We are at the special time of year when our minds are constantly diverted to “The Game.” The game could be the playoffs and the World Series or it could be the early weeks of high school sports. Professional football is in full swing and with round ball just around the corner. Then again, we could be focused on our special game. It’s the game of Arbitron! We are in the midst of the Fall Arbitron sweep and winning this game is extremely important.
After years and years of experience and research, it is easy to see that the Arbitron process is like a game. It has lots and lots of teams playing, the lives and fortunes of the people on the teams are on the line and here is the important part: there are some hidden rules that can mean the difference of victory or failure. If you have ever visited Arbitron and studied the diaries after a ratings sweep you will see that the system leaves a lot to be desired. I have looked at many diaries and to be honest with you, I would rather go and have my teeth drilled by my dentist, Dr. Kill (yep that’s his name) than to go back and review another book and another market.
Personally, it took some time for me to stop thinking of radio as some sort of art form and realize that it is a game. It’s a very important and very serious professional game and for my entire business life, playing the game with its ever changing rules has been a challenge.
As a young broadcaster, I assumed that everything I did was wonderful and eventually the people of our town would realize it and all start to listen to my station. I assumed that the rating services were correct when they reported that my ratings went up and they were wrong when they went down. I think I was pretty typical for a radio programmer in the contemporary world.
What I didn’t know was how self-centered and naive I was and how far off base I had drifted in my understanding of exactly how Arbitron really worked. I could write a book, and a few people have, about the intricacies and nuisances of the Arbitron Game but for now, it might be just as important to remind ourselves that there are special rules to this game and almost none of them have to do with picking music, building elaborate hourly programming clocks or giving away CDs and tickets this weekend.
In my case, I experienced a life changing moment that for ever altered my thinking and provided clarity in what had been a very fuzzy world. One important day, (and I am not exactly sure of the date and time), I experienced what is called an “epiphany.” I didn’t hear any trumpets or lightening bolts. It just came to me in a life changing moment I came to the conclusion, that winning the Arbitron sweep was a lot like winning a game or fighting battles in a war. As in War Games. Games have rules and I needed to figure out the rules and find a way to win the game.
Don’t get me wrong, I will forever believe that the quality of the radio programming is extremely important to a station’s success and we should continue to worry about every little detail. The problem is that many programmers are so consumed with the little details that they forget to develop strategies and tactics to score well in the game. They often think that good things will simply happen because their station is slammin! I know I did. It didn’t take long for me to realize I had a lesson or two to learn.
Here was the first enlightening fact that stopped me in my tracks. In the real world, it isn’t even the general public that determines our fate. It isn’t the people who react to our promotions or people who visit us at remotes or people who call and request music. It’s not even the General Manager or his wife (Shock!).It is all of them and maybe none of them. Get ready, here comes the overly simplistic reality of all of this: Our fate is determined by those people who agree to participate in the Arbitron System. Ta Da!!! They agree to accept the task. They agree to fill out and return the diary sent to them and their diaries (when properly filled out), are combined with the other diaries and the results determine the winners and losers. Well sort of’.I forgot to include that Arbitron has some mumbo jumbo mathematic formulas that the data is run through, weighted and THEN, the results are presented as an estimate that we call facts.
Stop and think about what I just said’Our lives are almost completely directed by people who will fill out and return a diary. OK, so here is the interesting question – How many people have you met that have actually filled out and returned a diary? I have met almost no one. None of my close friends or family members have-ever reported to me that they have participated in the process. In a few cases, people have called to tell me they are taking a survey for radio but that is about the extent of my personal contact.
So, who are these people and what do we know about them? In the past, we made a lot of assumptions and held theories and even told stories that seemed to make sense at the time. The honest truth is that we were blowing smoke and really didn’t have a clue what we were talking about. Our theories and assumptions frequently missed the mark of reality.
In the recent past, new technologies have become available that help us better understand the diary keeper. Years of reading research studies (Now there’s is a topic for further discussion), has proven to me that the longer I am in this business the less “artsy” it is and the less like the Arbitron Diary keeper I am. So I have become more and more skeptical of the opinions of people around me and in fact of my own taste. Remember no one I know has ever participated in the Arbitron Survey and I doubt that they ever will. It is too difficult and time consuming. Because of that simple fact, I have developed the mantra, It’s Not About Me or My Friends and what WE Like, it is About the Diary Keeper.
Accept this simple fact in your life and you will go far. The game is all about finding out who the diary keeper is and what pleases them. It is not about what our friends, our associates or people in our industry or the music industry think.
Caution! We are often led astray by the trend setters, intellectuals and music purists. These people all have their own agendas combined with strong opinions. They are comfortable about expressing them and often at the most inappropriate time. Have you ever been to a party and suddenly, and usually completely uninvited, someone says, Let me tell you what’s wrong with your station. They then proceed to tear out your heart and step on it in front of friends and relatives.
If you get nothing else from this article, accept this fact. Studies have proven that the typical diary keeper, regardless of format has a psychological profile similar to that of a K-Mart, Wal- Mart, and Target shopper. They are not particularly hip, trend setting or leaders. They are not necessarily Doctors, Lawyers or Community officials. They are average people who for a few dollars have agreed to participate in a radio survey.
Recently at the NAB in discussion with a general manager of an Alternative Rock station, I had to tell him a few facts that truly bummed them out. Imagine their horror when they had to accept that the typical Alternative Rock Fan was the most UNLIKELY person to fill out and return an Arbitron Diary. They are all too hip, too undisciplined, and to rebellious to follow the rules of the Arbitron System. Therefore their station probably has a much larger audience than Arbitron reports. They thought for a minute and then cried FOUL! Ok, who would you like to complain too? In reality they will have to “nerd-down” their station to make it fall in line with the typical Arbitron Diary Keeper. Oddly enough this also happens to News Talk, Classical, Jazz and sad to say, Urban.
Defining the lifegroup profile of the typical Urban Diary Keeper is a real challenge. The need to go far beyond the music into the heart and soul of the listeners is paramount. Stations that understand the game and parallel the entertainment needs of the community most often dominate the format. Stations based solely on playing current music without the benefit of strong highly respected personalities and community oriented activities often wobble from one rating book to the next. Sound familiar?
Today’s programmer faces a formidable task of performing at a higher level and often with fewer resources. Today’s programmer cannot survive unless he or she dedicates their life to understanding the typical listener, understanding the game and learning to play it well.
As always “It” is all about knowing the rules and building well thought out strategies and tactics to excel in the game. Welcome to the real world it’s a new day!
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