All Requests:

[Radio_bored-Op]

Does this forum think, a radio station
in a major market ( any music format, really) who
REALLY did take requests be the simple difference
that helps a station improve w/ the ratings/numbers.

Obviously, wouldn't matter on a publicRadio/Classical
channel (ie: can u play vintage Bach,lol) - and,
a top40 station, will "automatically'' play the top10,
(anyway) .....
but say use Facebook as an outlet to take requests,
of songs not in the current plays per week ( say something
from last summer) ... or a classic hits station that
has hits from years/decades ago. As they may have their
favorites, but perhaps not have the playlist for the week of -

. . .taking requests seem like it would help make the difference to
edge out the competition...if all things being equal...

 

[RDO]

Isn't that what this is?

http://www.jelli.com/landing/

 

[Radio_bored-Op]

I meant some thing with a little more local - feel to it -

 

[ricoontheradio]

I meant some thing with a little more local - feel to it -

Jelli is just a tool. It's up to the radio station to localize the efforts of your listeners on Jelli, so truth is something like Jelli or LDR is exactly what you're referring to in a more efficient manner. You get the effects of requests by many instead of the request of ONE person out there in radioland.

 

[GeneSavage]

As much as I love requests, I think taking requests (without limiting the number of requests to a TINY few number per hour and limiting it to songs that "fit" the format) would leave most stations with WORSE ratings, not better.

The problem is that one person may want to hear a song that everybody else wants to hear... OR he may want to hear a song NOBODY else wants to hear.

Even a sampling of requests from an hour of calls, or a day, only tells you what people who take the time to get the phone number and get the courage to call in, want to hear.

If your station is doing its research right (not saying that all are by ANY stretch of the imagination), your research should be correctly telling you which songs the majority of the listeners want to hear.

Requests would drive up the passion for those individual listeners at the risk of driving away hundreds or thousands of other listeners.

I'm not saying it COULDN'T be done, but I think it is a bit like adding bleach to soup: at what point do you begin to taste it? And how much is it going to poison those you serve?

"All other things being equal" I think it would hurt more than help the majority of the time.

 

[Radio_bored-Op]

Maybe I wasn't clear - it doesn't "have to be" via phone,
and ONLY the phone lines . . . often (CHR) stations will
have a facebook status of "Requests"

and there aLot of COMMENTs....

 

[GeneSavage]

I stand by my statement: you'd have to have tens of thousands of comments (and know they were from actual listeners in your actual listening area)... and at that point, it SHOULD match your research, if you're doing it right.

No appreciable benefit. At best, you might find a single song you hadn't realized might test well. At worst, you could drive the majority of your audience away.