Why Did My Ratings Change?
July 30, 2013
Filed Under: Hot Topics
Check out our guest article on Arbitron’s Not Your Average Quarter-Hour programming blog here.
Posts in "Hot Topics"
The Growing Hispanic Market and Why They Are Important to Advertisers and Your Stations
July 25, 2013
Filed Under: Hot Topics
Fastest-Growing Segment
Hispanics continue to be the fastest-growing segment of the total U.S. population, and the influence of this segment of the population is being seen in all aspects of the culture. Reaching these consumers is becoming an important aspect of many media buys.
Many of the top metros have experienced a significant influx of Hispanics migrating to their areas. The Hispanic population percentage increases have skyrocketed to double-digit growth in recent years. The 2010 Census counted 50.5 million Hispanics in the United States, making up 16.3% of the total population. The nation’s Latino population, which was 35.3 million in 2000, grew 43% over the decade. In 2012, Hispanics made up 53.1 million/16.9% of the U.S. population, according to U.S. Census Bureau: State and County QuickFacts.
Finishing Strong
July 18, 2013
Filed Under: Hot Topics
Get expert advice as you prepare for the critical Fall ratings period.
Key Points:
- The 2013 success of your station is dependent on what you do in the next few weeks.
- Ask the experts and get some free help.
- Prepare for success using all the tools at your disposal, especially those that cost you nothing.
The Fall book is closer than you think
No matter how the first half of the year has gone for your station, the next few weeks are critical. How you impact listening during the critical Fall ratings period will determine how 2013 ends for you. Right now you are either preparing to win or preparing to fail as you determine your programming and marketing strategy, and time is of the essence.
Conflict within a Radio Station: When Is a Good Book Not a Good Book?
July 11, 2013
Filed Under: Hot Topics
The new book just released. Programming is celebrating as the station has shown growth with its AQH share. Just down the hall, the sales team may be looking at the same book with little emotion or excitement. How can these two groups, who are both rooting for higher audience levels, have such different reactions to the same outcome?
This dilemma is a result of how sales and programming judge audience growth. While both teams focus on Average Quarter Hour (AQH), they look at different benchmarks. Programmers look at AQH share, while sales people look at AQH ratings. So what is the difference?
What’s The First Thing You Look At?
June 27, 2013
Filed Under: Hot Topics
Is it the eyes? The hair? … Wait, that’s a different blog.
When your monthly PPM numbers roll off the computer – what is the first thing you look at? The easy answer is overall share. If it’s good, everyone’s happy and we tend to wait for the next round. If it’s bad, we look for answers.
Either way, a closer examination of both your numbers AND Arbitron’s performance can help you predict the future course of events for your station. More importantly, it can prevent you from knee-jerk reacting to some bad news.
Selling the Value of Your TSA Audience
June 20, 2013
Filed Under: Hot Topics
Your station’s audience may extend well beyond the defined limits of the radio metro. Including these listeners in advertising proposals may add value to your advertisers’ media buys.
Why learn about TSA audience?
Most radio presentations discuss your audience within the radio metro. There may be additional value in your TSA (Total Survey Area) audience. TSA listeners are consumers who hear the advertiser’s message on your station but for whom media buyers generally do not give any credit for having heard that message. These are potential consumers who are exposed to the advertiser’s message but have not been calculated into the cost-per-point or cost-per-thousand. Placing a value on these listeners can help justify higher rates and show an advertiser the true value of your audience.
Radio’s Second Sales Team
June 13, 2013
Filed Under: Hot Topics
Most of us who have worked at a radio station were keenly aware of one of radio’s two sales teams. These are the folks who wear suits (or at least they used to), met with advertisers, and sold commercials. But there is a second team of sellers at a radio station, whose sales job is much more difficult – the on-air personalities.
Why do I say that?
In theory, the advertising sales folks can close any piece of business they really want by simply offering the advertising for free. How many advertisers would say no to a free ad schedule? In other words, their most difficult objection to overcome is price.
Conversely, an on-air personality’s job is to convince (sell) the listeners to tune in often and listen for long periods of time. At the same time, your competition is trying to do the same thing with other potential listeners. Unlike the advertising sales people, price is not an issue here, since both are offering their product for free.
So how does a jock or personality sell to the listener?
Time Management … A Sales Professional’s Best Friend
June 6, 2013
Filed Under: Hot Topics
No matter how affluent, talented, or successful we become, time is the one thing we can never get enough of. The top radio sales performers are very aware of the value of their time. In fact, all successful sales people practice disciplined time management. As a result, they spend the most time doing those activities that make them the most money and little time completing those tasks that earn them little or nothing. When it comes to radio sales, there are three main components where your time should be focused: Prospecting, Presenting, and Closing. Notice that all three of these activities involve customers. That’s because you sell more when you spend more time in front of your customers, whether prospecting for new business, presenting solutions to problems, or closing business.
Boost Your AQH! The Ratings Booster Can Help
May 30, 2013
Filed Under: Hot Topics
Growing the size of your audience is the goal of every programmer. This requires you to maximize your audience throughout the day. To achieve this total week growth, a smart programmer must break down the broad week into smaller segments where they can impact listening.
One of the more sure-fire ways to boost the size of your audience is to analyze your listening by quarter-hour and compare it to that of your format group and competitors. Let’s look at a simple process to identify the program elements where you need to focus in order to boost your ratings.
Play-by-Play Radio Delivers a Premium Audience
May 23, 2013
Filed Under: Hot Topics
They make more money, they’re better educated, and they buy more expensive houses and cars. These are but a few of the traits of sports play-by-play listeners that make them more attractive and valuable to advertisers. Listeners’ passion, combined with forefront sound, justifies a premium rate.
Going beyond the conceptual, Research Director, Inc., in cooperation with GfK MRI, has just completed an extensive study on the play-by-play radio listener that quantifies the benefits of reaching these listeners.