SRDS Media Solutions is the 800 pound gorilla of matching advertisers with media companies. Whether it’s radio, print, television, or cable you wish to advertise, the SRDS Media Solutions database can let you find them, rates, and ad availability. This can be very helpful if you want to advertise in different markets without having to find all the different affiliate stations or print ad sources like magazines or newspapers.

For example if you were selling sun tan lotion in the middle of winter, you would just want to find TV stations or cable companies in the southern US states, without having to go through the many searches needed to find them all. Their database access isn’t cheap, but it’s certainly a good value when compared to the time you’d spend hunting down all the different sources to advertise in a specific region or demographic market.

Without a database like SRDS Media Solutions, I couldn’t image the mind numbing tedium of finding TV stations that have advertising available during a specific type of show, language, or geographic location. This is only a place I would recommend to people ready to spend some money, as the database access is just the start, production of a TV spot can be very expensive. If some business had a lower budget I’d stick with the SRDS Media Solutions print ad options or the less expensive option of having a radio spot made, depending on the product or service offered.

Of course which option will depend on your budget, and it can sometimes be less expensive to directly contact a specific newspaper, magazine, or radio station company if you just plan a limited exposure ad campaign. For reach television markets though, SRDS Media Solutions can’t be beat with so many different cable TV operators and affiliate stations throughout the country. They also offer information on Canadian and Mexican media outlets, as well as Hispanic media companies if you’re trying to reach a specific group or area.