Radio Tours, SMTs Still in Great Demand

“It's a myth that satellite media tours might not be the thing they once were, when they were the hot, new thing 30 years ago," Doug Simon, CEO of D S Simon Media, said during a panel discussion Oct. 30 at the Mid-Atlantic MarCom Summit held in Arlington, Virginia's Convene Conference Center.

Simon continued, “The reality is TV stations want them, need them, use them more than they ever have.”

“Client demand for them is higher than it’s ever been,” he added.

A recent survey Simon conducted about SMTs found that 92 percent of news producers are interested in interviewing brand spokespeople. Seventy-eight percent prefer using in-house spokespeople.

“That’s the highest it’s ever been,” he said.

Simon explained that much has changed in the industry since Covid. Before Covid, tours in remote locations required a satellite truck and an onsite crew.

Post Covid, Simon explained, “stations set themselves up to be able to take video quality, broadcast quality video signals through the Internet.”

He continued, “What that meant is the station didn’t have to have a technician brought in because they wanted to do a satellite interview. So that dramatically expanded the number of stations that are actually doing satellite media tours.”

He added, “So typically you could have a spokesperson anywhere. They can be in a studio, they can be in an office, they can be in their home, as long as there’s good Internet connectivity (which you can bring in if they don’t have good Internet).”

In describing the key to a successful radio or satellite media tour, he said, “So you’re developing a media pitch that will both resonate with the people who are listening or watching as well as the producers and also bring value to the organization.”

He explained once a TV or radio tour is set up and the pitch is approved, then a lineup of 20-35 minute interviews are conducted in one five-hour window.

Each one is connected individually to the stations one after the other and the radio or TV hosts generally ask the same questions the organization has provided.

Speakers (L to R) Sarah Lovenheim, AARP; Doug Simon, D S Simon Media; Laura Pair, 4media group; and moderator Jeffrey Davis, J. Davis Public Relations and Capitol Communicator at the “Mastering Broadcast Media Relations: Navigating Television and Radio” session at the recent Mid-Atlantic MarCom Summit in Arlington, Va. Photo: Lynsey Stanicki, D S Simon Media

Radio is ubiquitous

Speaking about radio, Laura Pair, chief business officer for 4media group, said, “When you talk about a medium that is ubiquitous, it is radio.”

She added that there are 15,000+ radio stations in the U.S. versus 1,800 television stations.

According to statistics she quoted, “Eighty-eight percent of Americans are listening to the radio on a weekly basis. It is the number one platform by reach.”

And the number one format for listeners 18+ is news talk.

She explained that even more important than reach is “trust.”

She continued that, “Seventy-seven percent of radio listeners would try a brand or product endorsed by their favorite radio personality.”

And she said, “Fifty-five percent of Gen Z are listening to the radio, not every week, but every day. That’s the next generation of radio listeners coming up right now.”

Television Vital for AARP

Sarah Lovenheim, VP, external relations for AARP, explained that television is an important medium for the association in getting out its message to members over 50 years old and particularly those over 65 years old.

“TV is a much stronger platform than it’s often given credit for today,” she said.

She added, “So wherever you work in communications or wherever you work in marketing, if you’re not targeting people through TV channels -- you’re missing a massive audience.”

She continued, “TV still holds the power to shape mindsets in a way that is fairly unique because you get the visuals along with whatever you are trying to convey in real time.”

“I just think of satellite media tours as a TV and radio media blitz,” Lovenheim asserted.

“They’re back-to-back, very quick hits where you’re conveying one message but you’re reaching multiple pockets of the country. You can even have the ability to reach multiple states in one of these five-hour periods,” she added.

She continued, “It’s really remarkable when you think about communications and wanting to make sure you’re actually reaching the right people with whatever your message is. Satellite media tours today are a remarkable way to do that.”

Lovenheim revealed that AARP held 13 TV satellite media tours in 2024, which resulted in about 11,000 media interviews through 13 days of 5-hour media blitzes. She added that the organization did work with 4media group. Topics included voter education, financial planning, retirement tips and more.

“You can’t get those figures without a concerted, concentrated effort that’s extremely targeted to drive those sorts of results," she maintained.

Radio, SMTs are an Investment

Companies do need to weigh their options when considering booking radio and TV satellite media tours.

Added 4media group’s Laura Pair, “An SMT, as we’ve said, is an investment.”

“We understand that not all brands can jump into these things right away,” she continued.

She explained that 4media group does work with smaller non-profit organizations and can customize smaller tours.

For all tours though, said Pair, organizations must consider carefully, “Do you have something important to say?”

She continued, “If you’ve got something that affects people in their daily lives all across the county, that’s the right time for a satellite media tour.”

Of utmost importance is the spokesperson.

“Part of the process also in preparing to do a satellite media tour is picking the right spokesperson,” she stated.

“You can use a brand spokesperson – that helps sometimes because you’re not having to pay somebody else, a third party, to come speak on your behalf,” she said.

But that spokesperson needs to convey the message in a way that appeals to and informs people.

“You need to have the right message,” she asserted.

The key is “making sure that you’re connecting to the audiences you want to talk to.”

The Mid-Atlantic MarCom Summit was co-produced by Capitol Communicator, Potomac Tech Wire and the American Advertising Federation Washington, D.C. chapter.

The all-day conference, held in association with ADWKDC, featured 450+ attendees, 25+ exhibitors, 28 sessions, 80 speakers along with networking opportunities. The sessions covered the latest important topics for the communications industry and featured speakers from the public relations, communications, advertising and marketing fields; the news media; corporations; associations; non-profits; educational institutions and service companies. Topics covered included social media, AI, SEO, trends in marketing and communications, B2B and B2C marketing, government marketing, trends in hybrid work, tips from leading opinion editors and much more. For further information visit www.capitolcommunicator.com.

O’Dwyer’s PR Buyer’s Guide includes information on the top radio and SMT companies in the U.S. and features videos on their products and services for large organizations and smaller companies along with contact numbers to reach them for further details.