A few decades ago, radio stations routinely went to the cash drawer to pony up big bucks for major contests, especially during the Spring and Fall Books. Many put together elaborate campaigns – big contests often supported by major marketing blitzes.
The granddaddy of them all was “The Birthday Game.” And Film House was the company that put it together for you. You and your talent would fly to Nashville, shoot a series of TV spots, and then the cash machine would start spitting out prizes of $5,000, $10,000, and more on those heavily promoted Thursdays when your birthday could earn you a nice wad of cash.
It was “appointment listening” at its best. Thousands of listeners interrupted their morning commutes or routines to expressly listen to “The Birthday Game.” It was a lot of money, the odds seemed pretty good, and it was a fun, clever game. And that TV marketing support amounted to huge gross ratings points each week, especially a day before the big moolah was doled out. It was hard to miss this contest when all cylinders were promoting and supporting it.
We just don’t see that type of contesting today – especially accompanied by powerful marketing campaigns. But even if you had the budget (and the stomach) to give away thousands of dollars – not across hundreds of markets, but in Des Moines, Columbus, and Milwaukee – you’d be hard-pressed to buy local television ads that could provide blanket coverage of your target demo like radio did with “The Birthday Game” once upon a time in the 1980’s.
And to a great degree, that’s the point Daniella Serhan makes in a recent MediaWeek piece. Serhan is entertainment sales and partnerships director at Australia’s Foxtel Media. Titled “The Return of Appointment Viewing?” she questions whether what we know in the U.S. as “must-see TV” can exist in this age of on-demand video streaming.
Old school “appointment viewing” on TV still exists at rare moments when we all end up riveted by an event. The passing of Queen Elizabeth was a recent example. Others are the Super Bowl and other major sporting events, and at least for the left, those January 6th hearings.
“Game of Thrones” had this going, especially in the earlier seasons. But still, you didn’t have to sit down Sunday nights to watch an episode. It was available via on-demand the next day. Other TV series have captured the zeitgeist for moments in time: “Tiger King” and “Squid Game” on Netflix come to mind. But nobody makes an appointment to watch them. They’re “on” 24/7.
As Serhan points out, rather than thinking in terms of time slots (Thursday night at 8pm, for example), viewers now peruse the carousel of video content on platforms like Netflix and Disney+ while word of mouth from friends, family, and co-workers inform their senses about what they’re watching and what’s hot.
There are still communal experiences – talking about a favorite TV show with others – but they now form much differently than when the Beatles appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show” that fab February Sunday night at 8pm on CBS-TV in February of 1964.
So, while the parameters and the technology have changed for television, where does this leave radio? Can it take advantage of “appointment listening” when there’s more money in the coffee fund than set aside for the Fall promotional budget?
Sure, there are those benchmark bits the morning show does, timestamped every weekday, say at 7:35am. When the planets line up, a station might even catch a meter or two because people love to tune in every morning. But that’s not even in the same universe as the “appointment listening” radio used to capture with “The Birthday Game” or the premier of a new Taylor Swift single or a big concert coming to town. Music no longer creates “appointment listening” because it is everywhere. No one can keep track of where they heard it first.
Serhan doesn’t have a solution to the dearth of “appointment listening” opportunities for TV (or for radio), but she does have an interesting workaround, used successfully by many products and brands.
Her technique is to connect with bigger-than-life events via station resources. When the Queen died, leading to a full week until the funeral, it was an opportunity for TV networks to dust off documentaries about the Royals, as well as thematic movies, such as “The King’s Speech” or “The Crown.’
She also cites advertising tie-ins that leverage the success of bigger-than-life pop culture moments. Treasury Wine Estates rolled out limited edition libations such Fire & Blood Cabernet Shiraz, the perfect pairing while watching HBO’s “Game of Thrones” sequel, “House of Dragons.” Interestingly, no one can advertise on this new series because HBO is commercial-free, of course. But for the winery, it was the next best thing.
Of course, they partnered with Warner Bros. on this promotion. Your radio station most likely doesn’t have the in’s or the clout to bang out a marketing deal at that scale. So, there’s always the “just do it” method (with a call into “legal” just to play it safe) or perhaps a deal with a middleman, like a local TV station or other media outlet.
Chances are, other media in town are in the same boat you are – little-to-no discretionary promotion budget. So, a co-promotion might serve you and them well, allowing your station to tap into their viewership while they get presence on your big morning show.
Radio programmers and promotion directors have long honed their craft to glom onto existing smash hits in the country or (better yet) local markets. In this lean period of radio marketing where promotional dollars are destined to become even scarcer, hitching your brand to a big moment or momentous event can help stations and shows sound current and topical.
A local bar night where everyone names “Charles” drinks for free is indicative of the types of things radio can do when it ramps up the brainstorming machine. Of course there are parody songs, like Bob & Tom’s “King Chuck” which made the rounds during that very royal week. Why not connect in a high-profile way to a higher-profile event?
Similarly, natural disasters provide openings for radio to help out those in distress – while getting credit for it at the same time. Broadcasters know how to mobilize during these disasters, shipping fresh water to the distressed area and raising funds for organizations such as the Red Cross.
It’s also about making sure the audience takes note of your good deed-doing. And that’s why it was noteworthy the Beasley Media Group turned their dashboard displays into mobile opportunities a couple weeks back to send support to victims and those in need. Using Quu’s metadata service, all the company’s stations mobilized into supporting those stricken by Ian.
But is it “appointment listening?” No, not really. But it is a way to capture attention during a maelstrom of activity and buzz when consumers are actually paying attention to what’s going on in the world around them.
As Serhan reminds us, “appointment viewing is here to stay, it’s just that we need to think differently about what these appointments look like.”
And sound like.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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A couple other things that were appointment listening. “American Country Countdown” and “American Top 40”.
At various times in my life, I never missed either show. And while I didn’t listen to the entire show, I did hear at least an hour of it.
Are countdown shows even a “thing” anymore?
Countdown shows definitely still exist, but are likely much bigger outside of the U.S. For example, BBC Radio 1 still carries The Official Chart (albeit now on Fridays)–while the Los40 mothership in Spain still devotes a full four hours on Saturdays to Del 40 al 1 (with Coca-Cola as the title sponsor).
Another pair that I was able to confirm quickly is from Portugal’s RFM and sister Mega Hits. I wanted to highlight those because the two stations essentially flank each other (i.e., Mega Hits is indeed CHR, while RFM is AC)–and because they really promote online voting for the countdowns. (Perhaps to facilitate this, Mega Hits includes a song’s lyrics within its specific listing.)
Also, I’m not sure whether there are any on-air versions, but the remaining Radio Disney outlets (throughout Latin America) produce brief, dedicated podcasts for their countdowns: a primary one for the Spanish-language markets, and a Portuguese-language one for São Paulo.
Eric Jon Magnuson’s response is helpful. I hear more of Casey these days on SXM’s “decade” channels than on broadcast radio.
Well, Premiere and Ryan Seacrest sure sill think American Top 40 is still a “thing”. Rick Dees is still doing his “Weekly Top 30” but I am hard-pressed to think of any stations that carry it.
I do know that the 80s version of “Classic American Top 40” still has interest. Among the markets it still airs in are san Francisco (#4) Seattle (#12), Minneapolis/St. Paul (#15), Portland (#21).
I think that, in general, countdown shows of the current hits are declining in appeal because we live in an era where multiple songs by an artist are on the charts simultaneously because downloads and streaming are counted now. That very much dilutes the impact of a “chart position”, especially if listeners are more interested in artists than song. Back when we still paid rapt attention to Casey Kasem, Dees, Dick Clark, et al, top-40/CHR was pretty much one song at a time by an artist and listeners had a heightened interest in seeing how their favorites were ranked.
Now, with the instant gratification of immediate access on smartphones, there’s little reason for listeners to care about any kind of countdown.
I love listening to Classic American Top 40. I have my streaming radio in the bedroom with an alarm at 8am Saturday with a station that’s carrying the show at that time and it’s like I’m back in high school. LOL
And my station, a classic country format in Indiana, tried getting American Country Countdown with Bob Kingsley, but were blocked by a station in Cincinnati carrying Bob’s current countdown show at the time.
You just don’t see much promotion of them anymore like you used to I suppose, and there is the instant gratification thing, too.
Another question would be “Is Radio Out Of The Entertainment Business?” How is appointment listening achieved when owners throughout the industry have done away with budgets to attract real talent, to hire PD’s that actually know how to coach the talent, and build ORIGINAL lifestyle promotions that aren’t just another company wide cash collective while EVERY competitor in town is doing the same.
Thankfully, there are SOME that still invest in the product that comes out of the speakers. But they are far and few between these days.
It’s not a hard fix. It just takes a little reallocating.
Clearly, “must hear radio” is a function of having truly great talent on the air, and behind the scenes. It also helps to wear fewer “hats” so you can dream up content and programming that listeners won’t want to miss. Thanks for the obvious, but true, reminder, Matt.
Fred you’re 100% correct. Appointment listening has pretty much become a thing of the past. My favorite show, Bob and Tom, features a variety of comics each day at per-determined times, so a form of appointment listening still exists in a few limited places. Years ago, Paul Harvey’s news & commentary was a must for me and millions nationwide. Certain major personalities still garner a loyal audience at specific times, but they are decreasing in numbers and in popularity, which is sad.
Art,
That’s precisely what I’m talking about. Appointment listening based on features the talent (entertainers) provide. And that’s why the younger listeners are leaving radio. They’re seeking…and finding….their entertainment/engagement elsewhere. Sad indeed!
I was once told by a promotions director that “…you can’t get people to make appointments to listen”. That was 8 years ago. It’s become a self-fulfilling prophesy. He might as well have said “you can’t have fun on the radio anymore” because that’s where things are going. A lot of broadcast entities have given up trying-all for the sake of the bottom line. In a world where people are talking about Tom Cruise making a movie in space, broadcasters continue with “more music, less talk”….and less fun. We gather here daily to lament the creativity of other media and the shortcomings of broadcast radio. I’m still preaching that the “new” competitors still can’t do what broadcasters can…but it’s sad that broadcasters (for the most part) have given up trying.
Well said, my friend.