(Weekend Edition)
The highly-coveted female listener would listen to radio more if they could listen on their cellphone. According to a new Alan Burns and Associates study of females, half (54%) of all 2,057 women surveyed and 73% of the "early adopters" of technology say they would buy a different cellphone if the phone had a radio receiver. Alan Burns is impressed: "This is great news for the radio industry because now we have hard data to show cellphone manufacturers that putting radio receivers in their products would benefit them financially. It's a huge opportunity, because over half of the 2,000 women we interviewed said they'd listen to radio more if they could listen on their phone." I'm not sure why "cellphones" are mentioned. Does that include "smartphones" or was "cellphone" used as a generic term that includes "smartphones" in this survey? There was more interesting data in the survey including female reaction to commercials, song information, social involvement and radio personalities. Since women are the heaviest users of radio, the data should be taken seriously...
So what would make listening to radio more enjoyable for female listeners? 68% say fewer commercials and 60% say fewer "obnoxious commercials." Burns may have included it but I didn't see this in the press release - it would've been interesting to find out about "burn out" caused by repeat occurrences of the same commercial. Other findings show that half of all the women studied like air personalities and think they enhance listening, but the rest either actively dislike air personalities or can "take or leave them." 37% would like more information on songs and artists, the same number would enjoy hearing more new music while 36% asked for less music they're tired of. Radio is the dominant source of music discovery by a wide margin. Among women who buy music, radio leads 3 to 1. Of the women surveyed, a full 76% have a Facebook profile and 21% have a Twitter account, compared to 26% who'd visited a radio station website in the past week. Of those who visit station sites, 23% say the sites are more entertaining or useful than other sites, 16% say less and 61% say station sites are about the same as other websites...
If I were still programming a radio station, I would take a pen - never a pencil and circle all the percentages that show a response over 50% in any particular category. Chances are that 9 out of 10 future studies will show about the same percentages...
10 Timeline Memories:
1.1931] A radio first: CBS airs the first radio/TV simulcast. The show features Kate Smith, George Gershwin and New York City Mayor Jimmy Walker. Here's Miss Kate with a release from the same year (7/18)…
2.1941] Boogety, boogety. This streak ends: The longest hitting streak in baseball ends in Cleveland for the “Yankee Clipper”, Joe DiMaggio. After hitting in 56 games, Indian pitchers stop DiMag. 69 years later, no one has come close to equalling or breaking his record (7/17)…
3.1951] Debuted on this date: The J.D. Salinger novel “Catcher In The Rye” is published (7/16)…
4.1969] Chappaquiddick tragedy: This was the day that Mary Jo Kopechne died when Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy lost control of the car he was driving. Mary Jo was just 27 (7/18)…
5.1969] To the Moon Alice: Apollo 11 blasts off from Cape Kennedy to begin its journey to the moon and the 1st landing made by man on that surface (4/16)...
6.1981] LIE tragedy: Harry Chapin is killed on the Long Island Expressway on his way to a benefit concert. Chapin was 38 (7/16)…
7.1996] Tragedy in the air: TWA Flight 800, a Boeing 747 bound for Paris, explodes and crashes off Long Island, shortly after take-off from JFK killing all 230 aboard (7/17)…
8.1999] Vineyard tragedy: Another day ends in tragedy for the Kennedy’s as John F. Kennedy Jr.’s plane crashes off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, John’s wife and Carolyn’s sister Lauren Bessette was also aboard. All the bodies are found on July 21 (7/16)…
9.1999] Perfecto: Yankee pitcher David Cone pitches a perfect game at Yankee Stadium against the Montreal Expos (7/18)…
10.2003] The voice is stilled: Barry White dies of renal failure at 58 (7/18)…
Music Memories:
•1960] The original version: Hank Ballard & the Midnighters release "The Twist". Chubby Checker's version wouldn't become a hit until later in the year (7/18)...
•1966] The Cream Rises: Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce & Ginger Baker form Cream (7/16)...
1972] Breaking up is hard to do: After 18 years with The Miracles, Smokey makes his final appearance with the group in Washington, D.C. (7/16). "Tears Of A Clown" was their final #1 hit with Smokey...1972] Loggins & Messina go their separate ways (7/16)...
•1977] #1 on this date: "Looks Like We Made It" - Barry Manilow (7/18)...1980] "Glass Houses" LP - Billy Joel (7/18)...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday": (7/16) Barry Sanders (42), Will Ferrell (43), Phoebe Cates (47), Michael Flatley (52), Jimmy Johnson (67) and Bess Myerson (86)...(7/17) Bryan Trottier (54), Phoebe Snow (58), David Hasselhoff (58), Lucie Arnaz (59), Charlie Steiner (61), Daryle Lamonica (69), Spencer Davis (71), Diahann Carroll (75), Donald Sutherland (75 and Phyllis Diller (93)...(7/18) Nick Faldo (53), Richard Branson (60), Steve Forbes (63), Martha Reeves (69), Joe Torre (70), Dion DiMucci (71), Dick Button (81), John Glenn (89) and Nelson Mandella (92)...
Timeline Countdown: 8 days until the NFL training camps begin opening, 9 days until the MLB HOF induction & 22 days until the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction...
