"Now TRENDING on WDEL.com"

[650AM]

OK, its been three-four weeks or so, is there anyone else as tired as I am of hearing this phrase already?

[ProducerGuy]

Get used to it. Cross media promotion is absolutely necessary now.

[MikefromDelaware]

I guess I don't get the problem.

WHYY-FM also promotes their online service.  WDSD promotes CC's I heart radio online service.  It's a shame that Arbitron doesn't gather online listening data.  It would be interesting to see what % of any station's listeners are online vs listening to the radio. 

I know some of WHYY-FM's callers to "Radio Times" are listening online as they are calling from distant states.  Chris Carl told us here (not too long ago) that WDEL's online listening has been growing quite well.  They are selling ads for their online listening that are not similcasts of what's airing on the radio. 

I myself listen to both WHYY-FM and WDEL at work online, because I can not get 1150AM at all at work and sometimes there's some interference with 90.9, so its just less hassle to go online.  I also listen to a talk program (On Point) sometimes from WBUR in Boston, online. 

94.1 WIP-FM, 97.5 WPEN-FM, 1290 WWTX, and 107.7 WRTI (Wilmington translator) I listen to on the radio as they come in fine, no problems.  But if it became a problem, I would simply go online and listen to any or all of them too.

I've listened to the Foggy Mountain Country on CC's I heart radio and their "Classica" Classical Music online service too.  Both NPR and PRI (Public Radio International) also has their online links I've listened too.  I listen to Jim Bohannan's Late Night talk show online the next day too.  Online, Podcasts, and Apps for I-phones, etc, are radio's future, so of course WDEL and the others are going to promote it, they'd be crazy not to promote it.   

[jhguthlac]

For AM stations in particular, the on-line service is a life-saver.

You can devote more space to news items can you can on the air.  You can include podcats understanding that many of your listeners are in the "I want it on my schedule" generation.

My daily listening includes WDEL, WABC, WDAS-AM, all on line.  KYW is one of the few stations I listen to on the air during the work week. Weekends, of course, WDEL is loud and clear at home.

Promoting your station's web site, particularly the free news items, is vital in this day.

[DaveWilliams]

WBAL AM in Baltimore promotes their on line service ALL the time, like with the ID on the hour and at the close of EVERY news item.  And Mike, if the station pays Arbitron, they can have their stream included in the ratings service.  The stream for WLIF shows up in the very low numbers quite a bit.  I had to make the on line feed at WZBA PPMless when I was CE there since they weren't paying to run it there, just the main signal on 100,.7.

[MikefromDelaware]

Dave, so in PPM markets you can get the online data included, if you're buying the Arbitron service.  Does that also work in diary markets like Wilmington? 

So WDEL could pay to get that info and it would then show in the 12+ numbers?  Of course, I guess the cheaper way to go is their computer system probably can tell them how many hits WDEL.com gets and possibly the day and time as well.  Maybe the online listening button also has that ability to tell them how many folks are listening to the live streaming.  I'm a bit of a Luddite, so I may be completely out in left field.  I remember Chris Carl telling us here that their online listening has been growing quite well (not his exact wording).  So they must be able to track it via their computer system.  But it would be cool to see the numbers reported in the 12+ data, not just for WDEL, but all the stations available in the Wilmington market.

[amfm.com]

A diary-keeper could write down a station's stream within Arbitron's Neanderthal system (and they would have to differentiate it from over-the-air listening). And, assuming a station were to get enough of that listening to meet minimum standards, they would show in the ratings. But, with so few diaries representing so many people, most streams just don't generate enough mentions to show.

And yes, you are correct in assuming that stations can get far more accurate information right out of their own streaming servers, or those that their streaming providers have. Those would be real numbers, with real listening levels, time spent, etc., compared to the formulas Arbitron uses to extrapolate numbers from a thousand or so diaries placed over 12 weeks with folks that end up having to do a memory test of what they listen to.

[MikefromDelaware]

Thanks, amfm.com for the clarification.  So that explains how Chris Carl at WDEL knows that his web site listenership is growing quite well.  So why would Chris pay for that info from Arbitron.  Sounds like he gets better data from his server.

Today I listened to WDEL, Foggy Mountain Radio (from I heart radio), Classica, and WHYY-FM all online.  I didn't bother turning on my radio at all at work today.  WDEL sounds so good online, just like FM. 

In my car, yes, I listened to the radio, depending on who's in a spot break, or discussing something I'm not interested in, when I scan around the dial, it could be WDEL, WPHT, WWTX, WHYY-FM, WIP-FM, WPEN-FM. or WWIQ-FM (106.9 formerly Family Radio).  Ain't America great, so many choices for spoken word programming in the Philly/Wilmington metro.  990 WNTP and 1060 KYW I have as presets, but rarely listen to 990, because the signal isn't great, and 1060 for weather if I missed it on WDEL.  I don't really care about Philly news or traffic so I don't listen to KYW very often.

[DX]

Something absolutely critical missing from this discussion:

Arbitron will not rate a given radio station's audio stream unless it duplicates the regular radio output 100%.

For a myriad of reasons involving licensing, legal rights, etc. -- commercials, sporting events -- WDEL and many stations cannot possibly simulcast 100% of their product on the web.

That's why WDEL - and some other stations - will trigger PSA's or alternate commercials for the audio stream.  It's why WDEL offers syndicated talk programming during Phillies, for example.

Therefore, wdel.com's audio stream doesn't get counted.   It is a little unfair.  But it's the way it is.

Conversely, wdel.com - and similar radio station platforms - become a completely different source of revenue.

[amfm.com]

Something absolutely critical missing from this discussion:

Arbitron will not rate a given radio station's audio stream unless it duplicates the regular radio output 100%.

That's not exactly 100% correct DX.  Arbitron does not allow the streaming number to be combined with the radio rating unless it is a 100% simulcast.  However, as stated above, if enough listeners write down, in the case of diary markets, listening to a particular station's stream - and enough quarter hours are tallied up to qualify, that station stream will show in the ratings - As a separate 'Station' - on its own line and with its own statistics.  It has happened now and again, but mostly in larger markets either with PPM ratings or more diaries than Arbitron puts out in Wilmington.