Broadcast Companies Must Rethink Podcast Cross Promotion on Sports Radio Stations

Broadcast sports radio is still a megaphone that sports podcasts wish they had. It remains one of the most valuable assets sports radio provides: a built-in audience that is highly engaged and rarely listens passively. That’s why so many broadcast companies use the medium as a promotional tool for their podcast platforms.

You’ve heard the ads. Check out this random podcast on the (insert company name) podcast network. Streaming on the (insert company name) app. These spots are often programmed from afar and inserted based on broad audience demographics. The problem is they frequently have little to do with what local listeners actually want from their local sports radio station.

They’re a headache for programmers and talent alike. Instead of getting back to the content and personalities audiences tune in for, stations extend commercial breaks to accommodate company priorities. Quantity takes precedence over quality. Plus, local brands are often forced to promote content that may have little relevance to their listeners.

Just the other day, I tuned into my local sports radio station here in Tampa Bay and heard a 30-second commercial for a soccer podcast hosted by names I didn’t recognize. Yes, the World Cup is here and people are watching. However, you just can’t say soccer and expect me to check it out because. “Hey, soccer is here.”

It reminded me of my time programming the station. We were the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, yet it seemed like we ran promotional spots every hour for Off The Edge with Cam Jordan. When I questioned management why we were promoting a star player from a rival team, I was told the ads had to run at the allotted frequency.

I didn’t understand it then, and I still don’t understand it now. Why are local sports radio stations serving as megaphones for content that doesn’t resonate with the audience they serve? More importantly, is there data proving these ads drive enough podcast discovery to justify forcing them onto local brands?

Last week, Sounds Profitable and JAR Podcast Solutions released joint research examining how listeners discover, engage with, and recommend podcasts. If you’re sitting in a programming chair like I once was, the findings should grab your attention.

Among nearly 3,800 podcast listeners surveyed, only 9% said they discovered their favorite podcast through a radio commercial. That ranked next to last among all discovery methods measured. The numbers were even lower among key advertising demographics. Just 4% of adults ages 18-34 and 8% of adults ages 35-54 said radio or television helped them discover their favorite podcast.

Those numbers matter because the entire purpose of these promotional messages is discoverability. Companies use local inventory to build awareness for podcast networks, attract high-profile talent, and drive listening. Every major audio company follows some version of this strategy.

I remember discussing the approach with iHeartPodcast President Will Pearson.

“We find the best way to get somebody to listen to a new podcast is by reaching them in another form of audio, either through podcast or through broadcast radio. It’s a massive part of our success story,” said Pearson last March.

That perspective makes sense on the surface. Radio still delivers reach at a scale most podcasts can only dream about. Yet the new research raises an important question: Are these messages actually working with the audiences hearing them?

There are countless ways for consumers to discover podcasts today. YouTube and social media continue to lead the way. Platforms such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify also excel at surfacing new content through recommendations and algorithms tailored to listener behavior. However, if traditional radio listeners aren’t discovering podcasts through radio commercials, then it’s fair to question whether these promotional campaigns are producing the desired return.

The beauty of asking that question is that it opens the door to potential better solutions.

One option is simple: give some of that inventory back to your talent. We’ve seen plenty of research showing that long commercial breaks contribute to audience tune-out. Reducing those breaks and allowing hosts more time to create compelling content benefits both the station and the listener. Even thirty seconds can mean more than you imagine.

Another option is to rethink what gets promoted. Instead of using local inventory almost exclusively for national podcasts, why not dedicate more of it to local podcast content created by local talent? Stations could use those promotional opportunities to build deeper relationships with their audience while creating new sponsorship opportunities around products they directly control.

There’s also a talent benefit. Local podcasting can provide additional content opportunities and potentially create new revenue streams for personalities. More importantly, listeners already know the voices behind those shows. Promoting familiar talent gives audiences a stronger reason to engage than asking them to sample a random podcast they’ve never heard of.

The larger issue is understanding that audio audiences are not all the same. Your broadcast sports radio audience is different from your YouTube audience. Your YouTube audience is different from your podcast audience. Yet many companies continue treating all audio consumers as though they behave identically.

If broadcast radio companies want to continue using their sports radio stations as promotional engines for podcast growth, the strategy must evolve. It can’t be plug-and-play. It can’t rely on blanket assumptions that every listener will respond the same way simply because they consume audio.

The latest research should serve as a wake-up call. For years, broadcasters have operated under the assumption that reach automatically translates into discovery. The data suggests otherwise.

That doesn’t mean podcast promotion should disappear from radio. It means the approach needs refinement. Promote content that aligns with local interests. Give stations flexibility to spotlight their own talent and products. Create messaging that feels relevant rather than mandatory. Most importantly, build promotional strategies around audience behavior instead of corporate convenience.

Broadcast radio remains one of the most powerful promotional tools in media. But power without precision is wasteful. If companies want better results, they need a cross-promotional model that reflects how audiences actually discover content today.

The research is there. The audience has spoken. Now it’s time for the strategy to catch up.

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John Mamola

John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.

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