The voters' choice that night was between Warren G. Harding and James M. Cox. Both men had derived their political power as successful newspaper publishers. It is quite ironic, then, that one of these men would reach the highest office in the land on the same night that the nascent radio broadcasting business began its takedown of the newspaper industry.
Nowhere is this takedown more apparent than locally, where Fayetteville radio has become, by far, the advertising medium with the largest reach.
Last week, for instance, 288,946 adult consumers tuned to their favorite Fayetteville radio stations. This significantly eclipses local newspaper readership as well as local TV viewership.
Every year since 1970, AM/FM radio has reached more than 90% of all adults. During that same period, newspaper readership has plummeted.
Look at the Fayetteville Observer, for example. Since the third quarter of 2017, the circulation of the newspaper's Sunday edition has declined by 48%. Its weekday edition has fared no better.
The final fact business owners need to consider when comparing newspaper advertising to radio commercials is duplication. Each week, according to Nielsen, 94.8% of consumers who read a local Fayetteville newspaper are also reached by Fayetteville radio stations.
By any criteria, radio advertising is superior to newspaper for helping Fayetteville small business owners claim a share of the $7.1 billion local consumers will spend this year.