PG 1 800.275.2840 THE MOST TRUSTED NEWS IN RADIO MORE NEWS» insideradio.com [email protected] | 800.275.2840 MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2015 Inside Story: Stations That Say No To Nielsen. Nielsen ratings may be industry currency for broadcast radio, but some stations are bravely opting out. Frustrated by what they say are small sample sizes, unreliable methodology and soaring expenses, a number of broadcasters are parting ways with Nielsen Audio, operating without ratings or subscribing to an alternative service. Most of the stations are in small and mid-sized markets and feel Nielsen just isn’t meeting their needs. “Our price for the service was higher than it was two, three, five years ago, in a market…that wasn’t growing,” says Dick Harlow, general manager for Dick Broadcasting in Greensboro, NC. At the end of October, his stations, classic rock “Rock 92” WKRR and CHR “KZL 107.5” WKZL, are terminating their Nielsen subscription, a bold move in a market measured by Nielsen’s PPM service since December 2010. Outside of the 48 PPM markets, Nielsen’s other 215 markets rely on results from handwritten paper diaries. Some station execs and media buyers gripe that the diaries rely on small samples and have unreliable participation, but, in a show of Nielsen’s influence, don’t publicly deride the service. They note, however, that the diaries can produce wild fluctuations in ratings and ranks from survey to survey. Multiple stations can also have nearly identical ratings. Some subscribers say they don’t even share ratings with local clients, but rather use them to track performance internally. Even if a station does not subscribe to Nielsen, they’re still being measured, and subscribing competitors, sales rep firms and media buyers can still see that data. Some Nielsen intel trickles back to non-subscribers, but Nielsen works hard to clamp down. (“We’re not supposed to share it,” says one media buyer. “Eventually, it always gets back to [Nielsen].” Legal Matters—Read about Saga’s clash with Nielsen last fall at InsideRadio.com. Selling Without Nielsen—Stress Results and Rep. In 2009, faced with a recession that had pummeled the advertising market, Galaxy Communications, which owns 13 stations in the Syracuse, NY and Utica, NY markets, parted ways with Arbitron, the measurement company acquired by Nielsen in Sept. 2013. It’s one example of several involving independent broadcasters who now sell on results and reputation instead of ratings. Galaxy CEO Ed Levine says he could no longer justify the soaring costs of the ratings, which ran about $300,000 per year. Revenue was flat, but the prices kept going up, he says. Faced with hard choices, “We laid off our ratings vendor instead of our staff,” Levine says. Independent broadcasters—who don’t have a corporate parent or cluster to help shoulder the financial burden—are most likely to be on the list of broadcasters taking the non-subscriber route. Those Nielsen-less station managers say that when they pitch advertisers, they go armed with client testimonials, case studies and ideas for promotions, events and tie-ins with on-air hosts. They use qualitative data to demonstrate their audiences’ attractiveness. “We talk about our assets,” says Steven Griffin, general manager for Seven Broadcasting-owned Jacksonville sports talk “1010XL” WJXL (1010, 92.5), which gave up Nielsen several years ago. WJXL is the flagship station for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars and Griffin says local advertisers are enticed by Jaguars-themed programming, access to the team and the station’s lineup of local shows. He doesn’t need Nielsen to prove out his strong following among adult male listeners. “For a standalone, sports radio station in market 50, it wasn’t a good fit,” he says. How-To Advice From Buyers—Accentuating a stations assets—its brand and history—always help; go to InsideRadio.com. Minus Nielsen, Stations Risk National Ad Loss. Giving up Nielsen measurement for your station can be a risky proposition. Radio is hugely popular in small and mid-sized markets, with more than 86% of consumers tuning in during the week and spending more than 15 hours of their media time with radio—according to Nielsen. Advertisers often want to see how stations stack up against their competitors and to drill down into demographic ratings. Ratings are particularly important in national and regional sales, typically handled by media buyers at agencies that may not be familiar with local stations, their market position and brands.
Inside Story: Stations That Say No To Nielsen. Nielsen ratings may be industry currency for broadcast radio, but some stations are bravely opting out. Frustrated by what they say are small sample sizes, unreliable methodology and soaring expenses, a number of broadcasters are parting ways with Nielsen Audio, operating without ratings or subscribing to an alternative service. Most of the stations are in small and mid-sized markets and feel Nielsen just isn’t meeting their needs. “Our price for the service was higher than it was two, three, five years ago, in a market…that wasn’t growing,” says Dick Harlow, general manager for Dick Broadcasting in Greensboro, NC. At the end of October, his stations, classic rock “Rock 92” WKRR and CHR “KZL 107.5” WKZL, are terminating their Nielsen subscription, a bold move in a market measured by Nielsen’s PPM service since December 2010. Outside of the 48 PPM markets, Nielsen’s other 215 markets rely on results from handwritten paper diaries. Some station execs and media buyers gripe that the diaries rely on small samples and have unreliable participation, but, in a show of Nielsen’s influence, don’t publicly deride the service. They note, however, that the diaries can produce wild fluctuations in ratings and ranks from survey to survey. Multiple stations can also have nearly identical ratings. Some subscribers say they don’t even share ratings with local clients, but rather use them to track performance internally. Even if a station does not subscribe to Nielsen, they’re still being measured, and subscribing competitors, sales rep firms and media buyers can still see that data. Some Nielsen intel trickles back to non-subscribers, but Nielsen works hard to clamp down. (“We’re not supposed to share it,” says one media buyer. “Eventually, it always gets back to [Nielsen].” Legal Matters—Read about Saga’s clash with Nielsen last fall at InsideRadio.com.
Selling Without Nielsen—Stress Results and Rep. In 2009, faced with a recession that had pummeled the advertising market, Galaxy Communications, which owns 13 stations in the Syracuse, NY and Utica, NY markets, parted ways with Arbitron, the measurement company acquired by Nielsen in Sept. 2013. It’s one example of several involving independent broadcasters who now sell on results and reputation instead of ratings. Galaxy CEO Ed Levine says he could no longer justify the soaring costs of the ratings, which ran about $300,000 per year. Revenue was flat, but the prices kept going up, he says. Faced with hard choices, “We laid off our ratings vendor instead of our staff,” Levine says. Independent broadcasters—who don’t have a corporate parent or cluster to help shoulder the financial burden—are most likely to be on the list of broadcasters taking the non-subscriber route. Those Nielsen-less station managers say that when they pitch advertisers, they go armed with client testimonials, case studies and ideas for promotions, events and tie-ins with on-air hosts. They use qualitative data to demonstrate their audiences’ attractiveness. “We talk about our assets,” says Steven Griffin, general manager for Seven Broadcasting-owned Jacksonville sports talk “1010XL” WJXL (1010, 92.5), which gave up Nielsen several years ago. WJXL is the flagship station for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars and Griffin says local advertisers are enticed by Jaguars-themed programming, access to the team and the station’s lineup of local shows. He doesn’t need Nielsen to prove out his strong following among adult male listeners. “For a standalone, sports radio station in market 50, it wasn’t a good fit,” he says. How-To Advice From Buyers—Accentuating a stations assets—its brand and history—always help; go to InsideRadio.com.
Minus Nielsen, Stations Risk National Ad Loss. Giving up Nielsen measurement for your station can be a risky proposition. Radio is hugely popular in small and mid-sized markets, with more than 86% of consumers tuning in during the week and spending more than 15 hours of their media time with radio—according to Nielsen. Advertisers often want to see how stations stack up against their competitors and to drill down into demographic ratings. Ratings are particularly important in national and regional sales, typically handled by media buyers at agencies that may not be familiar with local stations, their market position and brands.
They’re often making computerized buys and looking for the best cost-per-point. Buyers can still see non-subscribers in Nielsen ratings on their own systems, and, “As long as we can see it, it is good enough,” says a veteran media buyer. But sellers admit it puts them at a competitive disadvantage, as they can’t plead their case for better rates or to be included on the buy. However, large markets typically command the most national money. In the Syracuse market, since 2007, Galaxy Communications CEO Ed Levine says national ad dollars are down 50% and unlikely to rebound at a significant level. His stations now focus squarely on local business. To tempt advertisers, he has invested in marquee local and national sports, including rights to Syracuse University, the New York Yankees and New York Giants, and increased live events. “We have a lot of content that is really unique,” Levine says. In Jacksonville, Steven Griffin, general manager for Seven Broadcasting sports talk “1010XL” WJXL (1010, 92.5), says he still makes a national play, but focuses sales efforts on local. “Local advertisers don’t care about ratings,” he says. “They care about what you can do for them and ideas you have to make registers ring.” Nielsen Wants ‘Em Back—Read about efforts by the measurement giant to make their service more versatile and qualitative at InsideRadio.com.
NFL Fantasy Charges May Lead To Harsh Reality. The Fantasy Football movement is quickly transitioning from hot media buyer to hot water. Before the launch of the 2015 football season, its two dominant players—DraftKings and FanDuel—had already spent $110 million on TV, traditional and satellite radio, outdoor and digital. That figure quadrupled their ad spending over 2014. But they now face a gambling scandal. At issue—what was once deemed so huge an ad buy that it was considered “a new category of advertiser” is now being questioned by congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) to explore ties between online fantasy sports sites and gambling, claims of insider trading, and potential connections between the major professional sports leagues and fantasy sports businesses. Pallone, a ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, wants a panel that oversees pro sports and gambling to address his concerns, saying that “the legal landscape governing these activities remains murky and should be reviewed,” according to AP. The investigation has big implications for radio. Both companies have been steadily increasing their spot loads since spring, according to data provided to Inside Radio by Media Monitors. DraftKings has upped its count each month, from 6,037 in May to 15,365 (June) to 21,102 (July) to 43,136 (Aug.) to 63,485 (Sept.). FanDuel ran 2,505 spots in May and pulled way back in June and July, before running 18,486 spots in August and throttling to 76,091 in September. In all, over the past year, DraftKings has run 246,000 radio spots, while FanDuel has placed nearly 217,000. As Inside Radio previously reported, DraftKings spent $4.5 million on radio ads in 2014 while FanDuel allocated $5.2 million, according to Kantar Media. And in the first quarter of 2015, the two companies more than doubled what they spent on radio over the same 2014 period.
AM Station Totals Creep Lower. While the FCC considers what to include and what to leave on the table in its pending AM Revitalization Order, the number of AM stations on the air has continued a slide. The agency reports there were 4,692 licensed AM stations broadcasting at the end of September, continuing the slow-and-steady decline in stations on the band. That’s down from 4,705 at the end of 2014 and represents their lowest level in more than three decades. The number of licensed AMs hit that dubious distinction in the first half of 2014 and has been sliding ever since. Meanwhile, the number of commercial FM stations hit 6,688 at the end of September and the FM educational station count reached 4,090. The trend of using FM translators to launch new HD Radio-fed stations gained ground in the third quarter with 6,422 licensed FM translators and boosters on the air, up from 6,249 at the end of December 2014. A decade ago there were just 3,890 translators licensed.
Stations Help SC Relief Effort In Word, Deed. As South Carolina continues to clean up following historic amounts of rain and catastrophic flooding earlier this month, radio is also rallying its resources to aid those who have been displaced. Working
»» Nielsen’s updated CBET PPM encoders go live in Washington and Baltimore today.»» KBLX, San Fran launches a new live and local morning show with Mark Curry. Details»» New Cumulus Media CEO Mary Berner hosts an all-employee webcast Tuesday.»» Wisconsin Broadcasters Clinic at the Madison Marriott West Hotel, Tue-Thur.»» ANA Masters Of Maketing Conference, Wed-Sat, Orlando World Center Marriott. Details
with the American Red Cross and other groups, stations are collecting and delivering food, water, supplies and cash. Greater Media Charlotte, NC, outlets news talk “1110 AM” WBT and adult hits “107.9 The Link” WLNK collected 200,000 bottles of water to send to the state. Its drive was set up from 10am-7pm at the local Stonecrest Shopping Center, with delivery to Columbia, SC, donated by Two Men and a Truck and Harris Teeter. Water was delivered on Thursday to the Progressive Believers Baptist Church in Columbia, The American Red Cross, the Red Hill Baptist Church and other schools and shelters. Bo Thompson from WBT and Sheri Lynch from the Link’s “Bob & Sheri Show” were part of the caravan to unload and distribute the water. In addition, Summit Media in Greenville, SC, sponsored a Float for Hope Campaign, in which its urban AC “107.3 Jamz” WJMZ, rhythmic CHR “Hot 98.1” WHZT, and HD Radio-fed translator brands “97.7 Chuck-FM” and “X98.5FM” partnered with Harvest Hope Food Bank and The Urban League Of The Upstate to collect thousands of pounds of supplies, food and water. Its bounty was dropped off at the Phillis Wheatley Center in Greenville, for those impacted by the South Carolina floods. According to the Harvest Hope Food Bank, this was the largest drive in the upstate region for victims. In hard-hit Columbia, SC, Alpha Media partnered with NBC affiliate WIS-TV and the American Red Cross to help flood victims. Over a period of two days, their radiothon/telethon raised $736,000 in funds.
Contest Rule Change—Not Till At Least Dec. The FCC’s modernized contest rules have been published in the Federal Register, taking them one step closer to becoming reality after a years-long initiative by broadcasters and regulators to bring them into the digital age. Attorney David Oxenford notes in a blog post that the publication is to allow the Office of Management and Budget to review them under the Paperwork Reduction Act, a step required before any new rules requiring any recordkeeping or other paperwork become effective. “While it is not expected that these new rules will be at all controversial at the OMB, as most parties believe that the new rules will greatly simplify their operations, an opportunity for parties to file comments on the paperwork burden is still required,” Oxenford writes. Comments can be filed through Dec. 7, meaning the rules won’t go into effect before then. Until that time, stations are still required to continue disclosing the material terms of their contests on the air. Once OMB approves the rules, radio and TV stations will have the option of disclosing all necessary contest information on a publicly accessible website instead of reading them on the air.
What Song Defines Fave Station Most? ‘You’ve Got a Friend.’ Nearly two-thirds of P1 listeners (63%) think of the station they listen to most as a friend, and most of them see that station as a close friend. That’s according to an online survey of 1,104 P1 listeners in the U.S. conducted by Mark Kassof & Co. The survey asked respondents to imagine the station they listen to most as a person, and what (if anything) that person would be to them. Among the choices were a parent, spouse/significant other, child, extended family, close friend, casual friend, neighbor, acquaintance, boss, coworker, stranger and teacher. The survey inserted the actual name of the station the respondent listened to the most into the question, “What would [station listen to most] be to you? That is, what would his/her relationship be to you? Pick the one word that best describes it.” Close Friend, selected by 37% of respondents, topped the results, followed closely by Causal Friend (26%). None of the other choices even came close, and included Acquaintance (9%), Extended Family (7%), Neighbor (6%), Spouse/Significant Other (4%) and Coworker and Stranger (3% each). Other responses garnered 2% or less. The study reinforces research conducted in November 2011 by the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School For Communications. Underwritten by Katz Radio Group, the 2011 study of 600 avid radio listeners found an overwhelming majority (82%) expressed feelings and exhibited behaviors consistent with “parasocial identification” or a one-sided “para-social” interpersonal relationship in which one party feels as though they know a great deal about the other.
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QUALITY RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN RADIO STATIONS AND LISTENERS SHOULD CREATE FREQUENT AND REGULAR INTERACTION.On social media, we can measure this with engagement and consumption—both of which show loyalty to a station and can signal willingness to purchase from an advertiser. There are a series of small steps customers go through before buying from an advertiser. These steps often look like this:
1) AWARENESS 2) RESEARCH 3) ENGAGEMENT 4) PURCHASE
Many people think that social media is a tool to create awareness. However, social media is more effective if used to build conversations and engagement. Think of social media as a dialog with your listeners. It needs to include talking, listening and meaningful exchange.
If you flip the script and use social media to reinforce real-life conversations and interactions, it will be more effective. For example, say you meet a listener at an event, take their photo and post it to your station’s social media. It’s only natural for the listener to re-share the photo because they are excited about the event. This interaction builds engagement, and as a bonus, it builds awareness among your listeners’ friends.
This approach to social media is extremely effective. In fact, with specialized social media tools for events such as Snapifeye, it is common to see a 500% + increase in engagement and consumption. When you build rapport with people at events and activate them on social media, you create powerful brand advocates.
See how one radio station increased its digital consumption by over 800% >> Snapifeye Radio Case Study
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SALES MANAGER
Tired of the Mega company rat race?
Want to work for a company where your efforts are appreciated? Santamaria Broadcasting seeks a Sales Manager for our Minneapolis Stations. Successful candidates should have a minimum of 5 years radio sales experience and a proven track-record of sales success and leadership.
If you are ready to take on a new challenge where the rewards will match your efforts,send resume to:
SummitMedia Honolulu currently has an opening for a Vice President of Sales to oversee the sales department for all six SummitMedia Honolulu radio stations. This position is responsible for creating, driving, and achieving revenue goals of the cluster. Duties include but are not limited to developing, strategizing and executing a comprehensive sales plan designed to achieve revenue goals, training and developing a talented sales staff, monitoring sales activities on the stations, and making client calls with the sales staff. Job Requirements Here.
If interested in applying for this position, please forward a resume to:
SummitMedia Birmingham, Attn: Helen Mitchell,
2700 Corporate Drive, Suite 115, Birmingham, AL 35242.
qual ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE - AUSTIN, TXYou are the best of the best. You are self-motivated, creative, a pro-active problem solver, tenacious, detail-oriented, money-motivated and approach this job as if you are your own CEO. You are a self-starter, organized, detail-oriented and have the ability to work without much direct supervision. Entercom is seeking AE’s for 94.7 MIX FM, Magic 95.5 FM and Talk Radio 1270 AM/96.3 FM. Entercom has the latest tools and technology, the most knowledgeable management and is known as offering the best work environment for selling radio advertising in the industry. Nobody in the Austin market can offer more to their clients than Entercom Austin.
Successful candidates are experts in: Strategic targeting of clients; Prospecting and relationship building; and setting face to face appointments. Find more qualifications and requirements HERE.
In keeping with the other members of the Entercom Teams, the #1 trait we hire for is “WINNING ATTITUDE”. We are looking for driven individuals who refuse to lose or compromise their level of success. If this describes YOU, please forward your resume and career success stories today: [email protected]. Equal Opportunity Employer
