Repeating ads on Mix 103.3

[levi99]

So, I was listening to Mix 103.3 Binghamton during a commercial break and there was a Lenovo ad. Somehow it was played twice. The first time was at the beginning. The second time was later on. The commercial breaks are 10 minutes anyway.

I don't know why they decided to play it twice. Maybe they want to persuade listeners to get Lenovo PCs.

 

[CTListener]

This is very old news. Radio stations have been bookending long commercial sets with identical ads from the same sponsor for decades. And yes, like all ads, the redundant commercials are intended to persuade listeners to buy the advertised product.

 

[NJnerd19]

A few other situations where this happens.

1.) A network break ends and local break begins. The station may have a barter service that is also running that spot. The only way to separate them is to look at the network logs, which nobody does.

2.) The spot gets dubbed in twice from two different barter services on two different orders. Normally automation systems will recognize the similar ISCI codes. With less human oversight these days those things are easily overlooked.

3.) Human error. Mislabeled spots with the wrong ISCI codes.

 

[CTListener]

A few other situations where this happens.

1.) A network break ends and local break begins. The station may have a barter service that is also running that spot. The only way to separate them is to look at the network logs, which nobody does.

That's more like the unavoidable "mistake" that stations make when they transition from a countdown show to local programming at the top of an hour. Chances are almost 100 percent that the listener is going to hear one or more of the top five songs from that countdown -- which were played last -- within 60 minutes of the resumption of local content. There's nothing the stations can do about that but play an hour of non-hits and/or gold every week at that time, and no station is going to avoid playing a song its listeners have shown they love just because someone else from out there in syndication land played it in the previous hour.

 

[TheBigA]

So, I was listening to Mix 103.3 Binghamton during a commercial break and there was a Lenovo ad. Somehow it was played twice. The first time was at the beginning. The second time was later on.

It might have been what is called a "split 30." That means the company purchased two :15 spots, one to air at the beginning of the break, the second at the end. This would get them twice the number of impressions. That's what advertisers want. They buy a certain number of impressions. Buying a split 30 gets them that. The radio station is simply following the order made by the advertiser. This also happens in TV,

 

[NJnerd19]

That's more like the unavoidable "mistake" that stations make when they transition from a countdown show to local programming at the top of an hour. Chances are almost 100 percent that the listener is going to hear one or more of the top five songs from that countdown -- which were played last -- within 60 minutes of the resumption of local content. There's nothing the stations can do about that but play an hour of non-hits and/or gold every week at that time, and no station is going to avoid playing a song its listeners have shown they love just because someone else from out there in syndication land played it in the previous hour.

For music It's usually avoidable. Even today cue sheets are provided in advance. Back when I was a PD we would get the AT40 CD's and cue sheet on Thursday's. I would input the songs from the final hour into selector so that the first hour after the show wasn't repeating anything immediately. It depended on your attention to detail. With the "national" playlists today and lack of people in the building I doubt it's being done as a proper PD should.

I remember having to do the same thing for a nightly countdown. If you didn't, you'd have listeners hearing songs repeat on their daily drive home or into work within a small window. You had to consider those listeners and that you'd lose them pretty quick.

 

[CTListener]

For music It's usually avoidable. Even today cue sheets are provided in advance. Back when I was a PD we would get the AT40 CD's and cue sheet on Thursday's. I would input the songs from the final hour into selector so that the first hour after the show wasn't repeating anything immediately. It depended on your attention to detail. With the "national" playlists today and lack of people in the building I doubt it's being done as a proper PD should.

I remember having to do the same thing for a nightly countdown. If you didn't, you'd have listeners hearing songs repeat on their daily drive home or into work within a small window. You had to consider those listeners and that you'd lose them pretty quick.

I'd be curious how many PDs were like you and avoided playing the top songs in the nation in the hour after AT40 and how many thought like me, an admitted radio fan rather than a radio pro, and concentrated on playing at least a few of those huge national hits no matter when. I remember as a tween or a teen in the '60s and '70s switching among Top 40 stations to hear the current hits that I couldn't get enough of. Whether I caught "Hello Goodbye" or "Let's Get It On" on three stations in the space of an hour and a half didn't bother me at all. I'm now into my seventh decade and still catch myself punching the presets of five country stations hoping to hear Parker McCollum or Ella Langley again.

 

[NJnerd19]

I don't ever recall giving a song more than 100 spins per week. If I did it was not often. Even with a 90 minute separation that adds up to 112 spins per week. I'm, talking about the late 90's early 2000's. The chart was heavy back before even counting your golds and re-currents.

I agree you don't want to deprive your listeners of the hits, but fatigue is also a part of audience engagement. Playing the same song every hour is not standard. Maybe it was for the hits back in the earlier decades, but you mention switching stations to get what you want.

I still hear "they play the same 5 songs" complaint when discussing radio with friends occasionally. That fatigue is real.

 

[TheBigA]

I don't ever recall giving a song more than 100 spins per week. If I did it was not often.

Z100 in NYC is currently playing it's Top 5 songs about 100 times per week. Then there's a huge drop to about 50 spins a week for another group of songs. Then they scatter in recurrents and a large group of Gold.

When you study the way people stream songs from Spotify or Pandora, you see a lot of song and artist repetition. This translates into seeing as many as ten or even more songs by the same artist in the Billboard Hot 100. It's why radio stations don't use the Hot 100 in its programming. My point is if repetition is a problem, it's coming from fans, not radio.

 

[The Hustle]

Or its very possible that same commercial is being played on many different "networks". If that station plays any syndicated programming, they most certainly have to play some barter. Just by looking it seems they run Valentine and Delilah AND they are owned by I Heart so they have I Hearts syndy spots to play as well. Lovono knows buying multiple shows means more commercials...trafic should be able to seperate them, but you know...they are only human and AI probably isnt doing that job yet.

 

[The Hustle]

A few other situations where this happens.

1.) A network break ends and local break begins. The station may have a barter service that is also running that spot. The only way to separate them is to look at the network logs, which nobody does.

2.) The spot gets dubbed in twice from two different barter services on two different orders. Normally automation systems will recognize the similar ISCI codes. With less human oversight these days those things are easily overlooked.

3.) Human error. Mislabeled spots with the wrong ISCI codes.

Different networks sometimes have similar ISCI codes, but not exactly. Like a WW1 might be LV-1098-7422 where the Valentine in the morning Syndicator might label it as just 1098-7422 with no letters in the front. the "same" but technically different.

 

[TheBigA]

Or its very possible that same commercial is being played on many different "networks".

If so, then Lenovo will show up in the Media Monitors national commercial tracking chart. The last time Lenovo appeared in the Top 10 was August. They may have a holiday promotion now. If so, we'll see them in next week's chart:

Media Montors: Ice Cube’s BIG3 Tops Weekly Spot Ten List.

Ice Cube’s BIG3 basketball league played well above the rim in the latest Media Monitors Spot Ten ranking of top radio advertisers based on spot count, bolstered by an alliance

www.insideradio.com

 

[NJnerd19]

Z100 in NYC is currently playing it's Top 5 songs about 100 times per week. Then there's a huge drop to about 50 spins a week for another group of songs. Then they scatter in recurrents and a large group of Gold.

When you study the way people stream songs from Spotify or Pandora, you see a lot of song and artist repetition. This translates into seeing as many as ten or even more songs by the same artist in the Billboard Hot 100. It's why radio stations don't use the Hot 100 in its programming. My point is if repetition is a problem, it's coming from fans, not radio.

Mine were in the 90's range for the biggest hits. Artist separation was less of an issue back then, too.

 

[NJnerd19]

Interesting article here about spins over the years.

What Is the Sweet Spot for CHR Power Rotation? – Powergold Music Scheduling

www.powergold.com

 

[cc333]

Occasionally I'll hear the same ad twice in a row. It's definitely disconcerting, but very uncommon.

As for fatigue, back in 2017 and 2018, every time I'd hear one of the local CHRs (KWNE 98.3), they were playing the same songs in the same order at the same time of day. Same ads and imaging, even. I would sometimes check to see if it was a recording, but amazingly, it wasn't. Talk about repetition!!

c