Posts in "Hot Topics"
September 1, 2020
Filed Under: Hot Topics
How’s billing next month?
How’s billing next week?
How’s billing tomorrow?
For purposes often attributed to survival, radio station management takes a very short view when judging success or failure. As an industry, we are not alone in this myopic view. Most American businesses are taking the same approach.
While it is important to make next week or next month’s numbers, it is equally important to plan for the long-term future. Without doing this, one can win the battle and lose the war.
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August 18, 2020
Filed Under: Hot Topics
The recent announcement of the partnership between LeadsRx and WideOrbit is a potential game-changer for radio.
The digital revolution in marketing has created a need for instant gratification with advertisers. Google Analytics, click-through rates, traffic sources, and other data sources have left radio advertising behind the curve.
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August 14, 2020
Filed Under: Hot Topics
Recently we have been hearing about Procter & Gamble’s investment in radio advertising. Since making some initial ad buys, P&G’s use of radio has exploded.
Much, if not all, of this revenue has consisted of network buys. While that helps various networks, the revenue rarely trickles down to the local stations. It will not impact the billing and commission of most local station sales reps.
However, P&G’s radio expenditures can help a local sales rep boost their billing with new clients, especially those who have not previously taken advantage of the power of radio advertising.
HOW YOU MAY ASK?
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August 11, 2020
Filed Under: Hot Topics
While the term “normal” seems unsuitable, broadcasters need to figure out how to succeed with whatever comes next.
As lifestyles change yet again, there is a massive opportunity for programmers to grab higher shares for their station.
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August 4, 2020
Filed Under: Hot Topics
Over the last several months, because of lifestyle changes, radio listening has shifted. Across many markets, weekend listening has returned at a faster rate than weekday listening. This offers great opportunities for both programmers and sales people.
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July 30, 2020
Filed Under: Hot Topics
Cost per point (CPP) often dictates radio’s transactional business and even some non-transactional business. Unfortunately, some advertisers (and buyers) use CPP as their primary decision of where to place their advertising. To them, the cheaper it is, the better the value.
While this has always been a short-sighted decision, it is even less wise now. COVID-19 has led Nielsen Audio to report lower rating points for most radio stations, especially in the larger markets. While this is a temporary setback, our industry is over-dependent on CPP for pricing. There are several reasons for this …
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July 21, 2020
Filed Under: Hot Topics
A recent story posted by Inside Radio talked about the rise in streaming use for terrestrial radio caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a trend that will likely continue as we begin our return to “normal.”
Now would be a good time to discuss Total Line Reporting (TLR) for radio stations. For those who are unaware, TLR means a station’s over-the-air and on-line content are identical. Usually, that means the same commercials run on both platforms.
We believe all stations should TLR. We will tell you why but first some realities.
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July 14, 2020
Filed Under: Hot Topics
In June, Nielsen released valuable information on the characteristics of its meter keepers. This goes well beyond age, race, and geography, which we at Research Director, Inc. routinely track.
These are household questions that are asked when the meter is placed in the household. Again, none of these are individual questions, but reflect the entire household.
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July 10, 2020
Filed Under: Hot Topics
The final PPM June books were just released. In coordination with XTrends, Research Director, Inc. has analyzed market listening in 47 of the 48 PPM markets and the results are encouraging for the radio industry.
While radio listening declined as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic shutdown, it has rebounded and is approaching pre-COVID-19 levels.
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July 7, 2020
Filed Under: Hot Topics
And the hits just keep on comin’ …
As of this writing, over 350 companies have “paused” their social media campaigns. This does not mean they are halting all of their digital spend. This is being done to get Facebook’s attention about the proliferation of mis-information and hate speech on its platforms.
Companies like Ford, Best Buy, Coca-Cola, and Target are willing to take a stand – and potentially sacrifice sales – in order to change how Facebook, as a digital ecosystem, operates. While Facebook is in no danger of going out of business any time soon, this amount of revenue loss will certainly get its attention.
Is this an opportunity for radio?
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