This reader thinks talk is cheap if we're not discussing the right questions.
Can we please stop analogizing our present situation with events in the dark past of radio history? This ongoing dialogue about the concept of running less commercials is moving some well-placed deck chairs, nothing more.
We'd better start facing up to the reality that our best customers, the folks who make our business run, are being effectively lured away by compelling, competing media. This is not new information, nor is it a result of the satellite radio hype. We've all seen the ever-decreasing persons-using-radio numbers and we've shrugged and said "too bad". But because our audience shares hold up, it's not our problem.
Yes, it is. There's more exciting, compelling and innovative ways for our listeners to spend their time than listening to our tight-list, over commercialized format clones. And our listeners continue to discover them.
And all of this behavior is on the verge of showing up in our quarterly report cards when Arbitron give us a look at listening behavior via PPM. You think that TSL hasn't been eroded that badly? Just wait.
Let's move beyond how many spots to run (less, obviously), and what kind of programming to do (local and compelling, obviously) and move toward the difficult questions:
How are we and the advertising community going to revalue radio's worth and effectiveness in a world of integrated measurement? What are we going to be worth in the brave new world of PPM? What does all of this ROI talk mean; How are we going to reeducate our sales forces and every buyer of media out there? And how are we going to pay for all of this?
The time is here to begin this discussion. Let's get started.
Tom Bender
Greater Media, Detroit
Are you reading this from a forwarded email?
