By Jon Holiday
For decades, radio has proudly worn the badge of being “local.” And it’s true—listeners see radio as an essential source of local information. But if the industry wants to maintain that reputation and build lasting value for advertisers, we need to ask: What does “local” actually mean to our audience?
The Listener’s Circle of Relevance
The reality is simple: most people live their lives within a 10-mile radius of home. Grocery stores, banks, restaurants, and big-box retailers like Walmart or Home Depot fall within that range. For bigger-ticket purchases—cars, furniture, or malls—the circle may stretch to 20 miles, but rarely further.
That means if a restaurant is advertising across the entire market, three-quarters of the dollars spent are wasted on consumers who will never cross town to eat there. Likewise, when listeners hear commercials for businesses well outside their personal circle, it creates fatigue—and devalues radio’s credibility as a “local” medium.
Radio’s Strength: Market-Level Local
Listeners already turn to radio for the essentials: weather, traffic, emergencies, local news, sports, and community updates. In fact, emergency and weather coverage consistently ranks as the single most important “local” service radio provides.
But here’s the catch: while radio performs well at the market level, many listeners still say the content doesn’t feel “local enough.” They identify with their metro area, but their daily lives are lived inside a much tighter circle—usually a 20-minute drive or less.
The Big Opportunity: Hyperlocal + Commercials
This is where radio has room to improve. Delivering hyperlocal touches—whether that’s spotlighting neighborhood businesses, school sports, or community events—adds a layer of relevance national media simply can’t match.
And the biggest growth opportunity? Commercials. Spots are often the weak link in the listening experience. When ads feel generic, irrelevant, or disconnected from a listener’s daily life, tune-out increases. By making commercials more hyperlocal—aligned with the actual circle in which people live—radio can improve listener engagement and drive better results for advertisers.
The Bottom Line
Listeners already understand and appreciate radio’s role in their world. They know it’s more than a distribution system for music—it’s a vital community connection. But to protect that role long-term, we need to sharpen the definition of “local” from a whole-market view to a listener’s circle of relevance. If radio can own that space—within 10 to 20 miles of a listener’s life—it will not just survive but thrive as the most effective local medium in the advertising landscape.
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