Buffalo Do young people even know what radio is?

[TheBigA]

Radio still has Top-40/CHR. It's not targeting us.

Median age for CHR is 37. Median age for alternative is 40. Median age for urban is 40. Median age for Hot AC is 42. Median age for country is 45.

But the bigger story is the audience for linear, real time broadcasting is disappearing. That includes TV.

 

[TheBigA]

Here's an article for Buddy Shula:

Why Radio Should Stop Chasing 25-54 and Own Its Market

"Stop thinking innovation only means chasing teenagers on TikTok."

barrettmedia.com

There are markets all over America where the population is getting older, where a large percentage of the money is controlled by people over 50, and where radio remains a powerful part of the daily routine. Yet somehow, the industry still acts embarrassed by those listeners.

The inherent contradiction in that sentence is he begins by talking about markets, and then concludes talking about "the industry." As Buddy says, Buffalo is an older town. That's why what he does works in Buffalo. It probably wouldn't work everywhere.

My take is he's generalizing about older people, believing that all older people love old music and old devices. I'm not sure that's true.

 

[Calhoun]

One of radio’s remaining advantages is that it’s easy. That’s the main reason I still use it.

And free.

 

[SirRoxalot]

And free.

And doesn't track you like every app, website, and click does. The only info they get is what you volunteer. That does make it harder to quantify actual demographics and listening patterns. Now, tracking is possible in smart cars, but you don't know much about who's listening other than the registered owner. Some radios that have Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi may be able to reports basic information if the manufacturer has baked it into the logic.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

Here's an article...

"There are markets all over America where the population is getting older, where a large percentage of the money is controlled by people over 50, and where radio remains a powerful part of the daily routine. Yet somehow, the industry still acts embarrassed by those listeners."

The vast majority of the commercial radio industry is still stuck with the strategy of targeting 25-54 year olds because that's what the agencies demand, and because Big Radio has no other business model than to serve the agencies that feed it, at least in any market of significant size.

Unfortunately with the younger generations not having grown up with radio being important in their lives, the number of radio listeners in that 25-54 age bracket shrinks every year. It's already realistically comprised of more like 40-54 year olds.

The whole model of agency-supported commercial radio targeting the "advertising demo" is in crisis. It's never been good for the public since it excludes so many people who are not well served by a model obsessed with such a narrowly-targeted audience range. And its not good for an industry that's been depending on the easy low-hanging fruit of plentiful advertising-demo listeners without reinvesting in its future for decades. But you reap what you sow. The clock is ticking and the curtain is closing. We're seeing the results of it today.

 

[TheBigA]

Big Radio has no other business model than to serve the agencies that feed it, at least in any market of significant size.

They have to make money somehow. The other business model would be to go to subscription service. How would that work? Paywall?

I always say radio would be very different if listeners paid instead of advertisers. But listeners like free. They just don't like commercials.

Public radio uses the subscription model and less than 10% of their audience pay. That's not good.

The clock is ticking and the curtain is closing. We're seeing the results of it today.

Which is why some radio companies are diverting resources from broadcasting to other areas of business.

They could instead focus on 65+. It seems either way, the clock is ticking.

 

[davideduardo]

The vast majority of the commercial radio industry is still stuck with the strategy of targeting 25-54 year olds because that's what the agencies demand, and because Big Radio has no other business model than to serve the agencies that feed it, at least in any market of significant size.

Unfortunately with the younger generations not having grown up with radio being important in their lives, the number of radio listeners in that 25-54 age bracket shrinks every year. It's already realistically comprised of more like 40-54 year olds.

But the decline is very slow, and gives many years of potential for over the air radio during which operators can develop services that don't depend on 540 to 1700 or 88 to 108.

The whole model of agency-supported commercial radio targeting the "advertising demo" is in crisis.

No, it is not in crisis. The owners of stations, like iHeart's example, are moving resources to new distribution systems and new ways of delivering content. There is no expiration or "use before" date on over the air radio... but those who have the skills and capital to do so are looking at moving their focus to new media.

The automobile did not replace the horse and carriage in a single year... it took a longer time and it gave blacksmiths and harness makers a chance to develop other endeavors.

It's never been good for the public since it excludes so many people who are not well served by a model obsessed with such a narrowly-targeted audience range.

And, for podcasts and streams that are free, that is relevant. But for most program sources, they will see an increase in advertiser interest in new media and their targets will be the same 25-54 demographics because advertisers know (except for a few categories) that this is where they can find their profitable consumers.

Radio is not "obsessed with a narrowly-targeted audience range". Radio simply delivers the audience that advertisers want to reach the most.

And its not good for an industry that's been depending on the easy low-hanging fruit of plentiful advertising-demo listeners without reinvesting in its future for decades. But you reap what you sow. The clock is ticking and the curtain is closing. We're seeing the results of it today.

In my world, the clock ticks 60 times a minute, and the hour has 60 minutes. There is plenty of time for over the air broadcasters to find new distribution methods or to simply make as much as they can while they can. I have, several times, posted about investors who buy oil wells or fields in decline, knowing that they are approaching their end of life; they buy those properties knowing that at a price that gives a great return on the investment for a few years even if they end up worthless.

 

[chrocket87]

It's a push pull. There's so few good paying jobs in the broadcasting business these days.

Why go to broadcasting school at all, when the best you're gonna do on TV is what, $45,000 a year? Radio is worse.

Most engineers are 50 plus, but AI, automation, AVoIP, cloud computing and corporate consolidation offer bleak growth on the "technical" side of the business.

Even if you do manage to get out of school without massive debt, who's gonna hire you?

Shredd and Ragan have been doing the same bits, same segments, same show since 1991. You're never gonna get their job.

Even if they do retire, or if Mike Schopp retires (at least a decade away), the corporate suits are not gonna hire a kid out of college to host legacy shows to their aged audiences.

So what's the point? Even if you get a job, the pay is terrible. You get stuck in a quagmire of a low paying, low status role, with almost 0 opportunity to move up.

Wanna go to a different market? You're competing with the Nicholas Pickolus and the Mike Schopps of Grand Rapids, MI. Good luck kids!

You want "the kids" to care about broadcasting? Or hell, print journalism? Offer them something worthwhile.

Meanwhile, the talent drain will continue. The "communications" majors will go to the good paying PR jobs, marketing jobs, "storyteller" jobs (glitzy ad agencies).

What are they supposed to do? Work til they're 35 for $16/hr and "love the work" or some other corporate nonsense?

When I was younger, one of the first jobs I wanted was to work as a radio DJ. Thankfully, my parents talked me out of communications and into nursing school instead. Had a buddy from college get a job with Cumulus after graduation (in a market around #100). When he finally hung it up after about a decade in radio, he still made a little more than half what I made right out of college.

I still love radio, but am glad I dodged that.

 

[IKHNetworks]

I grew up in the late 90s - as a kid there was no way I could get a TV in my bedroom but I had a radio. I grew up listening to WITI Channel 6 which was heard on 87.7 FM, something so interesting to hear Simpsons or Family Guy on the radio. That's what drove me into the radio industry.

I also found myself entering the world of DX

This came after June 26th 2009 when the analog TV station operated as a "nightlight" for Milwaukee finally signed off.

In 2013 I finally entered into radio - a dream come true

I'm afraid to say I think my generation in the late 90s / early 2000s is the last generation to have heard real radio.

in today's age I'm sure that Alexa, Siri, or that Hey Google took over.

 

[TheBigA]

he still made a little more than half what I made right out of college.

Radio is a lot like the priesthood. You don't do it for the money. Someone said that to me when I was 22.

There are similarities with being a musician. There are some who make a lot. Most don't.

I'm afraid to say I think my generation in the late 90s / early 2000s is the last generation to have heard real radio.

in today's age I'm sure that Alexa, Siri, or that Hey Google took over.

Once again, you're talking about devices, and radio companies are not in the device business. Tech companies are.