Moneyball: One Week to Spring Book

The spring book starts Thursday, March 28. If you’re among a fortunate few, you’re putting finishing touches on promotional plans, making last-minute tweaks to Selector or Music Master, and looking calmly ahead at your summer vacation plans. Otherwise, you’re still nailing down promotional plans, hoping your music research will be done soon, and arguing with morning talent that taking vacation during the last two weeks of the book is not a good idea. Welcome to the radio business.

While more of us are working from home compared to before the pandemic, it’s important to note that most people work mostly outside their home. In our latest Ratings Prospects Study of over 3,200 14-54s nationwide, more than three times as many work mostly outside their home. That’s a good thing. Radio loves commuters.

Telecommuters may have the need for background music to soothe them through the workday, but they don’t have time to listen on their way to and from work. Working from home, telecommuters have more options of what they may listen to. Telecommuters are more likely to listen to audiobooks, podcasts, or music they own. Telecommuters are five points less likely to listen to radio compared to those who commute to work, as shown in the chart below. And, of course, commuters also have quarter hours to spend with the radio on their way to and from work.

It’s critical to note that listening to radio on an app or streaming on a computer is on its way to rivaling usage levels of radio – and that’s critical to radio. When the clock radio on Marcy’s desk dies or the boombox on the file cabinet craps out, those devices aren’t likely to be replaced (try buying a new radio at BestBuy sometime). Streaming is your mission.

If you’ve opted for Total Line Reporting with Nielsen, a quarter hour is a quarter hour no matter where it comes from – and they’re all precious! If your streaming provider gives you access to see who’s streaming your station, you can mention those listeners on the air. We’ve noted Dale Carnegie’s adage that, “a person’s name is to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” Their username on your streaming service (baywatch83 or the like) may not be quite as sweet, but we all like to be recognized.

Want more ideas? We’re sharing results from our new NuVoodoo Ratings Prospects Study 23 by appointment even with those who aren’t clients yet. We’re enjoying these meetings a lot more than the webinars we’ve done in the past. In about 20 minutes, you’ll get six key takeaways covering new ground for 2024 to help your radio station play and win the ratings game. Of course, we’re glad to spend as much time as needed to answer questions and talk about the data. An email to tellmemore@nuvoodoo.com will get you scheduled for a presentation of our latest data.