On September 4, the political advertising window opened on Philadelphia television and radio stations.  This is a 60 day period leading up to a general election when broadcast stations licensed by the Federal Communication Commission are obligated to offer candidates for national office the opportunity to buy commercials at the lowest unit rate (LUR).

For example, if a high-frequency advertiser like McDonald's earns the lowest rates on a particular Philadelphia radio station during morning drive-time, then any candidate for federal office must, during the 60-day political window, be offered the same rate for morning drive time on that station, regardless of frequency.

If, however, the McDonald's rate is contingent on the radio station's ability to pre-empt commercials without notice, then qualified candidates must agree to identical terms to receive the same rate.

To facilitate the purchase of commercials on Philadelphia radio, stations will supply candidates with a political rate-card.  This card will show the LUR by time of day and by preemption parameters.

Here are other important facts about political advertising on Philadelphia radio.

There are more than 3.5 million registered voters in the Delaware Valley. Here is the number by county:

• Burlington, NJ: 329,605
• Camden, NJ: 376,904
• Gloucester, NJ 220,046
• Bucks, PA: 461,327
• Chester, PA: 360,387
• Delaware, PA: 188,322
• Montgomery, PA: 574,446
• Philadelphia, PA: 1,080,764

According to Nielsen, Philadelphia radio reaches significantly more of these registered voters than all other media, including local television pay-TV, newspaper, social media platforms, and streaming audio sites like Pandora or Spotify.

Every vote counts.  Many times the difference between winning an election and losing is a handful of ballots. This is true in races for almost every elected office, referendum, and issue on the national, statewide, and local level.

To win a modern election requires advertising. Successful advertising requires reach. In the Delaware Valley, the most potent way to reach voters is on local radio.

Last week, for instance, 91.7% of all registered voters in the counties of Bucks, PA; Chester, PA; Delaware, PA; Montgomery, PA; Philadelphia, PA; Burlington, NJ; Camden, NJ;  and Gloucester, NJ. tuned-in to a Philadelphia radio station.  This is significantly more than were reached by local TV, local newspaper, or the major social media site like Facebook and Instagram.