Selling The Music
Dave Lange asks, "What would happen if we brought the air staff back into the music selection process now?"

A Lesson From WKRP
Perhaps WKRP could have been a winner if the team had been paying attention more to the audience than how much office space Les Nessman had or who Jennifer was dating this week...

Cell Phone ONLY Households
The National Center for Health Statistics has released the bi-annual survey on cell phone only households for the 2nd half of 2007 and the 18+ percentage of cell phone only households is now up to 15.8%!!!!!

So Where Are The New Format Ideas?
As we approach the Summer it could be a great time to see some fresh thinking and new ideas in formats and new approaches in radio programming.

Al Ries - Views the Internet and Mobile Net
Al Ries' involvement in the revolutionary 'Positioning' series of books has always put Al's thoughts and observations high on many of our must read lists.

Heard Here, New Ratings System, and Bob
Dave Lange delivers 3 pieces of news for broadcasters...

Build A Social Network This Afternoon
It's not as hard as it looks...

The Election and The Summer
Now is the time to be looking ahead to the Summer and this Summer presents a lot of different opportunities. The biggest one is the election in November.

Using Your Gut
So often as we brainstorm and look for ways to keep entertaining the audience there comes a time when you have to use your gut instincts.

The Future of In Car Tech
We've seen the promise from Ford with the Sync system. Seen the in dash navigation systems. Watched a DVD in the back seat with the kids. So what technology is heading for the car and which of the new devices is important to the driver/audience?

Radio's Real Advantages Go Ignored
Sometimes in our effort to 'keep up' with all the new technology and the 'cool of new' we forget a lot of the real advantages our media has.

Congratulations to THE BEAR - Edmonton
Winning awards is always great. It's even better when you know the winners and have watch them work hard to put together an exceptional station and watch it win in ratings and see that revenue graph go up.

It's About The AUDIENCE
Ever been listening to the radio and heard the jock talk all about their world. "They were off on a vacation and are a little off tonight since they are jet lagged." "They have a dog that just wants to go out every 2 hours." Do you really care????

The Year of 25-34s FINALLY!
In this week's Arbitron Advisory Board meetings build up it looks like the main issue on the table is SAMPLE.

How Radio and TV Are Better Than Google
It seems like Radio ad sales strategy has been trying to find a way to compete with the Google adwords and click through models and for the most part coming up with few if any answers.

All Christmas - It Took Guts!
AC has made Christmas music a staple and it draws tons of cume to the stations without tons of marketing. The lesson for all of us from this, regardless of your format, is to keep your mind open to new ideas.

Greg Gillispie Announces Retirement Due to Health

The Random Sample - No Longer Random or Accurate
For years in research we have relied on the "Random Sample." It's the core of statistical based research that relies on a sample instead of a census.

Tax Time SALES IDEA!!!!
Want to have a remote package that you can sell to lots of clients? One that all of you audience will benefit from?

Imaging - We Need New Tricks
Looking over the PPM data we get a real picture of how the audience uses our programming. We can see exactly when they tune out and in and with a little reconstruction we can see what was on the air when they left.

Selling Cume
For years we've sold radio a lot more on frequency than we have on reach. The focus has been on how many people will hear my spot when it runs. In working with Cume the focus is really more on how many people will MY CAMPAIGN (the whole schedule) reach.

Entertaining The Audience
We have to go out and actively ENTERTAIN the audience. All it takes is 3 basic ingredients to pull it off...

Old and Tired?
With all the 'new media' tugging away at TSL for radio we all need to make sure we are look and sound fresh. As we all approach the new year with our stations take a good look and listen to your product.

Resolutions for 2008
Looking ahead to 2008 we have a lot on our plate. Hopefully we can set a few goals and priorities that we can all work on.

PIC&N??? Plus Cell Phone Only Numbers
A couple of news highlights from this week.

Christmas List for Programmers
It's that time of the year when we make our list and check it twice - hopefully we've been nice and Santa will deliver. What's on the list for radio programmers?

Canadian Ratings System - BBM
As the fall Canadian ratings hit, it's interesting to note some of the differences in the Canadian BBM system and Arbitron in the states.

PPM Delays and The MRC
No doubt you've read the news that Arbitron is postponing the move to PPM data collection in 9 markets. Speculation was that the MRC was not going to certify the PPM system.So exactly who is the MRC?

Cell Phones Instead of PPM!!!
Dave Lange takes a deeper look at the possibilities.

Sample Sizes and PPM
Why sample sizes are really at the heart of the issue.

Recession
Dave Lange on why shouldn't let the 'R' word worry us even though there will be lots of 'hype' around it.

Promoting With Sales - Good? or Bad?
How both sales and programming can end up with revenue potential and on-air excitement that hopefully will drive some ratings boost.

Role Development
The 'key ingredient' for any jock/personality is to develop a 'role' with the audience...

Every Market Is Unique!!!
As consultants we often get tagged as a big part of the cause in the sameness of radio programming...

Personalities and Tune Out
Dave Lange weighs in on Mark Ramsey's theory on tune out around the 'open mic' vs tune out during music.

New Rock Music for 25-54s
While Classic Rock is no doubt a great format and we've seen a whole bunch of winners playing the 'music that's stood the test of time' it's a tough format to keep alive in the long run. The problem is New Music...

Arbitron Sample Size 18-34 Return Concerns and Solutions?

Fall TV Shows - Change and Fantasy
One of rules when you track trends for popular entertainment from movies, TV or music is that once a fad or trend starts to become huge, a balancing will follow with the next trend often coming from the opposite pole.

Building Your Air Talent Team
As you think about coaching the talent in your halls, here's a couple of tips that Dave Lange has found useful...

The Fig Man Hits It On The Head
Bill Figenshu's comments after the NAB on the never ending question of the state of radio and where it's heading.

Does the Audience HATE Advertising/Marketing?
Find out what really drives negativity towards marketing

Streaming and At Work Listening
Now Arbitron has declared that the streams on the Internet are NOT SIMULCASTS

Arbitron National Numbers - Rock is UP!!!

5 Realities From PPM That Apply to EVERYONE
Dave Lange's five-part blog series on the realities of PPM and the diary.

Movie Industry A Model for Radio?
Over 4 Billion dollars were earned this year by and industry that has been facing even more challenges than radio or records. What is their secret?

Research or Ratings: Sample Is Everything
Before you work with any research or ratings data, the most important analysis tip we can pass on is "look at the sample."

14-24s Radio's Lost Generation - Under 14s Radio's New Frontier
As we look at all the new media toys like IPods, Internet radio stations, and Satellite Radio, you can bet that a lot of them could end up just being the new toys for the 14-24s or Millennial generation.

Local Community - What is it?
While it may be important to try and cure diseases and help the less fortunate in the community, to really win the community involvement you have to really embrace the REAL community.

15 Months of Fame Lifecycles on the Web
Doesn't it seem like in the WWW world big things only last around 15 months or so?

Influentials and the Diffusion of Innovation
A new study looks at radio's Influentials that are heavy users and very likely to 'spread the word' and lead others towards various formats, stations or personalities.

Completely Missing The BOAT
After reading Little Steven's comments again on the state of the record industry a few follow up thoughts come to Dave Lange's mind.

Radio and Records The Relationship At The Crossroads
Recently you've probably seen the industry sites and blogs dealing with the comments and 'findings' expressed by a Texas based economics professor Stan Liebowitz on the relationship between Radio and Records. Dave Lange responds...

Covering All The Bases
Taking EVERY opportunity you can is both a challenge and also a big key to building your stations into a giant machine that constantly builds it's brand and community image. In today's world of the Internet we also need to take an 'uber-presence' to all the opportunities in the on-line world.

HD Radio - Hindsight is 20/20
As I keep looking at HD Radio there are so many things that we could have improved on. New on the McVay Media Rocks! blog.

Don't Be Yourself - Be THE AUDIENCE!
While in the studio,it's easy with all the flashing control sliders and computer screens to think that you are the center of the universe.

Are You Boring????
Is your 'blackboard' of things happening on the air blank?

PPM - Could Rock Formats Benefit and How Far Off Is The Diary Data?
Dave Lange analyzes the first look at PPM generated numbers from Arbitron in Philadelphia. PDF Special Report

PPM – What Does It Mean for Programmers
PPM will clearly change many of the programming strategies and tactics we use every day. Dave Lange looks at the potential impact of the People Meter on programming.

Fall 06 Rock Ratings Summary
Why is rock looking like it’s falling apart? Dave Lange examines some of the factors that may help explain why Rock is fading.

Preparing for the Spring 07 Ratings Period
Dave Lange's complete rock prep guide.

Younger Demos Leaving Radio - What To Do? PART TWO
Leaving behind a whole younger generation is not healthy, but what are we going to do about it?

Younger Demos Leaving Radio - What To Do? PART ONE
The first part of Dave Lange's look at the storm that's brewing in rock radio.

McVay Media Rock Blog
McVay Media’s Rock division has set up a blog covering rock radio programming hosted by Dave Lange McVay Media VP- Rock. The blog allows us to update readers/viewers at any time with notes, articles, views, and welcomes readers comments. There are already a number of posts covering Generation Y, branding, Canadian content, and the spread of the Everything that Rocks approach.

Spring 2006 National Rock Ratings Report
Are rock formats in trouble? Dave Lange takes a close look at the factors affecting the Spring data.

The HD Radio Marathon Rounding the First Turn
Dave Lange takes a deeper look at the progress and challenges ahead as we get digital.

New Research Methods
Some new innovations and experiments that are worth considering as you look at your research options.

Re-Thinking Long Music Sweeps
Dave Lange examines the many new realities that challenge the longer music sweep technique.

Making Rock Radio Exciting Again
How can Rock formats get the spark back?

Sound Quality
We finally have a platform with digital music that is capable of delivering a full range of audio quality, yet much of the experience is limited by the final stage of a cheap overloaded amplifier and tiny speakers.

A Positive Plan for HD Radio
Edison Media Research President Larry Rosin suggests marrying HD Radio with the most powerful consumer brands to create a new vision for what HD can become. Read Larry's thoughts on A Positive Plan for HD Radio by clicking here.

Programming Myths and Mysteries
Part One of Two.

Programming Myths and Mysteries
Part Two of Two.

Arbitron Changes Younger Sample Procedures
Dave Lange provides his observations on Arbitron's new attempt to boost younger sample returns.