It’s getting to be ugly time. You know, when we inch up to a major election and the TV ads ramp up with all of the accusations?

A new report in Inside Radio says it may be a good idea to skip buying TV ads and go instead for radio for November’s midterms. The story claims “adding AM/FM radio to the mix could make a difference for an initiative or candidate between winning and losing”. 

The report follows a study by MRI-Simmons and YouGov led by broadcasting giant, Audacy. The finding pronounces that since AM/FM radio has a massive reach with commuters, and a huge chunk of the voting population, radio may expand linear and connected TV’s reach. In layman’s terms #winning.

Audacy’s “The Commuter Election” showed nearly 80% of working Americans commute at least two days a week, and of those, almost 90% do it in a car. And the report reminds, AM/FM radio can reach over 80% of ad-supported audio listening during weekday commuting hours. 

A large portion of those commuters with kids said the economy and the cost of living were the most important issues informing their vote. Plus audio listeners were twice as likely to hear something in an ad they would tune for because it’s possible they already had it on their mind, over the average voter. The post said these were listeners who were more motivated to vote too. The report goes on to say, most commuters aren’t watching video, they’re listening. And video watchers feel disrupted by political ads, while commuting audio listeners already worried about the economy, might tune in more if they hear a message from a candidate discussing the economy.