As the industry and thousands of radio listeners across the New York Tri-State Area digest the news that Audacy Inc. will conclude the News-focused programming of WCBS-AM 880 in New York on August 26, the company led by David Field on Tuesday released a study that explores Sports radio’s “powerful role in fueling fan engagement.”
The timing of the report comes one day after the announcement that WCBS-AM would become the new home of “ESPN New York” thanks to a lease management agreement (LMA) with Good Karma Brands.
The study, “The Power of Sports Fandom,” seeks to demonstrate how the format pioneered by WFAN-AM in New York — today owned by Audacy — “fuels fandom and drives impact for advertisers’ brand-building and sales-led campaigns.”
The study was conducted by Audacy in partnership with Vision Insights. It explores Sports radio’s loyalty to content and broadcast brands and the impact radio delivers for brands and advertisers.
For the report, Audacy and Vision Insights surveyed some 2,275 fans from seven markets with Audacy Sports stations, including Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco.
Audacy Chief Marketing Officer Paul Suchman commented, “Sports radio brings fans closer to the games, teams and discussions they love, and creates a highly effective platform for advertisers to connect with deeply engaged audiences. With football season around the corner and baseball pennant races heating up, this is an ideal moment for brands to leverage the bond between Sports radio hosts and listeners on the Audacy Sports platform as they drive brand affinity and positive outcomes for their campaigns.”
The study found that 84% of Americans are sports fans, and the most avid, committed fans are Sports radio listeners. “Sports radio fuels these die-hards’ devotion during and around the game, and all moments between,” the company said. “Nine in 10 radio listeners consume play-by-play broadcasts and Sports talk content throughout the week, creating many more touchpoints for brands to connect with deeply engaged, brand-loyal fans.”
Furthermore, Audacy illustrates the point that the engagement and connection that Sports radio uniquely delivers “create opportunities for brands to reach their target audiences in environments unmatched by other media.”
The company, which remains in debtor-in-possession status pending FCC regulatory approval of a restructuring plan making Soros Capital Management its top institutional investor, adds, “In Audacy’s sports markets, radio advertisers across auto, insurance, quick-serve restaurants, telecom, beverage, and retail recorded demonstrative brand lift and better media campaign performance when advertising on Audacy stations.”
And, Audacy says the study revealed that more than 60% of Sports Talk listeners consider buying brands they hear on Audacy stations. “On average, sports fans are 40% more likely to use brands advertised on Audacy than brands that advertise on other sports channels,” the company said.
With the full report available here, its timing could be calculated as news of WCBS-AM’s demise and switch to WHSQ-AM as the new home of “ESPN New York” resulted in widespread local news media coverage; a Newsday reporter spoke with RBR+TVBR on Monday upon learning of the news. At Streamline Publishing’s Radio Ink, reader comments were passionate with respect to their loyalty to “NewsRadio 880.”
Audacy’s Sports properties include WIP-FM in Philadelphia, WEEI-FM in Boston, WSCR-AM in Chicago, WXYT-FM in Detroit, WGR-AM in Buffalo and WJFK-FM in Washington, D.C., in addition to stations in Dallas, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Houston, and Atlanta.
