This Week’s Influencer: Kim Komando’s CAO Panel Discusses Media’s Most Resilient Channel; SXM + The ZON = $?; Spotify Free Upgrade = More TSL?

This week on the Media Roundtable, we’re taking you back to our 2025 CAO Summit for a tactical conversation on one of media’s most resilient channels: radio.

Guest moderator and radio legend Kim Komando leads a panel featuring Nick Macco (Legacybox), Mike Janigian (DraftKings), and Rion Swartz (brand-side growth leader, previously at LegalZoom) on why we shouldn’t write the obituary for broadcast radio just yet.

The panel laid out a playbook for turning “old-school” radio into a modern performance media, and we’re giving you a sneak peek:

“Radio is a ‘cucaracha’—we keep trying to stamp it out, and it just keeps coming back.” – Kim Komando, Host of ” The Kim Komando Show“

Attribution can be simpler than you think: Promo codes and landing pages help, but Legacybox and others on the panel have found that post-purchase surveys consistently matched more complex models. Triangulation is key. DraftKings mentioned their perfect formula for measurement success: promo codes + surveys + MMM.
Creative continuity is key: One of the best things you can do to shore up your radio buy: keep the host connection alive throughout the conversion funnel. Think tailored pages, remarketing with host likeness, and copy that mirrors an on-air read.
Host buy-in > genre: Entertainment, sports, talk radio, you name it—if the relationship is real, the results follow. And don’t sleep on political placements: Legacybox found less crowded inventory and more efficient media on conservative radio.

The common consensus: radio’s not a relic—it’s a responsive reach engine that still delivers results. Pair engaged hosts with pragmatic measurement and you’ll get both scale and signal.

For the full conversation (and more tales from the “cucaracha” that won’t die), tune in below.

The Classifieds

La Llorona and the Lads

Network: Sonoro Media / Monthly Downloads: 25k
This week kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month, a celebration of Latinx culture, community, and shared history. Our first classified is steeped in the unique experience of being Gen Z Mexican-Americans and the superstitions that go along with it. Jorge Moran and Ricardo Amado have grown in popularity on TikTok through clips of the show that cover paranormal sightings and Mexican urban legends. In between those more viral moments, the duo delves into endless conversations about their families and shared interests. Family often pops up, especially for young father Amado, who lovingly talks about his children every chance he gets. They also love talking about music, video games, true crime, and so much more. This is a great opportunity for advertisers seeking video-first testing options that specifically target young men who favor niche but engaged communities, especially Reddit. If you’re superstitious about losing testing dollars, click below asap for more information.

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Shattering the Facade of Some of Society’s Worst Pretenders

Network: Starlight Ads / Monthly Downloads: 250k

“How could this happen?” This statement is often attached to stories that twist and turn, with no visible end in sight. Javier Leiva is interested in protagonists who cannot be trusted, who build identities and backgrounds that aren’t all that they seem—those who pretend. Whether he’s interviewing dangerous cult leaders, victims of insidious crimes, or running down a fiendish con artist, Leiva is unafraid to dig until he discovers the truth. This is a great opportunity that sits at the intersection of tech, true crime, and education, and exposes the stories that often never see the light of day. Though this is a long-running podcast with a wealth of DR advertisers, they have only recently migrated to a new seller who’s willing to create unique, bespoke opportunities for enhanced re-testing ahead of Q4. Don’t just pretend to click the link below, or you might be featured in the next episode.

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In Case You Missed It

SiriusXM Finds New Reach With Amazon’s DSP?

Amazon Ads has struck a partnership with SiriusXM to make its streaming portfolio, including Pandora, SoundCloud, and eventually podcasts, available through Amazon’s demand-side platform. The deal opens up access to more than 160 million monthly U.S. digital listeners and lets advertisers pair Amazon’s first-party data with SiriusXM’s premium audio content. This move heightens Amazon’s rivalry with platforms like Google and The Trade Desk while offering brands a full-funnel attribution proposition. For SiriusXM, it is a new monetization path as streaming competition grows. Access to SiriusXM inventory, coupled with Amazon’s retail data, is a tempting proposition for even the shrewdest marketer, but first, let’s see how transparent Amazon will be with its data and attribution models; history says maybe not.

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Brazil: Podcasting’s Sleeping Giant

The latest revelation from Podnews may surprise some: Brazil remains one of the most overlooked podcast markets despite its size and listening power. With over 200 million people and a robust digital presence, Brazil consistently ranks among the top countries for podcast consumption. Advertisers want access to these audiences, but the ad marketplace is still underdeveloped on the platform side. While Spotify and YouTube have a significant presence, international networks and platforms have yet to establish robust monetization, creating a gap between audience demand and advertising opportunities. Brazil is podcasting’s biggest untapped opportunity, and once international networks shore up the market, expect ad dollars to follow fast.

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Spotify’s Free Upgrade: Better for Users and Advertisers?

Spotify is making its free tier more attractive to consumers by introducing “Pick & Play,” “Search & Play,” and “Share & Play” features globally. Free users can now search for and play any specific track, or instantly play songs shared by friends or artists on social media platforms like Instagram. This marks a significant shift from the prior, shuffle-only experience with limited skips. There’s still a catch: free listeners get an “on-demand time” allocation, after which they’ll revert to limited skips. Spotify is seeking to boost engagement amongst its ad-supported users and expose them to more ads. Spotify isn’t expanding its free tier out of generosity—they’re chasing more engagement and ad revenue. For advertisers, this is good news: more features for free users means longer sessions and more ad inventory to work with.

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#SaveTheLiveReads

Getting Healthy at Home with Function HealthIn this week’s “Save the Live Read”, Andrew O’Hara and Stephen Robles know how important it is to recommend the right products on their show HomeKit Insider, by acknowledging the gravity of a serious topic and bringing it to life. Instead of simply rattling off features, the duo shares their personal experience of using Function Health: booking tests for the next day, seeing 160 biomarkers, and getting real-action steps, proving that the benefits are something that can’t be faked. They also break down the process of using Function Health, going above and beyond your typical 60-second ad while creating an atmosphere of a friendly back-and-forth one might have with their friends. Additionally, their recommendation about how Function Health goes beyond the average smart watch feature positions Function as the golden ticket to jump-starting a healthier and happier life. And the $100 credit at the end? It’s the cherry on top that makes clicking “sign up” feel like a no-brainer. Listen below to hear the vitals of a great read.

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