5.+Radio+Strategy

When I googled talk/information radio stations, I was surprised by how many different stations there are. There is a station for almost every interest. Some examples I found were Pirate Christian Radio and Your Money Matters. I went to look at the different talk/information stations that SiriusXM offers and found a variety of stations. Some examples are Doctor Radio, Blue Collar Radio, Road Dog Trucking, and Cosmo Radio. (Samantha Boden, 12/9/11)

when discussing radio programming, the 10 most popular formats were interesting to me. first, i never realized how many different types of radio programs are out there. secondly, i do not know if the order of the 10 means anything, but if so, number one-- heritage talk surprised me. i would think programs dealing with entertainment and sports would be more popular. i also did not know success talk radio shows even existed. i thought these types of programs were only on tv. (sarah davis 12/7/11)

I never realized that Sirius Satellite Radio merged with XM radio to create Sirius XM. I also did not know that Howard Stern did broadcast radio before satellite radio, and that he is very important to Sirius radio's success. (Peter O'Daniel 12/5/2011)

According to chapter 12 of the Eastman article, there are 6 factors in the rise of talk/information radio. Although there are cultural and social influences that have definitely contributed to an increased and growing interest in talk/information radio, there have also been technological, economic, and policy changes that have tremendously affected broadcast radio and expanded the boundaries of the kinds of content that we come into contact with when we engage with talk radio. The six key factors are (1) the decline of distribution costs due to satellite technology, (2) the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, (3) acceptance of formerly taboo topics, (4) migration of music-oriented audiences to FM, (5) proliferation of cellular phones, and finally (6) the attraction of format for advertisers. (Alyssa Rossman-Rorman 12/3/11)

This week we did the activity where we had to make hypothetical changes to a station's song rotation. I thought it was an interesting activity to actually see what program directors have to go through. I can see how it could be difficult decisions in the sense that you don't want to burn bridges with artists by taking off and replacing one of their songs with a newer song if it's not their time. There's a lot of thought that goes into this process and you have to put your own preferences to the side. I also didn't take into consideration that if you take a slower ballad off the power charts you should probably replace it with another slower ballad and not just have all up beat songs all the time. (Rachel Schmitt 12/3/11)

The online lecture discussed individual radio shows that are "off-net." While reading I was reminded of Case Kasem's American Top 40 radio show. This radio show was such a big part of my youth and seeing it again reminded me how much of an impact radio had on my life and youth before the introduction of the MP3 player and iPod. I have such vivid memories of listening to American Top 40 with Casey Kasem every Sunday morning on the drive to Hebrew school (it was the only part of the morning that I actually enjoyed). It was not only part of the routine, but something I consistently looked forward to. The best part of the show was that by the time the number one song in the country played, it meant that I was back in the car with my brother and we had a whole afternoon in front of us. (Alyssa Rossman-Rorman 11/21/11)

In class the other week you mentioned the different ways to maintain a consistent on-air sound across all components. This includes when a radio station has contests, jingles, sales remotes, and a station voice. Back in California, there is this radio talk show called //The Petros & Money Show.// They hold various contests for their listeners and often reward them with tickets to sporting events. The example I wanted to talk about was the idea of sales remotes. For every Monday Night Football game, //The Petros & Money Show// airs their show from various Claim Jumper restaurants around Southern California. This is a mutual business to business partnership. (Michael Holmquist 11/16/11)

The propositions Turow describes on page 383 about listening patterns are a general start, but there are definitely more. In class on 11/14 we talked about power records and their frequency. I was reminded of how much I dislike the constant repetition of songs when I am taking a road trip (like when I am driving to school) and I would rather have a wide range of music with no replays. Whereas, if I am driving only for an hour or less I want to make sure I hear all of my newest most favorite songs. Therefore, another category of listening patterns can be that, “individuals listening choices depend on the amount of time they are in their car and where they are going.” Chances are every hour you do not want to hear the same song, but maybe every three or four hours is better. If a big portion of a station’s demographic is 18-23 it is safe to say that in August, November, December, March and May listeners are making long commutes between home and school, so maybe power records are rotating with bigger intervals than usual making the car ride more fun with more music. (Haley Winer 11/16/11)

The station I interned for was 101.9 The Mix in Chicago .. here's a link to their website http://www.wtmx.com/home.php After discussing in class today about the different music tests, I remember hearing from people at my internship, that The Mix had their own type of music testing as well. I never participated in it, but I know it involved people sitting in a room listening to their playlists and voting on them. Another aspect this station has is called a Mix Insider list where people can sign up and get the first look at any prizes, giveaways, and concerts the Mix gives out before the general public sees. They also have immediate access to win prizes from the station as well. This is a special group of a ton of devoted listeners to The Mix and I remember filling tons of prizes to send out to mix insiders at the station. (Rachel Schmitt 11/16/11)

Table 11.4 in MT11 is a guide to radio station formats in the U.S. Since I am from Orlando, Florida, I thought it would be interesting to think about the radio stations from home that I listen to most frequently and try to figure out what format(s) they fall under. **WMMO 98.9 FM**: Soft Rock & Roll; Adult Contemporary (AC) AC is "an adult-oriented pop/rock station with no hard rock; often a greater emphasis on noncurrent music" (382). **WXXL 106.7 FM**: Today's Hit Music; Top 40/Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR) CHR is "current popular music, often encompassing a variety of rock styles" (382). **WPYO 95.3 FM**: The New #1 for Hip Hop and R&B; Hip Hop (RB, CHR) RB "covers a wide range of musical styles; can also be called urban contemporary" (382). **WOMX 105.1 FM**: The Best Mix of the 80s, 90s, & Today; Hot AC/ "Adult CHR" Hot AC is "a more up-tempo, contemporary hits format, with no hard rock and no rap" (382). (Alyssa Rossman-Rorman 11/13/11)


 * Alyssa--I have added links that show either the station's playlist or sample titles. I agree with your categories. Dr. P 11/14/11

In my sorority we always have the same radio station on, KIIS on 102.7, in the bathroom. After hours of listening to KIIS for the past two years in the shower, I have started to piece together the angle they go for as well as the advertisers they appeal to. Since they tend to repeat songs in order to get ratings by having a high "cume" or high number of people listening to the station for at least 15 minutes. They tend to draw to people who want to listen to the catchy song of the minute, like Moves like Jagger, or Adele's Someone Like You. This particular station makes money by selling to local advertisers. I've noticed a lot of repeat advertisements which makes me think they have a long standing negotiation. Plato's Closet by College Mall as well as HuHot, the new restaurant in town, are always being talked about. HuHot also has a sweepstakes prize where you can win a free dinner through KIIS if they are the X number person to call and it happens quite frequently.

A Program Director can take advantage of the billboard chart information in multiple ways. Seeing what songs are doing the best and are most popular can help a PD organize the track list for his/her station. If he/she likes the variation she sees on the billboard chart (artist, genre, tempo variation) she can then mimic the track list. Whether it is for KIIS-FM or a country station, the PD can look at the billboard charts for each genre (country, rock, R&B etc.) and then decide what action they want to take and ultimately, what fits. Also, the PD can then look at their records/set-list and decide if they want to focus on the Cume or TSL. If the song “We Found Love,” by Rihanna continually stays at number on the billboard charts the PD may decide that her track will be the power record and the station will then replay it multiple times a day to increase their CUME. However, if the songs are constantly changing in their ranking the PD may decide to focus on TSL and have a diversity day, in which no songs are repeated and considered power records. (Haley Winer 11/9/11)

When I was thinking about my radio listening habits, I realized that I basically listen to the same type of formats, no matter where I am (home in Ohio or here at school). I tend to gravitate towards contemporary hit radio stations and contemporary stations. I like to listen to the stations playing the "top 40" hits as well as stations that provide music that is not too recent, such as from a few years ago. Also, when thinking about jingles/slogans of each station, I noticed that I could recite from memory some of the popular stations at home in Ohio there jingles. I also then realized that each station has a specific jingle or tune that they use to "brand" their name so that people can know just from the jingle that it is their station. (sarah davis 11/7/11)

I recently interned for a Hot AC radio station (or previously called Top 40's) this past summer. The main demographic for the station was women ages 18-34. While interning there, I worked many sales remote events for them. One in particular, the Nights of Style event hosted by one of the DJ's that many of the women who listened to the station liked and related to. The sponsor of the whole event was Diet Pepsi and a sales account rep was the one who ended up getting Diet Pepsi on board for the whole account and event. We had to give out Diet Pepsi at the event as well as use their logo on the bar and goodie bags we were giving away. This is just an example of how radio is more than music, but we actually promote other brands as well to get sponsorship (Rachel Schmitt, 11/7/11)
 * Rachel--What station was it? I'm dying to know! Post a link to their website. Dr. P 11/14/11

I’m from a small town in southern Indiana and many of the local stations are independently owned. Consequently, many utilize a blunting programming strategy in which the majority employs a contemporary country music format. Instead of the stations differentiating themselves via different music programming formats, they often distinguish themselves by the means of the local high school sports teams they provide coverage of. Often they refer to themselves as “Home of the Rangers, Wildcats, Patriots, etc.” (Carly Leonard, 11/07/11)

The opening of chapter 2 has a quote from Lowry Mays, Clear Channel CEO, stating, "If anyone said we were the radio business, it wouldn't be someone from our company. We're not in the business of providing news and information. We're not in the business of providing well-researched music. We're simply in the business of selling our customers' products". This seems to be a customer-focused business approach, which means they create a product they know will sell, not just might sell. This is different from a production-oriented approach, where they would create a product, and then try to sell it. (Ava Cross 9/2/11)


 * Good comment Ava. And, the Mays quote would //might// not sit real well with the person in charge of //programming// a Clear Channel station. It is easy to forget that if the audience that the program delivers is not able to be sold to advertisers, the station is in big trouble. Dr. P (9.6.11)