetable and that resonates with the intended audience.
In Charlotte, Urban and Pop radio formats reach the majority of Democrat voters that are under age 35 , while Adult Contemporary 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%).
When we look at Nielsen’s voter ratings data, it shows that the Greensboro-Winston-Salem area has a very diverse voter segment. Radio has the unique ability to effectively reach more than 93% of Super Democrats, Ultra Conservatives, On-the-Fence Liberals and Green Traditionalists.
When it comes to overall reach, AM/FM radio reaches nine out of 10 voters in Raleigh-Durham each week, with its highest reach among Independent voters at 93.6%. Radio’s wide and far-reaching appeal goes beyond party lines and in the Raleigh-Durham metro it reaches 95.6% of Mild Republican and 95.5% of Left Out Democrats.
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. Radio presents a great opportunity for Democrat and Republican candidates to reach voters and deliver a message that resonates. In Pittsburgh, radio has the power to reach 94.6% of Ultra Conservative, 94.7% of Mild Republicans, while at the same time reaching 92.8 % of Conservative Democrats and 95.6% of Super Democrats.
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