Pattison Media has announced the launch of resonate, a new programmatic platform that promises to bring broadcast radio into the modern programmatic advertising ecosystem.
Unveiled to the broadcast industry at Radiodays North America in Toronto on Wednesday, resonate allows advertisers to buy over-the-air radio using the same platforms and workflows they would use for digital, video, connected TV, and out-of-home.
Pattison says the launch represents a significant step forward for broadcast radio.
“For years, we’ve watched programmatic buying transform one channel after another—but broadcast radio was left outside that system,” said Andrew Snook, Chief Innovation Officer at Pattison Media. “resonate changes that. It gives advertisers a way to access the scale and impact of radio using the same tools, metrics, and buying models they already use every day.”
resonate inspired by OOH transition
Pattison’s presentation at Radiodays included a demonstration of the first confirmed instance of an ad purchased programmatically and delivered directly over broadcast radio – on its Vancouver station 102.7 The Peak (CJPK-FM) – using a major demand-side platform.
The company says resonate’s development was inspired, in part, by the evolution of out-of-home advertising, one of the most traditional media categories in the industry, that’s experienced renewed growth by shifting to impressions-based buying, CPM pricing, and programmatic access via major platforms.
“That transition showed the industry something important,” said Snook. “Advertisers don’t want to buy formats or schedules—they want reach, accountability, and efficiency. We saw a clear parallel for radio.”
Pattison says resonate applies those same principles to broadcast radio, allowing advertisers to plan and purchase radio inventory programmatically, based on impressions, in environments where the rest of their media budgets already live.
While broadcast radio has traditionally required manual planning, direct negotiation, and long lead times, making it impractical for agencies operating under tight timelines and shrinking margins, resonate addresses those challenges by offering real-time audience and impression modelling, dynamic placement of ads into upcoming commercial logs, and impressions-based buying on a CPM model.
“This is about making radio easier to access, not changing what radio is,” said Rod Schween, President of Pattison Media. “Radio already delivers trust, reach, and impact. resonate simply allows it to be bought in a way that matches how advertising actually works today.”
Better reflects ‘true value’ of live radio
One of the core challenges resonate was built to address is radio’s reliance on historical audience data as advertisers increasingly expect media decisions to reflect what is happening now – capturing fluctuations driven by major sporting events and breaking news, as well as holidays – not what was measured weeks or months ago. Pattison says this approach better reflects the true value of live radio.
“Radio is a live medium,” said Snook. “Its value changes hour by hour. resonate allows both advertisers and broadcasters to recognize that value in real time.”
“Radio has always adapted to change,” added Schween. “With resonate, we’re leading its next evolution—through innovation that connects radio to the future of advertising.”
Rogers Sports & Media is resonate’s first confirmed partner, alongside Pattison Media.
