Beasley Media Group is formally redefining itself as a digital-first company, a strategic pivot CEO Caroline Beasley says is essential for survival in today’s media marketplace in an interview on Borrell Associates’ Local Marketing Trends podcast.
“Digital-first is our guiding strategy moving forward. As traditional radio advertising dollars soften, our focus remains on expanding the digital side of our business – an area that continues to grow. This is what our clients and listeners want and expect from us, and we are committed to delivering it,” Beasley told Radio Ink, after the interview debuted on Monday.
“The industry is evolving, and we are evolving with it. While our traditional broadcast properties will continue to play an important role in our portfolio, our focus must remain on the future – embracing digital innovation and new technologies that complement our core business. That is where the industry is headed, and we intend to be there.”
When talking with Gordon Borrell, she stated, “As a company today, if you don’t have a digital-first strategy, my fear is that you’re really going to be left behind.”
During the Borrell interview, Beasley stated the company now requires digital components on nearly every order and is training sellers to lead with digital as the company moves to become both a content and technology company, with R&D focused on AI, large language models, and machine learning to connect digital and traditional platforms, improve attribution, and develop direct-sell capabilities.
The company is building a product that will allow advertisers to buy digital, and eventually over-the-air, inventory entirely online, aiming to simplify transactions and appeal to smaller advertisers. Looking ahead to 2035, Beasley also predicted physical facilities will give way to cloud-based operations, and AI will be embedded in every aspect of the business.
While the majority of radio groups have moved into the realm of selling digital offerings, Townsquare Media was the first large radio operator to brand itself as a “Digital First Local Media Company,” taking the main focus off its over-the-air product. After emerging from bankruptcy in 2010, the company launched Townsquare Interactive and its programmatic platform, Ignite. More than half of the company’s revenue has come from its digital sales for more than two years now.
Per Borrell Associates’ 2025 Digital Benchmarking Report, digital gains are stabilizing overall industry revenue amid declines in print and other traditional channels. Digital accounted for 19% of local radio ad spend in 2022, and is projected to rise to 25.1% by the end of this year.
Beasley will reveal its Q2 earnings later today.
There’s a lot to like here. It’s bold. It’s definitive. It’s strategic.
It embraces the undeniable shift from OTA to streaming and the potential of leveraging that considerable momentum. It will incorporate AI. There is mention of a tool that will facilitate online transactions making it easier to do business. There is mention of “training” sellers.
Will this new digital first strategy make money? Let’s hope so, because the industry could sure use a “win” right about now.
The question is: Can the entire Beasley Media Group pivot to this new mission statement, re-invent their way of conducting business, engage advertisers more effectively moving forward and grow their revenue to the level of actual profitability?
If Caroline Beasley pulls this off and achieves profitability, she will secure her place at the top of the mountain of radio group leadership. No other CEO just publicly outlined a sensible, intelligent, specific plan to succeed moving forward.
This just got interesting. A CEO just blew up their old strategy and replaced it with what looks like a very solid gameplan. Nice job, Caroline. I think some of your peers will drop their five irons in the middle of the fairway when they hear about this…
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