Suggestion for ALL music radio DJ's in Dallas/Fort Worth - and elsewhere, too!

[MikeShannon914]

That was my very first radio job in DFW, doing phone surveys for KLUV in 1985. That had to be the most boring, pathetic job I EVER had, but I was indeed working for a radio station! (That "coolness" wore off in about 3 weeks.) I still have a copy of that 3-page long survey I used to recite. Very few people had the patience to sit on the phone through all of that, let alone just letting me introduce myself and telling them what I wanted. (Mind you, this was long before Caller ID, affordable answering machines and 'Do Not Call' lists...I would get an actual human on the phone with me sometimes!) I don't even recall songs being part of the survey...it was more about name recognition, like 'match these call letters to the format they play.' One question I recall offhand was 'What's the station that plays love songs?' Inevitably, the answer was 'KLUV.' (Mind you, I was calling on behalf of some made-up company like "Audience Research, Inc." and NOT the station.) I'm sure Tenaglia and company were pleased to see the station's calls come up, but 'love songs'? It was already AC Gold at that time, months before they jumped deep into the 50s and 60s.

Don't know why this was worthy of mentioning, but Robert's post dredged up some not-so-great memories. Thanks a lot, pal!!

And I hate to see Robert taken to task on here. I spend enough hours with KEOM every day, week, month and year...surely, me as a listener, I would have taken a hike long ago if there were all these problems and shortcomings there that some of you guys talk of. And I think Robert's ongoing, continued insight speaks for itself...he seems to know far more than some folks who actually work in commercial radio!

Besides, it's all opinions and observations, all of our posts...and you know what they say about opinions, they're like a**holes...everybody's got one and all of them STINK. ;D

 

[Robert Bass]

Don't know why this was worthy of mentioning, but Robert's post dredged up some not-so-great memories. Thanks a lot, pal!!

You're welcome. ;D

R

 

[grantchester]

I don't think the problem is that stations don't listen to the listeners.
I think the problem is the listeners don't know what they are talking about.
They always say they want less dee-jay patter, they want fewer commericals, they want to hear their favorite song. But they listen to Russ Martin, for gosh sakes! They sit through 10 minute stop sets, and they'll switch the tuner faster than you can play the first four notes of some song that has become passe.
The solution is to have someone in control who has a vision. Someone who can sell a less-than-familiar song. Someone who is on the same wavelength as the person they want listening. Someone with something to say, rather than saying something just to fill the slot in the format, or over the intro.
The word is Psychegraphic (psycho-graphic means a group of people who have lost touch with reality). Find someone who understands the psyche of the person your trying to reach, give them the tools, and they will deliver. Like Jody. Like Kid. Like Russ. Like Hal. Like Dorsey. Like you?
g

 

[little1]

I don't think the problem is that stations don't listen to the listeners.
I think the problem is the listeners don't know what they are talking about.

I think you've made a very valid point here. But hopefully you have a programming staff/PD who can take what they get from the listeners and meld that with their "vision" of what the station should be to make the station better...

Because, for example, you're right, they say they want to hear less chatter. Then they flock to Howard, who played no music. What they're saying is they want less chatter. What they MEAN in they want to be entertained. Hearing some dude ramble through a poorly thought out break isn't entertaining. But obviously some people find Howard chatting up porn starlet du jour much more entertaining...

Much like when my wife says she doesn't care what we have for dinner, she means she wants to go out for dinner, it's a matter of listening to what the listeners say, and understanding what they really mean deep down. Deep down, my wife saying she doesn't care doesn't mean she doesn't care..

 

[grantchester]

Little sez: Deep down, my wife saying she doesn't care doesn't mean she doesn't care...

Grantchester adds: Like you understand your wife, the successful programmer understands his (or her?) audience. They are married to them. They are one with them. They don't need a consultants list of 100 ways to tweak their programming. They need to have the authority to use what they know to serve their "spouse".
They also need to spend enough time with their espoused audience to know intuitively what they want, what they need, and what they will not allow. Twice a year in an auditorium, or 2 minutes on the phone won't do it.
g

 

[VERITAS DE VOCE]

Re: Suggestion for ALL music radio DJ's in Dallas/Fort Worth - and elsewhere, to

Tell that to Clear Channel and the rest.....

And the Church said, "A-MAN!"

 

[VERITAS DE VOCE]

Re: Suggestion for ALL music radio DJ's in Dallas/Fort Worth - and elsewhere, to

It's obvious that we all have some sort of passion for radio, but for those of you that have embraced the CONsultant Orwellian tricks of the past that read, "We love our listeners but we need to listen to the numbers," shame on you. (And yeah, we know who you are ).

So, the biz is no longer about the listener. Well, it is... the day that listener stops using their wishbone in place of their backbone. (Thanks, I heard that in church a while back and well... nevermind). Listeners are nowhere close enough to stop listening to a format all together because they are ignored and got their feelings hurt. What seems to be the complaint in here is "Good Ol' Day Syndrome," of which I claim proudly and brazenly as I spin my Anne Murray records (props to Bass and Shannon ;D).

Back in the day, DJ's were personalities that embraced the music, but at the behest of its listeners. We were incorporated with the rotation, considered for the on-air talk and promoted to sidekick on some occasion (note to Labella, Chapman, Rivers, Johnson, etc). Today, listeners have been relegated to back seat driver that gets ignored constantly, and every once in a while, has to be let out of the car at the rest stop to give big driver a break. The thing about the back seat driver... they see things most peripherally-challenged, front-seat drivers do not. Like what is coming ahead or even, what was just passed. Analogies considered, much has been passed.

Care for listeners, love of the music, passion for the business. Yes, it's all about the money and the ratings. But if I have learned anything in radio, I know it's also systemic. It comes from somewhere. And the moment the listener figures that out, it's like when the ants revolt against the grasshoppers. Much, much more of us than there are of them. Ah, nature. Don't you love it? ;D

 

[Robert Bass]

nature. Don't you love it? ;D

Except for Spiders, Snakes, Bees, Ants, Lions, Tigers and Bears.... Yes

R

 

[VERITAS DE VOCE]

Re: Suggestion for ALL music radio DJ's in Dallas/Fort Worth - and elsewhere, to

nature. Don't you love it? ;D

Except for Spiders, Snakes, Bees, Ants, Lions, Tigers and Bears.... Yes

R

That, and those Nor'easters. Always gives me the red @$$. ;D ;D

 

[henderson_s454]

I thank all of you guys for the output that I've seen since posting my original suggestion last Saturday. You're right that the media companies and the CONsultants have DEFINITELY lost touch with the listening audience.

So what do we do about it? Simple - We should go back to taking LISTENER-BASED SURVEYS - and conduct these surveys BY HAND, WITH PEN AND PAPER!

How many of these CONsultants WANT to go out and go door-to-door, and dial EVERY residential number listed in the local telephone directory? Probably not very many. However, SOMEBODY'S GOT TO DO IT!

Do I see any "takers" - meaning, people who agree with this logic?

 

[Robert Bass]

This is another topic Edison Media Research has discussed. In the pre-caller ID / pre-cheap answering machine / Pre-do-not-call list era, call outs were a good way to conduct research.

There's no reason why you couldn't mail out a simple post card, to solicit audience feedback. Paying the return postage is a good incentive.

R

 

[davideduardo]

How many of these CONsultants WANT to go out and go door-to-door, and dial EVERY residential number listed in the local telephone directory? Probably not very many. However, SOMEBODY'S GOT TO DO IT!

Consultants do not do reasearch. Research companies do that. Consultants help design projects and to interpret the results.

Radio research is done in a manner similar to that done in any other area of consumer reseasarch.

Dialing every phone is a census, not a poll. Nobody can afford to do that. That is why a sample is used, not every person or listener or user of toothpaste.

 

[henderson_s454]

How many of these CONsultants WANT to go out and go door-to-door, and dial EVERY residential number listed in the local telephone directory? Probably not very many. However, SOMEBODY'S GOT TO DO IT!

Consultants do not do reasearch. Research companies do that. Consultants help design projects and to interpret the results.

Radio research is done in a manner similar to that done in any other area of consumer reseasarch.

Dialing every phone is a census, not a poll. Nobody can afford to do that. That is why a sample is used, not every person or listener or user of toothpaste.

Then maybe a CENSUS is what we need then, huh? Does anyone agree with me on that end?

 

[davideduardo]

Then maybe a CENSUS is what we need then, huh? Does anyone agree with me on that end?

A census of radio listening, done every month (which is the PPM schedule), would cost each month more than the stations in a market bill.

The reason the US Government only does a Census once per decade is that a census is enormously expensive. It cost nearly $5 billion in 2000. So, on a national basis, for a monthly census of radio, we are talking about $60 billion or more a year. That is four times the total revenue of all stations in the US... and probably 5 or 6 times the billings of the rated markets.

No consumer research employs a census.

 

[salemjedi54]

When I worked for Mark Cuban at AudioNet/Broadcast.com, I felt that the internet was a good was to quantify who was listening and who was not. You had actual numbers by seeing how many people were hitting that server.

 

[VERITAS DE VOCE]

Re: Suggestion for ALL music radio DJ's in Dallas/Fort Worth - and elsewhere, to

Arbitron and Nielsen use every medium they can get their hands on - Internet, cold calls, mailers and referrals. If radio stations TRULY want that information bad enough, they would do it. DE is correct. A census, inconceivable. Employing the right research company, possible but not probable. CONsultants can't tweak that much raw data unless there is an agenda.

Oh, did I say that out loud? Sorry.

Samples are great. Pick a few zip codes that truly reflect your demo and go to town. From there, "the information will be processed and used to leverage the greatest possibility of impact in the target CUME." (Pssst... in other words, discarded unless it means money without change.)

Yep, good thing I gots my iPod and stick to voice over work.

 

[Lancer]

Would someone who actually buys Britney Spears' CD's actually be capable of making an intelligent decision?

Bring back Manilow.

 

[Robert Bass]

Would someone who actually buys Britney Spears' CD's actually be capable of making an intelligent decision?

Bring back Manilow.

LOL!!!! ;D

R

 

[henderson_s454]

MANILOW INDEED! And some Carpenters, too!

 

[Robert Bass]

MANILOW INDEED! And some Carpenters, too!

Carpenters? We don't need no stinkin' carpenters. It's a do-it-yourself world nowadays, what with Lowe's and Home Depot.




;D

R