Telamon wrote:
In article ,
"David Eduardo" wrote:

"Telamon" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"David Eduardo" wrote:
I'm not aware of any anti-radio luddites, but if I ever meet one,
I'll be sure to remind him to get rid of both his radios and his
internet connection.
As to DXers, I find that most today are very opposed to changes in
radio, whether formatically or technically, and are very negative
towards the way stations operate. I have disassociate myself form DX
organisaions as they almost all seem to be out to change radio to the
detriment of those of us who work in the field.

Since essentially no radio listening, in terms of percentage, is
skywave night listening, the other poings are moot.
Two things:

1. I question the wisdom of dismissing the hobby of dx'ing in this news
group. Sounds to me like you are trolling for trouble.
I sepcifically clarified that it was domestic (NRC and IRCA) MW DXers. For
some reason, they have chosen to attack broadcasting as an industry and
profession. Some even write letters to the FCC questioning the
qualifications of licensees who are doing exactly what the FCC wants:
improving local service.
2. Like I already posted there is plenty of regional and national
commercials on radio so the long distance reception of stations does pay
off. Now you can go ahead and ignore that to continue to support your
wrongheaded assumptions.
I know of less than a dozen stations today that make any money off skywave,
and out of 13,500 US AM and FM stations, less than 200 show up in ratings
outside their own market area (MSA and embedded metros).

My argument is as follows.

First you must acknowledge that there is a lot (a high percentage) of
regional and national commercials on AMBCB.

Second that many stations (a high percentage) carry network
programming.

Third that it makes no difference to advertisers whether I listen to a
networked program carrying regional and national commercials on AMBCB
on a station that is local or distant. I hear the commercial and can
respond to the 1-800-number or go to the web site and make a purchase
so the advertising does its job either way.

So when I respond to an advertisement who can know what station I heard
it on. Do they just make the assumption that it was a local station?


Actually, yes. There is no mechanism by which they can meaningfully
track skywave impressions to a message. The numbers are so low as to be
statistical zero. So, Arbitron diaries track locally relevant signals.
Out of market signals are not even considered unless listening levels
become statistically significant. And from my experience, when station
manglement has made the trip to actually see the survey diaries
personally, they disregarded out of market listening as 1) erroneous
reporting, or 2) anomalous reception...either of which gets the out of
market station report tossed.

Response to adverisements happens on multiple levels. Your perception
of response through sales is correct, but incomplete. Advertisers, and
advertising agencies use complex, and sometimes medium/source specific,
methods to track advertising. This may be as simple as: "Tell 'em Peter
sent you".....to as complex as logged IP addresses connecting to
referenced web pages, and tracking cookies. Encoded coupons with
tracking data that's correlated to credit card data at POP. Or multiple
toll free numbers...one used for each station on the buy. (I was even
involved in a campaign where we had a separate toll free number for each
daypart at each station...each number active in the local ADI. Out of
market responses could not connect to the toll free numbers.) In all
cases of my direct experience, less than 10 total out of market
reception reports came in. All of them were disregarded as either
anomalous and of no consequence, or erroneous and of no value.

There have been isolated cases, however, of non local advertisers
buying a station specifically for its reach. In the 60's a motorcycle
shop in Tennessee bought WLS, ran only between sunset and sunrise, and
did surprisingly well. This went on for years. In the 70's I remember
buying tape decks and other components from Playback, in Chicago, in
response to advertisements I heard on WLS. I was living in Iowa at the
time. First comment, each transaction: "You're in Radio, aren't you?"
Apparently, a lot of disc jockeys bought their stereo gear from Playback
in response to the spots on WLS. Radio people do NOT get listening
credit either in advertising tracking data, or Arbitron.

I remember in high school...WLS overtook KXOK at night among
highschoolers in North St Louis County. But advertising had little
effect on that listener base. National advertising that generated sales
did so locally. And it was assumed that KXOK, later KSLQ, and KSHE,
running the same spots, were responsible.

And we all at one time or another listened to Beaker street on KAAY.
Though I don't recall any out of market advertising.

KMOX, St Louis also ran spots for out of market advertisers, with
similar success to WLS about this time. But, again these were unusual
circumstances. And eventually, as skywave listening declined, the
practice stopped. In each case, though, these were local advertisers
making their own decisions. Today, no agency would make such a buy. Even
though the commissions could be considerably higher on a highly rated
major market station.

Network programming...yes many stations carry it. But usually, a
station can locally be found to carry the program of interest. And its
advertising. In cases where a local affiliate can't be found, out of
market listening is not a consideration. And again, there is no
effective way of tracking it. Nor any compelling motivation to make the
effort for a statistical zero. Not that it doesn't happen. But
statistically, it's below the noise floor.

So, there is no real motivation to consider the DX audience. Fringe,
yes, or maybe. Skywave, no. Because there is no significance to the
advertising effectiveness of skywave listening--there's no money in it.

If there were a dollar to be made....believe me Radio would claw each
other's eyes out to snap it up, and do whatever it takes to generate it.

But until there is...there's no reason for Radio to give it a first
thought, much less a second.