RESEARCH: RADIO A GREAT INFLUENCE
March 9, 2011

3/2011

http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id=2143826&spid=24698

More Great Ammo for GM’s, SM’s and AE’s.
The latest Orpheus Media Research report is out and contrary to what people at the musicFIRST coalition would have you believe radio is still the “greatest single influence of their music listening”. 82% of those surveyed said radio was the greatest influence in their lives when it comes to listening to music. Another 57% said they “most often” relied on radio or word of mouth to learn about new music.
These numbers should also help those of you who hit the street and battle objections every day. Especially those objections and cat calls that radio is dying due to the attack from online radio companies. We’ve been hearing from many radio executives who say, despite our strengths, radio is doing a very poor job at promoting itself. Entercom’s Weezie Kramer was the latest high-ranking radio executive to chime in on the subject. We spoke to Kramer yesterday and asked her whether radio has been successful at promoting itself.
“No. Not even close. The radio industry has never been able to effectively amass the budget, the firepower, or collectively agree on a unified message and pound away at it. I believe that the desire has been there but it’s like herding cats; very tough to do. That said, I’m optimistic that with the industry agreeing on one National Rep firm in Katz combined with collaboration and support from the RAB, we can have dramatic improvement in this area.”
“Radio is thriving in a digital world. Those are the facts. In order for our industry to see more of the revenue pie we must develop a unified message, present people with the facts and immediately knock down falsehoods. Radio must be unified in getting that message out and be strategic in the coordination of that message. We need to push out speaking points through the RAB or KATZ so that everyone, from top to bottom in our organization repeats a common message on a consistent basis. Our messaging needs to be benefit driven and supported by meaningful facts and research. We need to play offense and not just defense. We need to make sure that falsehoods and misconceptions are addressed in a timely and vigorous manner on the street, in conference rooms, and in the press.”
“Radio must also do a better job in developing relevant research for our customers. We must use every available research tool including the curated materials on RAB.com to develop facts and talking points for our sales teams. We need to make sure that our sales teams are properly trained so that they can articulate the benefits of the medium. Our managers and leadership must constantly reinforce radio’s value proposition and our most important message that “Radio is a difference maker”.
This report is just another tool for your toolbox.
A musicFIRST coalition spokesman, just last week, told Radio Ink radio is no longer being used to search out and listen to new music. HE said that was because most stations were playing music older than 2 years old. This study goes completely against what he was saying. The music FIRST coalition has been trying to get radio stations to pay artists to be able to play the music heard every week by, according to Arbitron, over 93% of the population.