It’s been a tough year to be a Philadelphia Eagles’ fan. A 3-0 start with a rookie quarterback fizzled as the team went 2-8 in its next 10 games. So it was no surprise when Philly’s leading SportsTalk station WIP dipped from 5.0 to 4.9 to 4.3 in the Sep-Oct-Nov ratings. I wondered if other SportsTalk stations had suffered similar fates as their teams were eliminated from playoff contention. Sure…
Rock Is On A Roll: Alternative Goes Mainstream
No longer a 90’s teen trend, Alternative Rock radio is becoming a fixture on radio dials nationwide. In a five-year study conducted by Nielsen, ratings for many different branches within the Rock tree were examined from 2012-2016. The study showed that, while most subsets showed growth above 10%, there are some clear frontrunners in the pack. Classic Rock still holds strong as number one, where bands like The Beatles, Guns…
RADIO’S TOP TALKERS
Talkers Magazine has released its list of the Top 100 most important radio talk show hosts in America, known as The Heavy Hundred.” With only 100 seats available, who will be left standing? Coming in at Number One for the 10th year in a row, it’s Rush Limbaugh. That’s right, TEN YEARS! Rush’s fellow Premiere Networks conservative talker Sean Hannity comes in a number two, followed by Dave Ramsey, Mark…
ART BELL MIGHT JUST RE-RE-INVENT RADIO
The man who redefined late night radio might once again change the way AM/FM radio stations receive programming – this time, from the Internet. Art Bell has just returned to radio, delivering the latest incarnation of his late night talk program via the Web at ArtBell.com and via radio apps like TuneIn. “Midnight in the Desert” airs live, weeknights from 9PM to Midnight Pacific Time (that’s a midnight start on…
Listening Habits of a Media Buyer
Ever wonder about the listening habits of a media professional – the person who decides where to best place a brand’s marketing dollars? Wonder no more, as I’m going to give you the insight into a day of listening habits. (NOTE: This is one man’s journey and does not impact the neutral bias applied to every client’s media plan. DOUBLE NOTE: That is not a picture of me.) First thing…
Love It or Hate It, Christmas Radio is Coming
Every year, typically around mid-November, something happens. Radio Stations across the county flip their everyday format to Christmas radio. Why do they do this? To spread Christmas cheer? Not exactly. The real reason behind the switch can be found in the ratings, which have been known to double. In the case of WEZW-FM in Cape May County, the daytime ratings historically increase from 87 percent up to 129 percent and…
Let Local Radio Take Advantage of You
Before joining the great team of passionate pros here at The Radio Agency, I most recently worked in local radio sales. It was a very forward-looking organization with a formidable roster of stations. In fact, I maintain they were the top radio brands in their market. A very good job had been done over the years of crafting the stations’ formats to fit the socio-cultural tastes of the listeners. They…
When Radio Stations Change Format
Janie fell asleep listening to Love Songs on her favorite radio station. She awoke to hear “Vinnie and The Coach,” grumbling about the local ball club’s loss last night and asking listeners who should be fired.
TRA Super Bowl Commercial Wrap Up
Like everyone else, we have opinions on the commercials aired during the Super Bowl. And like everyone else, we’re not afraid to share ‘em. So without further ado, here are some of the TRA staff’s winners.
Does Radio Work? Ask Alice Cooper.
In uncertain times, it’s important to have a solid advertising plan in place going into 2014. If you’re still trying to figure out where radio fits in, or how big of a role it should have, you’ll find this story very telling. Alice Cooper was struggling early on in his band’s career in the early 70’s. In an interview from The Metal Evolution series, Cooper’s then-producer Bob Ezrin said, “The…