Technology is changing the way people in Fayetteville consume media. This includes streaming audio platforms like Pandora and Spotify or the ability to watch Netflix on a smartphone.

But one thing has not changed.  That thing with the buttons and knobs that's been part of a car's dashboard since 1930. The contraption called radio.

Some small business owners believe the medium is outdated, and nobody listens to it anymore. But, contrary to that view, radio still reaches 92% of all consumers in America.

Locally, for example, last week significantly more consumers tuned-in to their favorite Fayetteville radio stations than watched local TV; read a newspaper; logged-on to Facebook, or signed-in to Pandora or Spotify.

This year marks 80 years since WFNC became the first radio station in Fayetteville.  From that time, small business owners in Cumberland and Robeson Counties have depended on radio advertising to market their goods and services.

So, it is a fair question for a 21st-century business owner to ask: Is Fayetteville radio is still relevant in the life of North Carolina consumers?

"You wouldn’t know it from all the media coverage focused on streaming video and streaming music," said media expert Doug Schoen in Forbes Magazine, "but recent Nielsen data shows radio actually has the most reach among American media consumers." 

Last week, for instance, significantly more local consumers tuned-in to a Fayetteville radio station than watched local TV, read a local newspaper, or logged-on to a streaming audio site like Pandora and Spotify.

The National Retail Federation has predicted that this year's back-to-school shopping season will set a new record. Households with school-age children are expected to spend, on average $696.70 preparing their kids for the first day of classes. This tops the previous record set in 2012.

For Fayetteville small business owners, this means there is $84,583,536 of back-to-school bucks in play between now and the first bell of the school year.

According to the NRF, here's how the $696.70 per household will be spent.

• Clothing & Accessories: $239.82
• Computers & Electronics: $203.44
• Shoes: $135.96
• School Supplies: $117.49

To grab the largest share of back-to-school spending will require small business owners to advertise.  By any metric, advertising on Fayetteville radio stations will be the most effective.  Here's why.

Here's a quiz for Fayetteville small business owners:

Which of these online sites reach more adults each month than traditional AM/FM radio: Google? Netflix? ESPN? YouTube? Twitter Facebook?

The answer may be a surprise. Radio reaches more adult consumers every month than all websites and apps.  This is critical information for Fayetteville business owners to know so as to be able to choose the best way to advertise their goods and services.

The number one media characteristic that contributes to the success of an advertising campaign is reach. This is a measure of how many different people are exposed to an advertiser's message.