As artificial intelligence reshapes how agencies plan and buy media, two radio market leaders are rethinking everything from sales structure to execution. Their message: adapt faster, integrate deeper, and make accountability the core of every client relationship.
In a special AI edition of The Encouragers: The Radio Rally podcast, Rainmaker Pathway Consulting Works host Lloyd Ford talked with Beasley Media Group VP/Market Manager Paul Blake and NRG Media’s Amy Graham about reengineering sales teams, digital integration, and what it takes to stay ahead of AI-driven agency planning.
After a summation of previously reported findings from Futuri’s Erin Callaghan that warned of built-in bias in AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok, pushing radio out of ad budget recommendations, Blake offered that the lesson wasn’t to fight automation; it was to evolve faster than it. As Beasley shifts “digital-first,” his Philadelphia cluster has moved from defending radio’s role in the mix to redesigning how its sales team engages the marketplace.
“Digital has definitely changed the [market], but for us, it’s kind of more of an accelerant than an obstacle,” he said. The practical takeaway, he explained, is that staffing and training now matter more than slogans. “Our sales team looks dramatically different today than it did five years ago,” he said. “Those that didn’t want to learn, want to evolve, want to innovate… did not make it through.”
That evolution starts with hiring. “Rather than hiring radio sellers and trying to slowly teach them how to learn and grow with digital, we hired digital-first sellers, and we teach them how to integrate radio,” Blake said. His team now treats “radio” as one tool in a larger kit. “They’re not radio salespeople; they’re great marketers,” he said. The payoff has been agility: sellers who can meet advertisers in their language, whether the topic is streaming, attribution, or creative strategy. “Who would have thought a radio station would have multiple videographers on their staff?” he added.
Blake’s larger framework is about repositioning radio’s role in client conversations. “We need to start with what the client’s marketing objective is and then customize our program for what they are trying to accomplish,” he said. “If you start with the platform, you’re already losing to the algorithm. But if you start with the objective, you own the strategy.”
Graham echoed that philosophy from a local operator’s lens, translating it into a measurable, repeatable process. As General Manager of NRG Media’s broadcast arm, she’s seen local advertisers compare not just rates but responsiveness and accountability. “What we’re really hearing most is that their experience [elsewhere] is lacking follow-up, quick response, and regular review of their marketing plan,” she said. “Those are the things we do best because it really comes down to trust and relationships.”
Her team operationalized that idea by adding a digital sales specialist whose job is to attend meetings, oversee campaign delivery, and train the sales staff on products and reporting. “It can’t be one-and-done because digital is so ever-changing,” she said. The payoff has been tangible. “It’s helped our digital grow from maybe 5–10% of our overall revenue to now 25% of our overall revenue just in our market.”
Graham’s system also formalized bundling, making digital and over-the-air offerings inseparable. “We specifically have boxes to check with all of our activities to make sure that digital is being presented along with over-the-air and streaming schedules,” she said. “It would have to be a very specific reason for us not to bundle all of our assets together.”
A new free Q1 Radio Sales Event from The Encouragers: The Radio Rally podcast is now available on-demand, featuring Curtis Media’s Jamie Evans and Rich Broadcasting’s Sandie Fulks on transforming recruiting, motivating challenged sellers, and driving Q1 revenue growth for local radio.
