In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has significantly increased the number of COVID-19 radio PSAs and ad revenue spend in major target markets.
When comparing the date ranges of February 1-29 to March 1-18, radio spot instances in Seattle, one of the first cities to be directly affected by the pandemic, rose by 15 times, new Media Monitors data show.
New York City also experienced a 33% increase in CDC radio spots.
In Los Angeles, a spot increase of nearly 11 times was seen.
Other major markets affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, such as Houston and San Francisco, also experienced a spike in radio spots and ad revenue.
Public outreach through radio has been one of the main forms of media that the CDC has used in an effort to broadcast more information about the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As people across the nation remain in quarantine and non-essential businesses remain closed, it will be interesting to see how and where the CDC will choose to broadcast more information about the pandemic,” Media Monitors notes.
