by Philip Rosenstein , Staff Writer, August 16, 2016

A Media Matters analysis of political radio advertising over the past weeks shows that Republicans and Independents are much more likely to be targeted on radio, as Donald Trump and Gary Johnson far outpace a nonexistent Clinton presence.

Between July 27 and August 8 of this year, the pro-Donald Trump super PACS, USA Business Freedom PAC and Liberty Action Group PAC together aired 100 ads on radio in 85 major markets, as reported by Media Matters. These were all pro-Trump ads.

An anti-Clinton super PAC, Great America PAC, had an even stronger presence on radio, releasing 239 spots over the same period.

During a time when Donald Trump's advertising is noticeably absent from TV, it is telling that the campaign is focusing its energy on radio.

Over a more recent time period, August 5 through August 14, the Liberty Action Group PAC and the USA Business Freedom PAC aired a combined total of 286 radio ads, promoting a pro-Trump message.

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Clinton was still uninterested in the platform, spending heavily on TV ads. Conversely, Gary Johnson for President released 154 radio ads in this time period.

The Libertarian candidate assumes he will have more sway trying to convince conservative voters to switch to his side as those voters heavily rely on radio and radio talk shows for the their political news.

Again, during the 10 days between August 5 and August 14, the Great America PAC released 201 anti-Clinton ads.

Independent or swing voters do, however, have a particular affinity toward radio. Trump appears to be shoring up his base at a time when Republican defections are a seemingly constant occurrence.

Libertarian Johnson is making a different calculus. He is trying to peel away voters from Donald Trump by investing heavily in radio. Radio is more economical than TV, while still offering significant reach.