True, but in 1970 there wasn't commercial free competition in the palm of your hand. There's a reason IHeart promotes their app on their stations instead of trying to promote the station itself. They know it's a lost cause trying to compete when you're playing that many commercials.
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
Commercial Count
- Thread starter Santa fe
- Start date
It didn't use to, but since it is not unusual these days to have a commercial break on a commercial music station to go on for well over 5 or 6 minutes, you dial away figuring that it will be a while. Back when songs were shorter (1950s and most of the 60s) and there was no internet with a mountain of other choices, you just stayed put. Example: Pink Floyd's "Money" is almost 7 minutes. In that span of time, you could play three songs from the previous eras.
In a car? With all those buttons and bluetooth, too?
Once again:
If people don't want commercials, they probably aren't listening in the first place.
The "big change" actually began in the very late 60's. Suddenly, with the non-duplication rule for most simulcasts, markets had double or triple the number of choices, with all the new ones on FM.
Because the Baby Boom had made cities expand geographically beyond the coverage of many if not most AMs, those FMs with new formats and fewer commercials fragmented the audience. As those cars and homes without FM decreased in the decade of the 70's, we found half of all rated market listening was to FM by about 1977. And by 1980, two thirds of all music listening was to FM.
But in each case, the shares for the leading stations was less since there were now two or three times the number of stations "making the book".
Yep, totally. Today's inflation adjusted revenue is about 65% less than it was twenty years ago. And your point about expenses is very valid... it costs more (now with new rates for music licensees, too!) to run them.
Yes. The bulk of attrition is in the first minute or so of a break. Otherwise, they stay. More people leave if a station plays a stiff than when a stopset begins; folks expect commercials, but not a song they hate.
Let's not forget my favorite, WKHR
We are very fortunate in Cleveland to have a great selection of adventurous college stations (WBWC, WJCU, WCSB, WRUW and WOBC), a wonderful Classic American Standards station (WKHR) and a nationally respected Classical Music station WCLV.
Sounds right.
And many FMs in the earlier 70's limited themselves to 8 minutes to 10 minutes as a way to attract people to FM. But by the later 70s and into the 80's, there was no difference.
In the 60's, WIXY was one of my "model stations" from which I stole ideas for my Top 40's in Ecuador. I am originally from "the mistake by the lake" and grew up on WERE and WHK and then, when WIXY came on, I listened intently on every visit to Cleveland. I was so impressed by Norm and Bob's operation that, when I had a chance, i took a job with Metroplex in Miami as a GM of one of their stations!"
No, they are not. They are running 5 yo 6 minutes twice an hour... something the PPM led us to discover.
IMHO the naming of the studios is a very effective way to reinforce a "brand". Wished I had thought of it.
I also like 97'1s (Atlanta) sponcered "power hour" of commercial free music.. Offically there are no commercials but they remind you who the sponcer is every second or third song. If the sponcer is a lawyer, they usually have a two or three minute "mini" interview with legal advice with the lawyer.
I also like 97'1s (Atlanta) sponcered "power hour" of commercial free music.. Offically there are no commercials but they remind you who the sponcer is every second or third song. If the sponcer is a lawyer, they usually have a two or three minute "mini" interview with legal advice with the lawyer.
We did a powered by in our legal ID at one station, "Hits 106 is powered by Toyota Of Laramie (quick half sentence blurb about the company) KLMI Rock River, Laramie... a locally owned service of WolfCreek Radio Broadcasting"
When I saw the heading I was expecting to come on here and see this guy going "That's ONE commercial, aha, aha....that's TWO commercials aha, aha, aha.......that's TWELVE commercials, aha, aha, ah......uhh, I'm out of ahas."
Best post ever