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Clearly the COVID-19 crisis has changed people’s lifestyles and therefore their radio listening. In coordination with Cornerstone Research (XTrends), Research Director, Inc. has been tracking changes in radio listening in PPM markets. The shift in listening has been incredible.
Former Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green once uttered one of the classic sports quotes: “They are what we thought they were …” In the era of coronavirus-impacted listening, this applies to just about every radio station.
Before the FCC loosened their ownership limits, broadcasters could only own two stations (one AM and one FM) in a given market. At that time many markets had local market groups to help the radio broadcasters in their market.
Organizations like the SCBA (Southern California Broadcasters Association) were vital to the success of our industry on a local market level. While many of them had the primary duty of promoting radio to advertisers, they did so much more.
I was always taught to read a product’s instructions before using. No, this is not about the proper use of disinfectants. Instead, this is about Nielsen’s instructions on how to use their reports during these constantly changing times.
This may fall under the heading of “too soon,” but the pandemic is serving as a giant wake-up call for the radio industry.
Across the country, we are seeing PUMMs and cumes decline for most formats except those that deal in information.
The good news is that listeners know where they can turn for vital, local information. Radio has always served this need and continues to do so in grand fashion. The audience for news and information programming has exploded. Why? Because listeners have an expectation that radio can deliver when needed. In a normal life this need is variable, but will we ever return to normal?
