• 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

New Ratings Service in Mexico

Huff

Administrator
Staff member
This is the first survey from a public opinion firm that has begun producing radio ratings by phone in Mexico's three largest markets:

 
FEW0WD6X0AEe5KW


Ouch.
 
Keep in mind that this is a phone survey in a nation where residential phones are not common outside A, B and C+ socioeconomic levels; C-, D and E generally do not have land lines and never have. And the lower income level persons who do have cellulars often are users of pay-by-the-minute plans and won't deal with unsolicited survey calls that use their call credits.
 
Just to see if I translated this correctly, it's asking if you listen to radio, and nearly 2/3rds of Mexicans did not listen to the radio, right?
---
Anyways, sad for them, because I suspect internet can be limited down there. Ya notice when the consolidations happen, radio usually suffers>
 
Keep in mind that this is a phone survey in a nation where residential phones are not common outside A, B and C+ socioeconomic levels; C-, D and E generally do not have land lines and never have. And the lower income level persons who do have cellulars often are users of pay-by-the-minute plans and won't deal with unsolicited survey calls that use their call credits.
Thank you for the insight. The lack of phone services definitely skews the results!
 
Thank you for the insight. The lack of phone services definitely skews the results!
It is still concerning that higher socioeconomic classes are responding negatively towards radio. Especially if that's where the advertising dollars are going towards (not entirely sure, but I think it's safe to assume it's not going towards the lower end either).

Is it a trend across the board or is radio in Mexico now considered a medium of the lower class, blue collar worker? I guess this is the real question.
 
It is still concerning that higher socioeconomic classes are responding negatively towards radio. Especially if that's where the advertising dollars are going towards (not entirely sure, but I think it's safe to assume it's not going towards the lower end either).

Is it a trend across the board or is radio in Mexico now considered a medium of the lower class, blue collar worker? I guess this is the real question.
I think, beyond the economic level distinctions (ad campaigns in Mexico are targeted by income, not age), the defect here is in the way that the audience was measured and the questionnaire itself. The established in-person coincidental surveys show much higher listening levels.

But it is important to note that Mexico has always run much higher levels of ads on radio. When I interned there in '63, station management was upset because commercials had been limited by the government to just 32 minutes an hour! So, with commercial loads like that obviously many in higher income levels will stream.

I still think that something we found via research in the early days of the FM surge is still relevant: anything above 8 minutes of commercials per hour causes marked declines in listening time. We knew that back in the 70's yet most owners have forgotten, never knew or are ignoring the fact.

My first owned station in 1964 ran 9 commercial minutes an hour. My first FM two years later ran 2 minutes an hour. Both were immensely profitable.
 
Last edited:
Just to see if I translated this correctly, it's asking if you listen to radio, and nearly 2/3rds of Mexicans did not listen to the radio, right?
---
No, two thirds of those with landline phones answered that way to a question that was improperly phrased.
Anyways, sad for them, because I suspect internet can be limited down there.
Actually, in Latin America most working class people skipped landlines entirely and moved rapidly into "prepaid minutes" with cellphones. Even in the lowest income groups, cellular has almost total penetration. And in places like much of Sub-Saharan Africa, they skipped ever having bank accounts, using online currency for everything.
Ya notice when the consolidations happen, radio usually suffers>
In Mexico, consolidation was solidly in place in by the mid-50's. Same in most of Latin America... I owned 9 stations in one city in the later 60's. Consolidation allowed me to do formats that could not exist except through cluster synergy.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom