"Radio seems to hold an inherent advantage for brands trying to access the inner circle of consumer trust and brand advocacy"                                                        The Henley Centre (Radio: a trusted medium for the discerning consumer)

"Getting your name on the radio is not a Radio Relations strategy"

Radio is different to press, therefore the benefits of editorial coverage on radio differ from the benefits of coverage in Newspapers and Magazines. Here are a few of the advantages that Radio Relations can offer:

Credibility: Radio news is perceived to be more trustworthy than news stories in the press. People widely perceive there to be political and lifestyle biases in the National Press. Whereas Radio is generally perceived to be objective, sometimes more so than TV. Radio journalists can add credibility to a message and reinforce a message that is seen in the press or through advertising.

Personality: David Ogilvy saw the need to give products and brands a personality. "You now have to decide what 'image' you want for your brand. Image means personality. Products, like people, have personalities, and they can make or break them in the market place."  Radio is a personality driven media, Radio Relations can give your brand a personality that the audience will identify with based on what your brand stands for.

Relationship: Ask a friend or relative that doesn't work in marketing or PR what their favourite newspaper journalist is, then ask them who their favourite radio presenter is. You will see that most people have a perceived relationship with a radio presenter that they just don't have with a newspaper journalist or columnist. We wake up with radio presenters, we drive with them, we are even willing to share our relationship problems with presenters late at night. Radio presenters are personalities rather than names written in text, we can identify with them and we often like and respect their opinions (or we change the station we tune in to). Radio is often described as a companion or a friend. Third party endorsement by a radio presenter is similar to recommendation by a friend on a larger scale.

Accessible: Radio is the only truly portable medium. It can be attached to your home hi-fi system, left in the kitchen, attached to the alarm clock in the morning, inside the car, on a portable walkman. You may hear the radio in the shops or cafeteria on your lunchbreak or while you are sat at your desk at work. Radio is being intergrated into mobile phones and is accessible online via Internet radio. Digital Radio or (DAB) is now available in portable radio format, through PC's using a device like the Psion Wavefinder and via Digital Satelite in high quality audio. You would find it very difficult if you had to avoid hearing the radio in any given week!

Interactive: Radio stations encourage interaction with their audience, there are a variety or ways that an audience can interact with radio presenters in real time; by phone, fax, email or text. Whether it's a poll, requesting a song, an on-air competition, on-air discussion or to provide local traffic news - an audience can participate in the content of the station and interact with the presenter. A radio news story can spark an on-air debate and an on-air competition will be won by a local listener.

Immediate: Radio is a real time medium, it is possible to have a story placed within a few hours. It is the ideal medium for crisis management, reactive news stories and consumer comment.

Lifestyle Focused: Whereas most newspapers content is filled with breaking stories, politics and business stories, radio presenters prefer lifestyle stories making it the ideal medium for consumer brands.

Cost Effective: Radio PR is a more cost-effective way to utilise radio as a medium than through radio advertising. Radio advertising is relatively expensive and has a credibility problem because people generally don't trust advertising messages. Radio PR is where a message forms part of the speech content, presenters will use the story if they believe it to be of benefit to the audience and add value to their programming.

Selective: Radio is a secondary medium and is often on in the background while the audience is doing a particular task. However, the Cocktail Party Phenomena investigated by psychologists proves that people are able to zone in to stories and messages that are relevant to them. A story on tube strikes is only going to get your attention if you live or work in London, if you live in Nottingham it will remain in the background!

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