Radio is irrelevant?

[Ray Ross]

So, I'm sitting in the barbershop today, waiting for a haircut. During that nearly 60 minute time frame, I had to painfully endure listening to one of our local stations.

During that time, I heard the jock open the mike twice. Once, to tell me how great the music is, and the second time, before the stop set.

Before the stop set, she told me to go the web-site for details on a promotion the station was doing. I understand the importance of driving traffic to the web-site, and the fact that lots of people get lots of information from the Internet.

But why couldn't she have told me on the air about their great promotion. Nobody in that barber shop rushed out to check their computer. She missed the captive audience.

(And she missed numerous opportunities in that 60 minutes to communicate and develop a relationship with the audience).

The stop set went on for at least 6 minutes, and after the 14th spot and/or promo, I was wondering if anyone was or is paying attention.

And then to add insult to injury, the stop set concluded with still another promo and mini-song telling me how great the station is.

How about the weather? Gee, wouldn't that have been a good place to be relevant for 20 seconds? I guess I'll have to go to the Internet for that as well.

The point is, that we have made ouir radio stations irrelevant music machines. No information, no warmth, nothing but another hour of non-stop music.

I'm not suggesting that we go overboard which chatty jocks. But why have we allowed our stations to become IPods?

And we wonder why no one shows up at remotes, the jocks are not stars, and we fail to serve the public..regardles of age, and regardless of what other technologies are out there.

Radio, as some of us have known it, may be fading out. But why are we making it easy for consumers to issue us a death sentence, well before it's time?

 

[landtuna]

Dude, you spent an hour waiting for a haircut? But I digress.......

You are absolutely correct. I have always maintained that good jaw-jocking by on-air talent can inform and entertain listeners as well as playing music they like. I keep getting responses that surveys continually indicate listeners do not want jock talk but obviously there is a middle ground that is not being filled by many in the industry.

I do not have an emotional connection to my iPod. I could have with the jocks on the radio....if they would let me.

 

[Reporter]

I had 4 stop sets in an hour during the day, when i did live overnight, 6. You opened the mic, with the station "105.7 WMRV! - It's 67* partly sunny today, we are the middle of 10 in a row, here's the latest from Richard Marx "Right here waiting" on 105.7 WMRV!"

Second stop set was similar to the first, but we had more time to do a promo card or liner.

You get my point. Be informative, have fun, but don't meander.

 

[Seltzer]

Binghamton is not a PPM market. If it was, and the jock was taking a good 60 seconds to give me all the details on a contest, you would see, especially by those in cars, people changing stations within 40 secs. The jock needs to sell "the experience"of the prize on air to interest a listener to get more details on the web.

Entertaining jocks are still important. But you better be entertaining in 20-25 secs or you'll lose me.

 

[Element9]

Radio companies have come to resemble the oil slick on the gulf, polluting the environment, choking off (sea) life and adversely impacting people's lives for years to come. BTW Ray, I too go to a barber shop, not a stylist. At times have spent an hour in the shop, start to finish. The barber shop has Sirius/XM and most often airs the 60s or 70s channel. The shop also has a big screen TV mounted on the wall, where Fox News or CNN is most often on with the sound off and in-picture scrolling text. The barber shop radio for years was tuned to the Oldies or Classic Hits station, then to the Lite AC... then, pffft. Sirius/XM. BTW, the switch wasn't made because of the jocks, when I subtly asked, it was the constant repetition the motivated the proprietor to go to Sirius.

 

[landtuna]

Binghamton is not a PPM market. If it was, and the jock was taking a good 60 seconds to give me all the details on a contest, you would see, especially by those in cars, people changing stations within 40 secs. The jock needs to sell "the experience"of the prize on air to interest a listener to get more details on the web.

Entertaining jocks are still important. But you better be entertaining in 20-25 secs or you'll lose me.

If most radio listening is done in cars then driving (pun intended) listeners to a web site (which they presumably cannot reach while driving and are likely to forget by the time they get home) is virtually useless except in the event said listener doesn't have a life and lives for contests on the radio.

 

[Kenroberts]

I am not in the business but I know many in the business. I will try to keep my facts straight. We listen at our office and will not mention the station because I don't want to be specific. The station we listen to, does contests throughout the day. We have won by being the correct caller. They do tell the time and the temperature. That's what a listener should expect. I know from my sources, there is a group in town that is never live so we will never hear a contest where you would call in or hear the time and the temperature. Then there is another group that you might hear a live person in the morning on one or two of their stations and then it's lights out the rest of the day and then there's another group that is live most of the time and probably does give a crap about radio broadcasting. To me there are only a couple of choices in town for listeners. That is so unfortunate. Andy by the way, the listener is not stupid. The girls in my office know the difference.

 

[landtuna]

They do tell the time and the temperature. That's what a listener should expect.

Time & Temp used to be common way back when people didn't have mobile phones but they are pretty much redundant now and, in fact, irritating when repeated endlessly. T&T isn't what I was referring to by "entertaining jocks". Personally, I don't "expect" to hear the time at all and the temp only as part of a general weather report. Anything more is overkill.

And I do realize there are many people who listen in the hope of winning a contest. All I'm saying is that running a contest during drive time, which requires the listener to dredge up a web site, is probably not the most optimum use of air time. Better to keep the web site in the listener's mind (as do most TV stations now) so they will go there for more than just the latest contest.

Just my two cents. YMMV of course.

 

[TheBigA]

The point is, that we have made ouir radio stations irrelevant music machines. No information, no warmth, nothing but another hour of non-stop music.

If you go someplace for music, you should get music. You want information? That's another place on the dial. Every station approaches things differently. I know a lot of stations that still do time & temp every break in drive tim. Your story is about one station. If the barber shop agreed with you, they'd change the station. Even in Binghampton, there are choices.

There are quite a few people who would consider your view of what radio should be as similar to going to the malt shop in your bobby socks, on the way to the drive in theater. What is relevant is in the eye of the beholder. You must be outside their demo.

 

[JustinCase]

I think you have to remember your audience and the daypart and format of your station... cause sometimes, people just don't care!

As for the claim up above about lack of options in our stations... I do give times and temps during my morning show, and I do call-in contesting as well - feel free to call in and win! LOL

 

[SHimes100]

a few real good points on here.

However.... websites are a huge source of nontraditional revenue. In this day and age of advertising it's a huge way to make money. It is also a great way to get buys using added value.

I see the barber shop focus group thing but please realize that small of a sample is even smaller than the samples arb uses... which we all know are wayyyy too small for our markeets.

I was watching a car commercial yesterday... and it was pushing the satellite commercial free music... think of the kickbacks the manufacturers are getting with xm and sirius...

just think if terrestrial radio gave them kickbacks to boot satellite radio ...

and yes I miss the old days of hanging a guy 50 feet in the air on a waterbed for promotion....may Pat rest in peace

 

[stevewillett]

My understanding is that PPMs have shown that something as simple and short as a 5 second recorded image sweeper is enough to cause button pushing. That's why more stations in larger markets have returned to doing cold segues.

 

[Element9]

My understanding is that PPMs have shown that something as simple and short as a 5 second recorded image sweeper is enough to cause button pushing. That's why more stations in larger markets have returned to doing cold segues.

When you think about this, isn't it insane? Spare me the lecture, I'm well aware the we "play by the rules of the game." Arbitron has become "the terrorists of the radio business." The industry seems to be ruled by fear more than reason and steel balls.

 

[kenglish]

I know people who won't listen to CD's because "there's almost a second of SILENCE between cuts". They can't tolerate the music not being ON every millisecond!

Personally, I miss having something that sounds like a live human being at the other end of the ether.

 

[d21ofnj]

There's always Out 97 :X

 

[TheBigA]

The industry seems to be ruled by fear more than reason and steel balls.

Would you operate with steel balls if it was YOUR money on the line?

Just to review, the money that makes the programming possible comes from advertisers. They want to see very clear documentation that the money they're spending will lead to desires results. The desired results is not about artistic radio, but increased sales of their products. They went to Arbitron and asked them to design a better mousetrap. Arbitron designed a different, much more expensive mousetrap. Is it better? Who knows. But it's the one that the people with the money want.

I have learned a very simple truth that rules what I do: The only people who get to do what they want find a way to get the money to make it happen.

 

[Seltzer]

My understanding is that PPMs have shown that something as simple and short as a 5 second recorded image sweeper is enough to cause button pushing. That's why more stations in larger markets have returned to doing cold segues.

Not exactly correct. The reason for all the sweepers and IDs between songs was to help people remember who they were listening to when they filled out a diary. In a non PPM market, you still need to do this.

With PPM, since you aren't dealing with recall, you can again do some cold segues which enhances the listening experience. You'll also notice if you listen to stations in PPM markets the jocks actually talk a little more conversationally.

 

[stevewillett]

I originally thought that the cold segues were done because PPMs didn't require recall. But someone who has studied the PPMs had shared that tidbit with me about button pushing during sweepers.

 

[LowPayDJ]

What's a CD? ;D

 

[liveccam]

Broadcast radio and TV are victims of the fragmentation that having many alternate sources has brought. In the old days there was local TV plus cable, local radio, the record player, and movie theaters. That was pretty much it. Today I'm listening to IP based radio and watching IPTV and satellite TV because I vastly prefer the content and quality. In the car its XM because I love variety, the complete lack of commercials, and of course no fading, picket fencing, or noise. If I didn't have those choices I'd probably still be watching over the air TV and listening to local radio. Strangely enough half the income here comes from over the air TV with the other half from satellite TV.