What if I told you that your 7:30 AM contest was only heard by 10% of your weekly morning drive cume? That’s probably not exactly true — it’s likely even less — but that’s what the Nielsen numbers would indicate when I dug into PPM metrics when I was programming radio day to day.
I looked at the morning total daypart weekly cume of stations versus the average quarter-hour persons between 7:30 and 7:45 AM and found the number to be about 10%. Some stations were lower, some slightly higher. Some days — when I broke it down by day in Nielsen — were hideously lower, some higher.
Go ahead, look for yourself at your station or show: weekly cume versus your biggest quarter hour of morning drive.
The old saying for radio advertising is “frequency sells.” When an advertiser buys six commercials a week, there is little chance of results. Up that to 60 spots and you’ve got a successful advertising campaign. Radio really drives results when it’s bought correctly. I’ve found that some folks in programming, and many air personalities, didn’t get that memo.
Great content should never be treated as one and done. If just a small portion of your weekly Nielsen cume hears it the first time, reuse it. Always remember that people generally listen at the same time every day. Also, keep in mind that, according to Nielsen, listening occasions are 8 to 12 minutes at a time, depending on the station.
When you’ve got something amazing, make sure you use it enough so your audience can hear it. And put it on social media or a podcast so non-daypart listeners can hear it too. If it is a scripted bit with actors followed by listener calls, air the scripted part again, but take different listener calls. That freshens the bit up for the few avid listeners — and there are very few — who never turn your show off.
Story arcs are more valuable than ever. News and sports radio live for the developing story. Music radio personalities must take a page from their book. The simplest things that happen to cast members can be turned into a show-long story or a 3-to-4-day storyline to keep listeners captivated for the week.
Don’t be the radio show where someone comes in on Monday and says, “I had a life-changing moment over the weekend.” No matter what it was — buying a car, getting engaged, deciding to take up yoga — live it on the radio and let the listeners be a part of it. And don’t forget to set up the storyline each day for those who missed it. A gentle reminder: if you’re not living your life on the radio, you may need to rethink your career choice.
Never do weak content. With audience turnover and time spent listening being what it is, there’s never a reason to just do something to fill a break. We’re at a point where only the very biggest shows can afford to waste a break. Even the big shows that waste too many breaks will lose audience.
Benchmarks must be daily. Every day at the same time. Some shows would rather do a different benchmark every day — there is no way that can work. I even worry about daily benchmarks done just once a day being effective. Karson and Kennedy, the biggest morning music show in Boston, play Can’t Beat Kennedy four times each morning. Now that’s a benchmark. And make sure you find ways to tease those benchmarks throughout the day to get the tune-in you need for success.
Contests are great for Nielsen PPM. While only a tiny percentage of your overall audience will play a contest, that percentage increases exponentially with meter holders. However, it is not the majority of listeners, which is why contests should be created for the non-contest player. Trivia-based games, guess the song, and secret sound contests are all great play-along formats. People who watch Jeopardy on TV are not winning anything, but they enjoy playing along and being the best on their sofa. National cash contests with keywords have mixed results depending on the market.
The key is to keep them non-intrusive so you don’t chase away those who don’t care. One more word on contests. They can be clutter. So don’t load your station or show up with too many. The casual listener is easily confused. They are listening for content, not contests. That’s why God invented your website.
Think about how many times you’ve asked someone if they heard a specific piece of content on your show or station. And how disappointed you were when they said no. Radio can be so effective. But you have to know how to use it.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
Jim Ryan is a Music Radio columnist for Barrett Media. In addition, he runs Jim Ryan Media LLC, a consulting company which assists major market radio brands and top talent including national radio personality Delilah. Prior to relaunching his consultancy in 2025, Jim spent 15 years with Audacy/CBS Radio, serving as SVP of Programming. Among his responsibilities included programming WNEW-FM and WCBS-FM. His career includes additional programming stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston. Jim was voted the #2 PD of 2024 in Barrett Media’s Top 20 series in the AC category. He can be reached by email at Jim@JimRyanMedia.com.
