Radio Ink Magazine, a leading radio industry trade publication in the U.S., included Brad Kelly, Managing Director of Nielsen Audio, in its recently released annual list of the 40 Most Powerful People in Radio. This marks Brad's fourth consecutive year of being included on the list.
Brad was among several top industry executives interviewed for Radio Ink's highly anticipated print edition. In the midst of media fragmentation and new technologies, Brad emphasizes the longevity and relevance of radio.
It's not about radio' anymore, he says as an unexpected opener. Just like it's not about TV, or any other media, for that matter. It's only about consumers-the ones at the center of an advertiser's universe. To advertisers, radio, like all media, is just a means to an end. Radio offers what they want: consumer influence at scale. The good news is that big brands are increasingly media agnostic. Their media plan from last year is no longer the roadmap forward. They understand that no one medium can do the job alone any longer. Cross-platform analytics are where things are quickly heading.
As an industry, radio folks are embracing the fact that they're not in the business of pitching spots and packages anymore, Brad continues. We're way past that now. For media sellers, today's objective is to deliver holistic, cross-media messaging to the consumer that will resonate, imprint and influence. Radio still offers massive reach while also being targetable-a highly desirable advertising proposition in 2019. AM/FM radio has an important piece of the consumer puzzle. The objective now is to figure out how that piece fits together with the other pieces to bring the mosaic into focus.
But there's more to advertising than just reach. That's where tools like consumer neuroscience and advanced analytics come into play, which Brad notes will play a significant role in the radio industry's future revenue growth opportunities.
We need to better understand how audio messaging actually works from a cognitive perspective, Brad says. Is it a coincidence that toddlers learn their ABCs by singing them? Or that you can still recall the words to every song on the radio from back when you were in high school? Nope. That's a million years of evolution at work. Advertisers need compelling new insights into the power of sound-its psychological, physiological and emotional impact on us as human beings.
On the topic of how to most effectively tell radio's story amid the evolving media landscape, Brad contends that we haven't always had the tools to do that. Today, however, we do.
That all changed when digital pushed everyone into the deep end of the data pool, he says. The new insights coming from digital media were unprecedented. High-caliber ROI analytics, attribution, better modeling-the allure was undeniable and ad budgets followed.
Radio-and Nielsen Audio-have both had to evolve to stay relevant, he continues. With vastly improved data analytics, sharper skills and a more sophisticated approach, Nielsen is helping radio bring keener insights to the advertising marketplace. The new Nielsen Media Impact (NMI) cross-platform planning tool tells us that radio has much to offer marketers-such as incremental reach to capture both light and non-TV users. Add to that radio's competitive ROI metrics, attribution and improved data for better modeling. Taken collectively, the ad sales playing field is more level than it's ever been. Radio is proving that it has a great story for advertisers and an important role in any good marketing mix And big advertisers are responding.
Brad concludes that radio's value proposition for today's advertisers can best be summed up by what Nielsen Audio has coined, The 6R's of Radio: Remind, Register, Reinforce, Relate, Reach, Return. In an ever-increasingly crowded media landscape, radio unquestionably remains a highly successful medium for bringing in consumers and generating sales for goods and services of all shapes and sizes.
Brad Kelly and his co-recipients of Radio Ink's 2019 Most Powerful People in Radio award will be honored at a reception at the Harvard Club in New York City on Nov. 20, 2019.
Facebook
Twitter
Linkedin
email
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
07/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/04/2026
Designed for synchronized multi-stream playback, low-latency delivery, and real-time analytics, MATCH introduces a unified viewing experience for sports broadca...
07/04/2026
Berklee Students to Honor George Martin with Performance of Original Scores The orchestra, led by associate professor Xander Rovang, will perform several work...
06/04/2026
Michigan legends bring a new voice to the broadcast as TNT Sports and CBS Sports...
06/04/2026
From high school sports all the way up to the major leagues, building high-quali...
06/04/2026
Quickplay, an AI company for the media and entertainment industry, has been accepted into the Advanced tier of the TwelveLabs Ecosystem Partner Program. Quickpl...
06/04/2026
Grass Valley has announced the Future Playmakers Program, a global initiative to...
06/04/2026
El l der de operaciones impulsa la producci n en estudio mientras encuentra insp...
06/04/2026
The ops leader helps lead the charge in studio for the Spanish-language broadcas...
06/04/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
06/04/2026
The National Hockey League (NHL), in partnership with Verizon and the New Jersey Devils, today announced the opening of the NHL Innovation Lab powered by Verizo...
06/04/2026
Rock League, a new professional curling league, has announced that ESPN+ will stream its inaugural 2026 season for fans in the United States. The first Rock Lea...
06/04/2026
Advanced Systems Group has announced the appointment of Andrea (Andy) Cummis as Vice President of Systems Design and Engineering. In this role, she will lead de...
06/04/2026
Backed by Bolt Ventures, the venture brings Bryson DeChambeau, Grant Horvat, and...
06/04/2026
With this environment we can start that collaboration even earlier because we ca...
06/04/2026
Like the immortal lives of vampires, some stories never really end. That's t...
06/04/2026
As podcasting continues to evolve, growth increasingly means building beyond aud...
06/04/2026
Multiband dynamics plug-in enhanced
California-based developer FSK Audio have released a significant update for their innovative multiband dynamics processo...
06/04/2026
Share official & user-created full-rig presets
IK Multimedia's latest TONEX update makes it possible for users of the popular amp and effects modelling ...
06/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/04/2026
Dalet Showcases Dalia Agentic AI and End-to-End Media Workflows at NAB Show 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Dalet, a leading technology and...
06/04/2026
OpenDrives Shows Off Sports Expertise in Sports Business Hub located in NAB Show...
06/04/2026
Proton to Demonstrate 3D Application at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Yet further creative potential unleashed through innovation in ...
06/04/2026
Autoscript Highlights Voice-Driven Prompting and PTZ Solutions at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Experience Autoscript Voice, PTZ prom...
06/04/2026
Mediaproxy Highlights Significant Enhancements to its LogServer suite at NAB Sho...
06/04/2026
Wayne, N.J., April 6th, 2026 Phantom High-Speed announces the release of PCC 4...
06/04/2026
April 6th, 2026
TRIBECA STUDIOS AND LILLY ANNOUNCE WINNERS OF INAUGURAL VITAL...
06/04/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Expands Kids Entertainment Lineup With Playground App ...
05/04/2026
Tackles all reported bugs!
SoundBridge have just announced the launch of a new update that introduces a couple of minor changes to their remote collaboratio...
04/04/2026
The University of Arizona's Men's Basketball team has only loss twice th...
04/04/2026
1080p HDR arrives, a new generation of storytelling tools takes center stage, an...
04/04/2026
Michigan legends bring a new voice to the broadcast as TNT Sports and CBS Sports...
04/04/2026
Faster, cleaner and more intuitive than ever
The control software for Flock Audio's digitally controlled patchbay systems has just been treated to an up...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
DHD Introduces AI-Based Audio Noise Reduction to XD3 IP Core
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
The accompanying image shows the rear panel of the ...
04/04/2026
Macnica Redefines ST 2110 Flexibility with Two Speeds on One Card
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
New for NAB Show 2026, MEP100 SmartNIC now sup...
04/04/2026
Unified Media Workflows for Story-Centric Production
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
Framelight X unifies field capture, editing and publishing ...
03/04/2026
Michigan's Fab Five will reunite for an alternate presentation of the Mich...
Radio Ink Magazine, a leading radio industry trade publication in the U.S., included Brad Kelly, Managing Director of Nielsen Audio, in its recently released annual list of the 40 Most Powerful People in Radio. This marks Brad's fourth consecutive year of being included on the list. 
