Dave Van Dyke Has Some "Good" (sort of) News

Van Dyke's Bridge Ratings has been tracking traditional radio listeners' use of new media for several years now, and in the latest tracking audience erosion is slowing in most demographics.

Audience Attrition Study Updated through September '05: Click Here

For example, where a 16% increase in alternative media use by Adults 35-64 was reported in February 2005, in September 2005 use had risen only 13%. Meanwhile, listening to traditional radio by this age group continues to rise from 70 quarter hours a week (Q4 2004) to 75.

The cuts in clutter which started at Clear Channel on 10/1/2004 certainly appear to be making a difference. Is your station still running the same commercial and promotional/value-added load that you were a year ago? Shares are a zero-sum game, and when one cluster of stations inproves their time spent listening and goes UP, someone else must go down. Unless everyone cuts clutter. Then, average persons using radio will go up.

Sounds like a very good plan to me.