It’s Election Day and radio platforms are playing a pivotal role in the final push to reach voters. With hundreds of thousands of dollars in final investments pouring in, both major parties are betting big as radio networks prepare for wall-to-wall coverage as polls close.
More than $1 billion has been spent on political ads in the last ten days, according to AdImpact – about one-tenth of the over $10 billion total in political advertising since the start of 2023.
On November 2, the Democratic National Committee launched a six-figure media campaign using radio ads and billboards to target rural voters in Georgia and North Carolina. The “I Will Vote” campaign spans 15 counties in these key battleground areas. This follows seven-figure ad spend on almost fifty Black-focused radio stations. DNC Chair Jaime Harrison commented, “In the final days of this election, Democrats are not taking our foot off the gas as we communicate our plan for rural America.”
While Democrats and Vice President Kamala Harris lean into radio to connect with voters, former President Donald Trump has relied more on podcasts.
Harris’s campaign has been running radio ads targeting rural, Hispanic, Indigenous, and Republican voters in swing states. Meanwhile, Trump has appeared on popular podcasts to engage with younger male audiences, including shows like The Joe Rogan Experience, Impaulsive, and The Lex Fridman Podcast. On Monday, former President Donald Trump joined the latest episode of SiriusXM’s Let’s Go! podcast, hosted by Bill Belichick and Jim Gray.
Outside of advertising, radio is ready for full election night coverage.
ABC News Radio will launch live election coverage at 7p ET, led by Alex Stone, White House correspondent Karen Travers, and national correspondent Steven Portnoy. Affiliate stations will receive special reports throughout the night.
ABC Audio’s podcast Start Here, hosted by Brad Mielke, will also address misinformation and election subversion, with Mielke reporting from Pennsylvania on November 4. The day after the election, Start Here will feature a special episode with insights from ABC News analysts and correspondents nationwide.
NPR is also offering real-time election night coverage starting at 7p ET. NPR will broadcast live updates from its Washington, DC, headquarters, with reporting from key swing states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Georgia. Digital coverage includes a live blog and interactive map on NPR.org, tracking election results by state and county, along with updates on Senate, House, and gubernatorial races. Additional updates will be available on the NPR Politics Podcast and through the Politics Newsletter for those preferring recaps.
SiriusXM will carry cable news and exclusive channels via satellite radios and the SiriusXM app. Listeners can follow simulcasted updates from FOX News, CNN, and MSNBC or join live discussions on the broadcaster’s political talk channels like Triumph, POTUS Politics, Patriot, Urban View, and Progress.
As digital and traditional broadcast platforms work together to capture every development, radio’s trusted voice will be crucial in navigating one of the most closely watched elections in recent history.
