The Celling Of The Airwaves

Urban Radio's Need To Extend Reach & Confront Change

Once upon a time a telephone was just that ... a landline telephone. Then it became a cell phone and it got smaller. Then the cell phone became a mailbox. After that it became a camera, a message center, a stereo, a GPS unit ... and even a radio. Then they became "smart phones." Now these smart cell phones can be all these things as well as an extremely popular texting device, which kids use to drive their parents nuts and their phone bills higher and higher.

Speaking of driving, adults are still trying to text while driving and avoid getting caught as the laws catch up with the danger this poses. And while all this cell phone activity is going on, both generations are still listening to the radio -- especially in the car. So how do African-Americans figure into this cell phone, online media explosion?

Recent studies have pointed to the gaps between the broadcast population in America and the slower adoption rates among specific demographics of the African-American population. A recent survey suggests adoption in the African-American community is closing the gap. Nearly 80% of African-Americans surveyed have access to the Internet, compared to 88% of the general population. Some two-thirds of online African-American households have access to broadband connections compared to about 54% of the general population. While many recent reports, because of the current economy, have forecast a slowdown of broadband adoption, other studies have shown that those coming online will do so with high-speed connections.

These same studies showed that nearly 90% of those surveyed would choose their mp3 players over traditional radio as their preferred option for music. For strictly music listening, the Internet was preferred over traditional radio. And 55% of the sample said there was not a single radio station in their area that played their favorite music. Many of these same respondents also said they tired of their iPod (iPod fatigue) after about six months.

Compared to the general population, African-American web users spend more time online. They report spending five hours or more surfing per day, compared to 2.9 hours for the general population. What drives this group online? Seventy-two percent cite the need to obtain general information as a key driver. Entertainment, which includes listening to their favorite radio station, is a popular destination for 55% of African-Americans, compared to 26% of the general online population.

Growing Importance Of In-Car Listening

So what does all this new data mean for Urban radio? Just this: As our society becomes more mobile and Internet-friendly, we have to recognize and adjust to these new trends.

Along with expanded Internet and cell phone listening, time spent in cars is increasing. In-car radio listening has, as it should be, become much more important to programmers.

Over the past three years, in-car listening as a share of total listening has now increased from 30% to 3%. It now represents the leading listening location for adults18-34 and adults 25-54. In-car listening is increasing in Average-Quarter-Hour (AQH) ratings, as both at-home and in-office listening decline.

Now may just be the time to follow up on your hunches or the results of your latest perceptual studies (if you're lucky enough to still have this research). If not ... you think your late-night jock might do better in middays and your gut seems to support that theory, it could be the time to make that move. It's all part of effective daypart indexing. This is a comparative technique developed to assist programmers to determine what dayparts are helping the station and which ones are not.

Your station's total share of audience is actually made up of multiple shares for each daypart. In other words, it's an average of morning drive, middays, afternoon drive, evenings and overnights. By creating an index which compares each daypart to the overall average, you can now see which time periods are under or over-performing and then make adjustments. Another factor to consider in daypart indexing is daypart relativity for each format

In other words, every format has its uniquenesses and anticipated performance curves. For example, middays on some mainstream Urban stations are often lower than other dayparts. The reason is that those indexes often favor stations (such as Urban Adult) that target at-work listeners. This disparity is inherent to the format itself and should not be cause for concern.

Keep in mind daypart indexing is a great equalizer of information. It's a good way to look at your station and see what's pushing you forward and what may be holding you back. It can also provide a standard point of comparison that brings each daypart's contribution into sharp focus.

Promoting Ahead & Creating Listener Benefits

Under Arbitron's PPM, building great ratings depends on being able to consistently promote ahead to improve flow, extend TSL and even build Average Quarter-Hours (AQH). You should never go into a stopset without teasing ahead. Giving listeners something to anticipate creates aggressive momentum and flow.

You increase Time Spent Listening (TSL) by constantly selling listener benefits. Doing this makes the show and the station more interesting and helps to create longer listening spans. One method I really like is one in which you have live liners that sell one of the station's unique qualities several times an hour. This aids listeners to better use the station and gives them more reason to listen later in the hour and into the next daypart.

One of the other ways Urban radio can extend its reach and confront change is to remember that we're not really targeting a demographic so much as a psychographic - people who want more out of life ... and that includes better radio. Advertisers want to reach them.

Finally, Urban radio's greatest strengths may lie not only with its on-air performance and execution, but also how the station is perceived by the cell phone generation.

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