Why Terrestrial Radio is Here to Stay

Where does AM/FM radio fit into the world of streaming and satellite? “Terrestrial radio provides a community,” former iHeartMedia executive Zena Burns tells GLG. “When you turn on a terrestrial radio station, you feel connected to something.” Burns also debunks a common misconception that terrestrial radio stations do not measure their audience as accurately as digital platforms. She points to broadcast radio’s recent adoption of algorithmic, real-time (programmatic) advertising as evidence they are employing up-to-the-minute listenership data into their sales strategy. Zena Burns sits down with GLG to discuss the merits of terrestrial radio, the current state of Internet radio, and the possibilities of programmatic advertising.

Zena Burns currently serves as Principal of the Moxie Coalition, a Chicago-based consultancy providing strategy, marketing, content, and business development services to clients in media, entertainment, technology, and nonprofit sectors. Prior to launching Moxie in 2015, Burns briefly worked at TIDAL as Senior Vice President, Artist and Label Relations, focusing on its TIDAL X experiential initiatives. From 2006 to 2014, Burns served as Senior Vice President, Programming Partnerships, at iHeartMedia. Burns was initially tasked with bringing iHeartMedia’s (then Clear Channel Radio’s) New York City radio stations into the digital age. She went on to be instrumental in developing the iHeartRadio brand, which currently boasts 100 million registered users, playing a key role in its original editorial, video, and social content across more than 850 radio stations.