Tag: "Portable People Meter"
June PPM Review: Sample Change Hypothesis
By Clark Smidt
Broadcast Advisor
BOSTON — Once upon a time, anyone could look at an Arbitron book and see all results for all stations, all dayparts, all demos, shares and cume with an exact Metro and TSA sample size.
Today, having simple access to only the very broad share and cume trends from subscribers, invites conjecture and imagination.
The current Spring Diary Markets, now being released, often show just one, two or three subscribers. A “do not sell” top-line number for ALL signals would add credibility for radio. Let’s check a few June Portable People Meter snap shots:
Hall Talk 2017
Al Herskovitz
H&H Communications
President
BRADENTON, Fla. — In addition to all the other valuable and important matters that were explored at the just-completed “TALKERS 2017” conference in New York City, I enjoyed one extra benefit by attending. It was the opportunity to meet face-to-face and exchange ideas with some of the folks whose responsibility it is to sell the advertising that supports the talk media and hopefully to make it profitable. And the challenge before us clearly appears to be growing. It is a topic we’ve been discussing for years now, but these days it has blossomed into a gigantic bloom. Why? Because of the new technology that allows any individual — even in his or her own bedroom — to create and present a talk show on any topic and make it available to the entire world.
Typical Is Your Enemy
By Holland Cooke
Radio Consultant
BLOCK ISLAND, RI — In 1976 or 1986 or 1996, he would’ve cranked it up. Here in the future, “Hotel California” comes on and the listener might hit scan. Or, increasingly, skip.
Someone JUST-tuning-in at 14 past the hour on a cloudy morning hears the announcer assure that the next Traffic & Weather Together On-the-Threes update is just nine minutes away. Or “WHAT A NIGHT AT WRIGLEY!” teases a sportscast into spots. Are we naïve enough to think people aren’t toting smartphones?
Yes, you’re really hearing this from a consultant. I do install success templates. In the 21 years since I last had an employer, I’ve paid my mortgage by assuring clients that “nothing I recommend is an experiment.” And the logic of if-it-works-do-it/if-it-doesn’t-don’t becomes even more obvious as radio has overdone what works until it doesn’t; and has cost-cut until innovation becomes cost-prohibitive.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Arbitron Client Conference: “Radio Retains 93% of Audience Through Spot Breaks.” That good news comes from the study, “What Happens When the Spots Come On?” from Arbitron, Coleman Insights and RCS/Media Monitors. But what it means is not that 93% of listeners stay through a whole stop set. Some go away and some new ones come in with the aggregate being that only 7% of the listenership disappears during a given spot break. The study analyzed 17.9 million spot breaks and 61.9 commercial minutes in the 48 markets using the Portable People Meter. But programmers and sales managers are being cautioned not to interpret the data as meaning that people aren’t bothered by too many spots and that 93% will sit through anything. One thing the study appears to confirm is that spoken-word radio such as sports, news/talk and all-news do a better job of keeping their audiences through stop sets.
KDKA, Pittsburgh Program Director Marshall Adams Exits. After six years with CBS Radio’s legendary KDKA, Pittsburgh, program director Marshall Adams announces his contract with the station is up and he is leaving for other opportunities. Adams states, “It has been a privilege working for this heritage station which, as a child, gave me my first impressions of radio. It was a dream come true every time I was able to crack the mic for a KDKA newscast. I am very grateful to CBS Pittsburgh market manager Michael Young for giving me this terrific opportunity. I am going to miss the staff very much. They’re an incredibly talented group of people and each one of them has enriched my life.” There’s no word from CBS Pittsburgh who will take over the PD position at KDKA.
Cox Media Group Adds Sports Content to WXKT-FM, Gainesville, Georgia. Cox Media Group removes much of the syndicated news/talk programming from WXKT-FM, Gainesville, Georgia and re-positions the station as “Bulldog 103.7 North Georgia’s News, Sports & Information Station.” Premiere Networks’ Jim Rome is added for middays and Yahoo! Sports programming fills in the evening and overnights. Martha Zoller’s news/talk program moves from the 7:00 am to 11:00 am slot to 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. The morning news program with Tim Bryant expands to 6:00 am to 9:00 am. America’s Radio News Network’s all-news block airs in the PM drive slot.
Clear Channel Names Two to Management Roles in Spokane. Clear Channel announces Dan Manella is the new market manager for the Spokane, Washington cluster and Michael LaCrosse takes on the operations manager for the cluster that includes news/talk KQNT. Manella most recently served with CBS Radio in Chicago as general sales manager at WXRT-FM and as senior AE at sports WSCR. LaCrosse most recently served as operations director at Cumulus’ WLS-FM, Chicago.
On the Set of Modern Family. Talk Radio Network and KFI, Los Angeles radio personality Phil Hendrie recently taped an episode of the hit TV show “Modern Family” in which he plays the character “Boots.” Hendrie is pictured here on the set of the program (from l-r) with actor Ed O’Neill, director Michael Spiller, Hendrie, and actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson. On appearing on the program, Hendrie says, “It’s not hard to figure out why ‘Modern Family’ is a hit show. Everyone, Ed O’Neill, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, all of the crew, they were kind, complimentary and helpful. Very, very positive people to be around. I’m so grateful for the experience. Thanks ‘Modern Family!’”
2012 Presidential Race, Payroll Tax Cut Issue, Jerry Sandusky Arrested on New Charges, Iran’s Nuclear Program and Blagojevich Sentenced Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (12/7). The GOP field of candidates for president, the debate over the payroll tax cut extension, former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky arrested on more sexual abuse charges, Iran’s nuclear weapon ambitions and the lost CIA drone and former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s 14-year sentence on corruption charges were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday.

The Changing Program Director/Talent Dynamic
Critiquing talk radio talent in the modern era proves challenging as the role of the PD and structure
of the industry undergo massive changes
By Mike Kinosian
Special Features Correspondent
“This could hurt your feelings, but it is being said for your own good.”
Such verbiage has been the basis for any one of countless program director-conducted aircheck sessions throughout the years in every conceivable radio format.
Quite possibly even more so than ever and as hyperbolic as it may sound, a program director supremely performing duties as a motivating talent coach is worth his or her weight in gold, silver, bronze and platinum.
“Directing” is, of course, a derivative form of the program director title. Analyzing on-air personalities while simultaneously providing key components of constructive criticism, positive encouragement and guidance was once a basic calling card for anyone aspiring to be an upper-echelon programmer. To say it is a dying, if not lost, proficiency is the height of understatement. It is however clearly a two-way process, deeply rooted on a foundation of reciprocated trust. If or when that is shattered, progression for the two parties becomes tenuous at best.
Achieving the elusive goal of “success” can have its downsides since that particular nebulous description can lead one to think he or she is above any form of critique or direction – especially from someone they perceive to be a “lowly” program director. Chaos becomes the inevitable and seamy result.