cbsrocks said:
Oh please spare me the B.S!! The reason the listeners or leaving Spanish radio is because you are alienating your core audience.
I suppose you have documentation on that... beyond your anecdote about three guys with "Hispanic" names.
I know you don’t comprehend what CORE is all about
In the PPM world, we no longer have Preferenced Level 1 (P1) listeners giving 12 to 15 hours a week to a station; the average listener, in fact, only uses about 10 hours of radio in total, and that same "Mr. or Ms. Average" uses 5 to 7 stations over a 10 to 14 day period.
PPM really shows that about half of the total listeners to a station produce about 90% or more of the total listening to it. So the core is not what we believed it to be over Arbitron's first four and a half decades of radio measurement. The core is made up of people who reguarly use a station, whether the station is the first, second or even the third choice; the important point is that the person keeps coming back. And since in PPM, P1 status is not permanent, and changes regularly, those first three or so stations may, indeed, alternate in preference rank.
And that is what the core is all about today.
and that’s exactly why the audience is bailing by the thousand.
Never mind that there is no proof of that.
However, there is a demographic force at work here. For example, the 18-24 demo nationally was mostly made up of inbound migrants who came to the US with little knowledge of English and strong ties to Spanish language radio. But now the children of the immmigrants from the boom years between 1985 and 1995 are entering the 18-34 demo, and they are significantly assimilated, preferring CHR, urban and similar formats. Yeah, they listen to Spanish on occasion, but not to the degree of the immigrant. So we have a change brought on by the slowing of immigration going back nearly 3 years, plus large numbers of born-here Hispanics flooding into 18-34. That changes things.
Let’s start with the fact that you have no logical reason for playing pitbull. I know you are going to say “ Wait it test through the roof” of course it does the same way in the air tonight will test at the top of many different formats music test. When you play an artist like pitbull with urban roots you do nothing but train your young audience to move to their new home the urban station and the aging and older listener can’t stand pitbull so they move the country and mainly easy listening stations.
Pitbull is Hispanic, his flavor is rhythmic, and his songs are liked even by the 30 to 40 year olds. Just as some of the big radio stations in Latin America mix Spanish and English hits (#1 in Puerto Rico is KQ-105, which does just that...) there is a significant demand for stations to mix all the music that Hispanics in the prime demos like, and that often mens playing songs in English.
Also remember that the bulk of the Hispanic adult population is in the 18-39 and 18-49 age range. Most of that group wants something entirely different than what the 45 and over crowd wants. Look at New York, where a station playing rhythmic hits with lots of crossovers, X 96.3, has rocketed to the top of the Spanish language rankings, and is even in the top 4 or 5 total market stations in 18-34 and 18-49! There is a demand for something other than the same old Héctor Lavoe or Wilfrido Vargas songs from 30 years ago... and that is what people like aracely are trying to change! Good for them!
That’s just one reason and could be here all day, if Gregg or Scott Herman want the station fixed they need to get rid of the staff that’s been snow balling him for years. If Gregg or Scott could ever understand the language they would have fired that programming staff years ago, but they don’t and lucky for you. The station is just terrible; why else do you think you audience is leaving.
Gee, the station is cuming very close to 100% of the Spanish dominants in the 18-49 demo. And the station has increased cume in every one of the last 3 books.... it's now 321,000 out of around 475,000 Hispanics in the market, meaning that a lot of bilinguals (not counted among Spanish Dominant by Nielsen) are also listening. I'd say they are doing a terrific job by any standard.
Gregg and Scott you are bright guys but I think the lack of the understanding the language has allowed folks to pull the wool over your eyes. The ppm does not lie.
No, the facts are quite clear... the station is doing a very good job in reaching and satisfying the Hispanic listener and community in the DC market.
Why don't you tell us what you would do if you were PD. Please, don't say who you would fire. Tell us what a typical music sweep might be, what sort of imaging and promotion you would have, and what kind of DJ approach you would seek. Be specific, or, to the contrary, you will be seen as someone who has sour grapes (fired, maybe, or perhaps not picked to be hired) but not a clue about programming except the ability to post "rock throwing" messages.
Your turn.
