CRS Kicks Off With Albright & O'Malley & Brenner 2015 Pre-CRS Client Seminar

Albright & O'Malley & Brenner

ALBRIGHT & O'MALLEY & BRENNER hosted its 2015 PRE-CRS CLIENT SEMINAR at the COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME & MUSEM TODAY (2/25).

A&O&B presented findings after surveying Country P1s from radio stations it consults.  Among the findings, the most notable takeaways were:

* Over a five year trend, the amount of male listeners has slightly declined, while female listeners have slightly increased.
* Listenership among 25-34 year olds has increased, 35-44 has stayed the same, and the 45-54 demo has dipped about 10% since 2011.
* Amongst listeners who are dissatisfied with their primary Country stations, the number one reason was overwhelmingly "repeats songs way too much," with "plays too many commercials," and "plays too much new music" taking the number two and three spots, respectively.
* When they switch from their primary Country station, 32.2% switch to another Country station, 30.9% switch to PANDORA, SPOTIFY, etc; and 27.6% switch to another radio station with a different format.
* When given the statement "Country music gotten better or is about the same over the last 12 months," only 84% agreed versus 94% in 2012.
* Music discovery amongst the 25-54 demo has decreased 13% since last year.
* P18-24 averages 5% higher TSL on Regular Car Radio and Mobile while all other devices are comparable including AM/FM radio not in car.

A&O&B ended its presentation of findings, with its 5 top takeaways:

1. Station satisfaction remains high but there is erosion in music passion from 18-34; new music discovery is off.
2. Sampling of alternative music sources is up; with "other Country stations," "other formats," and "subscription music services" leading the way.
3. Close to 70% of your P1s are still increasing their mobile usage; have a plan!
4. Your listeners have a different reason for using each social media platform; make sure you deliver on those expectations in your content creation.
5. Despite softer TSL from heavy users, station satisfaction remains high; work on what compels them to spend time with you regardless of platform.

After the presentation of findings, MAX MEDIA/NORFOLK GM DAVE PAULUS presented on how radio stations need to stop getting comfortable in its market and learn how to think out of the box in order to get advertising dollars really flowing. Some of his recommendations were to:

* Find outside marketing expertise
* Optimize (change) your media mix
* Work in 13-week campaigns & promotions
* Measure everything
* Put radio in the mix

Following PAULUS' presentation, was CURB CEO JIM ED NORMAN, who spoke on the challenges of the music industry. He shared that the biggest task CURB has is finding great artists, and that there is no question the vital role that Country radio plays in artist development and discovery. He concluded by saying that out of all genres, Country makes the best effort of creating partnerships between artists and radio.

REPUBLIC NASHVILLE group A THOUSAND HORSES provided a nice break in the session, singing four songs off their upcoming album, including current single, "Smoke."

JACOBS MEDIA Dir./Digital & Social Strategies LORI LEWIS also presented, giving stations valuable insight on how to best utilize its social media platform.

LEWIS mentioned that the best way to become better communicators is to figure out why the listeners are using social media in the first place. FACEBOOK was overwhelmingly used for personal reasons, like to connect with family and friends, while TWITTER was used more to interact with Country artists and other celebrities, therefore creating a great way to engage listeners.

LEWIS also reminded us that anything is possible in the social space, but it is all about how you approach it. It is critical to build trust with your audience and have fun with it. Do not use it as a tool for higher ratings. When you monitor your audience, talk to them about things that don't have to do with your station, or acknowledge them individually so they feel important and interesting. Use it as a way to grant access to not just your station, but the on-air talent as well. Create "Holy Crap" moments by using your social platform to give listeners moments they might not experience otherwise.

The key component though to really succeeding in using social media as a platform, LEWIS reminded us, is "it doesn't matter if you have two followers or 20,000. Every person counts."

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