United States in short
How the radio landscape is shaped, and what that means for a plan.
There is no national radio buy, only a list of cities
The US does not sell radio as one country. It sells metro markets, each with its own station list, its own formats and its own rates, and a national campaign is an assembled stack of them. Format matters here more than in most markets: a country station, a news talk station and a Spanish-language station in the same city reach audiences with very little overlap. The upside is that a campaign can be built against a handful of cities that actually matter to the business, rather than paying for national coverage it cannot use.
Where your campaign runs in United States
Each city is its own station list and its own audience, so they are planned separately.
The largest US metro market, in English and Spanish.
Radio advertising in New YorkA car-dependent metro with one of the largest Spanish-language audiences anywhere.
Radio advertising in Los AngelesThe major midwestern metro, with long commutes and a large Spanish-language audience.
Radio advertising in ChicagoWhy radio works in United States
Three things about this market that make the medium punch above its cost.
Buy only the cities that matter
A regional business does not have to fund national reach it will never convert
Format is a precise targeting tool
Station format sorts audiences more cleanly here than demographics do
A large Spanish-language audience
Spanish-language radio is a substantial market of its own rather than an add-on to an English plan
Formats available in United States
The same five formats everywhere we plan. Availability is confirmed per station and campaign period.
Plan my formats
Recorded spot or jingle
Fifteen, twenty or thirty seconds, scheduled across the dayparts that match your audience.
Presenter mention
Read inside the programme by the presenter that audience already listens to.
Time check or feature
A fixed position in the day: the time check, the traffic report, the weather.
Programme sponsorship
Sponsor billing across a show for a defined period, with included spots and sponsor lines.
Multi-language audio
One offer, written separately for each language rather than translated across.
Match the goal to the format
A shortcut for narrowing the choice before you speak to anyone.
| Goal | Recommended format | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Launching a brand or a store | Recorded spot | Repetition builds recall, and a spot is what you can afford to repeat |
| Something that needs explaining | Presenter mention | A trusted voice can take thirty seconds to make a case a jingle cannot |
| An offer running for a fortnight | Spot burst across dayparts | Weight inside the window, then it stops cleanly |
| Owning a moment in the day | Time check or feature | The same slot daily is how a brand joins the routine |
| Reaching one language community | Station-led buy | The station is already the segment |
| A long association, not a burst | Programme sponsorship | The audience attaches you to a show they chose |
Radio stations in United States
Real stations with published packages. Every campaign is quoted against current availability.
United States radio advertising, answered
How many markets should a first campaign cover?
Fewer than most brands expect. Depth in three cities generally beats a thin presence in twelve.
Do I need Spanish-language audio?
If your customer is in that audience, yes, and it should be written in Spanish rather than translated into it.
Is national syndication an option?
It exists and can suit some briefs, though most campaigns are better served by choosing their metros.
Get your United States station plan.
Send the audience, the languages you need, your dates and a budget range. You get back a station shortlist with time bands, formats and current quoted rates.