Post by John Quincy on Sept 6, 2008 13:40:49 GMT -5
If a station can afford it, on-air music libraries are selected and rotations are created based upon what are called "auditorium music tests". At the AC station in Charleston I programmed for many years we did several. Here's how it worked:
A research company we hired recruited two or more groups of 100 people, based upon the client station's target demographic, to come to a centrally-located hotel's ballroom on a certain night. Each person who takes the test gets a small sum for their trouble...$35 was what we paid. The people don't know which station is conducting the test.
A sound system was set up and the people were played 250-300 song hooks of about 6 seconds duration. Each group heard a different group of songs. Everybody was instructed asked to rate each song using categories like "It's My Favorite" "I Like It" "I Used To Like It But Am Tired Of It" "I Hate It" or "I've Never Heard It."
The research company compiles the test results and gives it to the radio station. The program director and consultant, if the station has one, then uses the information to decide which songs to play (or not play) and how often. Sometimes the results are predictable, sometimes surprising. For instance, the PD's favorite songs might rate at the bottom of the list. Songs you could swear are burnt to a crisp still rate high.
Since these tests are very expensive to do (tens of thousands of dollars back in the '80s and '90s) you tend to pay attention to the results. Stations who follow the music test results usually rate higher than those who don't test their music.
If you can't afford a music test but have a consultant, the consultant will sometimes share the results of music tests from stations in other parts of the country that are similar to yours. While this isn't as good as a music test in your city, it's better than having no research at all and just guessing what your audience will like based upon your own personal tastes.
The majority of listeners don't spend hours a day with their favorite station. It's more like a few minutes here, a few minutes there. But when they punch up your station, they want to hear songs they know and love...in other words THE HITS.
You might barf if you hear "Baby Love" or "Good Lovin'" one more time, but Suzy St. Matthews is turning up her radio and dancing her butt off -- and then writing down your station's call letters in her Arbitron diary.
However, you as a plugged in radio lover might want to hear more "oh wow" oldies like "Heaven Knows" by the Grass Roots (which only made it to #24 on the National Charts) but Suzy has no idea what that song is and then switches to your competition.
From what I've heard, WAKY-FM does an outstanding job of mixing those burnt-out-to-you-and-me-but-still-loved-by-the-masses oldies like "Baby Love" along with some of the "Oh Wow" stuff that your typical corporate oldies station ignores.
Johnny Randolph isn't the PD or MD of WAKY-FM -- nor does he want to be, from what he's told me -- but I bet Les Cook and Bill Walters have been taking advantage of his history and expertise when it come to what songs the station should play. If not, they're ignoring a valuable resource -- a "consultant" that's already on the payroll.
A research company we hired recruited two or more groups of 100 people, based upon the client station's target demographic, to come to a centrally-located hotel's ballroom on a certain night. Each person who takes the test gets a small sum for their trouble...$35 was what we paid. The people don't know which station is conducting the test.
A sound system was set up and the people were played 250-300 song hooks of about 6 seconds duration. Each group heard a different group of songs. Everybody was instructed asked to rate each song using categories like "It's My Favorite" "I Like It" "I Used To Like It But Am Tired Of It" "I Hate It" or "I've Never Heard It."
The research company compiles the test results and gives it to the radio station. The program director and consultant, if the station has one, then uses the information to decide which songs to play (or not play) and how often. Sometimes the results are predictable, sometimes surprising. For instance, the PD's favorite songs might rate at the bottom of the list. Songs you could swear are burnt to a crisp still rate high.
Since these tests are very expensive to do (tens of thousands of dollars back in the '80s and '90s) you tend to pay attention to the results. Stations who follow the music test results usually rate higher than those who don't test their music.
If you can't afford a music test but have a consultant, the consultant will sometimes share the results of music tests from stations in other parts of the country that are similar to yours. While this isn't as good as a music test in your city, it's better than having no research at all and just guessing what your audience will like based upon your own personal tastes.
The majority of listeners don't spend hours a day with their favorite station. It's more like a few minutes here, a few minutes there. But when they punch up your station, they want to hear songs they know and love...in other words THE HITS.
You might barf if you hear "Baby Love" or "Good Lovin'" one more time, but Suzy St. Matthews is turning up her radio and dancing her butt off -- and then writing down your station's call letters in her Arbitron diary.
However, you as a plugged in radio lover might want to hear more "oh wow" oldies like "Heaven Knows" by the Grass Roots (which only made it to #24 on the National Charts) but Suzy has no idea what that song is and then switches to your competition.
From what I've heard, WAKY-FM does an outstanding job of mixing those burnt-out-to-you-and-me-but-still-loved-by-the-masses oldies like "Baby Love" along with some of the "Oh Wow" stuff that your typical corporate oldies station ignores.
Johnny Randolph isn't the PD or MD of WAKY-FM -- nor does he want to be, from what he's told me -- but I bet Les Cook and Bill Walters have been taking advantage of his history and expertise when it come to what songs the station should play. If not, they're ignoring a valuable resource -- a "consultant" that's already on the payroll.
