Election Day 2024: Radio reaches voters in the last hours

It's Election Day and radio platforms are playing a critical role in the final effort to reach voters. With hundreds of thousands of dollars in final investment, both major parties are betting big as radio stations prepare for wall-to-wall coverage after the election closes.

According to AdImpact, more than $1 billion has been spent on political advertising in the last ten days – about a tenth of the over $10 billion spent on political advertising since the start of 2023.

On November 2, the Democratic National Committee launched a six-figure media campaign with radio ads and billboards to target rural voters in Georgia and North Carolina. The “I Will Vote” campaign spans 15 counties in these key battlegrounds. This follows seven-figure advertising spend on nearly fifty Black-focused radio stations. DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison commented: “In the final days of this election, Democrats are not taking their foot off the gas as we communicate our plan for rural America.”

While Democrats and Vice President Kamala Harris rely on radio to connect with voters, former President Donald Trump has relied more on podcasts.

Harris' campaign ran radio ads targeting rural, Hispanic, Indigenous and Republican voters in swing states. Meanwhile, Trump has appeared on popular podcasts to appeal to younger male audiences, including shows like The Joe Rogan Experience, ImpulsiveAnd The Lex Fridman Podcast. On Monday, former President Donald Trump joined the latest episode of SiriusXM Let's go! Podcast hosted by Bill Belichick and Jim Gray.

Outside of commercials, the radio is ready for full election night coverage.

ABC News Radio will launch live election coverage at 7 p.m. ET led by Alex Stone, White House correspondent Karen Travers and national correspondent Steven Portnoy. Partner stations receive special reports throughout the night.

The ABC Audio podcast Start heremoderated by Brad Mielke, will also address misinformation and election subversion, with Mielke reporting from Pennsylvania on November 4th. The day after the election Start here will feature a special episode with insights from ABC News analysts and correspondents from across the country.

NPR also offers real-time election night coverage starting at 7 p.m. ET. NPR will broadcast live updates from its headquarters in Washington, DC, and include reports from key swing states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Georgia. Digital coverage includes a live blog and interactive map on NPR.org that tracks election results by state and county, as well as updates on Senate, House and gubernatorial races. Further updates will be available on the NPR Politics Podcast and via the Politics Newsletter for those who prefer hindsight.

SiriusXM will carry cable news and exclusive channels via satellite radio and the SiriusXM app. Listeners can catch simulcast updates from FOX News, CNN and MSNBC or participate in live discussions on the network's political talk channels such as Triumph, POTUS Politics, Patriot, Urban View and Progress.

As digital and traditional broadcast platforms work together to capture every development, the trusted voice of radio will be critical in navigating one of the most closely watched elections in recent history.