TV and cable grab headlines when they announce their fall lineups, and they make news every week as even the general public follows the ratings race. The downward trends of newspapers continues to make news, while the expansion of digital media gets lots of ink and airtime.
But radio quietly is still around. As broadcasters have options to expand their service via digital service, radio broadcast licenses may once again prove to be the gold mines they once were.
A recent study, reported in MediaLife, shows that FM radio is the top listening choice, accounting for 39 percent of listening time among those surveyed. FM beat out mp3 players (23 percent) and CDs (18 percent). The three prominent forms of radio -- FM, AM and online radio -- together account for 56 percent of listening time. Satellite radio, which is fast-growing as more automakers offer them factory-installed in new cars, will add to radio's dominance.
Once you have the listeners, though, how do you get them to stay tuned for the ads which, after all, pay the way? That sounds like a question the TV execs are trying to figure out.
Music formats that play several songs in a row can be problematic from an advertising viewpoint. You'll get listeners while the music's on,
but if they know once a commercial break starts that they have 2 - 3 minutes of ads, many simply hit the dial to find more music.
News and talk stations have it a bit easier because they can take more frequent commercial breaks, which can then be shorter. WINS, an all-news station in New York, uses that concept in its pitch to advertisers. Rather than using commercial clusters, they let each ad stand on its own. More commercial breaks, but less clutter.
Radio's strength, like that of newspapers, is that it's local. WINS radio is successful, with 2.4 million unique listeners every week, making it the most listened-to station in the U.S.
Keeping it local, to me, is what makes radio special -- as a listening choice and as an advertising choice.
A few years ago, radio giant Infinity Broadcasting changed its "oldies" station WCBS-FM to what was then a hot new format called Jack FM. The automated format, which had pre-recorded nameless announcers between songs, was lifeless, devoid of local personality and quickly plummeted in the ratings. It turns out the suits at Infinity didn't know Jack about what makes radio special.
The answer? It's LOCAL.






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