Preparing the questionnaire for NuVoodoo Ratings Prospects Study 22 this past week had us talking to programmers, managers, and group heads to hear what new questions they’d like us to ask listeners. We also put out the request for ideas in this space and thanks to many of you we’ve gotten some truly great ideas.…

The picture above is one of Henry Ford. Ford is quoted as saying, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” Those words are in our heads as the NuVoodoo team comes together to draft the questionnaire for our next Ratings Prospects Study (our 22nd if anyone’s keeping…

In the TV era, radio’s distinction was that it’s live and local, right? Though, even in the heyday of the DJ era, most of the “local” programming consisted of pre-recorded music. But radio gave more time to its on-air talent (especially in the days before PPM) and that allowed some greater amount of “local” content.…

Carolyn Gilbert and I had a great time last week with the latest CRS360 session: “The CRS Music Test: It Takes All Sorts.” The leader of the CRS research committee Clay Hunnicutt moderated a lively hour with us and two great Country programmers, Marci Braun and Brook Stephens. We discussed the best practices for using…

In a recent episode of American Idol Lionel Richie advised a contestant that you have to play to the entire audience as a performer. It’s easy to get caught up in the emotion and adulation of those in the front row, but it’s critical to spread your attention across the entire crowd. With radio it’s…

The session Carolyn Gilbert, PJ Kling, and I presented at the All Access Audio Summit 2023 last week focused on growing the next tenth of a rating point for stations. Moneyball for Radio involved seven steps, but the most important item was #1 “Stop Looking at Cher Share.” In that initial section we pleaded that…

“We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical” – so said the opening narration of TV’s “The Outer Limits,” premiering in 1963. You have to be of a certain age to even recall TV sets having controls for horizontal and vertical sync, but it was a good reason to learn what horizontal and…

When top stations struggle to achieve a 0.5 rating, the difference between success and failure can be one tenth of a rating point. Growing your station from a 0.3 to a 0.4 (or 0.2 to 0.3 – or 0.1 to 0.2) is often the only thing that matters. That’s the premise for the NuVoodoo session…

At a format study presentation over twenty years ago, a savvy executive asked, “Sure, there’s a hole in the market, but is there a market in the hole?” She meant, of course, that while our study identified a format opportunity in the market, could the new station build a big enough audience and sufficient revenue…

Programming music for broadcast radio is a delicate balancing act. You want to make as many of your listeners as happy as possible, but realistically you need to focus on those who are likely to spend the most time with your station. Audience measurement tools add another layer of complexity, since the listeners you care…