Why is this even a question? We see it mostly in formats that identify themselves as ‘background’ formats. Adult Contemporary, Christian AC, AAA and Soft Classic Hits all fit the bill. Yet valuable audio real estate is open for the taking if we keep ignoring (or deploying) this.
The Silent Segue
That is, especially in music sweeps, stations drop station identification rather than grasp the opportunity to let the audience know where the brand is found and its proper name. The reasons are many and come from intelligent, successful veteran programmers:
“(a) During long music sweeps, ‘The Silent Segue’ allows the station to ‘breathe’. It takes a break from rapid identification.”
“(b) Our listeners KNOW who we are and where to find us on the dial.”
“(c) Listeners are tired of being over-sold, over-promoted and over-marketed to.”
- If you create an experience that attracts satisfied listeners to your product, let them know who gave that experience to them – clearly and often.
- Listeners – even your most ardent fans (P1’s) struggle to find your dial location and say your station name correctly. This is reflected in hours of perceptual and focus study tests.
- While ‘overselling’ is a real problem, especially in younger demos, the average American is exposed to up to 10,000 sales messages daily. Selling less of YOU of your brand makes less sense.
The lack of station ID at every opportunity is a headscratcher especially in the light of:
- Stories of programmers toiling over lost meters and another family of meters gained as every minute counts. Further enlightened with Nielsen switching from a five-minute to a three-minute quarter-hour classification.
Digital audio measurement, Nielsen Audio Portable People Meter, has been deployed in the Top 48 Radio Markets for two decades. Certainly, the methodology has flaws, but data gathered from people using the meter teaches us lessons.
The average occasion of listening, whether you’re an Adult Contemporary, Christian, or Country is somewhere between 11 and 15 minutes. Why risk programming a sweep with an ID gap in it? Listeners need to know the frequency that gave them a great experience in music sweeps.
- Other Nielsen measured markets employ total recall of radio brands. If you’re not convinced listeners are fuzzy on which frequency their first, second, and third favorites are, look at the electronic diary in Nielsen Markets 49+ in population. In focus groups, respondents struggled with dial positions for their favorite station and forget about the .5 after the primary frequency.
Recall is frequency first, station name second, large talent third, with your slogan (which we covered earlier in the month) a distant 4th.
- Eastland Ratings also utilizes total unprompted recall when qualified respondents are interviewed on the phone. Armed with a slew of frequencies, station names and benchmarks provided by stations, researchers unwind the rat’s nest, which is a total 100% recall on the limitations of a phone.
We’ve coached clients to create in-sweep IDs without interrupting the flow so the MUSIC never stops.
- Whisper IDs—These quick–filtered station identifiers use a high-pass filter without production, as automation slips them between songs in sweeps. They are often voiced by air staff or even local celebrities.
- Music Aural Activators—We’ve discussed the Aural Activator before. That discerning sound is only heard on your brand. Mature bands often use their long-running jingle signature audio ID.
- Dry, Unproduced IDs from High-Profile Talent – Placed between songs for an effortless transition without halting the music.
Seek other opportunities to promote your brand, station personalities and a simple ID.
Why not your own stop sets? While watching the CBS Lineup for a weeknight this week, CBS promoted five other shows that night or later next week. This did not include their 10-second cross-promotion of The Masters, underway on their sister properties.
As a quick check, this past weekend, a few Audacy legacy brands, one that hugs the Mississippi and another cozied up to Lake Michigan, produced six silent segues, and four silent segues per hour, respectively.
If you’re an Adult Contemporary station dropping station IDs in prime throughout the week, you are statistically forgoing over 200 weekday opportunities to stamp your brand in the audience’s brain.
Wrapping this up, you may wonder why we’d invest several hundred words to articulate a simple point. To winning brands – details matter.
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Kevin Robinson is a passionate award-winning programmer, consultant and coach – with multi-formats success all over the country. He has advised numerous companies including Audacy (formerly Entercom Communications), Beasley Broadcast Group, Westwood One, Midwest Communications, Townsquare Media, Midwest Family Broadcasting Group, EG Media Group, Federated Media, Kensington Media, mediaBrew Communications, Starved Rock Media, and more. He specializes in strategic radio cluster alignment, building lean-forward tactics and talent coaching – legacy and entry-level – personalities.
Known largely as a trusted talent coach, Kevin is the only personality mentor who’s coached three different morning shows on three different brands in the same major market to the #1 position. His efforts have been recognized by The World Wide Radio Summit, Radio & Records, NAB’s Marconi, and he has coached CMA, ACM and Marconi Award-winning talent. He is also in The Zionsville High School Hall of Fame as part of the 2008 inaugural class. Kevin is an Indiana native – living near Zionsville with his wife of 39 years, Monica and can be reached at kevin@robinsonmedia.fm.
