Mark-

The point I'm trying to make is the fact that if we don't super serve our core audiences, they will simply keep going away. The station could have scored major points with it's listeners by revising the rules for this one contest (which is played mostly by young females) and been a little more accommodating to this one listener in particular since it was right there on their website. It was out there for everyone to see.

We went out of our way at DFX The Fox to cater to that demo, even lowering the contestants age to 14.

Mark, I have seen you defend radio on this board time and time again, and I admire that. I wish more would. MW is another person passionate about radio.

Speaking of unprofessional:


Must have been a 90's lunch show. Metallica was played on a few CHR's back in the 90's. Z100 for example.

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Mike Sommers

That is your response? Great idea to go OUT OF FORMAT and play Metallica. You are a success story. Keep doing big things.

Props.

While I still believe Mike's original post lacked a certain degree of tact, I don't think he meant any harm. Let it go already.

And Mike, thanks for the kind words. I'm very passionate about radio, although the industry has been very good to me and I'm more than a little biased. At any rate, I agree with your sentiments. But if I were to critique the situation you mentioned, I'd take more of an issue with the promotion itself than anything else (the dropbox/enter and win concept isn't exactly original, there's better ways to execute that cut through the clutter). Nonetheless, I'm impressed with the fact that Josh took the time to interact with the girl on Twitter... he responded not just once, but several times. Connections like that, no matter how minor, can turn a casual listener into a loyal P1.

PS: I'm not sure if we should be using the Fox/WDFX as the model of success.

Let me ask this.. in the 'old days' we were required to state the rules of the contest on the air. Directing listeners to a webpage to read rules sounds like something that listeners will rarely if ever do. Is it that difficult to cut a rotating contest rules announcement?

Tim

That may be true for listeners outside their core demo [read: older listeners], but in an age where listeners or viewers often have to 'Like' a station's Facebook page (as if we need another reason to use the word 'like' for anything) or other social media / marketing tie-in in order to enter a contest or stay informed, maybe it's less a hardship. It's certainly easier, cleaner and more efficient for the station...

I don't know law or pretend to. A minimum "Must be 18 or older to enter; see complete rules at mystation.com/contest" or some such disclaimer would probably please the station's legal team, assuming they have one. Commercial advertising seems to need or use spoken rules / disclaimers for contests - we've all heard the speed-reader of them at the end of such national contest ads, but even still - they refer to the web for full detail. I don't know about station promos. Although - even if not needed in contest promos - it would seem to me to be a good CYA move to rotate in a minimum disclaimer.

Consider where the source material for this thread came from (twitter), and perhaps the old days are just that.

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"The problem with communication is the illusion that it has occurred."

" ...and perhaps the old days are just that."

That makes me feel old. ha.

Tim

I do want to say, in addressing the subject line tagged to the original post, that I think KHQ generally does an excellent job catering to its core audience. The ratings reflect that fact.

Now, does that mean they are perfect? Of course not. Still, from an execution standpoint, I would say they compare favorably to their Northern MI radio brethren.

While 12 - 24 is likely the cell where their AQH share is highest (that's almost always the case with CHR/Pop), their intended target is probably 18 - 44.

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Dave & Chuck are two no-talent hacks.

You are still required to broadcast your contest rules on the air. Those that don't can find themselves in trouble.

The reason for not allowing a 17 year old to win certain contests is liability. If you give tickets/meet n greets to a 17 year old and she gets into any trouble at all then the radio station could be held liable.

And just because you demo 12 - 25 year olds does not mean that is the audience you target. Nobody can sell 12 - 25 year olds to clients.

12-25 can be hard to sell but that's the clients fault. I bought my first new car at 21. The average age of a movie goer is in their teens, same with music, concerts,
McDonalds, kindles i pads i pods computers video games...amusement parks
And why do advertisers target kids on Saturday mornings?

Norm, I think you proved a point. Of this list, how many buy local radio? McDonalds. Milleniums don't generally eat at McDonalds. The rest of those products rely on social media and national promotion. Milleniums are likely to pay cash for a car they find on Craigslist than buy new at a dealership. The only redeeming value they carry? If they control the radio in the car, they control what Mom listens to, and I am interested in getting her attention.

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"Actually that's kind of the problem with Radio, for every real legend, you get about fifteen tired old gasbags who stick around too long."