David Samson Underestimated What Radio Means to Baseball
I’m a fan of David Samson. The former Marlins executive turned host at Meadowlark Media speaks candidly, and usually supports his positions with solid evidence. He’s been gracious with his time to our writers over the years. His prior conversations with Pablo Torre and John Skipper on The Sporting Class always made me think. Whether Marlins and Expos fans like him or his opinions are right more than wrong doesn’t change my position.
But earlier this week, David stepped on a landmine. He declared that we don’t need baseball on the radio anymore. David said, “We all live by the clock that is kernels of sand through an hourglass. So, radio will go the way of Kodak and Blockbuster. It doesn’t mean the voices will go away. The voices will find a different way to get into your brain because you have a different way of engaging with content.”
In my opinion, David couldn’t be more wrong. The response to those remarks has been huge across social media. Most feel similar to yours truly. I respect David’s knowledge of the baseball business. He ran the Miami Marlins for 15 years. He spent a few years with the Expos too. He’s been a part of media deals on the team’s side pointing out that teams “buy a block of time, and then go out and sell ads.” Some clubs do that. But most big brands don’t. Let’s examine the issue a little deeper.
Radio’s Reach Isn’t Shrinking
Reach matters in today’s media climate. Nielsen data shows AM/FM radio reaches 87% of U.S. adults every week. Those numbers aren’t from 10-15 years ago. They are from the first quarter of 2026. That beat smartphones at 82%, TV-connected devices at 78% and live TV at 71%. Even among adults 18-34, radio reaches 81%.
Is radio’s revenue down from its peak? Yes. The industry produced over 21 billion in 2006. BIA projects local radio will earn $12.2 billion in 2026. That’s still a lot of money even if it’s less than what existed 20 years ago. Still, Samson said there is no money in radio. Twelve billion Benjamin’s suggests otherwise.
Samson pointed to podcasting and YouTube as growth areas, two spaces most stations are active in. I love both and believe there’s a lot of room to explore and grow business there. But those two spaces don’t come close to delivering the financial return that radio advertising does. iHeartMedia posted $3.87 billion in revenue in 2025. Cumulus generated $741.7 million. Stations such as 98.5 The Sports Hub and WFAN made over 30 million each and were among the top 10 billing stations across all formats in 2025. Those aren’t Blockbuster or Kodak numbers.
If we turn our attention to television, linear revenue has declined from 56 billion to 41 billion since 2006. Streaming and connected TV are responsible for adding 28 billion, which is great except that’s only half of what linear produced 20 years ago. Put the linear and streaming numbers together and the television industry has a winner.
Conversely, podcasting produced just under 3 billion in 2025. That’s up significantly from 2006. Add podcast revenue to radio the way streaming gets coupled with television, and the audio business collectively earns 15 billion. However, if you do a side by side comparison, radio currently delivers 4x the revenue that podcasting does.
Will that remain the case in 20 years? Maybe. Maybe not. I’m bullish on podcasting, streaming, and YouTube and believe all are growth areas for brands. But replacing and even surpassing 4-5x the revenue let alone the massive reach is a tall order.
Radio Still Owns the Dashboard
Now let’s consider the car. Edison Research’s Share of Ear data shows AM/FM radio claimed 55% of in-car audio time in early 2026. All streaming audio combined took just 16%. Even among listeners 13-34, radio led streaming 46% to 30%.
Podcasts are great but nobody’s waiting for a podcast to tell them the score in the eighth inning. That’s live. That’s local. And that’s radio. Both mediums have value and matter for different reasons. Suggesting one is needed and one isn’t misses the complete picture.
Nielsen data showed MLB broadcasts in PPM markets averaged an 8.9 share in 2024. In fact, more than 40% of teams posted double-digit shares. The Guardians led that year with a 27.5. In 2026, WEEI was strong at night thanks to the Boston Red Sox. Seattle Sports 710 enjoyed similar success courtesy of the Mariners. I’ve also seen massive ratings turned in by the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and many other teams across most markets.
Those numbers reflect 25-54 listening to live, local, baseball games on the radio. They’re not reflective of a 65+ audience or group of people standing with one foot in the grave. In fact, research from Katz Radio Group in 2026 showed that 61% of all U.S. sports audio time is spent with AM/FM radio, compared to 27% with podcasts and 12% with SiriusXM. Scarborough USA data showed 85% of Adults 18+ interested in MLB listen to radio weekly. One in five MLB-interested adults listened to MLB play-by-play on radio, with that figure increasing to one in four tuning in among the game’s most passionate fans.
If one wants to ignore the research and Nielsen data, fine. Juan Galdamez presented findings at the 2026 Barrett Media Audio Summit based on actual in-car listening through Xperi. Watch the session below. You’ll learn how much fans value baseball play by play on the radio.
Big Brands Don’t Rent Time
Samson’s radio experience in Miami is different from what exists in other cities with other teams. For instance, the Dodgers own an equity stake in iHeartMedia’s AM 570 KLAC. The Cardinals and KMOX keep extending a partnership that also gives the team daily shows. Likewise, KNBR has carried the Giants since 1979, and commands a strong rights investment. The Atlanta Braves command the same respect from Dickey Broadcasting and deliver big results.
Those are partnerships. Stations invest because baseball on the radio delivers audience and advertisers. Yes, the Marlins and Athletics have operated
Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.