The proof is in the programmatic pudding – The Short Stack
The new year is just getting started and there are already plenty of initiatives in play that bode well for the bright future of audio. Many of them, of course, revolve around ads – and within that, programmatic ads.
Take the nascent working group within IAB that’s dedicated to producing insights that prove to marketers how audio drives great outcomes (especially in combination with CTV, video, etc.). Lack of clear measurement has, for many, become one of those pieces of accepted "wisdom" that’s kept buyers cautious about spending in podcasting/streaming. But the data is there; the work of this group will reveal it, prove the value of audio, and counter outdated perceptions.
While audio advertising broadly needs that updated thinking, programmatic in particular probably needs it even more. Its original reputation as the “wild west” of digital advertising – born in display years ago when controls were relatively immature – still lives on in some minds. So the IAB’s guidance will rightly include a special focus on programmatic’s key position in the audio mix and how to activate it effectively.
This reminds me of more updated thinking/great action we’re seeing in the space, albeit with a very different motivator. As we documented toward the end of last year, public media, facing what some consider an existential crisis since taking a major funding hit, has been forced to think of new ways to ensure it keeps entertaining and informing millions of listeners. WBGO is one station helping to lead the charge, opening itself up to new revenue by introducing programmatic ads into its streams (and ultimately podcasts), despite long-held concerns about “typical” ads being inappropriate for public media.
How’s it working so far? In this case, the proof is both quantitative and qualitative. The station has added a solid amount of incremental revenue – hard to argue with an outcome like that. But equally important, listener complaints have been few – if you can even call them complaints. Said one BGO listener: “I see exactly what you're up against, and from our thinking, you are handling it beautifully.”
If a sector like public media can embrace such a big shift, is a broader shift in the perception of audio ads – programmatic and otherwise – on its way? This is a big part of what we’ll discuss on our panel at SXSW/Podcast Movement Evolutions in March, including insight from KUT Austin general manager Debbie Hiott, Axios reporter Kerry Flynn, and more.
The more we all keep talking about this – and proving value – the brighter the future of audio we all love. See you in Austin!
Best.
Scott Klass , CMO 
With this year’s “Stand with Public Media” theme, NYPR’s gala paid tribute to “voices on the front lines of the First Amendment,” according to its news release, following Congress’ rescinding of $1.1 billion in federal funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, impacting hundreds of public radio and TV stations.
It started from a study released by the company last month that indicated that 82 percent of consumers worry about AI’s societal impact, and 9 in 10 believe it’s important to know the media they consume is created by a real person.
Economic factors are driving publishers to find new revenue streams. As mentioned above, sectors like public media in particular need better tools to control the audio ads being dynamically inserted into their streaming and podcasting content, especially when it comes to programmatic. With that, we're getting ready to launch a new ad quality tool (name TBD) early in '26 to give publishers that control.
The tool runs on SoundStack’s own AI to identify an ad’s true attributes like language, category, and even brands. Publishers can create rule sets to block ads based on unfavorable attributes, even including words or phrases. And you can set it and forget it; once a publisher creates their rulesets, those rules are automatically applied to all ad content -- before the ads are inserted into the content.
Look for more from us on this shortly!
