Guest Commentary On Radio's Engagement Goals

Lately, every time I click on something, especially a link on Facebook, I have to sit through a commercial that's up to 30-seconds in length.  It's getting rarer and rarer that you get an ad where you can bail out after 5-seconds.

Yesterday, I wanted to stream a station and was greeted with a 15-second spot for the Washington Lottery.  But the stream died and I had to restart it, only to hear that exact spot again.  Without getting into all the reasons why, I had to hear that exact commercial 6 times within 5 minutes.  UNCLE!

Not all, but a lot of these ads are being bonused to stations' best advertisers.  So, if we're GIVING them away, why not stick to the shortest ones -- the 10s?  I've seen them cross my desk and it is frequently the option of the AE to select which spot the station can use. 

Have we reached a time when the sales department no longer thinks about the listener and what used to be part of what we called Listener Fatigue?  The Internet is not like a radio station where the listener knows he/she is waiting for music and can turn the radio down, mentally tune out, or literally tune out.   But when people click onto a link on the Internet, it's literally in your face.  You're sitting at a computer monitor or tablet with your nose pressed against a video screen, so it's difficult to escape the ad without shutting down the browser.  On top of that, you're liable to get the exact same ad over and over if you are clicking around to various sites.  I can't believe that leaves an impression that the advertiser wanted.

To me, there's no longer anything that is worth sitting through a 30-second spot in my face.  More often than not, I say, "Forget it," and go back to what I was doing. 

Doesn't it seem like a good idea to drop a cookie into the person's browser to let the advertisers know they've already made their point and to give the listener a break for a change?

  -- Jon Badeaux

PS:  When I first left BP Consulting Group back in the mid-90s and went back on my own as a consultant, Jon was my first associate and I still worship his intelligence and integrity, as do many of A&O&B's long-standing clients.

Managing Engagement

When Clarke Ingram was PD of KRQQ/Tucson he remembered the old radio programming saw "the more times you say your call letters, the higher your ratings will be."  So, he mandated that his personalities say "K-R-Q" a minimum of 60 times per hour and the station hit a TEN share.

PPM, of course, has changed the metrics in larger markets, but Lord Kelvin's maxim ("If you can't measure it, you can't improve it") still holds true with smart programmers.

• Want to improve the time listeners spend with your radio station?  Figure out how many occasions your average fan spends with you and create ways to grow that number.
• Want to build your email database?  Figure out why your current list subscribed and do more of the things - free concert tickets, discounts on valued planned future purchases, learn how to buy the best seats in advance.
• Want to improve the level of engagement your social and text fans have with your radio station?  It's tempting to begin counting the responses from listeners in answer to questions you post and ask more of those same questions day after day.  

That can grow your numbers short term, but it also will dilute the authentic character of your personality images, making the kind of social interactions you have more like the very same kind everyone else you compete with also has.

Just like a political candidate, it is important to resonate with the values of your target if you hope to win the election.  But, taken too far, everyone stands for the same things, making some positions and content too generic to build memorability and loyalty.

Before starting a count of anything, the savvy programmer figures out what makes each personality unique and appealing to the largest numbers of target listeners, coaching to improve the quality and consistency of those moments.

That way, as engagement stats build, so does the stickiness of each voice on the radio station on all available touch points.

Allow Me To Propose One More Initial

I admire Cox Radio for the way it operates and manages its radio stations as indicated by the titles it uses for programming executives and it was great to see the Drew Bland's appointment this week in Orlando as further evidence of it.

What used to be called a "PD" is now "B&P," and I'll bet it won't be long until that position gets another letter:  "BP & E."

Today's radio programmer certainly protects the brand, spending a lot of time improving programming, but the importance of new media can't be understated as well.

A big part of today's "B&P" job is also overseeing, encouraging and perfecting all forms of listener engagement as well.

What's In It For You?

When it comes to excuses on "why I don't need to do that," I've heard them all.

1.  "I don't need to do remotes or other personal appearances.  It kills the theater of the mind I create.  I'd prefer to use the magic of radio and have them picture me the way they want to.  If they meet me face to face, that's gone."

Nice try.  My theory on this one is that this person is naturally shy and insecure.  Maybe they got into radio so they could be outgoing and be themself without ever having to face rejection.

As their manager/coach, assure them that everyone is insecure and shy and those of us in the entertainment business can't be as successful as our potential if we don't face and overcome that demon.

Sometimes you simply have to force them out of that comfort zone, placing a set number of remote broadcasts and public appearances in their employment agreement so they have no choice but to do them if they want the job.

Make them get out in front of the broadcast desk close to people, looking each listener they meet directly in the eye and repeat the listener's name as least three times as they interact with them. 

Often, this alone fixes the problem as they begin to realize that people who come wanting to meet them enjoy their personality and they have nothing to fear.

2.  "I don't do social media.  My entire show is social."

No, it's not.  It's a broadcast.  If you get too personal on AM/FM radio by playing every request people ask for, using every phone call you get on air without editing them, your ratings are going to go down because your show will be loved by the folks who call, but boring to the mass audience.

If being on the radio for you is just to have people call you and tell you how wonderful you are because you do your show just for them, you're never going to be as successful if you talk to everyone, but do it with a "one to one" vocabulary.

Your task when the microphone is open is to curate everything that is going on right now.  Choose only the best material and maximum value to the listener who chooses to sample you.

Keep them listening longer by being as entertaining and engaging as possible.

Use all of your social tools to build those personal relationships one person at a time.

Tailor which social platforms you use to the tastes of each individual listener.  Use them all, but don't broadcast one post to all of them.  Consider what makes a user of each platform choose that one and make sure they know you understand what makes them unique and special, not just a number in your database.

Need a good example of how this is done?  I have one word for you:  Ellen.

If her great example along with those intellectual/logical explanations don't work, I go for the jugular and tell the personality that failing to use every medium at their disposal in exactly the way its users expect will cost them competitively in the ratings.

To #1:  if you don't get out into the community and also use social and expect the audience to grow every day, you better be the most consistently entertaining personality available to your target in every minute of every day so that they never get tempted to try anything else.  Cume is always going down unless you work hard to keep it growing.

To #2:  If you knew exactly who had ratings diaries or was carrying a Personal People Meter right now, wouldn't you want to take extra care to find out what they are doing, what they like and dislike?

Try this experiment:

Go to the mall and randomly ask people if they have ever participated in the radio ratings.  If you ask 100 people, you'll be lucky to find five who say yes.

At your next public appearance or remote broadcast, ask the very same question (do NOT do it on social platforms or you'll probably get delisted!) and you'll find that as many as one in ten (or even more) answer in the affirmative.

The point is not to do stealth marketing, but to prove to your recalcitrant talent:

The people who reach out to you socially and come out to say hello to you are more than twice as likely as the average person to participate in the radio ratings when they receive that call.

Don't you want as real and close a relationship with them as you can possibly have?

Impersonally Personal

Creating universally relatable emotional experiences driven by personal stories:  that's what the best of AM/FM audio media does to engage more than 90% of the population every day of the week

You can only do that by talking to as large a cume audience as possible - one person at a time - when the microphone is open.  That's called intimacy, and it's our greatest strength.

Each listener feels that you are talking only to her personally, even if he is riding in a van pool with six others.  At some level, they know they are an "audience," but due to theater of the mind it feels like you're talking only to each individual.

When the mic is off, all other hours of the day, live appearances and social media require a completely different approach.

Change gears.  Genuinely talk to each person.  Listen to his story, being as personal in response as possible.  Make each individual who "likes" and "follows" you feel as if you want to get to know him by name, face to face.  This is what makes being an AM/FM personality so important.  As a bonus:  it feels good to do.

There is no other medium that can equal the real, enduring relationships built on mutual trust that doing it consistently well creates.

Yet Another New "Job Description"

Here's the next "Enlarged" Title after GM and Program Director.

Let's face it, the folks formerly called "listeners" (if they ever actually were really listening as intently as our talent felt they had been) clearly don't have the time or interest to pay attention to anything that doesn't immediately concern them right now.

DMR/Interactive COO Andrew Curran:  Back when AM radio played the hits or more recently when Howard Stern ruled morning drive, the term "listener" adequately described our audience.  In today's digital and mobile environment, we have an opportunity to think about our audience in a new way. They are no longer just listening to the radio. They are commenting on it, promoting it, creating it, sharing it, evaluating it, and talking about it. 

He just got the ball rolling yesterday by setting up a new LinkedIn group "Audience Evolution," (click to join it) facilitating a conversation that will help strengthen the relationship radio has with our audience and our advertisers.

One of the first posts to the group came from Arbitron Director of Programming Servicess Jon Miller:  "We should take a cue from other industries and start thinking of our target audience as consumers, not just listeners."

Others: 

Thom RogersBusy and doing at least one other thing.
Jim RobertsRadio should take a tip from the software industry where consumers are called “users.”

Add your voice to this conversation so your "listener" doesn't become "apathetic, uninterested bystander."

Seconding The Emotion

Tom Taylor Now:

Larry Rosin of Edison did the presentation at the Nashville Convention Center, illustrating the fight for media time that exists between television (CMT, Great American Country, etc.), country videos on YouTube, Pandora, and mobile devices. He says Americans want the device that’s the easiest to use in a particular environment. At home, that’s TV. At work, it’s the Internet. In the car, it’s still radio. 

 Ed Ryan of RadioInk:

Megan Lazovick of Edison Research presented detailed information about the Country radio listener at CRS yesterday in an "Ethnographic Study." Lazovick went out across the country and spent days with listeners, observing how they consume music and what the country music format means to them.

Ryan caught both of them by phone yesterday and the entire interview is worth the time: 

“...radio remains most people’s primary way to interact with the country music they love..."

As usual, the number of CRS attendees in research presentation panels was disappointing considering the power of the information.  My fear is that we're all so time-challenged that Larry's key point, which comes right at the end isn't going to have the impact it deserves.

So, I cut to the chase for you:  LarryRosin-CRS2013.mp3 is just a little over a minute.

Please download it and share it with everyone who communicates with listeners at your radio station.

One year ago, Larry's CRS research stressed the importance of being local and our largest radio companies have ignored that advice.

This year, the advice isn't for owners.

It's for you.

Reaffirmation: A Note From A Friend

Anne Silberman writes:

Since I've been out of radio for a few years, and have lived all across the country since 2010, I've had a chance to talk to many people, casually, about their relationship with their favorite radio stations.

These conversations happened out of the blue and quite naturally (usually when I mentioned what I used to do for a living) but they've added up to something meaningful for me. When I was on the air, it was natural for me to think of the listeners as a collective. A group who were fans of the music on the station. I had a job to do and it was nice knowing that there were folks out there listening. While I was rarely a "big personality" on the station, I did some promotions and appearances, and did my best to be kind and respectful of the listeners who showed up to get a bumper sticker and say "hi". But, perhaps I always kept my emotional distance from them.

Since I've been off of the air and living down from the clouds, I have been able to witness the loyalty of the listener from afar. What has struck me most is how people truly identify with a station.

I see the looks of pride in their faces, when they mention a particular morning-show host or the music programmed. This happens whether the person is a fan of Country music, pop or adult alternative.

They mention their station, and a 'secret smile' appears on their face - like they are having a special memory, that makes them feel 'at one' with a larger force. They go "inside of themselves", for a second, and then come back to the conversation. What is it about radio that makes such an intimate connection with people? The voices and music enter their heads and mingle with their own world and thoughts in a way that TV or the Internet doesn't seem to do. Even today, with the on-air product, so pre-packaged in many ways, it still happens. These people have formed a real relationship with their radio friends and when one of them is suddenly gone, they feel a real loss.

In Harrisburg, PA, where I grew up, a friend still talked about a DJ who had been fired from a Christian station a year ago. This can't be taken lightly.

Maybe, as a kid, I used to have that secret smile, too, when I thought of WKBO, the station I grew up with.

30 years later, I can still remember all of the names of the DJs on that station AND their day parts! "Alexander in the Morning", "Slim Jim Buchannan", "John St. John" and "Big Jim Roberts" were as much a part of my teenage years as my friends and their cars.

Probably got into radio because just listening to it made me feel like I was part of something great.

It makes me so sad when I tune into a station and I hear listless voice-tracking and generic promos and station IDs. If the Program directors and corporate-controlled programmers could only see the faces of the people, as they were describing the station, I think the world would be a better place. 27 seconds to talk up a record might not be enough to connect!

I just wanted to write this to somebody who'd understand. Thanks, Jaye, for letting me vent.

More On Radio's Strengths Vs Pandora's Weaknesses

Jeff Vidler's Vision Critical research on Pandora users' use of and opinions about broadcast radio should serve as a wake up call for broadcast audio (the service formerly known as "radio").

Michael O'Malley highlighted with a red circle yesterday what we need to do in order to keep things that way.

 And, they expect us to do those same things on every digital platform.

Business cycles teach lessons, and what we're going through right now isn't new.

The courageous invest to gain market share when others are cutting back.

Working On The Relationship

It's almost like I went to lunch with a mutual friend of my soul mate and it slipped out that behind my back "everyone" is talking about how boring and predictable day to day life with me has become!

Michael O'Malley's take (the red circle is where we need to be vs where we are now) on Jeff Vidler's Vision Critical research on Pandora users' use of and opinions about broadcast radio, highlighting the need to move farther away from "getting tired of it after awhile" and "boring" toward "for people like me," "puts me in a good mood," and "interesting" reminded me of all the articles over the years in Redbook Magazine with lists (and lists and lists and lists!) of things couples can do to make their relationship stronger.

The shortest of them - five tips - is a good start for any radio broadcast personality to practice.

Daily Habit #1: Talk to Each Other

The word "broadcast" and the fact that we're a "mass" medium makes it easy to feel like you're doing the job when you're talking.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Are you listening too?  Can other listeners tell that you are?  This starts, of course, with social media, but it has to also include txting and even tightly-edited phoners.

Daily Habit #2: Flirt

No, don't try to pick up the opposite sex in your interactions.  Just ask anyone who's done that.  Sometimes it does work out, but more often than not it can turn ugly. 

Audio "flirting" can be fun, however, as long as it's done in front of the entire audience and they know that they are welcome to flirt back too.  Smile, tease, share relatable stories, Act interested in the target listener.  Constantly, let them know you care.

Daily Habit #3: Get Stupid Together

Be silly.  Laugh. 

Poke fun at yourself and invite listeners to poke fun at themselves as well.

Daily Habit #4: Declare Your Independence

Don't be like everyone else. 

Don't use the same words that every other voice on the radio also does.

Be yourself by sharing - not opinions that might polarize listeners against you or each other - but your point of view, perspective in a way that lets the listener know you want to learn what theirs is too.

Daily Habit #5: Share a Spiritual Moment

Religion and politics, yes, should be off limits for most of us.  If you want to go there, you need to have earned incredible levels of trust and that starts by deeply understanding all of the beliefs and priorities of the folks who listen to you.

Instead, look for common threads that overlap with yours and start there.  Raise money and awareness for the Red Cross, St. Jude, Children's Miracle Network, World Vision.   Even better, find something you personally feel committed to and work to get your listener involved.

Make a difference by making listeners FEEL what you stand for.

Finally, once you've done those five and incorporated them into your daily content, it's time to go back to all of those Redbook articles in their archive and work through another list.

Sustaining a relationship requires a daily commitment to keeping things fresh and new, every break, every day.

I Don't Know Bill & Jillian. Same With Christine Mac Shane. Don't Want To, Either.

And, maybe they are real nice folks, working for fine businesses.


Obviously, they want me to "like" them, but why would I?

Just because they want me to?

Get a clue, people. Radio is one to one. Has been for years. The days of "broadcasting" to a "mass audience" ended decades ago.

Social networks only work "one" to "one."

If you're "announcing" on Twitter, Facebook, et al and you've looked at your competition's ratings, cume, size of their community, followers and they do it as well, maybe you can still get away with "yelling" at people you want to be drawn to you.

For awhile, maybe.

If, on the other hand, you'd like to have more influence on more new people, consider this:

No Exceptions? (smile)

I applaud stations which have a strict "no personal phone calls while you're on the air" policy for air talent. Personal emails, txt's, Tweets, Facebook updates, etc too.

That's because a successful personality simply must wade into all of those pools to mine content for on air use if a station hopes to keep today's listener fully engaged and interactive. You can't be fully involved with listeners if you're chatting with your family and friends.

However, at a client station recently, the reception desk may have carried things a bit too far.

After a midday personality who will remain nameless here got off the air recently, she received a phone message that said:

"Taylor Swift called and wanted to talk to you, but I told her that you were on the air and couldn't be disturbed."

New rules: interrupt me for superstar calls, but only after you've administered the "are you REALLY???" test to the caller.

No one ever said that being at the switchboard at a successful country radio station was going to be easy.

How Often Do The Members Of Your Database/Social Networts Interact With You?

Once a week?

"New media users overwhelmingly believe companies or brands should not only have a presence in new media (95%) but also interact with their consumers (89%). The majority of consumers are still seeking out companies and brands on traditional Web sites (58%) and through email (45%), but anywhere from a third to a quarter of consumers want to interact with companies and brands in social networks (30%) and via online games (24%)."

Almost 80 percent (78%) of new media users interact with companies or brands via new media sites and tools, an increase of 32 percent from 2008 (59%). And, the frequency of interaction is increasing, too, with more than a third (37%) of users engaging companies or brands via new media at least once per week (up from one-in-four last year). These are among the findings of the 2009 Cone Consumer New Media Study, which explores consumers’ interactions with brands, their engagement with corporate responsibility practices and their support of social and environmental issues.

For more: Andrea List (617.939.8418)

Putting The Buzzword "Engagement" Into Action

SpotIQ in Philadelphia was developed at Jerry Lee's WBEB, though it's also now being embraced by other local stations as a tool to make radio advertising even more effective.

An hour spent with their "Engaging Commercials" webinar will not only let you hear some very powerful spots, but also teach the tools which increase the impact of anything on the air!

Test Everything For The Level Of Engagement

Heard during yesterday's ARF Audio Council meeting in New York:

"At WBEB, we tested 100 national radio commercials. 25% were effective and engaging. 25% could have been with just a few simple creative copy changes and the other 50% were completely ineffective." -- Jerry Lee

"You can turn your head. You can close your eyes. But, you can't close your ears." -- Erwin Ephron

.. but, of course, you can put things on "ignore." Is that what your listener is doing while you talk on the air?

Listeners Take Control Of The Radio

Cleveland area broadcasters Lee Zapis, Daniel Anstandig, and Mike McVay are hoping to empower broadcasters to become what they are calling "crowdcasters.©"

The listeners become the Music Director and the On-Air Talent with Listener Driven Radio. The software allows listeners to go on-line and offer their input into what plays ALMOST IMMEDIATELY on the radio station. LDR is constantly absorbing listener input, their song votes, and comments on a radio station’s music, and automatically adapting programming in real-time. Your audience can control the stations on-air product … within the parameters that the PD creates.

Meet your new weekend 'jock!'

McVay New Media President and LDR architect Daniel Anstandig:

“This is a new way of programming radio and growing your brand-community. Imagine being able to improve your product while decreasing the cost of programming.”

Zapis Capital CEO Lee Zapis:

“The software we’ve developed will allow the listener to truly take control of their radio. So many of us in broadcasting have been concerned about the competition we face from the Internet, Satellite and social networking. LDR diminishes those concerns and takes what’s best about the Internet and puts it on the air on your radio station.”

McVay Media President, Mike McVay:

“It’s time that radio operators get over their inferiority complex and embrace new technologies. The times have changed, and God willing, they’ll keep changing. Listener Driven Radio is the first application that marries the consumer’s wants with the PD’s desires … and that equals great and entertaining programming that’s good for any daypart.”

The for-barter service, according to their press release:

• Turns your listeners into collaborators. Constant research generated from active listener interaction. Listener’s log-on, click-to-pick their favorite songs and then sit back and enjoy hearing what they … and other listeners … selected to play on the air.
• The PD selects the universe from which the listener’s click-to-pick. Your station will still be “SAFE” while allowing the audience to program the music that you play.
• LDR makes it possible for listeners to vote for songs, request songs, pick which song should play next, and upload and vote for new music through radio station websites, iPhones, and Facebook.
• The radio station will NOW be CONNECTED to the social networking platforms used most by your audience. Turn your radio station into a community. Your listeners will communicate on line using the LDR Connection and will be encouraged to repeat visit and repeat listen to your station.
• LDR feeds Twitter automatically for radio stations, helping them to increase tune-in. LDR harnesses the marketing capabilities of social media.
• LDR engages listeners, constantly absorbing their input, votes, and comments about your station’s music. This creates a community around a radio station’s brand.
• LDR ties in directly to radio automation systems and instantly adapts a radio station’s programming based on listener feedback and parameters preset by the Program Director.
• LDR takes a four-pronged approach to reaching listeners. LDR is software that enables listener interaction via Mobile/iPhone, Widget (embeddable on any site), Your Station Website, and Social Networks (including Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter). Then, listener input drives your on air programming and music scheduling in real time.
• LDR empowers your audience and gives them ownership over your programming, integrating their feedback into your music scheduling in real-time. Listeners can also comment and vote on new songs, giving them the power to elect new songs for airplay.
• LDR enables you to change your playlist in real time based on listener input. The end result is programming that adapts to your target audience. The LDR software is also fully adaptable to your branding and look-and-feel, seamlessly integrating into your radio station website.

For info, call 877-221-7979, or e-mail Anstandig.

I think you'll be impressed. I was.

(More On) Time Spent (...Satisfied, Entertained, Updated, Involved, Expectations Met)

Each month, Arbitron's Latest Monthly PPM Client Update provides not just a progress report on placement, progress and problems along the way to getting metered panelists to play the game, it also offers great analyses and tips thanks to ARB's stats brain trust. Like this food for thought, a bit more on the TSL vs TSE difference between diaries' memory test and actual metered usage.


I'm sharing this today after reading some of the comments to my previous post, thinking that this may be new information to some who are not yet as steeped in PPM facts and folklore as those of us who live with it each day attempt to be.

I Know It's Bad Blog Ethics To Simply Tell You To Go Read Another Blog, But...

Cory Treffiletti's MediaPost column "Time Spent Is The Right Metric To Measure Engagement" isn't just about online advertising. PPM's "TSE" (time spent exposed) vs diary TSL (time spent listening) absolutely proves that just because I love Oprah's brand, it doesn't mean that her show yesterday was good enough to make me listen to the entire hour.

Ask any foreground radio personality who had great ratings in diaries and then suffered the all-too-common precipitous drop in their first month of PPM measurement. Just because listeners to your station like you enough to write your name in their book does not guarantee that they listen to you at all in reality.

When you break down the individual media vehicles, time spent is actually quite easy to report on -- so why shouldn't this become the de-facto metric for measuring engagement? If consumers spend more time than the average, they must be interested in your product or service -- and if they are interested, that is a measure of intent. The more efficient you are at implementing a campaign, which includes paid as well as non-paid placements, the more likely your campaign will be to drive that increase, which ultimately results in sales.

How engaging, entertaining and expeditious is your content? It's not how long you talk. It's how long they listen.

Do You Make It Difficult And Unpleasant To Enter Your Contests (With Lots Of Busy Signals And Rude Phone Answerers) For Players?

Sammy Simpson at Lured.com demonstrates how it's done: make listening and winning fun and easy! Create a social network of your most loyal listeners, folks who enter your contests, sign up for your emails, and your insider rewards program. Show lots of LOVE to your prize pigs!

"It's your own reality show with its own social-network. I launched this site locally for those consumers who are addicted to winning contests. Easy to execute in your city too."

Creating A Social Network With Fan Photos

WZZK, Birmingham's web logo says it all: "Connecting You to Music, News, and Family Fun"

"Another great concert in Birmingham? That means more great Fan Fotos from you! If you took pictures at the George Strait/Little Big Town concert Thursday night at the BJCC, we want to see 'em! Send us your best Fan Fotos and we'll post 'em on the website! (Don't forget to include your name and the name of the artist in the e-mail! - also, watch your filesizes! If your e-mail attachment is larger than 5mb, I will never see it - if you have more than 5mb worth of Fan Fotos, please send 'em all, just break it up into more than one e-mail.)"

Are any of your listeners flying to Los Angeles to see Garth this weekend? Will they have their cell phone cameras with them? Are you going to talk about their videos and photos on Monday? Just askin'...