According to Nielsen, 367,447 adults tune in to their favorite Augusta, Georgia, radio stations every week. This is significantly more consumers than are reached by all other advertising-supported media, including local TV, local cable, streaming video, social media, online audio, and local newspapers.

Augusta radio's unchallenged reach is why many CSRA business owners depend on the medium to capture the largest possible share of the $11.4 billion dollars consumers are expected to spend at retail this year.

Other local small business owners, however, may be surprised to learn that by most marketing metrics, radio remains the best way to advertise in Augusta.

Here are four more facts about AM/FM radio that may surprise many local marketers.

Every week, according to Nielsen, Augusta, Georgia, radio reaches 367,447 adults. This is more consumers than use any other medium, including local TV, local cable, streaming video, social media, online audio, and newspapers.

Reach, though, is only one component used to calculate ratings.  The other metric that contributes to the rating formula is the time spent using each medium. So, although for the past 10 years, AM/FM radio's reach has been significantly higher than the reach of local TV, consumers spent considerably more time watching TV. As a result of the math, TV has enjoyed higher ratings than radio.

For the first time, however, AM/FM radio ratings have exceeded local TV ratings by three percent among the key advertising demographic of 18-49-year-olds, according to Nielsen's Total Audience Data for the third quarter of 2023.

In the Augusta area, there are 221,250 18-49-year-olds, the majority of whom are millennials, a generation that now accounts for nearly one-third of all retail spending.

The combined weekly reach of the CSRA's broadcast television stations has slipped to 66.2% of all adults, according to Nielsen. These stations include WJBF, WRDW, WCES, WAGT, and WFXG.  

The combined Augusta, Georgia TV audience now falls behind cable programming at 76.6% and streaming platforms at 66.3%. To put this virtual dead heat into perspective, none of the three video media is a match for Augusta radio which reaches more than 84.4% of local adults every week.

But although the reach of broadcast TV, cable, and streaming are neck-and-neck, the share of time consumers spend with each of these media is dramatically different.

According to Nielsen research, 297,000 people in the Augusta, Georgia area will likely participate in the upcoming election on November 8th. To sway these voters, candidates and political action committees are expected to spend a record amount on advertising.

AdImpact, a company that measures advertising expenditures by political campaigns, says more than $3.6 billion have been spent to reach voters so far in 2022. This puts spending on a course to obliterate the record level of campaign dollars set during the 2020 presidential elections.

Despite crumbling ratings, through August 1st, 58% of all political spending has been dished out to local TV stations, according to AdImpact.

Nielsen reports that since 2017, the reach of broadcast TV stations like WJBF, WRDW, WCES, WAGT, and WFXG has decayed by 10%.

During the past seven days. according to Nielsen, only 67.1% of local consumers tuned in to Augusta, Georgia television stations like WJBF, WRDW, WCES, WAGT, and WFXG.  TV's diminishing reach among adults 18 and older has been eclipsed by the audience size for social media, cable, and Augusta radio. Furthermore, streaming video services such as Netflix, Hulu, Prime, and Disney+ are quickly reaching parity with over-the-air options.

The erosion of local TV station audiences is stunning when comparing prime-time ratings from the past.  In 1980, the highest-ranked TV show was Cheers with a 21.3 rating. The 30th-ranked show was The Wonder Years with a 14.2 rating.

Twenty years later, Survivor was the number one show with a 17.4 rating and Family Law was the 30th ranked show with an 8.8 rating.

Finally, in 2019, Sunday Night Football was the number one ranked show with a 10.9 rating. Survivor tied with Dancing With The Stars in 30th place with a 5.5 rating.

It is stunning to think that the number one TV show in 2019 had a 24% lower rating than the 30th-ranked show in 1980.

Every week, 425,000 Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) consumers watch something on TV.

Not too many years ago, when an Augusta, Georgia area consumer sat down to watch TV, the program options were limited to what was on WJBF, WRDW, WCES, WAGT, WFXG, or, maybe, what was on a handful of cable channels.  That was then. This is now.

Today, according to Nielsen, each time a TV is turned on in an Augusta living room, the viewer has more than 817,000 options not only from broadcast stations and cable systems, but also from streaming video platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Peacock, YouTube, Amazon, Tubi, Crackle, and FreeVee.

Of course, Augusta consumers don't even need to sit down in front of their big-screen LCD, anymore. Most of the 817,000 available programs can also be viewed on their computers, tablets, gaming devices, and smartphones. But as far as viewers are concerned, though, it's all just television.

No matter which Augusta, Georgia television station or cable channel adults tune to in 2022, they can expect to be assaulted by a deluge of political advertising. Often entire commercial breaks are stuffed with back-to-back pleas and promises to secure viewers' votes.

But is advertising on WJBF, WRDW, WCES, WAGT, or WFXG the most effective way to reach likely voters in the CSRA? Or is advertising on cable channels provided by Xfinity, DISH, DirecTV, and WOW!. the way to go?

The answer is neither. According to research from Nielsen, the best way to reach local adults who are most likely to vote is by advertising on Augusta radio.

Every week, 238,000 likely voters will listen to Augusta radio stations. This is significantly more than watch local TV, cable, and streaming video. More that use social media and streaming audio. More than will read newspapers.

It wasn't too long ago when advertising on Augusta, Georgia television stations was considered the gold standard for marketing by local business owners. But over the past few years, the number of viewers reached by WJBF, WRDW, WCES, WAGT, and WFXG has plummeted. In all only 67% of adult consumers now tune-in to at least one of these channels during the week, according to Nielsen.

The consumption of video content isn't diminishing among CSRA consumers. What has changed, though, is how they are watching it.

In November, according to Nielsen, the share of time watching broadcast television has fallen behind other video options including cable programing and internet-delivered choices such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and hundreds of other streaming networks.

It used to be so simple. When a small business owner wanted to advertise on Augusta television, there were only a few options including, WJBF, WRDW, WCES, WAGT, and WFXG. But slowly, the number of options expanded to include cable channels provided by Xfinity, DISH, DirecTV, and WOW!.

Heading in 2022, local advertisers have even more options as internet-connected devices deliver hundreds of more programming choices to CSRA consumers. Collectively, this type of content is called OTT (Over-The-Top-Television) or CTV (Connected-Television). For the purpose of this discussion, OTT & CTV will be referred to singularly as streaming video.

Streaming video can be viewed on any device that can connect to the internet. This includes computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Programing can also be accessed using a smart-TV, Roku Stick, Amazon Fire Stick, or a game console. In all, according to Nielsen, 95.2% of Augusta area households own a device capable of receiving streaming video. 

In all, says Nielsen, 297,500 Augusta area consumers watch streaming video content every week. Combined, these internet channels now reach more adults every week than local newspapers, podcasts, and digital audio services like Pandora, Spotify, Sirius/XM. Amazon Music, and iHeart Radio.

Surprisingly, streaming video now reaches almost as many CSRA adults as local TV and local cable.