Could someone explain this to a radio outsider?

[hail2theorange]

Ok... Kelly & Alpha are still off the air, now Steve and Vicki are joining them. Now, I will admit that I have absolutely no professional training or experience in this industry aside from being a listener, but I cannot understand what is going through the minds of the various program directors and station managers in this town...

The official statements coming from the bean counters -- er, I mean PD's is that people want more music, less talk. Well, it seems to this ignorant listener out here that someone in the prime demographic, with money to spend with their advertisers that wanted more music and less talk already has XM, Sirius, IPods or Internet Radio playing in their cars. How does less talk compete with no talk? If they can't afford these alternatives, then are they really prime advertising demographic members? If I was an advertiser, I don't want someone in the prime age group if they are unemployed/underemployed and not able to buy my wares.

So what is it that the local stations have that the other services don't? Well, local news/talk might be one thing -- seems noone wants to spend the money to do that one right -- and since there is no competition in this niche, WSB AM just keeps on with the same old repetitive formula. On the FM dial, the local banter between tunes is what builds listener loyalty -- I recall the competetive nature between WLS/WCFL in Chicago during the late 60's and early 70's -- seems you were a fan of one and dissed the other -- even though they both played off the same top 40 list. Now the "experts" say they want to take the banter away and provide more tunes --so why should I tune in to one over the other -- or why should I listen to a station that only plys tunes and commercials? I think I would prefer only tunes on satellite, mp3 or internet radio.

And while I'm on the soapbox, could someone tell me why 10% of the 20-35 year old demographic is better than 50% of the over 50? Seems we have more disposable income and probably less likely to have IPods in their cars.

Ok, stepping down for now.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Welcome to the club. There are many of us who do not understand the "herd mentality" that dominates many businesses. Why is it that my wife cannot go to the department store and find a dress that meets her idea of pretty and meets the needs of her no-longer-under-age-45 body? Why is it that to buy an automobile with power drivers seat (meets the needs of her not-more-than-62-inches-tall body) I have to buy the premium package with accessories I don't particularly want to pay for? Why do retailers insist that I must participate in the all-to-risky rebate mechanism if I want to get the advertised sale price?

All the things about radio which have you scratching your head and asking "why?" are natural by-products of a civilization that thinks it has become sophisticated. We think we understand statistics. (You have to at least pretend to.) We have scanner cash registers that capture tons of data. We have become a civilization of survey takers.

Here is advertising 101: Older people, mature people, have already fallen for all the gimmicks, have already tried every choice there is, and thus know what they are going to buy when they go to the store. Do not waste ad dollars on people who have already become loyal to a favorite brand. Only the young who have not been victimized enough times yet by advertising gimicks will respond to ads. Seek them out. They are the only viable targets for your client who has just put the same old soap in a new bottle and labeled it "New and Improved".

Here is broadcasting 101: Only survey your loyal listeners. (I think they call them P1s or something.) Find out what feature of your station captured these groupees and strengthen that feature to lure more and more and more of the same people. It is, of course, heresy to ever locate a NON-LISTENER and ask such a rude and unvarnished question like: "What would it take to get you to reach over and turn on the radio now and then?"

I am so happy we could have this chat. It won't do much to improve the logic of the program changes and personality changes that make the headline for Rodney Ho's next column. But I feel so much better for having written it.

Now. Where is my radio? I know it's here! I saw it a week or two ago.

 

[hail2theorange]

Welcome to the club. There are many of us who do not understand the "herd mentality" that dominates many businesses. Why is it that my wife cannot go to the department store and find a dress that meets her idea of pretty and meets the needs of her no-longer-under-age-45 body? Why is it that to buy an automobile with power drivers seat (meets the needs of her not-more-than-62-inches-tall body) I have to buy the premium package with accessories I don't particularly want to pay for? Why do retailers insist that I must participate in the all-to-risky rebate mechanism if I want to get the advertised sale price?

All the things about radio which have you scratching your head and asking "why?" are natural by-products of a civilization that thinks it has become sophisticated. We think we understand statistics. (You have to at least pretend to.) We have scanner cash registers that capture tons of data. We have become a civilization of survey takers.

Here is advertising 101: Older people, mature people, have already fallen for all the gimmicks, have already tried every choice there is, and thus know what they are going to buy when they go to the store. Do not waste ad dollars on people who have already become loyal to a favorite brand. Only the young who have not been victimized enough times yet by advertising gimicks will respond to ads. Seek them out. They are the only viable targets for your client who has just put the same old soap in a new bottle and labeled it "New and Improved".

Here is broadcasting 101: Only survey your loyal listeners. (I think they call them P1s or something.) Find out what feature of your station captured these groupees and strengthen that feature to lure more and more and more of the same people. It is, of course, heresy to ever locate a NON-LISTENER and ask such a rude and unvarnished question like: "What would it take to get you to reach over and turn on the radio now and then?"

I am so happy we could have this chat. It won't do much to improve the logic of the program changes and personality changes that make the headline for Rodney Ho's next column. But I feel so much better for having written it.

Now. Where is my radio? I know it's here! I saw it a week or two ago.

Thanks for taking the time to respond... much of what you say makes sense -- still think that we mature folk would be receptive to new restaurants and services in town -- if the local stations are no longer caring about being local, I guess this local guy will no longer be caring about them... XM in the car and just ordered a Chumby for the bedside -- at least now I'll be able to get talk after the sun goes down or smooth jazz when I want it.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

I don't envy the task of a broadcast management team in a place like Atlanta. Where I refer to when I use a term like "back home" I am talking about a state that had a population of 2 million or less "back then" and the capitol city METRO-AREA had a population of 250,000. local radio could be local, and sell local advertising to local retailers and restaurants. Even in the capitol city. But 80% of the population lived out in counties with populations of about 30 to 40,000 with a county set town from 6,000 population to 20,000. That was the kind of scenario that following WWII and following the arrival of Television which disrupted the radio model of the "Goldlen Age of Radio".... the kind of places that gave birth to "LOCAL RADIO". The owner of a mom and pop restaurant or a mom and pop hardware store could afford effective advertising on a mom and pop radio station. And in the "regional cities" and state capitols, a more substantial market created and incubated a form of more sophisticated local radio.

Here is the cold hard truth. What is the Atlanta market? (Depends on who is defining it!) 5,000,000 people? 5 million people including a significant amount of affluent, young demographic drawn here by employment opportunities at big-name companies. If you are responsible for a top-rated station in the Atlanta market you have a product for sale that probably is financially out-of-reach for the neighborhood mom and pop business... restaurant.... hardware store... funeral home.

I'm not smart enough to dream up a scheme by which you could hope to replicate what we mature people would call local radio and make it work in a place like Atlanta. So I guess we have to be content to let a younger generation make use of computer modeling and MBA style strategic planning figure out what should occupy the little pieces of bandwidth in the broadcast spectrum.

I don't think THEY are smart enough to dream up a scheme to set aside two or three of those little pieces of bandwidth and make a going business of making me and you happy listeners.

Now that I think about it.... let's give the folks at WABE some credit in that area.

 

[Insideradio]

Ok... Kelly & Alpha are still off the air, now Steve and Vicki are joining them. Now, I will admit that I have absolutely no professional training or experience in this industry aside from being a listener, but I cannot understand what is going through the minds of the various program directors and station managers in this town...

It all comes down to money now. Established morning shows cost a lot of money. Companies just don't see the upside to paying morning show talent anymore. Bert show is the exception and not the rule.