You probably know where this is going. At the RAIN Conference in Orlando, Tuesday morning, four college students from the University of Central Florida took to the stage for “The Gen Z Panel.” They were asked if they ever listen to the radio. Here’s what they had to say…
“Radio has become obsolete. I mean no disrespect. I have this argument a lot with my mom. She plays the radio and I tell her we have streaming now, there’s no need for radio. If we ran out of the Internet, I would use the radio. I listen to music on Apple Music and YouTube.”
“It is very rare that I listen to the radio. It’s usually because my aux cord isn’t working. Nothing seems to cater to me and commercials are annoying unless they pique my interest.”
“I’ll listen to radio in the car if I need to charge my phone. I’ll put it on sometimes. I know what music I like so there’s no point using the radio. I use Spotify premium so I don’t have commercials.”
“I listen to the radio a lot when I go back home to visit my parents. I’ll listen to Sports Talk radio with my dad. I listen because I know the radio presets back home. Here, I haven’t taken the time to find the stations. I change the station whenever I hear commercials.”
In addition to their remarks about radio, all of the students said they get the majority of their news from Twitter.
What is lost on these young kids is that the streaming services may be had…at a price. What about those monthly fees and, if they are listening on a smartphone, data charges? Radio is free. That said, radio’s programming could stand much improvement. Listen to some old airchecks from the glory days of such Top-40 powerhouses as WABC and WMCA in New York or WIBG in Philadelphia. The talent people were entertaining, not just bland liner card readers. Commercials were sprinkled throughout the programming and often read by the jocks…there were no long clots of spots, as we have today. Improve the spots themselves…get rid of those obnoxious screamer car dealer ads and, yes, make the spots entertaining. Here are two examples: The 1966 spots for No-Cal soda featuring the No-Cal Skinny Genie and his misadventures and the recent, simple spots for Orthene Ant Stop Fire Ant Killer, which consisted of a deadpan dry read about the joy of killing fire ants. (Listeners in the South were actually calling stations to REQUEST that spot!) Throw away the “music test groups” and find out what your LOCAL listeners want to hear. A song that tests well in Peoria may bomb in Philadelphia. Stations used to work with local record stores to find out what people were buying…although such stores are fading into history. And, hey, media buyers, don’t ignore the older demos, either! Not all seniors eat cat food and live on Social Security alone, nor do they want a steady diet of political rants and the other crap that dominates AM radio these days.
Phil G. you said, “What is lost on these young kids is that the streaming services may be had…at a price.” I don’t think it was lost on them at all. In fact, I kind of think that was their point… that they are so annoyed by today’s commercial advertising and enamored with the convenience of streaming that they are more than willing to pay out their hard-earned income to get it, over the “free” radio choice that’s available.
Actually, the most popular streaming options are the ad-supported free platforms. Only one person in this group pays for premium streaming, which is statistically correct. It’s about 1 in 10 streamers pay for premium. At the same time, there are lots of non-commercial radio options, often offered by colleges, and students don’t usually listen to them either.
To be honest, I didn’t listen to much commercial radio when I was in college either. It didn’t stop me for getting a job in that business. My listening habits changed after I left college, and that’s typically what happens to millennials today.
But, but, but that all would cost more money to accomplish, and no one wants to spend money. I agree with your airchecks comment. Great voices and intelligent, talented jocks. Then again, there’s that money thing rearing its ugly head.
But, but, but that all would cost more money to accomplish, and no one wants to spend money. I agree with your airchecks comment. Great voices and intelligent, talented jocks. Then again, there’s that money thing rearing its ugly head.