Infomercials

[copydesk2]

I woke up early Sunday morning and when I couldn't go back to sleep, I turned on the bedside radio. This was about 6 o'clock and there was nothing on either band except infomercials. I mean wall-to-wall infomercials.

Is over-the-air radio trying to commit suicide?

[VERITAS DE VOCE]

Now it's no secret that I am an avid non-com advocate, but they are responsible for that on-air deluge and hostile auditory onslaught. It's a cheat way to make easy cash. Commercial get ROS in traffic, board ops can catch a snooze and that crap brought to you by Ronco and the creator of KABOOM through together some post-produced dribble until the "real talent" walks in.

[Robert Bass]

Is over-the-air radio trying to commit suicide?

Wayyyyy beyond trying, unfortunately. 

R

[Paul Boomer]

Is over-the-air radio trying to commit suicide?

Yes.  It's been trying for some time, and some would argue that it's already happened.

I don't even have a radio (well, an AM/FM radio, anyways) in my home office anymore.  I have to listen to internet radio to hear new, interesting, and/or great music.

[VERITAS DE VOCE]

Paul, they call those movie reviews 

[mrwonton]

But if we didn't have informercials my prostate would still be unhealthy, I couldn't poop, I'd be a fat lard, and I wouldn't have been able to find the illegal steroid dealers listed in Kevin Trudeu's book.

[Steve Eberhart]

It's all about revenue...those are small audience listening times and a station has a hard time getting any spots on during those times - but - infomercials pay a decent fee to be heard in major markets...of course it is a total tune out, but as long as the check clears (and I'd bet they require cash up front)...

[little1]

I've heard through various grapevines that the lowest you can get on any station in the market is in the 500-1000 dollar an hour range.  And it goes up, sometimes significantly, depending on what station, what time, etc...

As Steve said, most air at times when it's hard to sell spots.  And since the stations that seem to run the most (talk) focus most of their energy on 6a-7p M-F it's almost a win win situation.

Sales can focus on selling their bread and butter (Whether it be Mark Davis, Gallagher, Bolton, etc) while still making money on what might otherwise be a 'gimme' daypart...

Not to mention the pressure it creates on the rest of the weekend inventory.  IOW, Let's say you have 12 hours a day of 12 spots an hour (using those because I know the answer and don't have to do advanced math like "multiplication" to get an answer)  Instead of selling 144 spots, if you do infomercials for even half that time, you know only need to sell 72 spots.  Same demand, lower inventory, generally means higher rates...

[copydesk2]

Penny wise, pound foolish.

Financially healthy stations that pursue infomercials' short-term benefits are driving away a generation of listeners.

Now, I can see why stations that are just scratching out a living would resort to humiliating themselves with trash advertising.

[VERITAS DE VOCE]

"Generating revenue," "Earning a living," "It's about business" or whatever other CONsultant speak you want to attach to it... it's about cash. And please, you think big radio cares about little us? Nope.

Come on Ronco. Batter up, brutha.