Groundbreaking PPM Research

Not all radio listeners are created equal: heavy radio users drive nearly 90% of the ratings. According to UW-Madison’s Ty Henderson PhD, "The listening preference patterns in this analysis mirrors what we see in many consumer products: a select few drive the majority of the category. Knowing who matters and who to target will be critical to stations’ marketing and programming."

Another important finding is that not all P1's are created equal. Although this was more or less known to be true in the diary world, a new measure, "percent of listening" (POL) uncovers the select few who REALLY matter the most. In fact, even so-called ";mass appeal" stations derive the majority of their listening from a very small, important group: less than 2% of the Houston market drives nearly half of the listening for a leading AC station. Bill Rose, senior vice president of marketing, Arbitron Inc. says, "Understanding P1 listening is crucial for radio programmers and this study will provide fresh insight into the dynamics of how it works in the PPM world."
Read more about this important new study going on now being conducted by dmr, Arbitron and the University of Wisconsin's AC Nielsen Center for Marketing. HERE

100 Words That All High School Graduates — And Their Parents — Should Know

BOSTON, MA — The editors of the American Heritage^® dictionaries have compiled a list of 100 words they recommend every high school graduate should know.

"The words we suggest," says senior editor Steven Kleinedler, "are not meant to be exhaustive but are a benchmark against which graduates and their parents can measure themselves. If you are able to use these words correctly, you are likely to have a superior command of the language."
Here's A-E:
abjure abrogate abstemious acumen antebellum auspicious bellicose bowdlerize chicanery chromosome churlish circumlocution circumnavigate deciduous deleterious diffident enervate enfranchise epiphany equinox euro evanescent expurgate
THE REST

MICRO TARGETING

The world is changing and so is the way you research, market and sell products and ideas. In the early ‘80s Apple was a London record company and the three major networks delivered 80% of the television audience. Today, you’d need 60 electronic media channels to achieve the same reach and Apple’s IPod delivers music and video on demand to millions of consumers. The control has switched from the seller to the buyer. Voters and consumers now have multiple sources for information and entertainment, and they control what they want and when they want it. The captive audience is gone. The empowered individual reigns. Most important: voters and consumers expect you to personally market and sell to them based on their unique wants, needs, biases and preferences. What was once exceptional is now expected, but until now, the data tools to give consumers what they want didn’t exist. Now they do. MicroTargeting. Developed for the world of politics and delivering the winning edge in a race for the White House, MicroTargeting now is at work in every sector of marketing and commerce. MicroTargeting is advanced market segmentation at the individual level, which answers the most fundamental marketing questions. Who wants what I have? Where do I find them? How do I persuade them? This advance in marketing technology couldn’t come at a better time. The fragmentation of media and information sources and atomization of communication channels has placed an even greater premium on one-on-one direct marketing of products and ideas. And it’s made possible by the convergence of several technology trends and advances: The ability to digitally store, archive and analyze massive amounts of data. The ability to construct exhaustive information profiles of an individual’s life cycle and life style characteristics using multi-sourced databases. The ability to link and integrate multiple “data islands” containing valuable information about individual consumers. The analytical power to search for and discover meaningful patterns and relationships that is of true strategic and tactical value to the client. Read More MicroTargeting 101(PDF)

Razor-thin TV screen you can wear as a T-shirt

In the race for ever thinner displays for TVs, cell phones and other gadgets, Sony may have developed one to beat them all - a razor-thin display that bends like paper while showing full-colour video.

Sony Corporation posted video of the new 2.5 inch display on its' web page.

In the video, a hand squeezes the 0.3 millimetre (0.01 inch)-thick display, which shows color video of a bicyclist stuntman, a picturesque lake and other images.

Sony will present the research and video at an academic symposium in Long Beach, California, for the Society for Information Display this week, the Japanese electronics and entertainment company said.

The display combines Sony's organic thin film transistor, or TFT, technology, which is required to make flexible displays, with another kind of technology called organic electroluminescent display, it said.

The latter technology is not as widespread for gadgets as the two main display technologies now on the market - liquid crystal displays and plasma display panels.

Although flat-panel TVs are getting slimmer, a display that's so thin it bends in a human hand marks a breakthrough.

Sony said plans for a commercial product using the technology were still undecided.

"In the future, it could get wrapped around a lamppost or a person's wrist, even worn as clothing," said Sony spokesman Chisato Kitsukawa. "Perhaps it can be put up like wallpaper."

Tatsuo Mori, professor at Nagoya University's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, said some hurdles remained, including making the display bigger, ensuring durability and cutting costs.

But the display's pliancy is extremely difficult to imitate with LCD and plasma screens, he said.

"To come up with a flexible screen at that image quality is groundbreaking," Mori said.

"You can drop it, and it won't break because it's as thin as paper."

DAILY MAIL

The Internet Revolution is in the Air

By Timothy Karr (Huffington Post)
Few of you are likely aware that the future of communications in our country rests on a seemingly arcane decision on how we sell off soon-to-be vacated TV airwaves. This public "spectrum" has the capacity to deliver high-speed Internet signals almost everywhere in the country.

The Federal Communications Commission will decide very soon how this chunk of air is to be auctioned off and used after TV stations go digital. The government hopes that revenues from the sale (anticipated to be as high as $30 billion) will help pay down the national deficit, especially high since we went to War in Iraq.

Yesterday, many members of the SavetheInternet.com Coalition came forward with a proposal: Let's use these airwaves to make the Internet more neutral, open and affordable for everyone.

Most people haven't heard about this issue, or know that such valuable airwaves are up for grabs. But it is important stuff.

Here's where things stand:

Broadcast television channels will soon vacate publicly owned airwaves when TV stations are required to go digital by 2009.

Right now, the Federal Communications Commission is deciding how to structure an upcoming auction of these airwaves.

If used right, this new spectrum could revolutionize the ways we connect to one another -- and to laptops, cell phones, PDAs, music players and other mobile Internet devices. It can also deliver a wireless Internet into your house without the need for a telephone wire or cable modem. MORE at HUFFINGTON POST

ROCK RADIO IS BACK IN NEW YORK

Back on May 2nd I speculated on whether PPM would see the return of Rock Radio to New York and other Rock-free markets.
I wrote:

As PPM rolls out market-by-market, Rock radio’s true ratings shares will finally be counted. The interesting thing about the roll out is the next 4 markets that will be PPM’d are Houston, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, markets that for the most part do not have a Rock Station. Will the SMART radio groups involved in these markets recognize this amazing opportunity and flip some properties Rock before PPM rolls out in the market? In L.A., will Citadel take KLOS to an Active format before PPM gets there? Will New York see the return of a Rock Station? Could we see the return of WNEW-FM?
Get ready for some interesting days ahead. Rock Radio-It’s like you never left!!!

Well, I was close. Today WXRK (K-Rock) Returned To 92.3 FM In NYC.

Rockin' New York. (Listen Here)

Competitive Media Usage Overview Update

FROM BRIDGE RATINGS:

2006 was a 'tipping point' of sorts for several media competing for listeners' time and use. This report is an update to our report first published on January 3, 2007.

Internet radio use continues its rise and terrestrial radio streams are recording significant unique user counts as the industry as a whole better understands the important role Internet streaming plays in audience building, loyalty and monetization of their terrestrial audiences.

Since the January publication of this analysis, Satellite radio announced its intention to merge its sole companies into one. While the jury is still out on this development, Bridge Ratings is tracking continued slow consumer interest in the medium. Satellite radio now penetrates nearly 5% of the market.

The iPod and MP3 players continue to experience unprecedented growth with a little more than 90 million units now in the hands of Americans. The number of households with more than one MP3 player also continues to rise as our study indicates that 15% of households have more than one MP3 player as users replace older models, have multiple family members who own one or are purchasing units to coincide with variations in lifestyle.

During the month of December 2006, Bridge Ratings interviewed 3500 persons 12+ on a national basis to determine use among the following audio media competing for time: Terrestrial radio, Satellite Radio, Internet Radio, MP3 Players and HD Radio. We interviewed an additional 3000 persons 13+ between April 13 and May 20, 2007 for an updated view. MORE

Understand the Ecosystem of Consumer Demand

Want to nail down your consumers' wants and needs? Then don't just listen to them. That's because just listening to them won't reveal what you're looking for. Observing them won't either. And if you are using survey research or ethnographic research to better understand your consumers, think twice. The bottom line is, you may not be leveraging the best tools to understand your customers. The biggest opportunities for building your brand or growing your business lay in plain sight -- but you might not see them.
Between listening to consumers using survey-research methods and observing consumers using ethnographic-research approaches lies a third, totally innovative approach that focuses on understanding the ecosystem of consumer demand. (Read More at Adage)

Eliminating the Riffraff

This summer, promoters are offering a new service for VIP concert-goers: eliminating the riffraff altogether.

A new five-concert series called "Social" will debut in East Hampton, N.Y., in July, with a pass to all five shows costing $15,000. (Tickets aren't available for individual shows.)

The series is a new extreme in the concert industry's increasing attempts to woo big spenders. But it also reflects promoters' attempts to cash in on demand that's pushed prices on ticket-resale sites like StubHub to the stratosphere. This way, promoters can price tickets at the same level -- and keep the money for themselves.

The Social lineup is hardly cutting-edge -- it includes Prince, Billy Joel, Dave Matthews, Tom Petty and James Taylor. (Bulldog Entertainment, a two-year-old promotion company, says it sought mainstream artists with the help of former Warner Bros. and DreamWorks record executive Michael Ostin.) Then again, it's not just about music: At Social, artists will exhibit, celebrity chefs will cook, parking will cost nothing and seating will include daybeds, ottomans and Moroccan pillows. Social will be marketed as a lifestyle, says Bulldog, to Wall Street executives, Hamptons socialites and the ultrarich. (MORE)

Terrestrial Radio's Run Through the New Media Gaunlet 1998-2007

From Bridge Ratings Analysis:
By 2002 traditional radio had experienced Napster plus the introduction of satellite radio and Internet radio. Though all three were in their infancy, the "perfect storm" of the three together began wearing down radio listening. Weekly cume to all radio was only slightly affected. Bridge Ratings estimates that almost 96% of Americans still tuned in to an AM or FM radio station at that time, but what we began to notice was significant change in "favoriteness" or loyalty among average listeners. This sudden decline below 80% of the audience who had a favorite station was a first and marks a tipping point in media use. And while favoriteness was down below 80% for the first time, radio maintained solid cume numbers and avoided further loyalty attrition for two years. Read MORE

A Passion to Profit: Secret to Success

From the Incentive Newsletter

Do your employees love their jobs? If your answer's anything but a resounding yes, you could be losing money.

A new study on employee engagement from PeopleMetrics www.people-metrics.com, a Philadelphia-based research firm, says that employees who are passionate about their work consistently perform—regardless of industry, gender or compensation. In fact, the survey found that the top performers are at least twice as engaged as their lower-performing colleagues.

Just as many companies have shifted their focus to delivering more meaningful, emotionally engaging experiences to customers, they must now do that same work in house.

While monetary compensation and other perks are necessary for keeping a workforce motivated, they cannot be the sole generator of long-term engagement. "[Pay, benefits and resources] are not sufficient to drive the highest levels of employee engagement and performance," says Kate Feather, executive vice president at PeopleMetrics. "We found that creating emotional connections to employees is what truly matters because this is where organizations can dramatically boost employee productivity and business outcomes."

Employee engagement levels are quickly becoming an important differentiator in the ensuing talent war. Feather says the key for retention in the coming years will be for managers to create an atmosphere of engagement by keeping open dialogue with their staff, maintaining a level of trust, and showing individual appreciation on a consistent basis with employees.

Comedian feels 'hurt' by Latin flubber Leno

Or, Why I Love Letterman.

BY GEORGE RUSH AND JOANNA RUSH MOLLOY

Posted Thursday, May 3rd 2007, 4:00 AM

Jay Leno has some 'splaining to do - as the great Desi Arnaz might have said - after mixing up two of America's top Latino comics. You may remember that, in January, funnyman George Lopez told a Florida radio station that the "Tonight" host is "the biggest two-faced dude in TV." Besides calling Leno a "backstabber," Lopez branded him "the worst interviewer on TV." Leno hadn't forgotten Lopez's attack when he walked into the recent Laugh Factory memorial for comic Richard Jeni. Spotting comedian Paul Rodriguez, Leno brought up the dig. "He said, 'Listen, maybe you and I should sit down and work this out,'" Rodriguez recalled when we phoned him yesterday. "He said, 'We shouldn't be airing this stuff in public.' He was going on like that. At first, I thought he was putting me on. Finally, I said, 'Jay, It's Paul! I'm not George! I'm the other Beatle.' "Jay apologized. He said, 'I'm sorry. I don't have my contacts in.' I said, 'Hey, it's understandable. We Mexicans all look alike." Another witness said, "People who heard Jay thought it was bizarre. He's either getting Alzheimer's or he's gone so Hollywood he doesn't remember his friends from his early standup days." MORE

ROCK RADIO IS BACK (IT NEVER REALLY LEFT)

A cataclysmic event may just have happened yesterday in Rock Radio.

The First release of PPM Ratings were revealed for the Philadelphia Market.

The BIG STORY was Rock Radio in all it’s incarnations. (Active and Classic in this case) The other gainer was Country. The tie that binds these formats together is Male listenership.

Active Rock WMMR went from a 4.3 share in Fall of ’06 (6^th place) to a 7.9 share for March ’07 (3^rd place). Classic Rock WMGK went from a 3.6 to a 5.7 and even Adult Hits WBEN went from a 2.8 to a 4.1. Country WXTU rose 3.7 to 5.3.

Something that Rock Programmers have known forever was finally proven. Arbitron's diary system under- represents Rock Radio's Ratings.

As PPM rolls out market-by-market, Rock radio’s true ratings shares will finally be counted. The interesting thing about the roll out is the next 4 markets that will be PPM’d are Houston, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, markets that for the most part do not have a Rock Station. Will the SMART radio groups involved in these markets recognize this amazing opportunity and flip some properties Rock before PPM rolls out in the market? In L.A., will Citadel take KLOS to an Active format before PPM gets there? Will New York see the return of a Rock Station? Could we see the return of WNEW-FM?

Get ready for some interesting days ahead. Rock Radio-It’s like you never left!!!

About the Portable People Meter

The Arbitron Portable People Meter^TM system uses a passive audience measurement device – about the size of a small cell phone – to track consumer exposure to media and entertainment, including broadcast, cable and satellite television; terrestrial, satellite and online radio as well as cinema advertising and many types of place-based electronic media. Carried throughout the day by randomly selected survey participants, the PPM^TM device can track when and where they watch television, listen to radio as well as how they interact with other forms of media and entertainment.

The PPM detects inaudible codes embedded in the audio portion of media and entertainment content delivered by broadcasters, content providers and distributors. At the end of the day, the meter is placed in a docking station that extracts the codes and sends them to a central computer. The PPM is equipped with a motion sensor, a patented quality control feature unique to the system, which allows Arbitron to confirm the compliance of the PPM survey participants every day. MORE

Arbitron PPM^TM Rollout Schedule for Top 50 Markets HERE