The partnership illustrates how local media companies are increasingly using technology partnerships to extend beyond traditional advertising formats and compete for a larger share of digital marketing budgets.
Muirfield Broadcasting operates STAR 102.5 FM and WIOZ 550 AM and has served businesses and audiences across North Carolina’s Sandhills and Moore County for more than five decades. Through the agreement, the broadcaster will gain access to Townsquare’s digital advertising capabilities while maintaining its existing local media relationships.
Townsquare launched its Media Partnerships division in 2024 as part of Townsquare Ignite, its digital advertising business. The division operates through a white-label model, allowing independent media companies to offer digital marketing services using Townsquare’s technology, operational infrastructure and data-driven campaign strategies.
For broadcasters, the model addresses a structural challenge in local advertising. Radio remains valuable for local reach and brand familiarity, but advertisers increasingly expect measurable digital campaigns spanning search, social, display, video and other online channels. Building those capabilities internally can require technology, talent and operational resources that smaller media organizations may not have.
Townsquare’s partnership strategy effectively turns that infrastructure into a service that local media companies can incorporate into their advertiser offerings.
The company said its digital business now accounts for more than half of its total revenue and profit. With the Muirfield agreement, Townsquare’s Media Partnerships division has reached 16 strategic alliances and expanded into 41 markets outside its owned-and-operated footprint.
That geographic expansion is significant because the strategy is not limited to Townsquare’s own local media properties. Instead, its technology and advertising infrastructure can potentially scale through third-party media brands that already have established relationships with local businesses.
For Muirfield, the arrangement creates an opportunity to package traditional radio reach with digital advertising capabilities and campaign measurement. That combination could also help broadcasters approach businesses that have historically viewed radio as their primary or only local advertising channel.
The broader shift reflects the growing convergence between local media and digital advertising. Radio operators, publishers and other regional media companies are increasingly looking for ways to monetize their advertiser relationships across multiple channels rather than relying on a single medium.
Townsquare’s white-label model also places the company in a competitive space alongside advertising technology platforms and media networks that provide digital campaign infrastructure to agencies, publishers and local businesses. Its differentiation is the combination of technology with an established network of local media relationships.
Market Landscape
Local advertising is becoming increasingly omnichannel, with businesses seeking campaigns that combine traditional media, digital advertising, audience targeting and measurable outcomes. This creates an opportunity for broadcasters to evolve from media sellers into broader marketing partners.
The trend also reinforces the importance of first-party relationships and local audience knowledge. Media companies with established advertiser and community connections can use technology partnerships to add digital capabilities without rebuilding their entire advertising infrastructure.
For platforms such as Townsquare, expanding through partnerships can provide another route to scale. Instead of acquiring every local media property, a technology-enabled partnership model allows digital advertising infrastructure to reach additional markets through existing brands.
Strategic Outlook
Townsquare’s agreement with Muirfield suggests that the next phase of local media monetization may depend on combining trusted offline brands with scalable digital advertising technology.
The model could become increasingly attractive as local broadcasters seek new revenue streams and advertisers demand measurable results across multiple channels. If Townsquare can demonstrate consistent performance across its 41 incremental markets, its partnership network could become an important extension of its digital advertising business.
For advertisers, the potential benefit is a single local marketing relationship capable of connecting radio reach with data-driven digital campaigns. For media companies, the opportunity is to participate in digital advertising growth without having to build every technology and operational capability themselves.
Top Insights
- Townsquare’s Muirfield partnership expands its digital advertising platform into another local market, helping broadcasters combine radio reach with measurable digital campaigns.
- The white-label model allows local media companies to access advertising technology and operational expertise without building a complete digital infrastructure internally.
- Townsquare’s 16 partnerships now cover 41 incremental markets, demonstrating how media technology alliances can accelerate geographic expansion beyond owned properties.
- The strategy reflects a broader shift toward omnichannel local advertising, where businesses increasingly expect traditional media and digital marketing to work together.
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