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All the Cool Kids Are Doing It

January 2, 2025

As a dedicated reader of this here missive, you might spend time every month reading through our Radio Ratings Roundup (RRR). This is where we do a semi-deep dive into the ratings of the top-20 markets. Chances are greater that you likely skim the articles, looking for markets or stations you care about.

That’s fine. Really, it’s just fine.

That said, you may have missed something in December’s RRR.

Yes, most of the stations that went all Christmas had good books. That is not exactly earth-shattering news.

However, there were a few markets where the home of the holiday hits was not #1 in either the 6+ or the 25-54 categories. Yet, in almost every market these stations performed spectacularly well with the 18-34 crowd.

Wait, doesn’t radio have an 18-34 problem? Yes, it does. But in the real world this demo flocked to the station that was playing all Christmas music. What could this indicate?

  • They are mushy sentimentalists despite what they post on social media
  • They really do listen to the radio
  • They quickly respond to something THAT HAS MEANING TO THEM!

This digitally savvy population can hear anything it wants any time it wants to. They not only have the skills, they expect instant gratification. On-demand is their mantra.

So, why did they suddenly lurch to a particular radio station? More than likely, it’s a station they rarely visit at any other time during the year.

Because holiday music has value. It stands out. And, most importantly, it fills an emotional need.

Now that we know we can get their attention, what will we do with this information?

What can the stations that regularly (try to) fish in this pond do to garner that level of attention and devotion? How can you break through the clutter of your same old formatics and structure to excite this crowd? What need do you fill for them?

Be aware – this increased share was more than likely coming from those already listening to the radio. This is probably not new cume. Still, this makes them “radio aware” and maybe, just maybe, there is a clue in here that can increase their time spent listening to your product.

The upcoming three-minute rule will show more listening from the 18-34 segment. That will be part of radio’s new reality.

What December’s data suggests is that, to paraphrase a certain movie, if you build it, they will come.

-Steve Allan, Programming Research Consultant

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