As radio turns 100 this year, we’re more thankful for the role it plays in our lives than ever. Here are nine (of the many!) ways we’re thankful for radio today. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Radio brings local communities together.

Radio brands know their audiences so very well. The local news, sports, health information, promotions, and more that they deliver on-air, on socials, on their websites, and in their podcasts play a vital role in their communities.

Radio is free, 24/7, 365.

One constant over radio’s 100 years: Listeners can access local radio content at no cost to them. Paywalled or subscription content is interesting and appeals to many, but having the core radio product remain free and available to all without requiring expensive devices is one of the many reasons radio has remained important to the communities it serves. 

Radio doesn’t go offline or require wifi. 

Other than the rare and brief moments of dreaded dead air, radio is always there for you. When the power goes out, radio is still there. When the internet goes down, radio is still there. When your device isn’t working, radio is still on the air.

Radio provides choices — but not an overwhelming number of choices.

Over time, one cultivates their group of presets or go-to radio brands that they rotate through as their mood or situation changes. You don’t need to scroll through 1,000 stations or put the work into cultivating a playlist. Radio brands work hard to provide content their listeners want to 

Radio creates memories.

Think about the heritage brands you grew up listening to. Chances are that you have memories of those brands that are like comfort food for the brain that simply can’t be replaced or recreated with another medium. Many of today’s radio brands are embracing digital methods to create those same types of memories with younger audiences. 

Radio highlights local businesses.

Local advertisers + great copy and production = yet another way radio plays a unique, irreplaceable role in its communities. 

Radio keeps you in the know.

No other medium can match the speed, accuracy, and trustworthiness of radio brands when it comes to delivering the big news you want to know about. Whether it’s updates on your favorite local sports teams, weather alerts, bad traffic alerts, celebrity life events, or any number of other topics, you’ll frequently hear it first from a station’s broadcast or mobile app notification. Futuri partners WSB in Atlanta and KRMG in Tulsa are two brands that do this particularly well.

Radio personalities are like trusted friends. 

You come to look forward to your favorite personalities’ takes on what’s happening in the world just about every day. Personalities that are great about maintaining an ongoing relationship with their audience make their key content available on-demand for those days when you just can’t listen live, or go deeper with original podcast content. Some of our favorites are The Dave Ryan Show on 101.3 KDWB in Minneapolis, Greg & The Morning Buzz on Rock 101 WGIR-FM in Manchester and 100.3 WHEB in Portsmouth, and Dave & Chuck the Freak on 101 WRIF in Detroit. 

Radio is made up of incredible people in front of and behind the mic.

While personalities play a big role in what makes radio special, there are so many passionate people working in all aspects of the business. From Programming to Sales to Production to Marketing to Traffic to Digital and more, radio professionals are a truly special breed.