Airwaves: August 6, 2010
Commercial Time
Ever notice that music stations seem to have commercials at the same time?
Thought it was coincidence? Think again. Turns out it is related to ratings.
Its done with science, and its much more than making sure you dont
give your listeners something to tune to if you break for commercials and your
competitor does not.
Arbitrons new electronic PPM ratings system gives credit to a
station as long as a listener tunes in for at least five minutes in a quarter
hour (every hour split into 15 minute increments). It doesnt have to
be continuous, as long as it is a minimum of five minutes. The reality, though,
is that many listeners will listen to a station until a commercial comes on,
then will tune away.
Place your commercial break at five minutes after the hour, and the listener
who tuned in at one minute past the hour may listen for four minutes, then
not come back until the next quarter-hour begins. If they tune away in another
four minutes, those eight minutes dont count at all because they are
in different quarters. Your ratings suffer. The same listener listens to your
competitor for only five minutes, but in one quarter hour, and they get the
credit.
You could theoretically have someone listen to your station for 16 minutes
in an hour and the system wont give you any credit at all, if the listening
was four minutes per quarter. Maddening!
But if you place those commercial breaks so that they evenly split the quarter
hours -- such as breaks from :13 to :17 and :43 to :47 and you have allowed
music -- and listeners -- to have 13 minutes of each quarter ... and a much
higher chance of earning those five minutes needed to register your rating
share, possibly in more quarters per hour.
It is said that music stations in some cities can do even better in the ratings
simply by placing commercials at :28 to :32 and :58 to :02, because those stations
not only get the quarter hour credits, they also attract by playing music when
the other stations run commercials.
Of course music stations wouldnt have to worry about this had they not
conditioned their listeners to long commercial breaks. If stations ran only
a commercial or two per break and got right back to the music, people wouldnt
punch the button as soon as a commercial started.
But they are conditioned ... Craig Powers told me years ago when he
programmed KMXN (94.3 FM) that they went to shorter breaks and cut the
commercial load ... only to find that the extra needed breaks made people think
they had more commercials. Unfortunately, perception supplants reality.
Why only music? Talk station listeners are more tolerant of commercials and
tend to stay with the station through breaks.
As I said, its a science. Also known, I suppose, as gaming the system.
Time with Dave
I happened to meet with The Sound (KSWD, 100.3 FM) programmer Dave Beasing
last week, the first time I really spent time talking with him since he launched
the station in the Summer of 2008.
Along with numerous other topics (including my promised suggestion to bring Dr.
Demento to The Sound ... he said hed consider it) the question came
up on what I think of the station.
An interesting question. I really like The Sound. I like the way it treats
listeners with respect; I like the way it runs things like surf reports; I
like the way it helps me work out at the gym; I like the way Andy Chanley gives
the background of some of the music and albums he plays. What would I change?
I wouldnt mind some more current music. Other than that I couldnt
think of anything.
Which then piqued my interest ... what would you change, if anything, about
The Sound? Or for that matter, any other station in town? Ill print interesting
responses right here.
Payola Case Settled
Spanish broadcaster Univision settled a probe into possible pay for play violations
by the Department of Justice and the FCC last week. They admitted no wrongdoing
but agreed to pay a $1 million penalty.
The investigation centered on former employees of the Univision Music Group (UMG);
that company was sold by Univision in 2008. Univision actually self-reported
the violations and according to a company statement cooperated fully
with law enforcement authorities throughout the (three-year) investigation
process.
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Copyright © 2010 Richard Wagoner and Los Angeles Newspaper Group.
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