Leading Local Insights

This episode of BIA’s Leading Local Insights Podcast explores OpenAI’s move into advertising within ChatGPT and what it could mean for brands, agencies, and media sellers. Listen as BIA’s Celine Matthiessen and media analyst Mike Boland unpack emerging AI ad formats, evolving measurement challenges, and the expanding role AI assistants could play in search, discovery, and consumer decision-making.

Celine and Mike also examine how quickly the AI advertising market is taking shape, with ChatGPT ad pricing already beginning to move closer to premium Google search inventory as advertiser interest and targeting capabilities expand. They explore the rise of “zero-click” AI search behavior, new attribution challenges for advertisers, and why media sellers should position themselves as trusted AI education resources for clients. 

View the Video Podcast Here.

It’s not the flashiest part of a media business, but when it breaks, everything breaks. In this episode of BIA’s Leading Local Insights Podcast, Rick Ducey sits down with Marketron CEO Jimshade Chaudhari to break down why “traffic” is one of the most critical and overlooked functions in revenue operations, and how rethinking it can unlock efficiency, scalability, and growth.

From the loss of institutional knowledge and a growing talent gap to traffic’s role as a “critical but not strategic” function, Rick and Jimshade examine how that mindset is evolving and what it means for staffing, efficiency, and revenue delivery. They also cover how stations are adapting to leaner teams, navigating more complex cross-platform campaigns, and where Traffic as a Service (TaaS) is emerging as a scalable, modern solution.

Listen now to understand where the real risk sits and how to get ahead of it.

In today’s complex local media landscape, data alone isn’t enough. It’s how you use it that drives revenue.

In this episode, BIA’s Christina Hurley is joined by AdApt partners Jeff Gallop and Dave Buonfiglio, along with industry expert Shannon Kinney, to explore how BIA’s partnership with AdApt is bringing local market intelligence directly into the sales workflow.

The conversation highlights the shift from intuition led selling to data informed strategy, and how integrating BIA’s advertising forecast into AdApt’s platform helps sellers prioritize accounts, shape smarter conversations, and build more effective proposals.

If you're looking to turn market data into a true sales advantage and see how BIA and AdApt are redefining sales execution, this is where to start.

If you're navigating the shift from traditional media to integrated digital sales or looking to unlock new revenue growth, this episode provides a clear, actionable roadmap as BIA’s Rick Ducey talks with Stephanie Slagle, Chief Revenue Officer-Graham Media Group, about how sales teams are transforming for today’s market.

At the center of their conversation is recognition of a clear shift: moving from selling inventory to delivering outcomes.

Stephanie shares practical insights on leading through change, overcoming resistance, and building high-performing, digitally fluent sales teams. She also explains how automation and AI can streamline workflows, why outcomes and not products should lead every conversation and what truly sets top sellers apart today.

Want to watch this podcast? View on our YouTube channel here.

How digital out of home is turning visibility into measurable action and why marketers are paying closer attention.

Out of home (OOH) advertising has long been known for visibility. Increasingly, however, it is proving to drive real consumer action.

In this episode of the Leading Local Insights Podcast, Dave Rivera, VP of Channel Partnerships at Vistar Media, joins BIA’s Celine Matthiessen to discuss the rapid evolution of digital out of home (DOOH) and why more advertisers are prioritizing it in their media mix.

BIA’s latest U.S. Local Advertising Forecast shows OOH spending growing more than 3% annually, with 5% growth expected between 2025 and 2026, and DOOH representing about 42% of total OOH spending.

Rivera explains that OOH often acts as a conversation starter for brands, prompting consumers to search and engage after encountering a message in the real world. In many campaigns, DOOH exposure drives measurable results, including search lifts of up to 80%, while strengthening engagement across social, display, and CTV. Because it reaches people naturally as they go about their day—rather than interrupting them online—OOH today is not just seen, it’s acted on.

The story everyone repeats about auto advertising is simple: digital won, broadcast lost. 

In this episode of Leading Local Insights, guest host and media analyst, Mike Boland speaks with Cox Media Group Executive Chairman and veteran broadcast leader Steve Pruett, along with BIA’s Mark Dugan, to examine a more accurate picture and outline a smarter strategic approach that includes broadcast and CTV.

Grounded in BIA’s $10.7B local automotive forecast for 2026, the discussion explores how two-thirds of digital spend coexists with broadcast’s continued strength in delivering scale, trust, and top-of-funnel momentum. CTV is growing, but success comes from portfolio strategy rather than channel substitution.

Drawing on decades of leadership across major markets, Steve offers practical advice for broadcasters navigating dealer dynamics and co-op realities. While dealers have become highly sophisticated in mid- and lower-funnel tactics, when foot traffic slows and website traffic softens, they return to broadcast to refill the funnel.

For broadcasters and media strategists, this episode delivers clarity on balancing reach and precision to win automotive in 2026.

To view the video of the podcast, click here. 

The hiring market in media and advertising isn’t collapsing. It’s resetting.

In this episode, BIA’s Rick Ducey sits down with Robert Hawthorne, President of Hawthorne Search, to unpack today’s two-track job market: consolidation and headcount discipline in legacy media versus continued expansion across SaaS, data, and ad tech.

They explore where real job growth is happening, how compensation plans are shifting, why Q1 and early fall are prime hiring windows, and what both employers and candidates are getting wrong about today’s process.

You’ll hear why leading organizations are defining roles around 90-day and 6-to-12-month business outcomes instead of resume checklists and how that shift is changing the way talent competes and teams are built.

If you are hiring, planning a move, or trying to understand where the market is truly heading in 2026, this conversation provides a clear, practical roadmap.

To watch the video of the podcast, click here. To connect with Robert Hawthorne, reach him at  [email protected]

Local advertising is entering one of its most complex and opportunity-rich years yet. In this episode of Leading Local Insights, BIA Founder & CEO Tom Buono and BIA’s senior analysts expand on insights from BIA’s 2026 Local Advertising Trends Report to examine what’s shaping the $182 billion local advertising market.

The conversation highlights where growth is emerging, including CTV and cross-platform video, digital out-of-home, and national brands leaning further into local markets. The team also discusses which business verticals are gaining momentum and what that means for sales strategies.

The episode also touches on the 2026 midterm election cycle, with the BIA analysts offering perspective on how political advertising may influence demand and inventory in select markets as the year unfolds.

Grounded in BIA’s latest trends analysis, this episode delivers clear, data-backed insights to help local media leaders navigate change and identify opportunity in 2026. To download the full 2026 Trends Report, visit www.bia.com/2026trends.

In today’s fast-paced advertising world, it’s more important than ever to connect your advertising spend to actual sales growth. In this episode, Rick Ducey, Managing Director of BIA, and Senan Mele, VP of Forecasting and Data Analysis, welcome Jay Loeffler, Chief Sales Officer at Valpak. Together, they explore how data-driven planning is revolutionizing local advertising, providing a single source of intelligence that makes ad buying smarter. 

If rapid advertising growth is on your radar, you’ll want to tune in—this conversation provides a roadmap. 

Here are some highlights from the discussion:  

• The advertising landscape is shifting from traditional CPM to effective CPM, which focuses on cost after cutting out the waste. Jay shares an interesting case study about a garage door brand that saw a sevenfold increase in engagement by strategically targeting single-family homes with tailored offers. 
• Jay emphasizes the enduring role of linear TV, alongside the growth of connected TV and digital out-of-home advertising.  
• Additionally, Jay explains how small businesses can leverage aggregated data to gain better insights and develop more effective marketing strategies. 
• Senan shares BIA’s forecast for 2026, highlighting flexible budgeting, the shift from upfront media buys to backloading strategies, and the importance of incorporating non-digital touchpoints. 

The podcast concludes with a strategic guide: share CRM data with trusted partners, establish a weekly optimization schedule, use effective CPM as your planning metric, and develop a multi-channel strategy that enhances the entire customer journey, not just the final click.  

Curious to learn more about effective CPM? Visit www.Valpak.com/BIA. And if you bring a month’s worth of CRM data, Jay and his team will help you develop a tailored plan. 

Enjoying the episode? Don’t forget to follow the podcast, share it, and leave us a review.   

"Even with economic uncertainty, there is an opportunity to step up as leaders in our respective industries to guide our advertising partners with critical information to maximize spend and help them win at a critical time." Jay Loeffler, Chief Sales Officer, Valpak

In this timely podcast, Jay Loeffler, CSO at Valpak, discusses the challenges local businesses face due to tariffs, inflation, and rising costs with BIA's Managing Director, Rick Ducey.

During their conversation, Jay provides insights from Valpak's 2025 Local Business Economic Outlook Survey, which measures the impact of macroeconomic uncertainties on businesses and how they are adapting.

One of the key takeaways is that businesses are not merely raising prices in response to inflation; they are reimagining their value propositions, exploring new channels, and utilizing data in innovative ways. This shift creates significant opportunities for media.

Jay explains that small businesses are increasingly leveraging data insights not just for marketing, but also for broader operational strategies, such as choosing new locations and optimizing inventory. This trend is supported by findings indicating that 61% of small business owners expect revenue growth, and 78% plan to increase their marketing efforts.

Jay emphasized that direct mail can achieve a 93% open rate when paired with digital touchpoints. Valpak has built a comprehensive stack containing billions of household attributes. Using this data, Valpak is tailoring multi-touch engagements through TV, radio, mail, and streaming to allow businesses to connect with consumers when and where they prefer to be reached. Valpak is currently partnering with companies like Paramount, Disney, and iHeart to improve reach.

This podcast offers enlightening insights around navigating today's local media landscape. Plus, for the full Economic Survey, visit Valpak.com/bia.