A new study from Katz Radio Group highlights the continued effectiveness of radio’s play-by-play coverage for advertisers, especially those targeting engaged local audiences. A Midwest home improvement company partnered with Katz for a season-long AM/FM campaign across the flagship and affiliate network of a local MLB team, aiming to boost brand engagement and increase web traffic.
According to Katz, the campaign generated over 17,000 web sessions, resulting in a 4.2% increase in site traffic directly linked to radio advertising. On average, each radio spot contributed nine visits. Katz used its analytics platform in partnership with LeadsRx to measure web activity following each radio placement.
Two key ad types stood out for effectiveness: announcer-voiced placements and MLB game feature spots, such as five-second pre-game, in-game, and post-game features. Together, these formats accounted for nearly 89% of all attributed web visits. Announcer-voiced spots alone generated almost 7,000 visits, while MLB feature spots drove over 8,000. Traditional 30-second brand spots contributed approximately 2,000 visits.
Following these results, the advertiser has committed to continuing its radio play-by-play strategy. Previous Katz research found that baseball radio listeners are 40% more likely to consider themselves “big fans,” attend 43% more games, and consume 71% more baseball-related content, including podcasts and social media engagement. They are also 74% more likely to place bets on games.
From an advertising perspective, 72% of radio listeners recall brand messages during broadcasts, 22% higher than the average MLB fan. Additionally, two-thirds of listeners are more likely to support brands that advertise during games, and 33% hold a more favorable view of team sponsors.