landtuna said:
I'm not disagreeing with David but simply pointing out that "Boomer seniors" are going to create a huge spike in potential oldies listeners in the coming years.
The problem is that advertisers do not want to reach over-55's on the radio. Which is why there are essentially no buying against 55+ by agencies, as dictated by their clients.
As far as advertisers, have you noticed the onslaught of TV ads featuring personal care products, handicap equipment, insurance and the like directed at seniors lately?
A lot of that stuff is Per Inquiry (PI) where the station is paid by lead. TV uses this crappola to fill, since syndicated shows have a fixed amount of commercial time, and stations or cable nets often have to fill nthe difference... so they take PIs. Radio does not, for a variety of reasons.
Further, those that are paid are those that requre appetite appeal (visuals) or have lengthy disclamers that they can do with supers, something radio can not do.
It's just the tip of the iceberg. Just as it has been with virtually every other phase of our society since the 60's the Boomers will determine what is popular and what isn't.
Bull. iPods and iPhones, PCs and CD players and tons of other things are made popular by whoever is in the 18-34 demo or in its proximity when the developments occur. Seniors are not trendsetters.
Somehow I can't imagine Boomer seniors listening to disco, grunge, metal, rap, hip-hop or the middle-of-the-road pablum music that followed the greatest years of pop and rock and roll.
Surprise... pop and rock are not the biggest genres. Country and Urban and Hispanic and AC genres together are just as significant. Disco, on the other hand, was a pure boomer thing.
My guess is that Easy Listening,
The youngest easy listening listeners are in their 70s now.
Smooth Jazz and what used to be called Oldies
Mostly over 55. No revenue, no format.
are due for a comeback in the coming years.
Ad agencies are asking more for 18-49 and less for 25-54 of late. The buys are getting younger. Advertisers have found that older listeners produce negative ROI on advertising and stay away from them at all costs.
Of course, that makes the assumption that owners and PD's have a feel for their audiences and advertisers instead of structuring radio for vanilla programs and personnel and the lowest possible operating costs. If not, radio will continue its journey into the "McDonalding" of the industry where the lowest common denominator prevails.
Your assumption is just wrong. PDs and Owners have zero, just zero, to do with this. Advertisers do. And owners and PDs simply try to provde a great vehicle for advertisers within the age limits advertisers want to buy.
This is not a baseball field in Iowa. If you build it, the advertisers will not come.
