26 Sep Wednesday, September 26, 2018
This Week in The Lund Letter:
> Turn commercial stopsets into “startsets”
> Imaging tips from programmers
> The fall TV season kicks off
> And the latest media trends
Lund Programming: Turn Your Commercial Stopset Into A “Startset”
Programmers know “an hour has 60 minutes, program every minute of it.” While many programmers focus on the music rotations, freshening up imaging and coaching talent to develop compelling content, what about the other quarter – the time for commercials? In the Nielsen PPM, we hear of the “bow tie” and “hour glass” times for maximizing ratings, i.e. the two breaks at :00 and :30 (hour glass) or at :15 and :45 (bow tie) during the hour. What’s missing is paying attention to the commercial stopset where you can benefit both your clients and your radio station.
Listeners like long music sweeps and hearing content first in the break before station “business”… the goal is creating momentum. You want to sequence your commercial stopset to create momentum to maximize your listening which will improve your time spent listening. As with music and with content, momentum is created when you start strong. Your opening element in your stopset should be engaging to the audience to create the momentum you need to avoid tune-out.
Consider these guidelines for creating stopsets that flow:
+ Assemble a team within your radio station that might include your production director, sales manager, traffic director, promotion director, program director and your General Manager. Develop a system with your team in sequencing your commercial stopsets.
+ The production and traffic directors need to work closely to identify and categorize commercials.
+ The PD and promotion director work on station promos and morning show promos so they run first in the stopset. These promos are the most targeted toward your listening audience especially if voiced by your imaging talent and your air talents. They should start with the listener benefit first instead of the name of the event or feature.
+ Next, your production director identifies the most entertaining commercials by using a rating system – “A” (most entertaining), “B” (somewhat interesting) and “C” (may not engage the audience). Load the “A” spots first. They may be humorous, music related like concerts and downloads for sale, or they may have a jingle.
+ The production director identifies who voices the local spots. Don’t schedule the same voice back to back as it sounds like one long spot. There’s a reason 60 minutes has different reporters for each segment.
+ Then, the traffic director is empowered to schedule the spots utilizing the information the production director has provided. Typically, the shortest spots (:30’s, :15’s and :10’s) are scheduled last as it helps maintain the momentum created by the most entertaining spots starting the stopset.
+ For music stations outside of morning drive, don’t end stopsets with elements like a contest, weather or traffic as they stop the momentum you created.
+ Also, don’t interrupt your stopset with a station imaging piece like “more music next” if many elements follow. This type of imaging should be used only if it’s before the last spot that is a 15 or 10 second commercial.
+ Coach the airstaff to tease before the stopset begins.
+ Imaging after the stopset should sell the music quantity or the variety.
Your execution of these guidelines will turn your stopsets into “startsets” benefiting your advertisers, and help expand your audience (ratings and revenue).
Lund Imaging: Improving Station Imaging
Seven ways to make your imaging sizzle:
1. Write and produce creative imaging that reflects the fun image of the station.
2. Update the imaging twice a week. Add new liners that replace and rest ones used most often.
3. Don’t say too many things in a promo – Keep it simple for impact. Multiple liners can provide additional info.
4. Watch the balance between station promos and sponsor mentions.
5. Over-producing with flashy audio effects can detract from the message.
6. Each liner should sell a listener benefit. Think in terms of, “What’s in it for the audience,” when writing and producing the promo.
7. Keep produced promos short – 20 seconds or less.
Quick statements that sell the station name and slogan are always needed, but stations benefit from a variety of creatively written imaging liners that enhance the Stationality.
Improve Your Imaging
Your imaging liners should be creative, fun, and reinforce the station image. Order 100 fresh imaging liner scripts to enhance your sound. For music stations order here, and for News-Talk order here.
Promotion of the Week: Haunted Bus
A haunted house on a smaller scale. Decorate the inside and outside. It’s best to use a bus that has front and back doors so foot traffic is easier to direct and keep smoothly flowing.
Need a sales promotion?
Boost your billing and help your sales staff lock in new dollars with the Lund Sales Promotion Guide. 200 terrific money-making Sales Promotions with new ways to carve out revenue from new clients. The Guide details proven radio sales promotions geared to a variety of retailers – like auto dealers, furniture stores and malls.
This is the most comprehensive collection of radio sales promotions ever assembled in one guide. Order here.
Lund’s Top 3: Invigorating Your Fall Marketing
1. The station’s marketing message should reflect what’s on-air and vice versa.
2. Address your cume ratings goals through external, database or event marketing.
3. Have a written plan outlining key promotions and marketing for the year.
Invigorating your fall marketing continues next week. Visit www.lundradio.com for more Top 3’s!
Are you marketing to General Managers or Program Directors and want to reach the 9,600+ readers of the Lund Letter? Email John Lund.
Smother Your Competition!
Wouldn’t you want to know that your station’s programming including talents, music, and marketing is the best it can be? Is the competition taking revenue from you because they have more listeners?
The Lund Strategic Programming Evaluation details your assets and vulnerabilities and provides an action plan for growth. Contact John Lund for info on how this study will benefit your stations.
This Week’s Music:
Old Dominion is king at Country with “Hotel Key.” “Love Lies” from Khalid X Normani (CHR), Taylor Swift’s “Delicate” (Bright AC), “Girls Like You” by Maroon 5 (Hot AC) and Imagine Dragons’ “Natural” (Alternative) all top their charts for another week. Lund clients receive weekly music research information on current music plus regular updates on the best-testing recurrent and gold titles.
Lund Trend Watch:
Someone’s In The Kitchen With Alexa
Amazon will release eight new voice-control devices by the end of the year, according to CNBC. The kitchen device is a microwave. Other devices include as amplifier, a subwoofer and a new in-car gadget. The new devices are aimed at invading the places people spend the most time… at home and in the car. The goal is to keep Amazon’s leading voice-activated market share as the industry heads for a $30 billion market by 2024 (forecast by Global Market Insights).
Millennial News Consumption
News (TV and/or digital) reaches 95% of Millennials (ages 21-37 in this study) and 99% of older adults (38+), according to the Nielsen Media Impact report on Total Media Fusion. Time Spent is also greater in older demos. In 2017, Adults 38+ spent 30,103 minutes (or 20.9 days) consuming news and Millennials spent 8,766 minutes (6.1 days). Both demos consume mostly a mix of TV news and digital news (72% of Adults 38+ and 56% of Millennials), but the differences are more notable among TV news only and digital news only consumers. Adults 38+ are 19% TV only and 9% digital only where Millennials are 8% TV only and 36% digital only. One thing to consider… news is often consumed much faster digitally than on TV, so the time spent may not necessarily reflect the amount of news consumed.
A Bigger Piece of the Pie
According to eMarketer, US advertisers will spend an estimated $4.61 billion advertising on Amazon this year. This more than double increase will mean Amazon will move up the digital ad ranks to #3 after Google and Facebook (passing Oath and Microsoft on its way). Increases of more than 50% per year will mean Amazon will account for 7.0% of all US digital ad spending by 2020. Keep in mind, the Google/Facebook duopoly is still the 800-pound gorilla in the room. When Amazon reaches 7.0%, it is expected that Google will still have 35.1% and Facebook 20.8%.
Programmer’s Planner:
Here is a list of actions this week for the proactive program director:
Fall TV Premieres – Be aware of listeners’ returning favorites in this and coming weeks as well as trending new series.
Today, 9/26
Website Wednesday: what extras do you offer listeners to keep them coming back to the station’s website?
Fall TV Premieres: ABC has two new series, A Million Little Things and Single Parents, joining returning series American Housewife, The Goldbergs and Modern Family. Empire and Star are back on Fox. NBC consolidates all three of its Windy City dramas with Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. all on the same night. Survivor is back on CBS. Comedy Central has the return of South Park.
Thurs., 9/27
Begin fall diary ratings week #3. Week #3 of the October PPM starts.
Select the station’s sales promotion for October. One idea: Oktoberfest (Rocktoberfest) is scheduled in many cities, restaurants and bars.
Fall TV Premieres: NBC has extended time episodes of returning series The Good Place (1 hour tonight) and Law & Order: SVU (2 hours). Grey’s Anatomy (2 hours) and How To Get Away With Murder are back on ABC. CBS has returning comedies Mom and Murphy Brown (after 20 years) and drama S.W.A.T. Thursday Night Football is on Fox this year.
Fri., 9/28
Plan Halloween promotion; consider a child-safety Halloween public service campaign.
Facebook Friday: ask listeners to post pictures of themselves enjoying your station this weekend.
Fall TV Premieres: CBS has returning shows MacGyver, Hawaii Five-O and Blue Bloods. Fox’s Hell’s Kitchen is joined by new comedy The Cool Kids and former ABC show Last Man Standing. Dateline NBC is back. Season 3 of Tracy Ullman’s Show starts on HBO.
Movie Premieres: Little Women, Night School and Smallfoot.
Sat.-Sun., 9/29-30
This weekend, monitor weekend programming and talents as well as your fall contest. Are there promos for your Monday morning drive show on the air Sunday?
Fall TV Premieres: NBC has returning Saturday Night Live. On Sunday, Fox’s ongoing series Bob’s Burgers, Family Guy and The Simpsons are joined by new show Rel. America’s Funniest Home Videos is back on ABC. CBS has 60 Minutes and NCIS Los Angeles as well as new show God Friended Me.
Mon., 10/1
Planning to go All-Christmas? The earliest stations launch this format in early November.
Fall TV Premieres: CBS has new comedies Happy Together and The Neighborhood.
Tues., 10/2
Today’s programming meeting… create ways to get the morning team to stand out, get noticed, and attain word-of-mouth talk. Exploit stunts and personal appearances. Use the Lund Morning Show Guide to improve the show.
Twitter Tuesday: what fresh idea can you come up with to get listeners tuning to your station more often?
Selling Against Amazon
“Bulletproofing Your Business from Amazon” is the newest client session from Revenue Development Resource. This 3-hour workshop makes money for stations and helps close more business to keep customers coming back. Contact Mark Levy atmark@rdrtoday.com. Click here to visit his site and learn more.
Thanks for reading
The Lund Letter
Now more than 9,600 broadcasters get the Lund Letter each week!
Have suggestions for future articles? Email John Lund!
About the Lund Media Group:
For over 20 years, the Lund Media Group has provided programming, music consulting, operational guidance, and research to commercial and public broadcaststations throughout North America and overseas. Whether you program all sports, all
talk, or all music, the Lund Goal is to help stations get more listeners and keep them listening longer. The Lund Consultants are a multi-format custom programming and management consultancy.
Call John Lund for more information about how the Lund Media Group can help your stations achieve more listeners, higher ratings, and more revenue.
Phone: 650-692-7777.
Email john@lundradio.com.