There was a time when stations were not so overloaded with debt that the entire overnight Midnight-6am had only one or two sponsors, if that. I worked overnight in a large market large station that had no commercials overnight.
The commercials overnight have nothing to do with debt but the idea that the station can offer unsold inventory at a huge discount and have some cash rolling in or that they are playing a few freebies to match what the ad agency will pay per unit (ie: ad agency says $20 but your rate card is $25, so you add free night spots to hit $20 a spot).
I knew many, many stations in major markets that had mostly zero commercials midnight to 6. Then again back in that time there were fewer stations. I have worked a station in a college town that had about 6 to 8 units an hour after midnight (and all those advertisers were open all night). If I had to be stuck on overnights, that was one that seemed way more midday than middle of the night (the request line was pretty busy at 3 and 4 am).
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Should WABC Go to Oldies on the Weekends ?
- Thread starter xmradiopro
- Start date
An additional comment: advertisers don’t use evening radio because most of their targeted consumers are watching TV or some form of video entertainment.
Lee Linwood
Frequent Participant
The radio industry is contributing to its own marginalization and ongoing downfall with crappy programming. I say this as a former avid radio listener.
Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's crappy. I doubt very much that you've listened to every station in NY.
Are you by any chance over 55 or otherwise considered a "senior"? Radio advertisers for the most part do not target you as there is so very, very little revenue available to stations that serve older demographics. Because of that, radio stations as a rule do not program to that group except by "spillage".
RadioGuy1864
Leading Participant
This was true even 40 years ago, is probably an absolute truth today.
Smooth Jazz is an acoustic, sonic experience that does not come across on AM.
And it has the problem that the audience was "too old" a decade ago when Smooth Jazz stations mostly disappeared. It certainly won't work in an agency driven market like NYC.
There already is a smooth jazz station in NYC. It’s WNEW-HD2. If you like the format, you should tune in and support it.
Except that the company that owns 95.5 isn't interested in smooth jazz
Also, putting something on the radio doesn't automatically make something popular. I can say that from personal experience.
CTListener
Walk of Fame Participant
Probably, at least in terms of total ears reached, but as David pointed out, the format draws an audience agency advertisers don't target, so making smooth jazz profitable in New York would be impossible unless, somehow, the music were to catch on with younger and more ethnically diverse listeners. HD is pretty much the only place that makes sense for smooth jazz today, as most stations don't even try to sell advertising for their HD subchannels. Because smooth jazz is generally (unfairly, some say) seen as a dumbed-down, middle-brow form of jazz, it is a poor fit on noncommercial stations, too. Quite a few noncomms that program classical music also play jazz, but it's the critically acclaimed jazz of performers such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, etc., not Kenny G and Tom Scott.
Y2kTheNewOldies
Walk of Fame Participant
95.5 just got flipped last week to CCR from EMF inc.
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