Articles

Data from regular radio listeners among the 2,000+ Adults 18-64 in NuVoodoo Ratings Prospects Study 26 shows that inflation has hit interest in contest prizes in a big way. Compared to data from 2024, interest in contest prizes as low as $250 has ballooned 21 points. $500 contest prizes now generate as much interest as…

The spring book starts on April 2. If you’re reading this on Groundhog Day, there are 58 days to get ready. Every time we ask listeners what causes them to change stations, too many bad songs consistently ranks only a few points behind commercials (the perennial worst offender) – that’s across tens of thousands of…

In 1977 TM Productions sent out LPs with demos of seven jingle packages on side two and an 18-minute audio drama on side one. The audio drama , entitled Tomorrow Radio, comedically predicted how things would be in radio just a few years later in 1983.  Please note: (1) Tomorrow Radio remains “not safe for…

Last year, NuVoodoo asked a panel of nearly 2,000 radio listeners, “If you found out that the voice introducing songs and giving the weather on a station you like was an AI bot, how would that affect your future listening?” Nearly half that sample said they would listen less to the station – fully a…

I haven’t been on the air in over 30 years, but I still have a recurring radio nightmare. In mine there’s less than a minute remaining in the last commercial and I don’t know the station name or format. I’m looking frantically for a song that might be alright in several formats to buy myself…

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday.  Over the years, I’ve come to refer to it as the National Butter Festival.  I think I love it because there are no real demands beyond food and family and friends.  No mandatory gifting.  No interminable build-up with parties you might not really want to go to.  No…

NuVoodoo founder, Carolyn Gilbert is not known for mincing words. About national callout, she has said, “National music research is great if you’re programming a national format. Regional music research works fine for programming a regional format. And to make the best music decisions for programming a local station, you need local research. Your market. Your listeners. The specific songs you want to…

In addition to “beloved,” the words “authentic” and “relatable” have been consistent across the many, many tributes to WMMR’s Pierre Robert in social media this past week. The words came up among media contacts, but also among “real life” friends here in Philly – people not focused on radio or media, just long-time listeners of…

(With apologies to the Bee Gees, of course.) Last week’s tragic loss of WMMR’s Pierre Robert is a timely reminder that the most valuable on-air hosts are difficult (some might say “impossible”) to replace. If you were a fan of Pierre’s or work in the radio business, your social media feeds are full of tributes…

Have you audited your imaging and promos lately? This year? This decade? With more responsibilities spread across fewer people in most station programming departments, it’d be completely understandable if the answer is “no.” Yet that’s exactly why it’s so important to make the time. With fewer people doing more work, radio risks losing the elements…