Sometimes, paving the road to future success requires a look back at what made a product desirable for years, or decades. Veteran radio programming consultant Clark Smidt believes much of what worked for radio station owners in the 1960s and 1970s still applies today. In his view, many of the owners of radio stations today are prime candidates for a trip back to the past to ensure a formidable future.
By Clark Smidt
BOSTON — As continuing students of broadcasting, we listen, read articles, communicate with friends in the business and apply it all to customer satisfaction and listener experience. Like zealous baseball fans, we like to keep score.
In the last couple of weeks subscriber-only Nielsen Audio ratings for all 268 markets were released. Here, in the Northeast, that’s some 16.3 million listeners for No. 1 New York City to 104,000 in Augusta, Maine, Market No. 260.
Annoyingly, all markets have partial scores. In some markets, you’re lucky if there are more subscribers than not. There are the stations falling below the line, too.
Without getting into gory specifics on numbers and shares, here are some general observations of many of the radio stations one can find — or cannot — in these Nielsen Audio surveys:
- We’re hearing the same old presentations.
- No new formats have appeared, even with ownership changes.
- Something must help AM radio stations besides news, sports and talk.
- Streaming is a minor no-show.
- Few HD stations get a 2.0 share.
We’re seeing plenty of statistics and stories showing radio’s adult audience reaching more than 92% of the country’s 228 million people 12+.
There’s finally some understanding that an ad dollar is an ad dollar, regardless of the spenders age. Baby Boomers and the 45+ listener are getting more notice. Alexa and the smart speaker are bring radio back in the home.
But, at the end of the day, it takes a real broadcaster to create real content. Automation, computer algorithms and spreadsheets don’t report the news. After a while, canned music lists and connecting your supposed favorite tunes also lose their luster.
Baseball players still need to hit, run, throw and field. Replay calls make sense, but we don’t use computer balls and strikes. We still need referees involved on the field with real players who play by the rules.
Engaging entertainment comes from DJs breaking the rules and stations thinking outside the box. TV without transmitters can swear for reality’s sake. Professional free-form is the elephant in the room ready to squash the dull and boring.
In the old WBZ promotion days, we had a saying: It’s not our stack of records being bigger than theirs. It’s total station participation that adds personality.
Overall local service. Wow … what a concept!
So, when checking the scores and seeing the same formats done the same ways with long spot breaks, there must be a better way to grab folks by the ears. Is it stand-out talk that leaves out politics? Would this feature lifestyle information for people within the sound of my voice? What about a great selection of hugely familiar music that never sees the light of day on the radio in some markets anymore?
Big companies have big signals with less than a one share. Mom and pops still get Business On Buzz because somebody wants to sponsor a high school football game.
Guiding the presentation, rearranging the content, coaching the team and changing the music doesn’t cost money. Try it. You might make some positive noise.
I wasn’t around at the start of commercial AM radio on KDKA in 1920, but I heard it survive TV, the start of rock and roll and attract a whole new generation even with the 1960s popularization of FM radio. We made it stand up and stand out with two speakers and twice the sound.
It’s time to do it again and let it be heard on all of today’s shiny new receivers.
Turn On and Tune In to Real Radio.
Broadcast Advisor Clark Smidt started on the air at WBIS-AM in Bristol, Conn., in July 1966 and signed on WWUH-FM at the University of Hartford two years later. He later enjoyed a lengthy career that saw the successful launches of WCOZ and WEEI-FM in Boston. Learn more about Smidt at BroadcastIdeas.com.
