In recent weeks with the release of Techsurvey 2026, we have published a lot of updated data about radio’s journey. And because this is the 22nd year Jacobs Media has conducted this national study of core radio listeners, some of these trending reports are absolutely breathtaking, generating comments and theories from all corners of the industry. And some of them are full of vitriol and anger, casting blame for radio’s supposed demise in lots of different directions.

The chart above, for example, should make everyone in radio—from corporate execs to the part-time voicetracker—hit the brakes. This year in TS 26, we set a new record for “connected car” ownership. Now, four in ten respondents (40%) drive these vehicles. You can clearly see how having more in-vehicle options while driving has impacted radio listening. Given that even entry-level vehicles are now “well-connected,” this trend will only accelerate as consumers replace their older cars, SUVs, and trucks.

So, how do we think about radio’s future, amidst challenging financial quarters, companies flirting with bankruptcies, and mega-mergers on the horizon?

First and foremost, I am of the belief that radio has many more chapters ahead of it. They may end up being different from the past stories of glory and they will undoubtedly star a different cast of characters (myself included). On the face of it, this is a healthy circumstance. But as new leadership emerges, it may be helpful for them to have a strong grasp of how radio got here. And even better, how a newly imagined radio platform can avoid the speed bumps, sand traps, and most certainly the black holes that have characterized many past missteps.

That means studying the past few decades to not only identify some of the root causes of broadcast radio’s travails, but to also provide a hierarchy—identifying the most impactful events, circumstances, and decisions that have disrupted the industry over these years.

Today’s blog post is wonkier than most. And I purposely posted it on a Friday to provide for the possibility of some weekend reading and processing. When you consider some of the tectonic shifts that have most affected the health and well-being of the broadcast radio industry over these many years, it turns out there are many factors at play.

Enter Robert Minton. We may have crossed paths at one point or another, likely while both of us were working with WIMZ in Knoxville. But as I’ve learned, Robert’s background is more diverse than most of us who have spent the prime of our lives in one form of radio or another.

Robert’s career accomplishments include national network strategy, sponsorship, promotions, audience development, SaaS, and agency operations. He has been in leadership positions with Disney, the ABC Radio Networks, and Citadel Media among others. As he explained to me, Robert has focused on developing “a broader view of how technology, agencies, brands, and audience behavior have reshaped the media business.”

JacoBLOG readers know I am fascinated by these big picture analyses of where we are and how we got here. The work of Evan Shapiro and his dynamic media maps have been featured here numerous times over the years because they help our broader understanding of radio’s place in the media and entertainment universe.

Robert reached out to me earlier this week with a chart and lots of theories. His premise is to list the factors that have contributed to the diminishment of broadcast radio over the years, and create a hierarchy of their importance. In other words, what has been the relative rank of their impact on the industry? Which of these tectonic shifts are the true “smoking guns?”

The version he sent me (posted below) is an update on the original, leaning harder into the premise that radio’s rough patch hasn’t just been due to tech disruption (i.e., the smartphone, streaming, satellite radio, podcasts, etc.) but also to “self-inflicted wounds” that include some of the following policies and factors:

• the loss of emotional differentiation
• the weakening of local identity
• defensive programming strategies and behaviors
• reduced novelty and discovery
• sameness fatigue
• the erosion of companionship and community feeling

Robert’s new model also places greater weight on the following:

• locality
• playlist narrowing
• discovery reduction
• artist ecosystem collapse
• physical market presence

These are indices, so the closer to 100, the greater the impact on the radio industry. Robert didn’t just assign these numbers via gut. He has developed an elaborate “methodology” that shows his work and his thought process. I’ve linked it here.  

So, on the one hand, digital disruption gets the most weight (blame) for negatively impacting radio, while “reduced DJ autonomy & curation authority” earns the least impact (of those included) in radio’s big picture.

What’s missing from Robert Minton’s list of tectonic shifts? I wonder about the external global factors that have taken their toll on the radio broadcasting industry, and where they might fit into the above group of “culprits.” The “Great Recession” of ’08/’09 comes to mind, as does COVID and its impact on lifestyles, media consumption, and commuting patterns. And is it too early to start factoring in AI to Robert’s weights and measures?

I also believe sweeping changes in automotive dashboard technology belong on Robert’s list. Tectonic shifts in the auto industry impact radio’s future. As our Techsurvey 2026 chart above clearly shows, there appears to be a relationship between the proliferation of “connected cars,” and slipping time-spent listening to AM/FM radio in vehicles. Considering the car is still the #1 listening location for radio, this strikes me as a key factor.

Whether you agree or disagree with Robert Minton’s premise, choices, and methodology, his work aims to frame the conversations taking place every day in and out of radio circles. As he noted when he first sent me his materials, his work would make for a great “super session” at a conference where perhaps a “town meeting” style discussion could be moderated to lend more clarity to where we’ve been, and how the medium can best progress.

I hope this post is the start of those conversations—within companies, on social media, and throughout broadcast radio’s many organizations.

The world may be shifting underneath our feet. But understanding these quantum changes and factoring them into our future strategic work can produce better outcomes for radio.

Thanks to Robert Minton. Chris Brunt created a stylized version of his chart (below):

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The post Radio’s Tectonic Shifts first appeared on CMB.

The post Radio’s Tectonic Shifts appeared first on CMB.

So, let’s dispense with the FOMO and get right to the opportunity:

Dashboard metadata is a lost opportunity for at least 90% of radio stations with the capability of using it as highly visible, personal billboards that offer real-time messages for both drivers and passengers in radio’s top listening location.

There it is. Read it again and let it sink in. While most PDs are sweating the 3-minute policy, music scheduling rules, and other quarter-hour maintenance habits, it’s a big opportunity to speak to core listeners in a target-rich environment, while you have their attention before it slips away. That’s because dashboard text and thumbnail graphics are typically static for minutes at a time.

Without question, this is a tech platform programmers and ops managers ignore at their own peril. Sadly, attrition among the radio programmer ranks is already taking its toll on this golden opportunity to create more listening occasions—without spending a dime on outside marketing, promotions, or contesting. Most PDs are too busy to pay attention to what their stations are displaying on those increasingly larger screens strategically placed front and center in most car and truck dashboards.

Before I get into just why dashboard metadata is more powerful than roadside billboards and probably right up there with push notifications on mobile devices, let’s take a quick look at where we’ve been and where we’re headed in this micro-marketing area.

The first sign that something is going on in the way Quu has revolutionized this space in just a few short years. Let me first congratulate my friend, Steve Newberry, for letting us know how to reach him through 2028. In case you missed it, Steve—the CEO of Quu Interactive—just re-upped his deal with the company, and will be running point for Quu for the foreseeable future.

Steve’s not just a fine CEO, he’s a thought leader, evident from his run at NAB and now with Quu. He’s also been a station owner since he bought his first radio property at the ripe young age of 21.  The way Steve sees it, Quu isn’t just an opportunity for radio stations to make more money (not that there’s anything wrong with that), it’s a direct avenue for broadcasters to maintain their rightful pole position on car dashboards—still the #1 listening destination.

But as we know, listening options in the car have grown exponentially in recent years, including streaming audio, podcasts, satellite radio, talking books, and anything we can access on their phones. So, when they’re actually listening to an AM or FM station while on four wheels, we’d better message them effectively. Enter: metadata, “radio’s new best friend” (with apologies to Mr. Vuolo). Where else are you going to get a call to action while listeners are driving all over the local market?

To ensure Quu doesn’t simply become a commodity like so many other tech products, the company has regularly invested in research and development. This includes the 2025 edition of the “Quu Visuals Report” that tracks how the most popular vehicles are equipped across a wide spectrum of technology. You can access it here. 

Also this year, Quu commissioned a study to test the impact of metadata visuals on sales.“Quu VN” makes a strong case for why Quu’s content partnerships with advertisers is a unique and effective way for them to market their products and services. The bottom line is that this technology can make serious money for radio at a moment in time when every station should be developing strong digital marketing strategies. You can access it here.

But there’s more to dashboard metadata than just generating more revenue. As a programmer, I have long felt that Quu’s “killer app” is in driving tune-in and more engagement from drivers and passengers. And I’ve got my own data to back it up.

One of the biggest findings from this year’s Techsurvey 2025 was the realization how closely so many core radio listeners are paying attention to what their favorite stations are messaging with their dashboard metadata. This data point isn’t just persuasive—it’s recognition that in-car attention is being paid to what is displayed on dashboards. And as screens have only gotten bigger, brighter, and more vibrant, the opportunity to send direct messages to in-car occupants has never been better.

Finally, there’s the wizened voice of the “outside expert”—in this case, connected car maven Roger Lanctot who thinks and obsesses about this technology more than anyone I’ve met during these past couple decades of Jacobs Media’s immersion in this fast-changing space so critically important to radio. In a new Linked-In article, “Chevy Equinox EV: I Want My HD Radio!”

Roger questions the logic of General Motors for leaving HD Radio out of their new vehicles this model year. We have, too. They are swimming upstream at a time when car manufacturers—OEMs—ought be doing everything they can to make it easier to sell or lease new cars and trucks.

(Of course, had Roger read Quu’s “2025 Visuals Report,” he would have known about Chevy’s wrong-headed omission before driving that Equinox out of the showroom.)

But another part of Roger’s story goes right to the heart of what drivers reap from their dashboard “message centers” when their vehicles are HD Radio equipped. The ability to deliver topical, relevant messaging covering a gamut of information is available to radio programmers—IF they take the opportunity to make use of it.

We’ve been asking about desired dashboard metadata info to help PDs better understand what is most salient to their listeners. Here’s the pecking order:

Similar to push notifications on mobile devices, the content menu for dashboard metadata can be expansive. Of course, much depends on the radio brand itself—the quality of its programming, its shows, its personalities, and its coverage of the community. The more brand depth, the more options PDs have to get their messages across in the dash.

In an unusual twist, this is one of those few areas where sales is ahead of programming for a change, thanks in no small part to Quu’s efforts to help broadcasters generate revenue. Their emphasis over the past couple of years has been to forge partnerships between stations and advertisers. And the collaboration has worked.

But as we finish out another challenging year for radio, I’m hoping programming execs take the opportunity over the holiday season to learn the metadata ropes and to start implementing metadata marketing that support their own-air efforts. Whether it’s weather emergency information (like the graphic up top from KGOU, Oklahoma City’s NPR News Station), the name of the guest being interviewed on the morning show, a contest tease, or myriad other info, this is an untapped resource for many stations that could be reaping the benefits of this technology.

And unlike so many content platforms, the live, real-time quality of broadcast radio is especially conducive to an active dashboard message. As Roger notes in his LinkedIn article, preset buttons and knobs have been phased out in favor of screens:

“Finding your broadcast radio source is no longer a tactile experience. It’s visual.”

The opportunity for programmers to engage their in-car audience has never been better. But in order for radio to reassert its dominance in the car, stations are going to have to do more than program high-testing songs and running benchmark bits.

As media philosopher Marshall McLuhan correctly asserted way back in the 1960s, “the medium is the message.”

So, let’s embrace this new medium and its messaging capabilities.

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The post The Marketing Tool That Nearly Every Radio Program Director Ignores first appeared on CMB.

The post The Marketing Tool That Nearly Every Radio Program Director Ignores appeared first on CMB.

And for good reason. This technology sells cars. If you could be the proverbial fly on the wall at dealerships all over the country, potential buyers are buzzing about dashboard features. And to provide JacoBLOG readers with a backstage look at what’s next for car interiors, I’ve got capsule summaries of what’s new, what’s next, and what might be around the corner.

So, buckle up and let’s take this baby out for a test drive.

A virtual meeting in your car – Of course, many of us are improvising Zoom, Teams, or other online meeting platforms in our cars on a mobile phone. It’s dangerous, of course, if you’re looking at the screen, but to participate with audio is a way to make optimal use of that long drive “up north” or wherever you happen to be driving. Those of you who follow our CES adventures—or tour with us—know this next “use case” for car dashboards has been in the offing for some time now.

Now Mercedes Benz is making it official. A CBT News story reports how M-B is now collaborating with Microsoft and their Teams platform to bring your staff into your car—virtually, of course.  The enhanced version of virtual meetings is the first to enable use of a camera while the vehicle is moving—without the dangers of driver distraction.

This new platform lets participants see the driver (road rage face and all) while the drivers cannot see other participants or shared screens while the car is in motion. An expanded chat function can read or write messages via voice control.

Mercedes-Benz is also raising the bar with Microsoft Intune² integration which they call an “enterprise-compliant ecosystem for the future of mobile work.” (Let that one sink in.) In an extension of their auto-collab, M-B and Microsoft are working on an in-dash integration of Microsoft 365 Copilot4, thus turning the car into that “third workspace,” beyond the home and the office.

Hopefully, there will be the ability for a radio to play in the background. Actually, hopefully there will be a radio in these vehicles.

Expect more upscale OEMs to follow suit.

Not so fast, Apple – For years now, Apple and Google have been ensconced in a dashboard drag race for dominance. Apple won the important Round 1 as Apple CarPlay has proved to be immensely more popular (at least in the U.S.) than Google’s Android Auto.

Now both tech mega-giants are at it with the next level Android Automotive and CarPlay Ultra (hard to believe neither included a “+” in these brands). I talked about Apple’s system earlier this year, at the time, only available in “ultra” expensive Aston Martins.

A story by Jalopnik’s Nicholas Werner reports the OEM embrace for Ultra has been tepid, at best. While Apple announced a number of automakers jumping on board at the company’s 2022 Worldwide Developers Conference, there have been some changes of heart.

Apparently, Jaguar Land Rover is thinking about it, while Ford, Nissan and Infiniti are taking the “no comment” route. Werner suspects these “cold feet” responses may be due to these OEMs trying to differentiate their user experiences, rather than having to take the “me, too” road.

And of course, there’s the matter of dashboard revenue derived from the data these systems produce, not to mention money earned from optional features—or FaaS.

Jalopnik reports some of the interplay between protective OEMs and Cupertino has gotten terse at times. They write that a Renault exec even went so far as to warn Apple, “Don’t try to invade our own systems.”

Ouch. It’s getting a little warm in here.

“Hey, Siri, turn up the AC, please.”

When in doubt, go retro – As every other automaker is racing to the future, Pioneer is going the nostalgia route. After all, they’re a retro brand to begin with.

Now, this ’80s-inspired radio is trying to make a dent in the after-market dashboard race. A story in Autopian by Thomas Hundal reports on an old school-looking unit with modern features, including Bluetooth and a USB port. A fake cassette door hides these features, preserving the unit’s retro facade.

You might think Pioneer would be all alone in the nostalgia dashboard end zone. But you’d be wrong.

It turns out a very well-respected audio brand, Blaupunkt, is traveling at high speeds down the same road. Their new entry has similar features and a very “back to the future look.” Not surprisingly, it’s pricey—$500 for the privilege of your dashboard looking ’80s-chic.

“I predicted this!” – That’s what they all say. But it turns out that 25 years ago, Radio & Records’ Jeff Axelrod was writing about the “Internet car” and other external threats to in-vehicle radio listening.

This screen grab from R&R’s August 20, 1999 issue provides a credible and insightful analysis of radio’s future in the car with the addition of Internet and satellite delivered audio.

Jeff’s last paragraph is a stunner:

“So for now the ‘Internet car’ is at least a year away, but it’s a development we’ll be watching. How many ears will it grab? How many dollars? And how can radio prepare? Now is the time to start thinking about it.”

Indeed.

Here’s his sharp analysis:

And the most important dashboard feature is. . . –  For a question of this type, you’d likely turn to tech authorities. So I turned to Wired.  

Earlier this month, reporter Carlton Reid settled the dispute when he filed this story:

“What Makes a Car Loveable? It’s Not the Tech, It’s the Cup Holders”

According to 100,000 buyers of 2025 model vehicles in a recent J.D. Power study, the top source of new car angst and aggravation doesn’t have to do with Bluetooth or the lack of hard button and switches.

It is “cup holder frustration”—and it’s a growing problem.

And it’s nothing new. J.D. Power has warned OEMs in the past that drivers gripe and grouse about cup holders that are too small, poorly located, or horribly engineered especially in this age of mega Stanley and Yeti containers.

And apparently, cup holder complaints can be compounding. The Wired story quotes Nissan’s senior manger of vehicle performance development, Chris Fischer:

“That cup holders work well is important to customer satisfaction. It’s a key decider when buying a car. . .. If they’re mad about a touchpoint every day, it’ll sour their desire to want this vehicle again.”

That’s why more and more automakers are going out of their way to include more and better cup and bottle holders. In Subaru’s Ascent SUV there are 19—count ’em, 19—beverage holders, some of which are nicely hidden.

Wired’s Reid explains the utilitarian minivan started this cupholder obsession way back in the ’80s. But the actual invention of this “technology” dates back to 1953 and Texas inventor Burnard W. Byford’s “automobile seat article holder” who snagged the first patent.

The Wired story provides all the background you’d ever need on the design and evolution of this in-car convenience.

So, put all those tech trappings in the proper perspective. Of course, they matter. But so does the basic conveniences that make life comfortable for drivers and passengers.

As dashboard technology advances and evolves, let’s hope radio continues to provide the soundtrack.

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The post I’m In Love With My Car Dashboard first appeared on CMB.

The post I’m In Love With My Car Dashboard appeared first on CMB.

One thing that hasn’t changed – the lion’s share of radio listening, especially among younger drivers and passengers, is when they’re in a vehicle.  So, the listening experience in cars and trucks offered up by radio broadcasters becomes a true linchpin variable in the determination of audio options.  Is radio keeping up with the times and technology in the car?  Is it meeting the consumer wherever they’re driving to, and is it delivering in-car audio on the devices and platforms that matters?

You’ve no doubt heard me use the phrase, “Choice kills” either when you’ve seen me at conferences or you’ve read my missives here in the blog.  It’s a favorite saying of Emmis legend Rick Cummings when describing a crowded listening environment.  And the car fits R.C.’s definition to a T.

When I programmed radio decades ago, the dashboard standard was two knobs and six presets.  Yes, there was another slot for an audio cassette or later a CD player.  But for all intents and purposes, radio was king of the car – hands down.

Those were the days.  Today, anything on your phone can now be heard over your vehicle’s system: podcasts, streams, satellite radio, on-demand programming, talking books, and of course, the phone itself.  Yes, radio is in the mix, but it is now one of many options for drivers and passengers to choose from.  And we know from our CES sojourns, video is rapidly becoming a dashboard option as well.

And the one irrefutable trend in the in-car entertainment sector is “screenification”  – a term you heard here first.  It describes the expanding number of screens in newer vehicles and the sheer size of these screens themselves.  Pillar-to-pillar screens that appear across the width of the entire dash itself are becoming more and more ubiquitous each year we attend CES.

Just like the size of the TVs we install in our homes and workplaces, bigger just seems to always be better when it comes to dashboard displays.

You can see that pictured in the photo above.  Yes, that’s me mesmerized by the massive dashboard in the new concept-but-soon-to-become-a-reality Afeela, a fascinating mashup collab between Honda and Sony.

This beautiful and intriguing car features the superpowers of both companies to produce a stellar driving and entertainment experience.  This new mashup goes on sale later this year, and it perfectly illustrates the innovative confluence of both brands’ best qualities.

So, how can radio even hope to compete within these increasingly crowded dashboard ecosystems?  It’s funny – although not really – when you pose this question to automotive experts.  Invariably, they’ll tell you radio’s best shot is to leverage its unique core strengths – its local presence and proprietary personalities.  Ironically, many radio companies have gravitated away from these inherent strengths, ultimately to their detriment as vehicles have become even more sophisticated.  If there’s nothing especially unique about your radio station, you’re going to be hard pressed to be a major option in people’s cars.

As radio listening in the home and in the workplace has eroded as cars have become more connected, every broadcast radio company serious about still being in business by 2030 is going to need to devise a cogent and effective in-car strategy.  This likely involves app presence in Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, for example.  And chances are, some of the strategic calculus will revolve around display on dashboard screens.

By definition, radio has never been conceived of or positioned as a visual medium.  This partially explains why the industry has been reluctant and slow to integrate video into its content array.  Whether it’s on social media, YouTube, Twitch, or on websites, radio broadcasters have generally struggled with its visual presentation.  As stations and their companies have learned, staffers with strong video editing or graphic arts skills are of immense value to programming, sales, and the digital department.

Yet, audio remains radio’s top delivery platform and priority.  It also explains why too many morning and talk hosts fail to support their on-air content with accompanying video or even pictures that listeners can see in order to better enjoy the content.  Thinking visual is something most broadcasters struggle with, and that’s why an upcoming webinar is of great importance to your brand and/or your company.

Quu is the entity behind this event, scheduled for early April.  You’ll read about it over the coming weeks.  Panelists include Paul and me, Mike McVay, and Joe D’Angelo, all discussing the value of display from our own unique perspectives.  Moderated by Steve Newberry, the session will break down Quu’s second annual “In-Car Vehicle Study,” a roster of how the 100 most popular vehicles are equipped.

From AM to FM, CarPlay to Android Auto, HD Radio and SiriusXM, the report is required reading for broadcasters.  After all, you can create an in-car content strategy if you don’t know how most car and truck dashboards are configured.

For all the above reasons, it has become essential for radio companies not to just add metadata messaging technology, but to actively program it.  And here’s even more fodder to start proactively approaching in-car display.

Over the past several years, we’ve asked about in-car messaging in our Techsurveys. (Full disclosure: we’ve also conducted proprietary research for Quu, focusing how drivers react to the content broadcasters post.)

And this year, we went one step further, and the results are exciting.  We first determined that eight in ten core radio listeners have vehicles capable of showing artist/title of songs they play.

As we’ve done in previous Techsurvey studies, here’s the hierarchy of in-car display content respondents care are most interested in:

Beyond artist/title info, displayed local service element alerts – weather, traffic, news – is especially important to large segments of drivers.  Of course, this is information they cannot easily access while behind the wheel.

The remainder of important elements provides insights as to what drivers and passengers value in real-time dashboard display.  Interestingly, we continue to see the value to displaying the song that’s coming up next.

The added element in TS 2025 now transcends what they prioritize on the screen.  For the first time this year, we asked those who spend any time in cars about how much attention they pay to dashboard display.  The results are revealing:

It’s impressive how nearly half say they pay close or above average attention to the messaging displayed on their dashboards.  And note how women and progressively younger drivers are more apt to take note of what they seeing on these screens.

While we don’t ask it, imagine if we utilized the same question for radio commercials that have become a bigger irritant over the years.  We know the answer.

But dashboard metadata captures the interest and attention of significant amounts of drivers and passengers.  Now imagine if most radio stations actively programmed it to be helpful, informative, and even interesting.

This data suggests these in-car messages are analogous to push notifications, except they’re displayed on the dash – not on mobile phones.  But the difference is that metadata in the car that matches up to programming content is integrated in a streamlined format, whereas “push,” by definition, is interruptive.

This is why marketers need to be vigilant about how many mobile phone push notifications they send out.  While each consumer has their own personal limit on the quantity of these messages end up crossing the line and becoming annoying, messaging on car dashboard screens is shorter and usually integrated, for the most part, with what’s on the air.

Our Techsurvey data can help broadcasters map out in-dash messaging priorities, whether a music or a spoken word outlet, or providing info for commercial, public, and Christian music stations.  These messages help radio be more reflective of what’s happening locally and in the moment.

And because their capabilities have only been fully available to programmers and marketers for a relatively short period of time, we haven’t yet seen all the creative and connective ways they can be used.  Whether to inform the audience about the sudden passing of a format core artist, let them know about an incoming weather emergency, or to loop them into a station event happening soon/now, dashboard metadata can easily do much of the heavy lifting.  And now we know they’re going to be noticed.

This sense of immediacy is what will keep drivers and passenger tuned in and expecting this content from one of their go-to stations when they get behind the wheel.   And as we’ll explain in the webinar, the station/platform they end their driving experience will likely be the one that’s “on” the next time they start their vehicle.  I don’t have to tell you just how important that is, especially in well-equipped cars and trucks.

It starts with being proactive and giving consideration to how dashboard metadata can enhance an automotive event – whether it’s a commute, an errand, a leisure moment, or just a drive.  We can look at this adjunct piece of content creation as a burdensome duty or as an opportunity to connect with consumers in real-time in radio’s #1 listening location.  And that’s something Spotify, Joe Rogan, “Classic Vinyl,” or any of Apple’s music channels cannot do.

And here’s one more piece of the future – heads-up displays.  This is where the windshield – all or some of it – becomes a messaging board the driver sees transparently as they look down the road.  BMW advanced this technology at CES 2025 in January with their iDrive X/Panoramic Vision platform.  While HUD display has been an available feature since 2003, this new technology uses the entire windshield as its entire message palate.  Here’s a short promotional video from BMW:

Both the driver and passengers can see the display, so unlike earlier iterations of this visual technology, you don’t have to be seated in a specific position for viewing.  And various features in BMW’s infotainment offerings can become part of the visuals.  So, is this the next innovation chapter for the wizard engineers at Quu – working out how metadata will be visualized on HUD platforms?

Look for information about the Quu webinar which will provide insights about the in-car media environment you’ll need to know in order to navigate your brand’s future.

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The post The Digital Dash In 2025: Now You See It first appeared on CMB.

The post The Digital Dash In 2025: Now You See It appeared first on CMB.

Now that may seem counter-intuitive.  After all, very little good news ever seems to emanate from “the rating company of record.”  Whether it’s Arbitron, Nielsen, or a ratings company to be named later, radio broadcasters have long considered the company that supplies what’s known as “ratings currency” similarly to how most of us regard the IRS – a necessary evil that takes boxcars filled with money in exchange for numbers that are often dissatisfying at best.

Now to the hard-working, well-meaning people who tirelessly try to keep the ratings system balanced and equitable, this treatment is hardly fair.  Most of them worked in the radio business at one time or another, so they feel our pain.

But this year end could be different, with the promise of wrapped presents sitting under the tree from Nielsen, filled with good tidings, and more importantly, better ratings for all.  At least, that’s the hope.  In a webinar hosted by the Nielsen Audio team yesterday, a new ratings plan for PPM markets was unveiled.  And even though it sounded like a bunch of political promises in an election year, the fact is, the new Nielsen “3 Minute Plan” ought to deliver on the promise.

In case you somehow missed it – and the ratings company has been in close touch with its radio clients for months – Nielsen is proposing to sweeten up the formula that awards those all-important quarter-hour credits to stations.  For the past 100 years (seriously), the hard and fast rule required 5 minutes of listening (not contiguous) to a radio station in order to receive a quarter-hour credit.  But in this age of virtually infinite choice, deteriorating attention spans, and short songs that are three minutes in duration or less, radio stations have gotten screwed out of quarter-hours racking up on their side of the ledger.

I won’t go into the insidious ways stations can lose their grip on quarter-hours during the course of a listening span, but they are numerous and they’re painful.  In fact, Nielsen explained during yesterday’s webinar that nearly HALF of all radio listening occasions come up short for quarter-hour credit because they are less than five minutes in duration.  And you wonder why radio programmers often appear to be unstable and develop nervous tics.

But now a rules change would alleviate much of this pain and suffering.  That is because the 5 minute requirement is being reduced to 3 minutes.  And while this may not sound like a major change, Nielsen’s actual numbers recalculated to this new standard generates an average AQH increase of 26% in the total 6+ population.

That’s not a typo.  It’s not 2.6% (although even that would be a welcome boost right about now).

It’s TWENTY-SIX FREAKING PERCENT!!

Nielsen spent the rest of the webinar slicing and dicing the numbers – by age demographic, by format, and by market.  And it’s ALL GOOD.  As Oprah might say, “Everybody gets higher ratings!”

Pretty much.  And in a nasty world where there is higher AQH listening in old school, Neanderthal paper diaries than there is with those sleek meters, Nielsen’s proposed rules change was welcome news to radio broadcasters who have been whining about PPM for the past 17 years.

Notice I used the word “proposed.”  Because as Nielsen Audio chieftain Rich Tunkel reminded the assembled Zoom-sters, radio broadcasters have some decisions to make.  Do they really want to change the AQH crediting rules right now?  And if so, when would they want “The 3 Minute Rule” to become the new law of Radioland?

I know.  These are tough questions.  To anticipate how these calls might go, I offer the following role playing example I completely made up:

Nielsen rep:  “So what do you think?  Do you really want to go through with this?”

Mr./Ms. radio broadcaster:  “Ugh, I think so.  But I have a couple questions.”

Nielsen rep:  “Shoot.”

Mr./Ms. radio broadcaster:  “Seriously, how much is this going to cost us?  Or will the price increase be backloaded to the end of my contract so I can make it somebody else’s problem?”

Nielsen rep:  “Not a shekel more.  We just need to figure out the switch or two we’ll need to flip to get this going.”

Mr./Mrs. radio broadcaster:  “You’re not going to cut back the sample size in my markets in order to pay for this new service, are you?”

Nielsen rep:  “Not a chance. It’ll be the same everything, except for the adjustment you’ll likely have to make to deal with the idea of having much better ratings than you have now.”

Mr./Ms. radio broadcaster:  “Will the book, the numbers, the measurement change?”

Nielsen rep:  “Nope, same as it ever was; daily cume, weekly cume, daily AQH, weekly AQH, PUMM, you name it.  It’ll all be there for your sellers and your clients.”

Mr./Ms. radio broadcaster:  “Now tell me, how soon could we do this?”

Nielsen rep:  “How soon do you want to do it?  If you and your peers got moving, we might be able to get our plan together before Ryan Seacrest drops the ball in Times Square.  Certainly, in Q1 2025.  It just depends how eager you are to get considerably higher numbers for your beleaguered radio stations.”

Hopefully, this exercise prepares you for what promises to be a gritty exchange.  You might even want to grab that copy of “You Can Negotiate Anything” that’s been gathering dust in your office in preparation for this tete-a-tete with your brutal Nielsen rep.

As the Nielsen team admitted on the webinar, they don’t exactly know how the voting will work.  Will companies get one vote per station, sort of like the House of Representatives?  Or will Bob Pittman and Bud Walters each get just one vote, sort of like in the Senate?  And if there is somehow a tie, will Erica Farber be coaxed out of retirement to break it?

TBD, apparently.

But given how well political elections already run in this country, there’s no reason to believe radio broadcasters and Nielsen won’t find an equitable way to work through this process because it’s in everyone’s best interest.

In all seriousness, this feels very much like a unique moment in time.  After all, there aren’t many times when “the rules” change to this magnitude, potentially altering the entire landscape.  I think back to the initial PPM rollout.  Back in those days, Arbitron would convene “Fly-Ins” – multi-day affairs to walk the industry through the changes and to discuss ramifications and even strategies.  Back when meters replaced diaries in the nation’s biggest markets, a couple hundred broadcasters, researchers, and consultants flew to Laurel, Maryland at their own expense to take in the new ratings methodology and understand what it might mean to the business.

So, what might this mean to radio in both the short and long run?

A look at Nielsen’s initial test back in May of this year indicates pretty much everyone’s ratings will go up, some more than others, of course.  Depending on the age of your audience, your format, and of course your “brand strength” (let’s not forget this one), your mileage will vary under this new “3 minute rule.”  Nielsen revealed that stations with younger audiences and formats that skew toward a more youthful target may have an edge.

Music formats (where most programming elements are shorter to begin with) might also have an advantage over spoken word formats like sports where segments run longer.  But within the roster of music formats, some – like Alternative, Hot AC, and CHR – look more robust.  That said, Classic Rock would also seem to have a leg up on many other music formats, and of course, that warms this consultant’s grizzled radio heart.

What will this new measurement change mean to public radio, particularly NPR news stations?  No detail there from Nielsen. So, that’s a conversation that will need to happen.

Like any change this sweeping, other questions are raised.  And that should motivate companies and stations to revisit their practices regarding their programming and how it will be measured by Nielsen going forward.

1. Will stopset placement be rethought? On the webinar, Nielsen acknowledged how most stations now use “bowtie” stopsets.  But given this change to a 3-minute capture of quarter-hours, maybe more variants will appear.  Perhaps, some will consider changes to their commercial loads (gasp!) and even the number of stopsets per hour in most clocks.
2. Might this new measurement system even stimulate experimentation with younger targeted formats?  Given how the lack of youth-targeted stations is radio’s “kryptonite,” the “3 minute rule” might stimulate new conversations?
3. To this point, broadcasters have let PPM alter the sound of their stations – mostly to their detriment.  Will improved numbers loosen up playlists and other “PPM rules” or will most stations end up sounding the same as they do now?
4. On the sales end, will higher average ratings increase ad prices or will too many stations and companies allow agencies to cram them down on rates?  Concurrently, will clusters continue to lower rates to increase share, or will the industry realize that higher ratings can mean higher rates?  And will the industry come together and market its potentially higher overall reach to improve its image and perceived value with advertisers?

Undoubtedly, you and your team will have other questions.  More information will also be released by Nielsen over time, providing the industry with more foundational knowledge.

Overall, this is the best news radio has enjoyed this year.  Kudos to Nielsen for moving on these changes with care and speed simultaneously.  And appropriately, they are letting their clients – radio broadcasters – make the call on timing and implementation.

Let’s not screw this up.

Link to Original Source

The post Nielsen To Radio: The Clock Will Reset To Three Minutes first appeared on CMB.

The post Nielsen To Radio: The Clock Will Reset To Three Minutes appeared first on CMB.

But are they any easier or safer to use?  In the latest Mercedes-Benz TV ad – “Defining Class Since 1886” – suave pitchman Matthew Macfadyen (“Succession”) walks us through the experience, including through a test lab featuring their Hyperscreens, their pillar-to-pillar dashboard concept we’ve been showing you since 2021 when it made its debut.  It is beautiful, eye-catching (distracting?), and teeming with options for the driver and her passengers. 

I’m now driving a Lexus FX-350 and I’m here to tell you it has one of the worst dashboard UX’s I’ve ever seen – and I’ve driven some bad ones.  I have had some close calls trying to get this infotainment system – often with a mind of its own – to do what it’s supposed to do.  The interface with Apple CarPlay is also inconsistent – not an experience I’d wish on any of you.

So when I bumped into this post that’s exactly seven years old, it struck me how many of the same issues remain.  In thinking about driver distraction, I don’t think metadata or changing radio stations is the problem.  Mediocre dashboard interfaces are still not standardized so there’s a learning curve every time you hop in the driver’s seat of a car you’ve never driven before. 

And of course, most people are still driving around with a smartphone in their hands.  If these infotainment systems were doing their jobs, we wouldn’t feel compelled to grab the phone in order to get it to behave properly.

I also noted that Roger Lanctot and Chris Schreiner – prominently featured in this post – are still at it.  Their new company is TechInsights, but they are still trying to help us untangle the crazy web of media and technology in our dashboards.  If anything, interfaces and capabilities have only grown since I wrote this post.  But as for their ability to respond to our needs using our voices rather than our eyes and fingers, it is still very much lacking.  

Mayhem.  – FJ

February 2017

The last decade has been an important one for the auto industry. And we’re not just talking about the recession that nearly put General Motors and Chrysler out of business.

Consider that just ten years ago, it would have been illogical to see automakers at an event like CES. After all, what did cars have to do with the consumer electronics industry, the realm of brands like Microsoft, Intel, and Samsung?

But as technology began to transform the dashboard, the landscape of media and entertainment in cars changed with it. Ford’s SYNC platform was the early pioneer in the space, preceded by GM’s On-Star, which back in the day was an emergency services tool. You contacted On-Star when you were locked out of your car. You punched up SYNC when you paired your phone or started using embedded apps on your touchscreen.

The Ford SYNC system in the early years was rugged, eventually paving the way for smoother, more intuitive driver experiences. SYNC’s voice command system was crude, often frustrating consumers. At the NAB Radio Show a few years back, Strategy Analytics’ Roger Lanctot played a video of a first-time SYNC user struggling to perform a simple voice command task: tuning in a radio station. As someone who bought a Ford with one of the early SYNC systems, I could relate.

It hurt Ford in those all-important J.D. Power ratings. Dashboard complaints brought Ford’s numbers down year after year. As many in the automotive industry quietly noted, “Ford took one for the team.”  By being first in the space, they paid the price, while helping other automakers – OEMs – figure out the space.

At last week’s NABA Symposium in Washington, D.C., Roger was once again on stage, playing updated videos showing an improved dashboard user experience, but still pointing out some of the same nagging interface problems that persist.

And to put a point on that, there’s a new “Mayhem” commercial for Allstate that makes the “connected car” look like technology that could kill us at the next intersection. For automakers, this is their worst nightmare.

But the reality is that the dashboard user experience – or UX – is gradually changing for the better. Ford has led the way with SYNC 3, a simplified, intuitive interface with clear labels that even the most technophobe drivers can handle. And I’ve noticed in car rentals over the past year or so, the interface is generally more intuitive. In many cases, it’s become easy to pair my phone, tune in my client station (and the competition), and preset them all before I leave the rent-a-car lot.

At that same NABA Symposium, Audi’s Manager of Connected Vehicles, Anupam (Pom) Malhotra, told the audience, “I want to give my customer all the options in an easy to use interface. Listen to what you want when you want.” And more and more, that’s what consumers are demanding.

As the Allstate commercial suggests, part of the safety issue in new cars revolves around touch screen distraction. But as Pom reminded the room, whether you’re a fan of knobs or not, carmakers are fixated on Millennials – young consumers who have grown up with touch screens – and no buttons.

And he listed the four biggest trends in the auto industry, and they all have implications for radio:

1. Connectivity
2. Electrification
3. Shared mobility
4. Automation

Roger’s company, Strategy Analytics, has documented the importance of that trend at the top of his list – connectivity – whether it creates mayhem or not:

It’s fascinating that just about everyone values automotive connectivity – but at what price?

Creating a safer and less frustrating experience has truly been the focus of every automaker, as well as Tier 1 companies like Panasonic, Pioneer, and Visteon – all of whom we spent time with at CES.

Roger’s take on the dashboard experience is that “it’s getting better, easier – while simultaneously more complex…It’s a vast experiment with some small successes here and there.”

His colleague, Chris Schreiner, director of User Experience Practice, also notes that it’s often one step forward and one step back:

“Yes, it is getting better…but as always there is still a way to go.  It’s always an internal struggle within OEMs between those that understand how to optimize the consumer experience and those that favor style and visual design.”

And as for dashboard danger, Roger offers up a different way to think about the interface:

“Glance time is the new metric. The old-fashioned radio gave you no reason to glance – that is the benchmark.”

Mayhem indeed.

Link to Original Source

The post Dashboard “Mayhem” and Radio first appeared on CMB.

The post Dashboard “Mayhem” and Radio appeared first on CMB.

Whether you enjoyed a meteoric career like Bill Garcia or you were only in the business for a few years, that shared experience is a meaningful one.  And we learned from Scott Westerman’s amazing recreation of the radio station he grew up with in Detroit – Keener 13 – those moments stay with you for a lifetime.

But alas, some of you pointed out the same experience is no longer possible here in the 2020s.  After all, teens don’t listen to the radio much, if at all.  They’re far more enamored with streaming services, video games, and social platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

And while there’s no question there’s truth to those observations, there is an “other side” to this coin.  While radio might have held more fascination decades ago, and there were schools like the Brown Institute in Minneapolis or the Specs Howard School here in Detroit, that same emotional tug that yanked many of us into radio broadcasting a couple of generations ago apparently is still highly potent today.

I saw this with my own eyes last week at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions.  For the second consecutive year illustrated the definition of “Think Big.”  Conceived by Michigan Association of Broadcasters’ President/CEO Sam Klemet, the Great Lakes Broadcast and Sports Media Academy brings together broadcasters from across the state with hundreds of high school and college students interested in learning more about a career in the industry.

Here’s a less-than-two-minute sizzle reel of the event:

More than 900 young people – high school and college students – were on hand to hang out with TV and radio broadcasters, local athletes, and even a battalion of team mascots from universities across the state.

Frankly, the event looked great – professional, slick, big, and a magnet for students shopping for a career opportunity.

As we discussed in yesterday’s blog post, sometimes all it takes is an initial positive experience, seeing how a show comes to life, or hearing an encouraging word from a real-life broadcaster.

The Academy had it all – Michigan’s Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist, former Tiger turned TV and radio announcer Craig Monroe, and professionals from broadcast stations in Detroit and from all over the state.  Just about every major broadcaster and state university were represented at tables lining Ford Field’s concourse, a chance for students to interact with these local brands, organizations, and institutions.

“Student Experiences” gave attendees hands-opportunities to stand in front of a green screen or to practice interviewing techniques.

This event builds upon the “Be There” campaign the MAB launched over the summer which has now been exposed to more than 5,000 students statewide.

All this activity here in Michigan illustrates how broadcast organizations can focus their efforts around a goal – in this case, show Gen Z’s there are exciting local media careers in the state.

And then there’s the reality of “dreaming BIG.”

You may remember last summer I wrote a blog post highlighting the plight of an Upper Peninsula high school radio station, 88.5 WOAS.  You can read the story here.

In order to preserve its broadcast service to small town Ontonagon in the UP, funds needed to be raised.  Broadcasting out of the high school library, WOAS has been on the air since 1978, serving its small community of 1,300 residents.

But a new station, licensed at the same 88.5 frequency, threatened to reduce WOAS to secondary station status, further limiting its coverage as a 10 watt FM.  The only solution?  A $75,000 transmitter allowing WOAS to broadcast at 100 watts.  In Ontonagon, it may as well have been $75 million.  This station has no budget and is partially funded by the net profits from the school’s vending machines.

And so the community came together – as did many of you, thank you – to send money to northern Michigan to save this radio station.

And last week the NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt covered the saga of little WOAS, a remarkable state of affairs for this small town and its noncommercial radio station:

It’s when reporter Maggie Vespa interviews student DJs on WOAS about the importance of this radio station to its community that you hear the magic of the medium.  And if that doesn’t convince you these Gen Z’s are all-in to their hometown radio station, well, nothing will.

The passion for radio among teenagers – alive and well in the 1960s and 1970s – is still making dreams come true for young people today.  Is radio a different medium today than when many of us “got in?” Without a doubt.  But the magnetic attraction of radio to teens has the same pull it did for Scott Westerman in Ann Arbor at WPAG in 1971.

The more modern version was on display at Ford Field last week in downtown Detroit, and on days when school is in session in the library at Ontonagon High School, just 567 miles up I-75 North.

I wish we could “tag” these students having their first experiences with radio like they do with sharks.  It would be fascinating to learn how many of them are working in radio in the next five years.  And how many are winning Marconis and Crystals a decade from now.

The love affair between radio and teens goes on.

The post “Gen Z’s Have No Interest In Working In Radio” And Other Myths first appeared on CMB.

The post “Gen Z’s Have No Interest In Working In Radio” And Other Myths appeared first on CMB.

But bubbling under most radar screens is a format that most acknowledge, but few understand. How do I know this? First, we’ve been tracking the music end of the format for a decade in our CMB annual Techsurveys, in collaboration with Michelle Younkman’s CMB organization.

Second, those ratings are undeniable.  As Michael Foust wrote last month in Christian Headlines, faith-based in stations in markets such as Minneapolis/St. Paul, Tampa/St. Pete, and Houston are all showing up top 5 in 6+ Nielsen ratings.

KTIS in the Twin Cities (better get used to those call letters) sits in the #1 perch in the market.  It’s owned by a Christian college, the University of Northwestern in Roseville.

And finally, many of the radio sales we’ve been reading about in the past few years have involved Christian organizations – always as the buyers. Remember Entercom sold KSWD/Los Angeles to the Educational Media Foundation (EMF/K-LOVE, Air 1) back in 2017. Then in 2019, Cumulus sold six stations to EMF – in D.C. (WRQX), New York (WPLJ), along with stations in Atlanta, San Jose, Savannah, and Syracuse.

Earlier this year, EMF bought KTHT in Houston from Urban One.  And Cumulus sold WDRQ (Detroit) to Family Life Radio back in June.

These purchases go on. While most commercial radio companies aren’t in acquisition mode, Christian organizations see major growth in broadcast radio.

And why not? They are doing excessively well in any number of KPIs. At Jacobs Media, we see the results in our CMB Techsurvey. A sneak preview of  this year’s survey reveals that Christian Music Radio outflanks the all-important Net Promoter Scores for both public radio and commercial radio. And it’s not even close:

That lofty NPS mark of 82 for Christian music stations ties its all-time high set in 2021. So how can we explain that incredible feelings of loyalty these listeners have for their favorite stations?

A look at our “Why Christian Radio?” hierarchy tells the tale:

Yes, they like these stations for their music and their ease of access in the car – just like we see for commercial radio.

But Christian stations are mission-based. Their foundations of faith and inspiration pop near the top of this list of main drivers for listening. Being “safe for the whole family” isn’t just a nice idea – it’s an imperative. All those teal bars speak volumes about what sets these stations apart.

Note that many of the motivations for listening are similar to what we see in public radio. For NPR-type stations, our “Why Radio?” chart is loaded with core values that include values like objectivity, trust, and civility. Christian radio is also mission-based, but exhibits more singularity of focus.

Interestingly, both Christian and public radio share structural similarities with each other. For the most part, they are both commercial-free, only airing underwriting messages. Each also relies on donations from their respective flocks during pledge drive-like campaigns (often called Share-a-thons in Christian radio).

But of all the broadcast radio platforms, Christian radio may be the most scalable. For many broadcasters in the space, they rely largely on network level programming with minimal local programming. This keeps staffing low, even in big markets like L.A. or New York.

They have their own conferences, their own gatherings, and their own communities. The lives many Christian broadcasters personally lead parallels their career paths. They take their radio and its mission very seriously.

It really boils down to this:

Ask a Christian broadcaster what their station stands for, and they’ll tell you succinctly without batting an eye. Ask a commercial radio programmer the same question and you’re liable to get a meandering, rambling answer.

At a time in radio where many are questioning everything – about creating content, sales marketing, and ratings success – Christian broadcasters are mostly basking in the glow of success. They see the path forward, and their relationship with their audience is strong. Like all broadcasters, they are grappling with digital investment and transformation. But comfortable with their missions, and knowing that as American lives become more complicated and pressurized, their roles become integral in helping their audience make it through the gauntlet.

If you haven’t done so already, a deeper look at your market’s ratings may be in order, especially if you routinely skip over these stations. And it might be smart to actually spend some time listening to them.  It will help you better understand their success, and it might even give you a good idea or two.

If anyone gets it, Dan Seeman does. He’s Hubbard’s VP/regional manager in the company’s home market. He’s watched the KTIS ascension:

“It’s very well done, it’s good radio, produced quite well. They’re got resources, marketing, a feeder system for talent and producers at the university.”

Disruption is a fact of life in the media business, and no one knows this quite like radio broadcasters who have watched their world change radically in just the past few years. While most of the turbulence has come from the outside – streamers, social media, podcasting – the phenomenon known as Christian radio has been with us for eons.  But changing sensibilities and conditions have created some incredible opportunities for these broadcasters.

As more and more people turn inward, concerned about their homes and families, Christian radio is providing more than just information or entertainment. Its faith-based programming content, its teachings, and its inspirational programming is filling an important need.

And larger audiences are showing their satisfaction and loyalty.

Link to Original Source

The post Onward Christian Radio! first appeared on CMB.

The post Onward Christian Radio! appeared first on CMB.

Despite the negative surrounding the fast food industry, what would you think is McDonald’s annual “cume” – the percentage of folks in the 50 states who buy some of their fast food at the Golden Arches at least once each year?

85%

That incredibly high level of penetration is the product of decades of creating consistently affordable and tasty food, regularly shaking up the menu, conjuring up special food items, and of course spending billions of dollars on research and mass marketing. Yet over time, especially as many people share the need to eat healthier, it has become de riguer to claim you won’t go near Mickey D’s. After all, it’s fast food. 

And you can’t help but wonder if company meetings and advertiser pitches don’t end up sounding a lot like the way many radio CEO stump speeches at the NAB sounded during the past many years:

“We’re an American icon.  And let’s not forget – 85% of Americans still visit our restaurants each year!”

Meantime, those words are likely being met by eyerolls and yawns from both employees and clients, some of whom staunchly believe either those numbers are exaggerated or that even if they’re accurate, it is simply uncool to admit you eat at McDonald’s.

In Eastern Europe, McDonald’s ad agency is doing something about it. AdWeeek’s Stephen Lepitak reports that TBWA/Latvia has created a campaign that meets the “too cool” roadblock head-on.

The spots are focused on archetypes highly unlikely to be seen even in a McDonald’s drive-thru: a snobby intellectual, a chic fashionista, and a Goth hipster. The spots show how each struggles with resisting McDonald’s tasty offerings. And perhaps the campaign begins the process of reversing a perception that’s been rock solid.

Will this campaign make its way to North America? Clearly, that will depend on how effective it is overseas.

And what can radio broadcasters learn from its marketing strategy and messaging? It’s the kind of campaign that just might help radio here in the States improve its perception, clearly a step in the right direction.

That’s because radio broadcasters – especially commercial operators – are facing a similar problem. Many more people listen than care to admit it. “Cool” has always been an elusive quality to define, whether we’re talking about Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, David Bowie, or Pete Davidson.

I remember back in the 1980’s a short-lived radio station in my hometown of Detroit, WDTX, attempted to market itself with this slogan:

“It’s cool and you know it.”

In many ways, the station was cool, but when you have to claim it, you’re not, as they no doubt discovered during their Roman candle run.

These days, radio isn’t deemed to be “cool” by most young consumers, and might be characterized as “uncool” by growing numbers of Americans of many ages.

You may have heard this story before, but it’s very telling, and a reminder that while the quality of what’s on the airwaves matters very much, radio’s perceptions in the ears of the beholder is up for grabs.

In the summer of 2019, my wife and I toured Italy. One day we’re on a tour bus headed to a winery. We get to talking with a mom and her daughter from Seattle. The daughter is graduating from college – and I never do this – but I ask her if she listens to any local radio in the market. Our company had worked with Entercom since they bought their Seattle properties, and we were closely involved with KISW and KNDD (The End).

So, I ask the question about radio, the daughter makes “the face,” and responds, “Not really, I mostly listen to  Spotify.” Then after a pause, she admits, “Well, actually I listen every once in a while, mostly while I’m in the car. Sometimes, I listen to the alternative station in town.”

I respond, “The End?”

Now she’s leaning forward. I mention my company does work for the station, and the girl lights up. The conversation has suddenly taken a turn.

“I am a HUGE fan of their morning show, Gregr,” she tells me. “I love his stories about his dog, his mattress commercials, everything.”

I respond that I know Greg, and I might be able to arrange for her to meet him. Now, she’s over the moon.

You know the rest of the story. Of course, Gregr is cool with this. He is perhaps the most listener-friendly personality I know, always willing to go that extra mile for fans. That’s who he is. That’s what he does. He is truly a great ambassador for KNDD – and for radio.

He’s not alone. Like the aroma of those Big Macs or the taste of those “golden fries,” they’re in our heads.

For many people, so is listening to the radio, in spite of its travails over the years. Despite the hard knocks and the self-inflicted wounds, radio is there when there’s an emergency, its talented personalities entertain every day, and radio continues to act as a friend and companion when people are feeling low, stressed, and hurting.

Will a simple ad campaign “fix” what’s ailing McDonald’s? Not likely. No more than it would provide the antidote radio needs to reestablish its cred as a mainstream entertainment medium.

But it is an acknowledgment the fast food giant is in need of a makeover, even as its food and healthier fare have improved.

No one eats at McDonald’s anymore.

And no one listens to the radio either.

Except that many do – and in droves.

Radio operators would be wise and prescient to pay attention.

Meantime, that Quarter Pounder and fries is sounding pretty good right about now.

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The post No One Listens To The Radio Anymore first appeared on CMB.

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