Radio: July 27, 2018
Radio
is still among the most popular of all available media, dwarfing the
on-line services as far as reach and even beating television for overall
reach. So what is causing revenue to stay far below what it should be,
considering how far the economy has come since the drop in 2008?
My
personal belief is that today’s young-buck programmers and executives
don’t have history on their sides ... indeed, they seem to shun history,
forgetting that what worked in the past will probably work today, as
long as it is updated to match the modern audience. Yet often
programmers seem ignorant of the elements of good radio.
You
probably have your own ideas, and I’d like to know what you think as
well. Here are some examples of what may sound like good ideas, but
ultimately are not ... ideas intended to help but actually hurt a
station’s success:
•
Long music sweeps. This sounds like a great idea: keep a listener
looked for 45 minutes and then run the commercials as a block. Ratings
soar and advertisers and the station win. The reality: long sweeps of
music force a station to group commercials together, so that the typical
commercial break ends up as long as 10 minutes ... or more. No one will
listen through that, so listeners change stations or tune out
completely. Advertisements are thus worth less and stations must give
price breaks to advertisers, lowering revenue.
Solution:
Limit sweeps to three or four songs, with a maximum of 20 minutes.
Commercial breaks should be limited to no more than three (two is
better) ads. Listeners won’t tune out, commercials are actually heard,
and both stations and advertisers win.
•
Music marathons. Music sweeps on steroids. Many stations run 18 minutes
of commercials per hour ... you think taking two hours or more of prime
time and forcing those potential ads into other hours helps? Really? In
the end, stations lose out on revenue, advertisers lose the ability to
market products and services, and listeners lose out too.
Solution:
Only run sweeps when -- and this should never happen if your sales
staff is worth anything -- you truly have no ads to run. Ratings mean
nothing if you can’t capitalize on potential revenue from advertisers.
•
Thinking advertisements are bad. Yes, there are bad advertisements. But
advertising in general should be considered a service and a positive
part of your programming. I myself had windows installed on my house due
to an ad I heard on KFI (640 AM). I had such a positive experience I
have recommended the company to others and used them again for another
project. I never would have found them without the help of KFI.
Solution:
Embrace ads. Consider them a service to your listeners. But don’t abuse
them: make sure the quality of the ad is as high -- including its
entertainment value -- as is the rest of your programming. Never run
more than three at a time. And never run ads for competing products or
services in the same set.
•
Accepting bad commercials. Yes, revenue is important. But just as the
fictional WKRP in Cincinnati ended up dropping a very lucrative campaign
for a funeral home, you cannot run ads that are tune-outs. No station
should ever run ads from “Kars for Kids,” for example. Guaranteed tune
out.
Solution:
Your program director should have final say for everything that airs on
the station. Don’t let the sales staff dictate what makes it on the
air. And make sure your PD is good enough to know the difference between
good and bad.
•
Running too many commercials. It’s easy to think more ads bring in more
revenue, but in fact the opposite is true. In their heydays, both KHJ
(930 AM) and KIIS-FM (102.7 FM) set revenue records while limiting ads
run per hour. The rule for KHJ in the 1960s was eight minutes maximum
per hour and no more than TWO commercials per break. KIIS-FM limited ads
as well when they almost single-handedly brought top-40 back from the
brink of death in the 1980s ... then set ratings records.
Solution:
Just limit the ads. Fewer ads per hour makes each ad worth more. Far
more than the loss per spot with more ads. Advertisers want to be
heard. They will pay if you can guarantee it.
•
Sponsoring everything. If you follow the above, your revenue has
already increased. Having everything sponsored (“traffic brought to you
by,” “weather presented by,” etc) just makes you sound cheap. Plus those
quick mentions register as normal commercials to listeners.
Solution:
Realize you are broadcasting in the public service. Some things should
be considered as the cost of running the business. News, traffic and
weather are but three.
•
Forgetting what makes radio great. It is obvious that just playing
music is what will keep listeners tuned in. Problem is, I can find music
on my phone. Or on Spotify. Or on SiriusXM. Radio has to give listeners
a reason to tune in.
Solution:
Stop selling your listeners short. People want to be informed; some of
the best, award-winning newscasts came from music radio stations: KHJ,
KMET (now KTWV, 94.7 FM), and even the original KDAY (now KBLA, 1580
AM). Information tailored to listeners is a reason to tune in, not tune
out. As long as it is entertaining, they will listen.
•
Clutter. Many stations have dropped jingles, as jingles are old
fashioned. In their place are highly-produced segments that are so full
of clutter that they are actually annoying.
Solution:
Programmers need to listen to their own stations; so often what may
sound great in the production room sounds horrendous on the air,
especially if it is repeated often. And while jingles may seem old
fashioned, one thing they have is they work. Is there anyone who grew up
in Los Angeles who cannot sing the jungle for “93-KHJ?” “Kiss-FM?” Or
even “A little bit of heaven, 94 point seven, KMET ... tweedle-dee?”
Even
if you shun jingles, your on-air presentation cannot be cluttered.
Presentation is everything. Your station needs to be relevant to your
listeners; stop giving them a reason to find other entertainment
sources.
The preceding programming tips come from the heart.
ReelRadio Returning
The notice at the late-Richard Irwin’s reelradio.com is promising: “Please stand by. Reelradio will return. Thank you for your patience and continuing support.”
The
radio recording museum has been down since just before Irwin’s death,
and many had hoped that his legacy would live on. I have no details
right now but hope to in the near future.
