Author: Avery Berggen, Marketing Manager, Marketron
Digital Is Now Radio’s Growth Engine: What the 2026 RAB – Borrell Benchmark Means for Local Media
For more than a decade, RAB’s Annual Digital Benchmarking Report, produced by Borrell Associates Inc., has helped radio leaders understand how local advertising is changing and what it takes to stay competitive.
This year’s findings confirm what many broadcasters are already seeing.
In 2025, radio’s digital advertising reached $2.3 billion, accounting for nearly one quarter of total industry revenue. Digital growth offset continued declines in core radio, stabilizing overall revenue for the industry.
Selling digital is no longer an experiment or an add-on. It is an expectation.
As Marketron CEO Jimshade Chaudhari explains, “Broadcasters, advertisers and sales teams now assume digital is part of the conversation. The challenge is no longer demand. It is execution.”
As radio looks ahead to 2026, success will be defined by how well organizations deliver integrated radio and digital campaigns consistently and at scale.
1. Treat Digital as the Core Growth Business, Not an Add-On
The 2026 report makes one thing clear: digital has moved from supplemental to essential.
Since 2022, radio digital revenue has grown at an 8.3% compound annual rate, while core radio has declined at –2.2%. In 2026, Borrell forecasts that 9.5% digital growth will once again offset a 3% decline in core radio, resulting in continued revenue stability for the industry.
That stability, however, is not evenly distributed.
Companies that have made digital a core part of their strategy with clear expectations and disciplined execution are pulling ahead. Among publicly traded radio groups, digital now represents more than 36% of total revenue on average, and significantly more for the strongest performers.
The takeaway is straightforward: growth is no longer tied to market size or ownership scale. It’s driven by execution.
2. Shift Sales Conversations from Products to Measurable Outcomes
Local advertisers are more sophisticated than ever. Nearly half of radio advertisers now employ at least one full-time marketing professional, and the number of “master-level” marketers continues to grow.
These buyers still value branding, but they increasingly expect accountability.
The report shows advertisers allocating more budget to video, streaming and digital channels that offer measurable performance. While radio continues to rank highly for ROI, it’s also perceived as harder to measure, creating both risk and opportunity.
Stations that pair radio with measurable digital extensions such as streaming audio, streaming video and targeted digital campaigns are better positioned to deliver the results advertisers expect.
“Radio and digital perform best together,” Chaudhari notes. “When sellers lead with outcomes, confidence follows.”
3. Make Training a Continuous Discipline, Not a One-Time Initiative
Execution depends on people.
For years, station managers have consistently identified training as the most effective driver of digital revenue growth and 2026 is no exception. Confidence in digital strategy rebounded significantly in 2025, supported by:
- More frequent training
- Clearer expectations to include digital in every pitch
- Improved confidence in sales teams’ digital capabilities
Half of stations now conduct digital sales training at least weekly, and those that do report stronger performance across the board.
Digital success isn’t accidental. It’s built through consistent enablement, reinforcement and leadership alignment that protects seller confidence as digital volume and complexity increase.
4. Improve Conversion Before Chasing New Customers
One of the most persistent gaps in the data remains conversion.
On average, only one in four radio advertisers buy digital products from their station, and digital-only customers represent just 10% of total client bases. That means the largest growth opportunity still sits within existing advertiser relationships.
High-performing stations focus on:
- Mandatory inclusion of digital in proposals
- Clear packaging and pricing
- Reporting that reinforces value and performance
Before investing heavily in net-new acquisition, stations that deepen existing relationships are seeing faster, more sustainable growth without sacrificing margins.
5. Use AI as a Competitive Advantage: Not Just a Productivity Tool
AI adoption accelerated rapidly in 2025. Nearly all stations now use AI in some capacity, particularly for prospecting, communication and sales support.
At the same time, concern is growing. Nearly half of managers who are aware of advertisers using AI for media recommendations believe those recommendations don’t favor radio.
This creates urgency.
Stations that strengthen their digital credibility, measurement story and integrated narrative are better positioned to influence how radio is represented in AI-driven buying decisions. As AI increasingly shapes how advertisers plan, radio must show up as a measurable, scalable and integrated solution.
Turning Stability into Sustainable Growth
The 2026 RAB -Borrell Benchmark shows that radio has reached a turning point. Digital has stabilized the industry. The next challenge is turning that stability into sustainable and profitable growth.
The opportunity is real and increasingly achievable for stations of all sizes. Success will depend on leadership alignment, disciplined execution, continuous training and technology that supports scale without friction.
Radio’s future isn’t radio or digital. It’s radio and digital working together to deliver measurable results, efficiently and reliably, for local advertisers.
Great points on how the industry is changing and what sellers need to do to stay on top and expand their business.