Local businesses have been marketing their goods and services on Tampa Bay radio since May 31, 1922. That's when WDAE signed-on as Western Florida's first station.

WDAE was owned by three-time mayor and publisher of the Tampa Daily Times newspaper, D.B. McKay.

The station broadcast from the sixth floor of the Citrus Exchange Building at the corner of Zack and Tampa Street. The building would later become the downtown location of the Maas Brothers department store.

Who could have guessed that 101 years later, advertising on Tampa Bay radio would still be the best advertising option for all types of retailers and business owners.

Every week, according to Nielsen, Tampa Bay radio reaches 2,226,951 adult consumers. This reach is significantly higher than all other advertising options including local TV, cable, social media, streaming video, online audio, and newspapers.

Reach, according to Nielsen, is the audience metric most responsible for driving the success of an advertising campaign. Only the message itself carries more sway.

More than 2.1 million Tampa Bay area consumers are expected to celebrate Easter in 2023, according to per capita forecasts from The National Retail Federation. In all, the NRF predicts $306 million will be spent this year.

Not only will spending on Easter in Tampa Bay top last year's take by 16%, but it will also blow past the spending record of $277 million set in 2021.

“Easter endures as an important holiday for many Americans, signifying new beginnings and a time of celebration with friends and family,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “As consumers plan to mark the occasion through a variety of traditions, retailers are dedicated to making this year a memorable holiday.”

According to the NRF forecasts, here's how Tampa Bay consumers are expected to spend their Easter Holiday cash:

• Food: $93.3 million
• Clothing: $51.1 million
• Candy: $48.6 million
• Gifts: $42.2 million
• Flowers: $23.0 million
• Decorations: $22.3 million
• Greeting Cards: $12.7 million
• Other: $11.5 million

There is one obstacle, however, between small business owners and this gargantuan pool of Easter cash.

According to the NRF, the vast majority of Easter shopping will be spent at discount stores, box stores, and online. Only 22% of spending will occur at local small businesses.

 

To Keep more of this cash in the Tampa Bay area, retailers will need to advertise to convince consumers of the values and benefits of buying from local small business owners.  According to most marketing metrics, the best way to advertise in Tampa Bay is on local radio.

Tampa Bay area small business owners have an abundance of options for advertising their goods and services. Choices include local TV, local cable, social media, streaming video, streaming audio, podcasts, and newspapers.

The best way to advertise in Tampa Bay, however, is local radio.

Every week, according to Neilsen, 2.2 million adults tune-in to their favorite Tampa Bay radio stations. This is significantly more than any other advertising medium.

In addition to the adults who listen to Tampa Bay radio over-the-air, an incremental 93,926 adults connect to their favorite stations online as well using their phones, computers, and tablets. In all, according to Nielsen, 29.2% of all Tampa Bay radio listeners listen both online and offline.

West-central Florida business owners have depended on Tampa radio to market their goods and services since WDAE, the city's first radio station, went on air in 1922. Despite the advent of new media and technologies since then, advertising on local radio stations is still the best way for the area's 123,853 small business owners to create and maintain customers.

Here are five facts every business owner should know about advertising on Tampa radio in 2022.

During the past seven days. according to Nielsen, only 67.1% of local consumers tuned in to Tampa television stations like WFLA, WTSP, WTVT, WFTS, WEDU, or WFXT.  TV's diminishing reach among adults 18 and older has been eclipsed by the audience size for social media, cable, and Tampa 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, according to new Nielsen data, 2,225,469 adults tune in to a Tampa Bay radio station. This is more consumers than use social media, access local cable, watch broadcast TV, stream video channels, listen to streaming audio, read a newspaper, or download a podcast.

Based on per capita estimates from the National Retail Federation (NRF), Tampa Bay consumers are expected to spend between $50.5 and $51.4 billion at retail in 2022, a six to eight percent growth over the previous year. Utilizing radio's enormous advertising reach, local business owners can compel shoppers to spend this large pool of cash in their stores and on their websites.

The number of consumers reached is critical to the success of an advertising campaign.

According to a Nielsen study, after the actual content of the commercial message itself, reach is the most potent advertising element that can drive sales. Reach is more important than brand, recency, or even context. Tampa Bay radio provides local business owners with the most significant reach among consumers.

Father's Day this year is on Sunday, June 19. Based on projections from the National Retail Federation (NRF), Tampa Bay shoppers are expected to spend $203.1 million on the dads in their life. This is on par with the record-breaking $204.1 million spent in 2021.

“Despite growing concerns about inflation, consumers plan to spend approximately the same amount as last year in celebration of Father’s Day,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Spending patterns also reflect the sentimental nature of the holiday as consumers are prioritizing unique and meaningful gifts.”

The NRF projects that nearly 60%, of all Father's Day purchases in Tampa Bay, will be for special outings, clothing, gift cards, and electronics. Although most category spending will be down slightly from last year, the amount of money spent on special outings such as dinner is expected to increase by over 8%.

Here is how this large pool of Father's Day cash in Tampa Bay is expected to be distributed in all retail categories.

Each week according to Nielsen, 2.2 million consumers tune in to a Tampa radio station. This is significantly more adults than watch local TV stations, cable, or streaming video. It is more than browse social media. It is more than listen to streaming audio services or podcasts. It is more than read local newspapers.

There are two traits Tampa Bay radio listeners have in common. First, they are very loyal to their favorites, tuning-in to, on average, only 2.8 different stations each week.

Second, and of particular importance to Tampa Bay small business owners, radio listeners are returning to 'normal' at a faster rate than the general population after more than two years of pandemic.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, Nielsen has been measuring consumer sentiment in regard to normal behaviors. In a survey conducted in March of this year, 83% of adults say they are "ready to go and feel life is becoming more normal". This is up dramatically from the same time last year.

According to Nielsen, 97.1% of Tampa Bay adults have access to the internet. An online connection is all that is needed to listen to a podcast. In all 24.7% of consumers, in fact, do listen to podcasts every month. They listen while at home, commuting, at the gym, at work, at the local coffee shop, pretty much anywhere there is WIFI or good cell service.

Most likely, at one time or another, each of the 646,540 podcast listeners in the Tampa Bay area has thought to themselves, “I could do that. I could launch my own podcast.” This is theoretically true.

A quick Google search by aspiring Tampa Bay content producers will reveal which recording equipment to buy, how to edit shows, and how to post episodes for the world to hear on platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify Google, Stitcher, and Tune-In. The magic of being a successful podcaster, however, involves persistence, longevity, and consistently engaging content.

One element of podcasting that often adds dimension and perspective to new episodes is the use of podcast guests. Not only do guest experts supply engaging content, but usually they will participate in return for exposure without the need to shell out any cash.

But how does a Tampa Bay business small owner get started? It’s a very chicken-and-egg situation.

A podcaster first needs to publish episodes to demonstrate to potential guests that the podcast is worthy of their participation, especially because there are so many choices. Currently, there are over 2.4 million valid podcasts in Apple’s Podcast directory alone, according to podcast industry insights expert Daniel J. Lewis.

So, what separates podcasters who stick it out for the long haul from those who give up after just a few episodes?  One of the primary factors is the subject matter and the ability to book guests.

According to Nielsen, 2.2 million adult consumers in Tampa Bay use social media every month, an audience that continues to expand. As a result of this growth, social media has become a crucial part of local advertising campaigns.

Social media allows Tampa Bay business owners to continually be in front of their target customers and to stay top-of-mind. It allows businesses to communicate daily and be the first company on call when needed. Social media has become essential for marketing local goods and services.

The best part is that social media is free to use for both Tampa Bay consumers and business owners.

There is no subscription service for social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram which, according to Nielsen, are used by 76.7% of Tampa Bay consumers each month. There are no monthly payments or premium memberships required to unlock more services.