TV will once again reap the largest piece of political advertising this year, according to forecasters. But rather than trying to convince media buyers to buy radio in place of TV, broadcasters are embracing a strategy of adding radio to a TV buy to deliver more of what campaigns want: registered voters.

An analysis from Nielsen of a series of local media buys for political campaigns in 2018 found that a 20% reallocation from TV to AM/FM radio resulted in an average 22% reach lift among registered voters. The simple explanation for the boost, according to Pierre Bouvard, Chief Insights Officer for Westwood One and parent company Cumulus Media, is that AM/FM radio reaches voters without cable and light TV viewers. Declining TV ratings are also a factor, he says.