What would you rather have in your favor, perception or facts? Rockternative and radio always chooses facts, the audience doesn’t. And the fact is: perception can beat fact every time.
A lot of RockTernative stations conduct research. Perceptual, music, focus groups, online surveys. Asking the audience what they’re thinking is essential for any type of business. But that’s also when things can go sideways.
Research is only as good as its interpretation. Data isn’t the problem, it’s how it’s viewed. Two headlines can reveal the same result but lead to different actions.
- Nearly half (49%) say Rock 99 is too repetitive.
- The majority (51%) say Rock 99 is not too repetitive.
- 1 in 5 hates the morning show.
- 8 of 10 don’t hate the morning show.
- One out of three RockTernative fans dislike Artist X.
- Two out of three RockTernative fans like Artist X.
Same numbers. Same data. Different headlines. Possibly different actions. If this were a court setting, you might hear, “Leading the witness!” Science experts look at the same data and end up throwing punches over global warming. It should then be no surprise the audience can come to some wild perceptions about their local RockTernative station.
Opinions can be rooted with some fact, but they aren’t always fact. A programmer can think a song is bad, but it can still be a hit. A label can claim they have a smash on their hands, but the audience may say otherwise.
The lens we look through matters.
And in radio, the lens can get warped by personal tastes, wishful thinking, or inexperience. I’ve seen an entire room agree on data, then someone new comes in and sees something different — something they’d like to believe.
Three cautionary tales worth carrying around, all real from the rock-o-sphere.
- A station just days away from a format flip was saved by their new PD who actually understood the research. Executives wanted the flip, the data wasn’t so sure. The PD won the argument and that station is flourishing today.
- A major market format tweak and brand name change backfired because ownership ignored two critical steps from the research plan. They cut corners. Eighteen months later, they had to flip to something entirely different.
- Music tests can get derailed when personal tastes overrun strategic thinking. Put Metallica in a Hot AC test or give Eurythmics a few slots on a Rock list and their big hits may actually look good. Garbage in, garbage out.
The takeaway here is research doesn’t always make the end decisions, interpretation does. And interpretation is a learned skill that requires real education or experience.
But what we often get is the “I know better” approach:
- “I know the study says to follow Steps A and B, but we can skip those.”
- “Yes, the research says that, but I think it really means this.”
This is how brands talk themselves into trouble. Ignoring or misreading is easy to do, so be sure to have an expert in the room — because it all eventually leads to action, which leads to audience usage, which leads to perceptions.
And while perceptions may be slow to form, once they do, they’re like cement. We see it in other areas: a common TV sports and news model is two “experts” arguing over differing opinions and perceptions about the exact same player or news story.
And bad perceptions can plague a brand — or even an industry — for years. Here are some historical perceptual realities still facing RockTernative.
- Too repetitive, predictable
- Too many commercials
- No control for listeners
- Too many bribes
- Positioning that doesn’t match the playlist
These aren’t attacks by me. I’m on radio’s side. Those come from the audience. Every station you’ve ever worked at has heard them. And they’re largely ignored — not much has been done to combat them, other than smoke and mirrors, which don’t work anymore.
- The no-repeat workday
- 45 minutes non-stop
- The only home for Real Rock
- #1 for New Rock
- On-demand lunches that aren’t really on-demand
The listeners see through it.
Radio also knows some key facts it’s not given credit for.
- The repetition problem is caused by other issues, occasions, and TSL
- There’s no choice but to run this many commercials
- If music control is given up, it’ll be the all-stiffs lunch hour
- And the biggest truth — just look at the industry’s reach
True. True. And twice more.
But facts don’t always win wars or change perceptions. And as any good street corner therapist would say, “You must understand why you’re here before you can move forward.”
I am very bullish on radio’s future — the industry has everything it needs. And while the fight to be more digital and mobile is necessary, the battle to overcome some negative perceptions is just as important.
It’s absolutely doable.
But it won’t be done by positioning slogans, gimmicks, or tricks. It won’t be won by playing Power Golds one or two more times per day, or by giving away free tanks of gas (although keep doing that). And it won’t be won by screaming facts like reach that may stack on paper, but are blah, blah, blah for outsiders.
Overcoming perceptions requires real actions — doing things differently. Maybe not 24/7, but in noticeable bursts. Because perception beats facts every day of the week.
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.
Keith Cunningham is a music industry and Rock/Alternative columnist for Barrett Media and the founder of Black Box Group, a modern-modeled creative & strategic consultancy built for brands that need strategies with teeth. He’s the former Master of Mayhem at 95.5 KLOS-FM in Los Angeles for over a decade, a nationwide consultant, and has been repeatedly voted one of America’s top Program Directors and strategic thinkers. Keith has built his career by taking multi-million-dollar brands from worst to first and leading Marconi & Gracie award winners along the way. A data nerd with a rock-and-roll heart, he is an advisory council member for St. Jude fundraising, a fantasy football champion, and lover of his daughters & dogs. Reach him at keithblackboxgroup@gmail.com or on LinkedIn or X.
