L. America may not be having the smashing HD success some would have us believe.

[davideduardo]

I'll bet a million long distance truckers would argue with you that skywave is not useful today, in fact mostly everyone that scans around the AM band at night while driving is using skywave which is a lot more people than you obviously care to admit. Skywave is alive and well. AM skywave is the only reliable long distance radio mode at night, with FM you have to change the station every hour, gets tiresome, you lock onto a good (former) clear and you can drive for hours without changing the station. Of course you can do that clear across the country with satellite.

Most truckers have satellite... it is one of the primary markets for the service, in fact, and the one with the lowest churn rate. Nearly no truckers listen to AM at night any more. Nearly nobody does, in fact.

 

[davideduardo]

It's a technology that NOBODY was asking for. All of this is MORE of radio's inside out thinking. Listeners want the ability to choose their own playlist, not what some corporate PD thinks listeners want.

1. Radio is "broad"casting and the term in quotes means that the programming has to be directed at a large group of people, not an individual.

2. Allmost 100% of PDs are "corporate" as nearly 100% of stations are owned by corporations.

3. In larger markets, the "playlist" is determined by asking the listeners... most PDs, and about all the ones that keep their jobs, know that their taste is not necessarily the listeners' taste.

For listeners 12-18, they don't like radio, because Ipods, Iphones and the internet are their technology, sorry it's not radio. So let's super serve radio listeners with quality content and forget HD.

Then why do about 93% of teens listen to radio?

In any case, radio does not program to teens, as there is no advertising revenue for teen audiences. Teens, at best, are a way to leverage into 18-34 for startups... but there is no station targeting that demo as going broke on purpose is not an owner's priority.

 

[MoldaMania182]

In any case, radio does not program to teens, as there is no advertising revenue for teen audiences. Teens, at best, are a way to leverage into 18-34 for startups... but there is no station targeting that demo as going broke on purpose is not an owner's priority.

David, clearly you have not listened long enough to 92.3 Now-FM NY. ;D

 

[BRNout]

3. In larger markets, the "playlist" is determined by asking the listeners... most PDs, and about all the ones that keep their jobs, know that their taste is not necessarily the listeners' taste.

Sort of, but that's overly simplistic. Consultants are often utilized to sample a very small - supposedly representative - slice of the public. So you end up with overly researched playlists that tend to be too narrow. Thus, although stations may boast that this is the music that the audience wants to hear, most of that audience complains about repetition and "why don't they play that song?"

Then why do about 93% of teens listen to radio?

They do, but their TSL is WAY down from what it used to be. It's no longer their favorite place to hear music.

In any case, radio does not program to teens, as there is no advertising revenue for teen audiences. Teens, at best, are a way to leverage into 18-34 for startups... but there is no station targeting that demo as going broke on purpose is not an owner's priority.

Well yes, the new slate of CHRs does try to target teens and 20s as a way to break into that market. As do many of the younger-skewing Spanish language formats. Advertisers don't specifically look for 16-17 year olds, but telling them that you're solid in the lower half of 18-34 is a great way to sell them - as they know they're getting those HS kids too. It's a freebie for them. Opposite logic here versus how older demos are (mis)treated.

 

[Savage]

Of course truckers are listening to XM-Sirius more these days. That's because AM listening at night has been largely spoiled by HD-AM sidebands.

These guys are really getting squeezed by increased taxes, tolls and fuel prices. Think they actually PREFER paying for radio which used to be free when AM skywave actually worked at night? They're using sat-rad because the "free" choice has been pre-empted by HD-pushers.

So AM's in trouble - so what do "industry leaders" do to fix it? Implement a "technical standard" which further drives away audience.

That's just stupid. Kind of like the HD argument that "the AM band is all junked up anyway these days with light dimmers, power line and computer CPU noise." So their solution seems to be: let's ADD to the already-unacceptable noise with HD. Which is even MORE stupid.

 

[davideduardo]

These guys are really getting squeezed by increased taxes, tolls and fuel prices. Think they actually PREFER paying for radio which used to be free when AM skywave actually worked at night? They're using sat-rad because the "free" choice has been pre-empted by HD-pushers.

If there were a dozen stations making money overnights from skywave, I'd be surprised. A few may have made a few dollars, but even the syndicated trucking shows were mostly carried simply to have something to put on the air.

The HD sidebands so minimally affected any of the stations that a trucker might listen to (hint: most were seeking out rock or country or regional Mexican on FMs, not talk on AM) that it is irrelevant.

Talking about protecting the skywave coverage, something that became an anachronism half a century ago, is downright amusing.

 

[davideduardo]

Sort of, but that's overly simplistic. Consultants are often utilized to sample a very small - supposedly representative - slice of the public. So you end up with overly researched playlists that tend to be too narrow. Thus, although stations may boast that this is the music that the audience wants to hear, most of that audience complains about repetition and "why don't they play that song?"

Consultants do not do research. Research companies do research.

A sample is validated by a process called replication. I can't, briefly, explain the whole thing, but the idea is that if you have a sample of a certain size, and take another sample the same size and they get the same results, over and over, you have an adequate sample. When dealing with music, a sample of 80 to 100 persons who like a particular kind of music (as determined by station use or by picking multiple artist clusters., etc) can produce replicable results, so no futher sample increase is needeed.

When a music test may cost $25 k to $50 k, depending on how many titles are tested (I've done them up to 1500 titles), adding sample, at $150 to $200 per person on average, is not an option.

There is no such thing as being overly researched. Preferences change, often quite frequently even with gold based formats, so a station needs to know what to rotate faster, what to slow down and what to drop or hold. Current based stations add call out research to music tests, too. And the idea is to track the songs that the broadest group of listeners like to hear, without playing those that few listeners like and which will cause many to go away.

Then why do about 93% of teens listen to radio?

They do, but their TSL is WAY down from what it used to be. It's no longer their favorite place to hear music.

No, it is one of the places to hear music. But since advertisers do not support teen radio, there is no way for it to be any other way. Same with those over 55.

In any case, radio does not program to teens, as there is no advertising revenue for teen audiences.

Well yes, the new slate of CHRs does try to target teens and 20s as a way to break into that market.

New slate? Other than a couple of CHR launches in places like NY, LA and Las Vegas, there is not anything like a groundswell of new CHRs... but there are plenty of established ones. And nearly every one started at the young end and built upwards, eventually nearly abandoning teens. It's been that way since, at least, the 70's.

As do many of the younger-skewing Spanish language formats.

Huh? There are no Spanish language teen formats. The newer pop formats are targeted at 25-44. Nobody targets younger in Spanish, as there are zero dollars for young Hispanic demos.

Advertisers don't specifically look for 16-17 year olds, but telling them that you're solid in the lower half of 18-34 is a great way to sell them - as they know they're getting those HS kids too. It's a freebie for them. Opposite logic here versus how older demos are (mis)treated.

Very young leaning stations don't get bought. 18-24 is not desirable, and there are almost no buys against it... 18-34 gets buys, but unless you are in the top 5 (in top ten markets... even fewer outside them), forget it... the buys don't go deep.

Older demos, specifically 55+, does not get bought because advertisers tell their agencies what demo to target and there is seldom a 55+ buy.

 

[davideduardo]

In any case, radio does not program to teens, as there is no advertising revenue for teen audiences. Teens, at best, are a way to leverage into 18-34 for startups... but there is no station targeting that demo as going broke on purpose is not an owner's priority.

David, clearly you have not listened long enough to 92.3 Now-FM NY. ;D

Most CHR / Top 40 stations in the last 40 years have launched aiming at the more fickle younger side, and then building out to 18-34, particularly women.