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Volume 8, Issue 2
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RADIO STATIONS
USING TECHNOLOGY TO KEEP LISTENERSHIP
by Martha Sharan
As American consumers continue
to seek media that is convenient and accessible anywhere
at anytime, broadcasters must look at the new technology
of streaming audio content, podcasting and MP3 streaming
as a way to capture the increasing number of consumers
who use the Internet for audio content.
In a recent survey of 50 news,
talk and news-talk formatted stations in the top fifty
markets, News Generation found that 27 out of 50 stations
are streaming 90% of their on-air content, and 40%,
or 20 out of the 50 stations, are streaming 100% of
their on-air content. While the majority of stations
are audio streaming, only six out of the fifty stations
currently use podcasting or MP3 streaming technology.
Stations told us that the overall
goal of audio streaming is to keep listener drop-off
at a minimum. Only 26% of stations interviewed said
they are using their websites to attract new listeners,
while 54% said they use the Internet to keep the audience
they have and make it easy for them to tune-in throughout
the day, at work or play.
With radio station personnel experiencing
consolidation or layoffs in the past several years,
responsibility for updating and managing station websites
is changing. Twenty-three of the 50 stations surveyed,
or 46%, use programming personnel to manage their website;
28% public affairs personnel; and 24% use promotion
personnel to update and manage their websites.
And how do these listeners know
where to tune in on the web? On average, DJs are promoting
their sites, mentioning the website two to three times
per hour. Forty percent of stations require their on-air
personnel to mention the station’s website three times
per hour. Active promotion is the number one way stations
are encouraging listeners to visit their websites. Other
marketing tools include offering free e-mail services,
concert tickets, sales of CDs and station merchandise.
While stations have been quick
to embrace this new technology, how do stations determine
their website’s effectiveness? Thirty-one out of 50
stations, or 62%, use web hits to measure effectiveness;
26% use listener responses; and only six out of the
fifty stations interviewed measure the effectiveness
by advertising dollars. As the Internet audio broadcasting
audience continues to increase, so will the potential
to use this medium to garner more listeners and keep
terrestrial listeners even in the online and unwired
world.
SHARK WEEK 2005
TAKES A BIG BITE OUT OF RADIO & SETS SOME FISHY
STORIES STRAIGHT
by Susan Matthews Apgood
Can a shark detect one drop of
blood in 700,000 parts of water? Can you deter a shark
from attacking with a right jab to the nose? Do the
colors yellow and red ? or shiny jewelry, for that matter
? spark a shark's interest? What do we really know about
sharks -- and what's just another shark tale?
In 2005, SHARK WEEK featured an
all-new lineup that put some of the best-known myths
about sharks to the test, showcasing fascinating facts
about the oceans' apex predator, and spotlighted the
story of the real-life captain who inspired the character
of Quint in the movie Jaws, which celebrates its 30th
anniversary this year.
To make the biggest splash possible
for SHARK WEEK, Discovery partnered with News Generation
to book radio interviews with national networks and
top stations across the country to promote the programming
event. The mad scientists of MythBusters, Adam Savage
and Jamie Hyneman, who put the bite on shark myths raised
in the 1975 blockbuster Jaws, completed the 'shark'
share of the interviews, while Shark Expert, Dan Huber,
completed interviews with a few national networks and
stations in coastal states to discuss safety in ocean
waters.
Between Tuesday, July 5 and Thursday,
July 14, 2005 a total of 40 radio interviews were completed
to encourage safety along our shorelines and promote
the upcoming SHARK WEEK. There were more than 44.5 million
listeners, and a total of 9,702 airings on 2,979 stations
and network affiliates across the United States. Interviews
were completed nationally on Metro Source, USA Radio
Network, Westwood One, Sporting News Radio Network,
and XM Radio; three nationally syndicated talk shows;
the statewide network in Florida; and on top news, news-talk
and classic rock stations in the top radio markets.
First launched on Discovery Channel
in 1988, SHARK WEEK is cable television's longest-running
programming event. It premiered this summer from July
17 to 21, 2005 at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT) each evening. For
more information on Shark Week and other Discovery programming,
visit www.discovery.com.
NEED FOR TRANSPARENCY
TO MEET FCC GUIDELINES IN RADIO MEDIA RELATIONS
by Lynn Harris Medcalf
On April 13, 2005, the FCC released
a public notice informing broadcast licensees, cable
operators, and others that air video news releases (VNRs)
and all entities and individuals involved in the production
and provision of this material, of their respective
disclosure responsibilities under the Commission's sponsorship
identification rules. The provision requires that licensees
and operators clearly disclose to members of their audiences
the nature, source and sponsorship of the material that
they are viewing.
While many public relations organizations
have bristled at the prospect of clearly identifying
their clients to the media, we believe that PR practitioners
should actually welcome this type of transparency. This
may be exactly what public relations needs to bolster
its sometimes flagging image.
As public relations professionals,
we don't check our desire for truth at the door. If
we are not upfront, it can create a credibility gap,
not only with the media, also between our clients and
the publics they are seeking to reach. But it's equally
important to support the independent nature of newsgathering.
As Americans, we question any attempts by the government
to tell radio, television and cable producers how they
must produce and what they must present.
If you are in the position to pitch
stories to the media, and in particular radio, keep
in mind some principles:
1) Encourage editing of packaged
news items. Let your clients know that stations
are encouraged to edit at will any materials you send
to them. In our experience, radio stations rarely, if
ever, air produced pieces without alteration.
2) Don't ever use editing tricks
to get airplay. Some VNR and ANR producers package
items in such a way that their client's 'mention' cannot
be extracted from the piece. This secretive way of production,
almost trying to trick newsrooms into using their pieces
is bad for our industry. Hiding behind production tricks
will not gain coverage. Newsrooms are aware of this
trick and choose not to air these pieces at all.
3) Don't hide your client behind
an 'industry' expert. If you think your product
or trend won't get placed without an industry analyst
touting it, use a different medium to get your message
out, such as advertising. While pundits can work in
some circumstances, it grays the line between advertising
and public relations.
4) When you pitch a story, identify
yourself and your client. If you have a good story,
it won't matter whether it comes from your client or
the AP Wire. The key is to have a good story. If you
have doubts about your story's chances with the media,
don't pitch it!
5) Know the difference between
public relations, marketing and advertising. Having
a keen knowledge of the difference between these and
acting on that knowledge can save you much embarrassment
and difficulty with the media.
TECHNOLOGY VERSUS
TRADITIONAL RADIO LISTENERSHIP
by Martha Sharan
In one corner of the ring, there's
roadcasting, podcasting, webcasting, MP3 players, and
satellite services, and in the other corner there's
just a box. An audio receiver with a couple of dials
that you can use to tune in music, news, and lots of
chatter. It's called a radio, and as the two duke it
out to attract listeners, the heavyweight champ continues
to be: TRADITIONAL RADIO.
To track the latest trends in radio,
Arbitron, the company which provides ratings for radio
companies, completes a study every year called 'Radio
Today.' In the latest report, Arbitron found that in
the last seven years, traditional radio's reach to those
12-years-old and older continues to hold at about 94%.
Despite all the latest gadgets, gizmos, and alternative
ways of getting information, traditional radio's popularity
is second only to television.
News-talk formatted stations get
the biggest share of the audience. Sixteen percent of
Americans say they regularly listen to the news on the
radio. And it's interesting to note, a third of those
listening are in their cars, a third are in their homes,
and the rest are listening in a variety of places, such
as while exercising on the bike path or working on the
job site.
But how much longer will traditional
radio hold its listeners? This question weighs heavily
on the minds of local radio stations. Many are gearing
up to make sure listeners stay tuned-in.
The biggest threat to traditional
radio right now is Internet radio. Listeners are being
lured away by companies like NetRadio.com, an Internet
radio provider, offering 120 channels of music. It claims
to have 1.5 million listeners and is steadily penetrating
office walls and college dormitories.
In response, local radio stations
are creating their own Internet presence with audio
streaming broadcasts, trying to attract Internet radio
listeners with everything from free e-mail, concert
and artist information, to DJ profiles, and online sales
of CDs and other merchandise. This is where traditional
radio is putting its greatest resources: marketing,
promoting and encouraging advertisers to run more ads
on Internet broadcasts. Arbitron/Edison research shows
Internet radio listeners are 43% more likely to make
purchases from a web site than those who are not Internet
radio listeners.
In the future, satellite radio
may also be a formidable opponent to traditional radio.
For the moment it has less than four million subscribers,
but cnet.com reports that in five years, more than 20.1
million households will be hooked to satellite radio
creating a challenge for traditional radio to hold on
to its listeners.
New media is keeping the radio
industry on its toes. The good news is for the majority
of listeners, whether the radio signal is captured by
the car radio, satellite radio, portable radio or PC,
an audio receiver is simply an audio receiver and there's
one nearly everywhere. Society has talked about radio's
demise since it was born. First it was TV, then VCRs
and 8-track tapes. Radio has survived through every
technological advancement, you can think of. But history
has proven that radio is here to stay.
THE POWER OF
URBAN RADIO
by Curt Gill
The impact of the urban radio
audience can go overlooked in today's public relations
and marketing efforts. The perception is that this particular
listening group is somehow more difficult to reach than
their top-40 counterparts. This perception is trumped
by the phenomenon that is urban radio.
Of the top-10 radio markets in
the country, seven of them — New York, Los Angeles,
Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Washington, DC, and
Atlanta — have an urban formatted station at or near
the top of their local FM stations, in terms of listenership
figures.
This figure means more than it
perhaps implies. To achieve numbers of this significance,
the stations are reaching an audience that is more than
a core group of African American citizens. These numbers
reflect the influence of the hip-hop culture on groups
of all ethnicities. As a result, reaching out to the
Urban radio audience can result in reaching an audience
across social and fiscal strata. In fact, the Urban
radio market might have become the new American general
consumer market.
However, the importance of reaching
the African American audience should not be overlooked,
along with the issues that affect this audience. The
lack of a thorough distribution of important medical,
monetary and social information is often cited by community
leaders as contributing to the problems that remain
prevalent in certain cultures. For example, in February,
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said
black men had a life expectancy of 69.2 years in 2003,
compared to 75.4 years for white men. This fact is partially
attributed to a faulty system of providing important
medical advice to African American men.
Urban radio has a powerful voice
that is being under-utilized. Prominent DJs carry an
important message for their audiences and community.
By using these outlets, Urban radio can continue its
dynamic force in pop culture today.
Tuning In newsletter is produced and distibuted bi-annually. The goal of the newsletter is to educate clients on radio trends and industry tips, as well as highlight case studies and release survey information.
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