The gales of November are upon us again, which means strategic plans for 2027 are picking up. In recent weeks alone, the broader media landscape has seen big layoffs at Netflix, the consolidation of Warner with Paramount, and a surging creator economy. The stations that move forward will match their unique strengths to these trends. Here are five things to put in your 2027 plan:
1. Help your clients close their AI-search gap
Websites are seeing traffic dip 10-40% (depending on the sector and study) due to AI and zero-click searches. Businesses don’t know why their traffic is down, and most are already leery of the Silicon Valley giants causing this disruption. Broadcasters are well-positioned to be their trusted local guide.
The move: Ask your digital fulfillment partner what they offer for AI-optimization and AI-search ads, and how they report results. Get trained up on their solution and get in front of your clients. If they don’t have a clear answer, that’s a gap to close before your competitors do.
2. Make on-air and online advertising attribution standard
Clients have become used to Meta and Google dashboards declaring their platforms’ ROI, and media without similar metrics are getting pushed out. We know broadcast works, but many of our biggest clients now expect proof. Attribution tools that show website or store traffic jumping during an ad campaign are now affordable for independent companies and don’t require a coding degree from UW-Madison to configure.
The move: If you don’t have an attribution tool, evaluate two or three before budgets are locked. If you do, make it a standard part of the recap.
3. Sell what can’t be bought anywhere else
As ad platforms turn optimization over to AI, plain impressions have become a commodity. Your advantage is local: Creative that resonates with Wisconsinites, custom O&O digital inventory, broadcast reach, and local talent your audiences already LOVE, who can voice or endorse digital ads. Digital competitors can’t match that.
The move: Build local creative and copywriting into every digital proposal and take stock of which O&O assets can be sponsored, bundled, or customized.
4. Video, Video, Video!
Shocker! Social video advertising is growing faster than connected TV, 13% to 11% (IAB), YouTube Shorts average 200 billion daily views, and 82% of weekly podcast consumers watch video podcasts (Edison Research). Video is TV’s sweet spot, and it can be radio’s too. Every clip builds audience and creates new inventory to sell.
The move: For TV, cut more short-form versions of what you already produce. For radio, start with a phone, a light, and a few clips per week from each show.
5. Turn talent into creators
Creator advertising is projected to reach $44 billion this year, up from $37 billion in 2025 (IAB). Most local businesses don’t know where to start. Your airstaff has loyal local followings, and TV stations have the production expertise to partner with local influencers.
The move: Identify which on-air talent have the personality and followings to work as creators and build a sponsored-content package (FTC compliant) around them.
November’s gales always pass, but the waves reshape the shoreline. Pick the moves that fit your station, put them in your 2027 plan, and set your course. Broadcasters have weathered rough seas for more than a century. We’ll weather these too.
The WBA Digital Hotline is a free service of the WBA. To contact Chris Brunt directly with any questions relating to digital revenue, AI, and anything else in the digital space, he can be reached at Chris@jacobsmedia.com.
