Thursday, March 20, 2008

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Online Radio listening is up...

Listeners who are tired of listening to the same old terrestrial radio continue to sample the Internet. Arbitron and Edison Media Research report that 33 million listeners age 12 or older listen to Internet radio during an average week. That's an increase of two percentage points in the last year, in case you're keeping score, terrestrial radio people...

What also showed up in this report is a connection between Internet listening and social-networking. Nearly two-thirds of online radio listeners have a social-networking profile on MySpace, Facebook or Linkedin. If you're wondering about the 12+ national figure, only one-quarter (24%) of the U.S. has a social-networking profile which would clearly indicate that once you're on the Internet you stay there and peer influence among Web users is spreading. "One-third of online radio listeners log on to their social networking site nearly every day or even multiple times a day" says Diane Williams, senior analyst, custom research for Arbitron...

If you're programming a terrestrial radio station and looking at these results you better be producing the best damn product you're capable of producing and you better be interacting with your audience on your Web site to have any chance of competing with Internet radio...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1760] Fight fire with fire: Boston's "Great Fire of 1760" destroys 349 shops and homes along King and Congress Streets. As a result of this fire and several others, Boston will become the first town in the nation to have professional fire fighters...
  2. 1852] Debuted on this date: Harriet Beecher Stowe's book "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (subtitled 'Life Among The Lowly') is published. It's also made into a silent movie ...
  3. 1899] Wired: Martha M. Place of Brooklyn becomes the first woman to be executed in the electric chair. She's put to death at Sing Sing for murdering her stepdaughter...
  4. 1954] The Real Hoosiers: Milan beats Muncie Central for the Indiana state high school title in the game that the movie "Hoosiers" was based on. The final score of the game was 32-30. Obviously there was no clock in use yet...
  5. 1969] Wedding Bells: John Lennon and Yoko Ono rock down the aisle in Gibraltar. To commemorate what would have been their 30th anniversary in 1999, a set of postage stamps was issued in Gibraltar...
  6. 1973] Going to Hall: Eleven weeks after he's killed on a mercy mission, Roberto Clemente is voted into Baseball's Hall of Fame in a special election. The Puerto Rican's last hit is number 3,000, a double off of the Mets' Jon Matlack on September 30, 1972. Clemente was only 38 at the time of his death...
  7. 1976] Guilty as charged: Newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst is convicted of armed robbery for her part in a San Francisco bank holdup...1981] Jean Harris is sentenced to 15-to-life for the murder of lover Dr. Hyman Tarnower. Harris is released, her sentence commuted by New York Governor Mario Cuomo after 12 years served in 1992...1996] Erik and Lyle Menendez are found guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of their parents. Both are serving a life term in prison...
  8. 1990] Highway tragedy: Gloria Estefan fractures a vertebra when a tractor-trailer crashes into her tour bus near Scranton (PA). Surgeons implant two titanium rods to stabilize her spinal column. The singer will resume her career in 1991...
  9. 1991] City tragedy: Eric Clapton's 4-year old son Conor dies when he falls out the window of a 53rd floor apartment in Manhattan. Clapton will win a Grammy for his song written about Conor, "Tears in Heaven."...1995] Twelve are killed, more than 5,500 sickened when the nerve gas Sarin is released in the Tokyo subway system. Terrorists belonging to a doomsday cult in Japan are responsible for the attack...
  10. 2004] Gotcha: The U.S. military charges 6 soldiers with abusing inmates at Abu Ggraib prison in Iraq...

Music Memories:

  • 1961] Recorded on this date: "Hello Mary Lou" - Ricky Nelson. Ricky sings the song on the 'Ozzie & Harriet Show" ...
  • 1967] Debuted on this date: Brit supermodel Twiggy makes her U.S. debut and WRKO News Director Roger Allan interviews her. Roger and Twiggy are featured on the front of the NOW 30...
  • 1967] Released on this date: "The Happening" - The Supremes (who sing the song at a WRKO show at the Boston Arena shortly after it's released)...1972] "Back Off Boogaloo" - Ringo Starr...
  • 1972] Number One on this date: "A Horse With No Name" - America ...1982] "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" - Joan Jett...

Commentary:

On this first day of spring comes the results of a Sienna College Sports Poll that indicates that only 2% of New York State respondents polled call the Knicks their favorite team. The Knicks finished behind the Yankees, Mets and Giants, Buffalo Bills, Red Sox and Sabres in fan popularity. That just might indicate it's time to replace coach Isiah Thomas and while you're at it - the owner (Charles Dolan) too...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Holly Hunter (50), Spike Lee (51), Mike Francesa (54), William Hurt (58), Bobby (#4) Orr (60), Pat Riley (63), Jerry Reed (71), Hal Linden (77), Carl Reiner (86) and Marian McPartland (90)...

Timeline Countdown: 3 days until Easter Sunday, 5 days until opening day and 30 days until Passover...