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TSL?

J

JustPastBuffalo

From Fred Jacobs, one of the finest consultants in the business, via Inside Radio.

Radio is the 10-minute medium. PPM data shows the average radio listening occasion lasts 10 minutes. But the most frequently occurring duration is just two minutes. “Our listeners have pockets full of two-minute intervals,” Arbitron VP of programming services Gary Marince tells Jacobs Media Summer School attendees today at the Conclave Learning Conference in Minneapolis._________________________________________________
The "consumer" may not hang on to every word or listen to the entire show. If you're lucky, he/she remembers your name. Sometimes. For cash. Brings to mind a great line by Jack Mindy upon leaving his regular airshift, "They'll tell you they love you, but two weeks after you're off the air, they've forgotten you." "Pockets of two-minute intervals." Gah! I'm hearing a format here... Mash-Up 99. Time to put "Stairway" into lunar rotation?
_________________________________________________
BTW, it's only a matter of time before the jokesters serve-up their best "two minute/ten minute" lines. I'm thinkin' Savage or Roxalot. Ready the Grey Fidelipac in the Tapecaster. And yes, on a recent visit to WYSL, I found there is in fact, a Grey Fidelipac "Rimshot" cart, complete with metal tension bar and patented rattle.
 
SirRoxalot said:
Time to bring back two minute records?
Click to expand...

Rox, some guy tried it a couple of years ago. A syndicated format, I forget the name, where he cleverly edited each song down to about 90 seconds thinking that listeners would appreciate hearing just basically the "hook" of each selection. And appreciate hearing more songs each hour because of the shorter lengths.

I guess it never caught on.
 
And then there was "Swifty 950" which was a stunt that WROC did before going to news/talk a number of years ago. (It was just prior to the format which featured Allan Harris on mornings if that helps.)

It was basically one of the "listener survey" tapes* with snippets of songs that only lasted a few seconds... just enough for the person to indicate the degree to which he/she liked the song and whether he/she was tired of it. Even the number of the song to match the survey was left in: "302" followed by a couple of bars of "One of These Nights" by the Eagles for example.

Every so often there would be an insert: "I like to listen to music, but I just don't have the time" or a similar line.

Somewhere around here I have an aircheck of this stunt.

*Yes, I've done these surveys several different times... although I've "aged out" now...
 
Around 1973 or '74, WRKO/Boston (and it may have been on other RKO General stations) wouldn't play anything over 3:00. If it was over 3:00, out came the blade and splicing tape. Imagine "Band On The Run" this way...I heard it on a trip to Boston. It had to have had ten edits in it.

The next time I heard WRKO was late 1976...no more funny 3:00 edits. Must not have worked.
 
Anybody else remember KB's "Instant Replays"? They were an edited version of a seriously hot song that played (with a stager) immediately after the hit ended.
 
SirRoxalot said:
Anybody else remember KB's "Instant Replays"? They were an edited version of a seriously hot song that played (with a stager) immediately after the hit ended.
Click to expand...

Yes indeedy. Another Jeff Kaye programming element that made 'KB special.
 
Methinks radio listening is down to two minutes because that's about how long one can listen to commercial radio before you hit a commercial break. Ugh.
 
More likely they check back every two minutes to see if one of the interminable breaks is over yet.
 
SirRoxalot said:
More likely they check back every two minutes to see if one of the interminable breaks is over yet.
Click to expand...

Exactly, Rox! I know radio needs commercials to survive, I used to be in radio sales. But who's the Einstein who started the recent trend toward huge commercial breaks? It seems like some of them are 5 minutes+, or at least feel that way.
 
What if the research is wrong? 'Course, that rarely happens. Biggest case in point when Taft scuttled 97 Rock. Couple of others in this market, but...
 
How about the Alan Burns study quoted by Tom Taylor?

The usual dichotomy about DJs shows up here. The #2 reason that heavy radio users give for listening is that they hear “entertaining people.” The #3 reason for listening less is – you guessed it – “useless DJ chatter.”

Perhaps if there were fewer "formatics" and "must read as written" liners, radio would be more entertaining for LISTENERS. Ironically, all those canned liners are attributed to "useless DJ chatter" because the listeners don't know that the canned promos and positioning statements aren't under the control of the guy on the air - assuming, of course, that he/she isn't voice-tracked to begin with.

And, it's a challenge to on-air talent to make every opportunity count. Don't be the reason that they're gone in two minutes.
 
SirRoxalot said:
How about the Alan Burns study quoted by Tom Taylor?

The usual dichotomy about DJs shows up here. The #2 reason that heavy radio users give for listening is that they hear “entertaining people.” The #3 reason for listening less is – you guessed it – “useless DJ chatter.”

Perhaps if there were fewer "formatics" and "must read as written" liners, radio would be more entertaining for LISTENERS. Ironically, all those canned liners are attributed to "useless DJ chatter" because the listeners don't know that the canned promos and positioning statements aren't under the control of the guy on the air - assuming, of course, that he/she isn't voice-tracked to begin with.

And, it's a challenge to on-air talent to make every opportunity count. Don't be the reason that they're gone in two minutes.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Listeners want conversation that matters to them...just like in real life. Let your pre-recorded imaging reinforce station position and attributes. Free the jocks to make the emotional connection...which is never, ever "We're your station for twelve-in-a-row and less talk". When there is content about the station for the jock to talk about, it must be shared with the listener in a way that makes it sound like it's about the listener.

When I prepare a break I give myself :10-:15 tops to get to the point, including backsell...anything more and it's rambling. I use audio where practical, whether a phoner or an artist talking about their next album. No wasted opportunities...no throwaway breaks.

I can never assume a listener will even give me 20 seconds - much less two minutes - unless I'm giving them a compelling reason to stick around.
 
chas108 said:
SirRoxalot said:
Anybody else remember KB's "Instant Replays"? They were an edited version of a seriously hot song that played (with a stager) immediately after the hit ended.
Click to expand...

Yes indeedy. Another Jeff Kaye programming element that made 'KB special.
Click to expand...

Nice to credit, Jeff. But, I seems like I recall first hearing "Mini-Spins" on WCFL in Chicago when it was programmed by Ken Draper in the late 60s going head to head with WLS.
 
Two minutes, huh? And they said Oldies was dead...
 
Paul_Warren said:
Two minutes, huh? And they said Oldies was dead...
Click to expand...

I'm the contrarian who thinks PPM can change radio for the better...IF and ONLY if PDs give jocks the freedom to create the emotional connection, and the jock knows how to make that connection.
 
SirRoxalot said:
How about the Alan Burns study quoted by Tom Taylor?

The usual dichotomy about DJs shows up here. The #2 reason that heavy radio users give for listening is that they hear “entertaining people.” The #3 reason for listening less is – you guessed it – “useless DJ chatter.”

Perhaps if there were fewer "formatics" and "must read as written" liners, radio would be more entertaining for LISTENERS. Ironically, all those canned liners are attributed to "useless DJ chatter" because the listeners don't know that the canned promos and positioning statements aren't under the control of the guy on the air - assuming, of course, that he/she isn't voice-tracked to begin with.

And, it's a challenge to on-air talent to make every opportunity count. Don't be the reason that they're gone in two minutes.
Click to expand...

Nice to know somebody gets it...don't you wish everybody did?
 
don't you wish everybody did?

Well, no Mike. I'd hope that my competition didn't. ;)

I think Sir Rox is right. Listeners don't know the difference between recorded imaging and jock talk. If it doesn't connect with them emotionally, they tune out (even if only mentally) and you become audio wallpaper. Here's a pretty good blog on the subject by Doug Erickson:

http://www.ericksonmedia.com/news/446/55/Talk-in-a-PPM-World.html
 
choicevoicepro.com said:
don't you wish everybody did?

Well, no Mike. I'd hope that my competition didn't. ;)

I think Sir Rox is right. Listeners don't know the difference between recorded imaging and jock talk. If it doesn't connect with them emotionally, they tune out (even if only mentally) and you become audio wallpaper. Here's a pretty good blog on the subject by Doug Erickson:

http://www.ericksonmedia.com/news/446/55/Talk-in-a-PPM-World.html
Click to expand...

Excellent stuff. Thanks for posting.
 
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