the state of radio today

[TheBigA]

Too many commercials. Listeners have been saying this for years. But most corporate radio has ignored that.

The number of commercials on stations hasn't changed in over 30 years. What has changed is the placement. At one time, commercials were grouped in 3 or 4 breaks. After PPM was added, research indicated two breaks an hour was best. But the number of spots is the same. This happened 20 years ago. What's changed is the audience tolerance for commercials, and the quality of the advertisers. Nothing radio stations can do about that. Advertising is the only source of revenue for radio. The other option is having the listeners pay directly, the way public radio does. If commercials are driving listeners away, then the public non-commercials should be top rated in all markets. They aren't.

And the lack of personalities on stations. The corporate companies gambled that listeners wouldn't notice on air people mysteriously disappearing from their favorite station. And replaced by an out of town voice or worse...no voice at all.

It depends on the format and market. Some formats are music intensive. Some aren't. Certainly talk & sports stations still have lots of personalities. That hasn't changed at all. CHR, country, and urban stations are still staffed with personalities. What's changed is a lot of heritage personalities have either retired or passed away. Nothing radio stations can do about that. People get old, and at some point stop working. The replacements are younger and appeal to younger audiences.

Where are radio listeners going? Streaming services that have no personalities at all. If the audience really wanted personalities, they wouldn't be going to music services like Pandora or Spotify that have no personalities.

When asked if they listen to radio as much as they did five years ago, the majority says no. When asked if their favorite radio station is as good as it was five years ago, the audience says no. Until radio ownership is ready to address the personality issue, radio's slow death will continue to happen.

Who did the asking? If you're going to cite polls, you should post the links here. The fact of the matter is there are many things causing listeners to leave broadcast radio. One is the ability to make their own playlists. Nothing radio stations can do about that. The other is eliminate commercials by paying a monthly fee. That option isn't available in broadcasting. The third is that digital devices are more available and convenient that AM/FM radios. Nothing broadcasters can do about that.

Corporate owners are transitioning from broadcast radio to digital services. They're creating podcasts that are entirely based on personalities. The podcasts have limited commercials too. Yes people are using broadcasting less. Radio companies know that. There's no amount of staffing stations can add that will cause listeners to throw away their phones or digital devices. That's why stations are redirecting their resources to platforms the listeners prefer. Perhaps you should sample them.

 

[ted chittenden]

Hate to break it to you but people did that 50 years ago too. Song comes on they didn't like...hit another preset. Commercial break...hit another preset. News comes on...hit another preset.
Drives me nuts when someone does that too, but it's not like this is anything new.

Hey! I used to do that!

 

[b-turner]

Seltzer, please show us the evidence. I'm in the business. I loved it when I could have a chance to hear a station across the country or maybe nation. The internet was my radio on an out of town trip. Seems other radio listeners discovered this. Funny thing, the station I work for has ZERO local voices and the audience is clueless. They think they're all local. In fact some point out the jocks on fringe shifs that repeat he same liners over and over...those DJs with zero personality, as being good DJs. Sure this only one station but we are #1 in our county and we're no hurting for advertising eiher.

 

[Seltzer]

Seltzer, please show us the evidence. I'm in the business. I loved it when I could have a chance to hear a station across the country or maybe nation. The internet was my radio on an out of town trip. Seems other radio listeners discovered this. Funny thing, the station I work for has ZERO local voices and the audience is clueless. They think they're all local. In fact some point out the jocks on fringe shifs that repeat he same liners over and over...those DJs with zero personality, as being good DJs. Sure this only one station but we are #1 in our county and we're no hurting for advertising eiher.

I understand the need for voice tracking. And using people from out of town isn't wrong. As long as those people are being coached and sound like they know the area. Yet that isn't the case. More often than not you hear shows that have been "winged" day after day. Listeners aren't stupid.

 

[CTListener]

I understand the need for voice tracking. And using people from out of town isn't wrong. As long as those people are being coached and sound like they know the area. Yet that isn't the case. More often than not you hear shows that have been "winged" day after day. Listeners aren't stupid.

No, they're not. They just don't care. They want to hear the music.

 

[TheBigA]

I understand the need for voice tracking. And using people from out of town isn't wrong. As long as those people are being coached and sound like they know the area. Yet that isn't the case. More often than not you hear shows that have been "winged" day after day. Listeners aren't stupid.

The VTers I know never talk about "the area" and never locate themselves at all. The talk is about generic things, just like national programming,

If they're hired for a specific market, the way @SomeRadioGuy is, he knows the market. Ask him.

 

[Seltzer]

The VTers I know never talk about "the area" and never locate themselves at all. The talk is about generic things, just like national programming,

If they're hired for a specific market, the way @SomeRadioGuy is, he knows the market. Ask him.

That falls on the PD. If there are big events happening in the market, and the talent isn't talking about them, there will be a disconnect with the listener. They may not put their finger on it but they'll sense something is off.

 

[CTListener]

That falls on the PD. If there are big events happening in the market, and the talent isn't talking about them, there will be a disconnect with the listener. They may not put their finger on it but they'll sense something is off.

I don't want to hear DJs waste time with blather about last night's game, a pile-up on the interstate, or allegations against the mayor. The listeners can find all that on the internet anyway. Just identify the songs, read some off-beat story from one of the "Weird News"-type services, then get back to the music. And sound upbeat. The only times they need to be local are for the weather reports -- and even those can be outsourced with no appreciable listener outrage, at least not from any listeners under 55 or so.

 

[TheBigA]

If there are big events happening in the market, and the talent isn't talking about them, there will be a disconnect with the listener.

The talent can be talking "about them" without referring to their city. The way that happens is the talent talks about their social interests, the things that make up their "community," which is mostly virtual rather than physical. Today people live in virtual communities, like this message board. We talk about our common interests. We don't necessarily talk about our physical location. That's what virtual air talent do. In that way, a virtual connection happens with the listeners. Just as I am now making a virtual connection with you. I do it all the time.

Serving the community today means more than just doing local news. It may mean connecting with people who share common interests in music, sports, politics, or anything else. Where they live is less important than what they're interested in. It's very different from the way radio may have been done 50 years ago. That's another aspect of "the state of radio today."

 

[ted chittenden]

I don't want to hear DJs waste time with blather about last night's game, a pile-up on the interstate, or allegations against the mayor. The listeners can find all that on the internet anyway. Just identify the songs, read some off-beat story from one of the "Weird News"-type services, then get back to the music. And sound upbeat. The only times they need to be local are for the weather reports -- and even those can be outsourced with no appreciable listener outrage, at least not from any listeners under 55 or so.

In other words, you want radio to just be a jukebox. It's tragic that you and many others think like that!

 

[TheBigA]

In other words, you want radio to just be a jukebox. It's tragic that you and many others think like that!

That's partly what music radio is today. There was a time when there were local record labels and local hits. Musicians were hired by the radio stations, and their performances were exclusive to that station. Rosemary Clooney was one of those singers, and she was once heard on WLW. That changed as the recording business became international.

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/arts/2016/03/21/original-girl-singer-belongs-cincinnati/82070596/

Today, where the music is made is less important than if the music speaks to the listener. But that's just some music formats. Others benefit from some kind of local connection. Radio is not just one thing. It adapts depending on the audience it's looking to reach.

 

[CTListener]

In other words, you want radio to just be a jukebox. It's tragic that you and many others think like that!

I've had lots of favorite DJs over the years, and still do, locally. One is on one of the country stations, the other is on the non-commercial classical state. I like both because they occasionally will say something about the artists, songs or pieces they play -- and they make the tidbits they relate concise.

Basically, the more I've gotten into various genres of music, and the older I get, the less I want to hear a cluttered broadcast.

 

[davideduardo]

In other words, you want radio to just be a jukebox. It's tragic that you and many others think like that!

Today, the vast majority of listeners in the sales demos also want as little chatter and nonsense between the songs...

In AM Drive there is interest in a personality show, often finding that the music is secondary. But on most music stations during the rest of the day, nearly all talk is an obstruction to listening by the listeners stations and advertisers want.

Station management has seen all kinds of proprietary research that confirms this.

 

[ted chittenden]

Today, the vast majority of listeners in the sales demos also want as little chatter and nonsense between the songs...

In AM Drive there is interest in a personality show, often finding that the music is secondary. But on most music stations during the rest of the day, nearly all talk is an obstruction to listening by the listeners stations and advertisers want.

Station management has seen all kinds of proprietary research that confirms this.

So radio listeners have become spoiled brats! Yes, I have read of the research you have read on this topic and I still consider it to be tragic. Consider that the purpose of radio initially was to provide both information and entertainment. Nowadays (and I do agree with you about the research) people see radio only as an entertainment vehicle. Hell, just a few posts up, CTListener makes that point pretty clear when he/she says that he/she doesn't wish to hear any news or weather bulletins over the medium and that he/she can get all of that from the Internet. You wanna know something? Not everybody has access to the Internet or to mobile phones and we are really screwing ourselves if we remove news and weather bulletins from radio entirely just so that the target audience can hear more music.

 

[radiofan2023]

So radio listeners have become spoiled brats!

Dr. Phil's incredulous expression in my avatar is exactly the same as the one I had reading this. A lot of radio listeners have never wanted talk or other interruptions breaking up the music they wanted to listen to. For the people who do want to hear news, traffic, weather and info about the songs, they can listen to different stations.

 

[CTListener]

Dr. Phil's expression in my avatar is exactly the same as the one I had reading this. A lot of radio listeners have never wanted talk or other interruptions breaking up the music they wanted to listen to. For the people who do want to hear news, traffic, weather and info about the songs, they can listen to different stations.

The Cyrkle's 1966 hit "Turn-Down Day" has a verse that shows how irritating news on music stations was way back then!

Soft summer breeze and the surf rolls in
To laughter of small children playin'
Someone's radio has the news tuned in
But nobody cares what he's sayin'

 

[TheBigA]

Consider that the purpose of radio initially was to provide both information and entertainment.

Really? According to who? Radio can be whatever the person using it wants it to be. There are no rules that require broadcasters to provide both information and entertainment. It can be either, neither, or both. Radio has changed and evolved over 100 years. Like everything else. In cluster management, owners vary their approaches to programming. Some stations might be 100% information, like WINS or KNX. Some stations are 100% music, such as KCBS-FM. That way, they cover all the bases for listeners and advertisers.

 

[John1]

Some Sirius stations like the 60s channel have old legendary DJs like Cousin Brucie. However the 50s and 40s station on Sirius XM have almost no announcers except for a few special shows.

Cousin Brucie left SXM a couple years ago back to WABC Saturday nights, but they do have a lineup of major market veteran personalities all day. But SXM also has a channel on their app, same 60s songs but all music without the dj’s. The 50’s channel used to have personalities but they were eliminated years ago. I guess they decided the audience was too old to spend money on personalities. Norm N. Nite used to do a weekend show live from the R&R Hall of Fame, and TJ Lubinsky who does the PBS music specials had a live show.

 

[Seltzer]

Really? According to who? Radio can be whatever the person using it wants it to be. There are no rules that require broadcasters to provide both information and entertainment. It can be either, neither, or both. Radio has changed and evolved over 100 years. Like everything else. In cluster management, owners vary their approaches to programming. Some stations might be 100% information, like WINS or KNX. Some stations are 100% music, such as KCBS-FM. That way, they cover all the bases for listeners and advertisers.

Maybe there are no rules when it comes to information and entertainment. But the fact is Spotify can give you music with very few commercials. How does radio compete if it's just a bad version of Spotify? What is between the songs is what differentiates radio from those streaming services. And a big part of that is who is on the air and what they have to say that is interest to the listener.

 

[CTListener]

How does radio compete if it's just a bad version of Spotify?

Move away from music completely or finally succeed in convincing Madison Avenue that older listeners are worth their effort to reach. That way, radio can super-serve the 55+ crowd without destroying its advertising base by programming music with strong appeal to older listeners. The streaming generation has already spoken. It's largely moved on from the personality radio concept and wants the music it enjoys with a minimum of human interruptions. Between advertising and DJ blab, radio can never pry that audience away from Spotify, Pandora, SiriusXM's unhosted music channels, etc.

Abandoning music completely has significant downside as well. Conservative talk attracts an old crowd, and sports is very weak in female listenership at a time when advertisers and radio consider reaching women a must, as they do much of the shopping and are more willing to try a trendy new brand.