Audio Gets Programmatic: Lisa Coffey Of IHeartMedia Says 'Guaranteed Human' Wins Trust

Why It Matters

Programmatic radio gives advertisers the same precision and real‑time buying power they enjoy in digital, unlocking new revenue for broadcasters and higher ROI for brands. The shift also leverages human‑host trust, a differentiator in an AI‑saturated media landscape.

Key Takeaways

• IHeart launches beta Audiograph for addressable radio
• Early tests beat demo‑based buying on foot traffic
• Full programmatic rollout planned for H2 2026
• Audio boosts social performance by 83% and search 47%
• Human‑host trust outweighs AI‑generated content preferences

Pulse Analysis

The radio industry has long wrestled with the perception that broadcast is a static, unmeasurable medium. IHeartMedia’s Audiograph platform challenges that narrative by embedding addressability and programmatic transaction capabilities directly into traditional airwaves. By tagging inventory with IDs and linking it to outcome‑based metrics, advertisers can now buy radio spots with the same granularity they use for display or video, turning a historically brand‑centric channel into a performance‑driven asset.

Coffey’s early proof‑of‑concept data underscores the commercial upside: addressable radio not only surpassed demo‑based buying but also generated measurable foot‑traffic lifts for retail partners. The human element remains a core advantage—despite 70% of consumers interacting with AI, 90% still prefer content delivered by real voices. This trust translates into higher engagement, allowing brands to weave radio, podcasts, and live events into a 360‑degree consumer experience anchored by familiar personalities. The synergy extends beyond audio; campaigns that include radio see social lift of 83% and search lift of 47%, proving audio’s role as a catalyst for broader media effectiveness.

Looking ahead, the rollout slated for late 2026 could expand programmatic inventory by up to 400%, dramatically increasing the pool of purchasable slots. Partnerships such as the announced TikTok‑IHeart collaboration illustrate how audio can intersect with social platforms to create culturally resonant moments. For marketers, the emerging ecosystem promises real‑time access to live events—from the Olympics to award shows—while preserving the human connection that differentiates audio from other digital formats. As the line between broadcast and streaming blurs, programmatic radio is poised to become a cornerstone of data‑driven, cross‑channel advertising strategies.

Original Description

LAS VEGAS – If you have ever wished broadcast radio could behave a little more like digital, Lisa Coffey says the wish is being granted, with a beta label and a confident smile.

Speaking with Beet.TV contributor David Kaplan at CES, the chief business officer of IHeartMedia said the long running mission is finally turning into shipping product.

“The project of making broadcast radio addressable and measurable, that project is definitely moving along,” Coffey said. She pointed to a new beta program for Audiograph, describing it as “our platform to make broadcast radio addressable, measurable and programmatically transactable.”

In other words, radio is learning new tricks so buyers can use the same hands on keyboards energy they bring to everything else.

Early proof says addressable beats demo buying

Coffey said IHeart is past the napkin phase and into real world testing.

“We have our POC with five advertisers across three different verticals,” she said, listing retail, wireless and QSR.

The results were the part buyers care about.

“Addressable radio performed better than demo-based buying,” she said, adding that IHeart could map ID based measurement back to outcomes.

She also said the tests showed “we drove more foot traffic into a retail location than demo-based buying.”

The roadmap is clear: a second phase of beta followed by “a full launch in second half of 2026,” she said.

Audio is growing because people still like humans

While CES conversations orbit AI like it is a new sun, Coffey’s argument for audio is refreshingly analog.

“State of audio is growth,” she said, calling it the number one theme.

She claimed IHeart sees “more radio listeners today than we did 20 years ago,” and added that “73% of consumers in the US listen to podcasts.”

The reason she keeps coming back to is trust.

“While 70% of consumers use AI, 90% want their media from a human,” Coffey said.

If you are a brand trying to avoid being side eyed by consumers, that human preference is a useful guardrail.

Personalities are the real targeting layer

Coffey said advertisers are leaning into the trust that comes with voices people choose to spend time with.

Brands want to show up “on the radio, on a podcast and at live events,” she said, because that cross platform association with personalities is what resonates.

She also framed it as a surround sound effect.

The goal is a “360 surround experience for the consumer,” she said, built around hosts and creators consumers already invite into their daily routines.

Performance meets branding and audio claims the glue job

Audio has long been treated as the warm fuzzy branding channel, but Coffey positioned it as a performance multiplier.

“One of the coolest things or greatest things about audio is that it helps other media perform better,” she said.

Coffey argued that starting with audio or adding it to a plan boosts other channels, saying social performs 83% better and search performs 47% better when audio is in the mix. Her pitch was that audio complements full funnel efforts by improving what comes after the first impression.

Big misconception is that audio cannot transact like digital

If some buyers still think audio is hard to measure and even harder to buy at scale, Coffey said that belief is dated.

“Probably the fact that audio can’t be addressable, measurable and transactable digitally,” she said. “All of those things are now true.”

About “30% of audio is available programmatically,” mostly podcasts and streaming, leaving a large share of broadcast audio outside the programmatic tent, she said.

Audiograph is designed to change that, Coffey said, claiming it will “increase audio inventory by 400%” by bringing broadcast radio into programmatic workflows.

Big live moments meet hands on keyboards

Coffey’s case for programmatic radio was not only about efficiency. It was about immediacy.

She described bringing the “live elements of radio to those keyboards,” so brands can buy into real time moments and not just big sponsorship packages. She rattled off a list of event-driven inventory opportunities including the Olympics with NBC, the World Cup and award shows such as the Oscars, emphasizing that brands want to be associated with those live experiences.

Measurement is the plan and TikTok is the plot twist

Coffey said IHeart works with third party partners to deliver the measurement marketers demand. She then offered a cross platform example that doubles as a cultural tell.

“TikTok approached us to create a partnership,” she said. Her explanation was simple: “They wanna work in radio” because live elements create culture and influential moments.

She said the partnership will include a podcast slate made by influencers, a TikTok Radio effort and pairings between TikTok creators and IHeart radio personalities to build cultural moments, plus activity at live events.

Guaranteed human is the brand safety statement

If CES is the festival of AI demos, Coffey position