[BC] The future of broadcasting...

[Mike McCarthy]

Broadcasting 101... We are there to deliver an audience to 
advertisers.  That's the business model as driven into our minds the first 
day of classes.  It's not about formats or other things creative.  Content 
is a means to en end.  That's how Wall Street see's it and most every sales 
turned into manager see it. Those who have mixed the two well have done 
well regardless of format.

We're on the declining side of the curve following the hey-day of 
sub-format refinements done without auditorium testing and qualitative as 
well as quantitative research.  Format managers at the large groups have 
their vision and that's how it's done across their respective groups.  It's 
unfortunate that many of them never were exposed to real auditorium 
tests.  The tests show not only the rating of the songs, but the visual 
cues/expressions of the attendees were also factored highly in how content 
was added or deleted.  Numbers can only tell so much.  How a program 
element is really analyzed is by the expression of the participants' faces.

That's no longer done.  It costs too much money to objectively research 
important customized items through those means.  Problem is, research is 
the first to go when the belt get tightened...and the spiral downward 
starts.  We're in that initial spiral now...

MM


At 07:53 PM 9/3/2006 -0400, Dan Kelley wrote
> >Creativity does not have anything to do with playlists or their size.
>
>Couldn't agree more!
>
> >Is radio entertainment for making profit, or profit masquerading as
> >entertainment?
>
>Hasn't radio been a business for most of its existence?  No audience=
>no revenue.  No revenue=no station.  This even applies to most non-comms.
>
>Yes, there are exceptions.
>
>If someone can run a little class A out in the stix, do your "own thing"..
>however creative (or not) - make enough to pay the bills and live a good
>life, then do it.  I'm sure there's many stories of those who have done so.
>And I admire those who do.
>
>Enjoyed the exchange of thoughts...
>
>dan in lansing
>
>
>
>
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