Radio has a problem: advertisers dictate content on commercials and outside forces like advertising agencies and competition more or less dictate rates charged. Anything radio might do to lower the number of commercials per hour means willingly taking less money than it could. The question becomes of the lower commercial load means more listeners per quarter hour over time to justify a higher rate. The screaming car dealer is still going to demand screaming car dealer ads or he'll go elsewhere.
There have been many ideas tossed around like going back to 4 breaks an hour of no more than 2 commercials per break. Some argue that might bite you on your quarter hour numbers. There were always those that tried to hit stop sets before competitors and be back in music by the time the competitor stop set started. Give and take...I'll give you mine when my commercials play but I'll get them back and some of yours when your stop set starts.
Another possibility is length. A station in a small city analyzed the market. It was a low budget operation initially. There was no cash to have a local news department and high school sports was wrapped up by competitors including college football and pro sports. The station knew the competitors carried network newscasts (one was CNN and one a State News Network). One station was satellite delivered with three 3.5 minute spot breaks hourly. The other station ran 2 lengthy stop sets an hour. This startup was music intensive and to 'feel' local, recorded persons in the community doing station liners (they gave their name). The idea was you likely knew or knew of one of those people you heard each hour.
For commercials, the station centered a package around their website and short commercials. Online you got listed in the station business directory. The business was allowed a picture or two and could have whatever text they chose. On air they got 2 spots a day, 5 to 10 seconds in length. The station did 'stand alone' spots. Although the limit was 7 an hour, there was only 35-70 seconds of commercial time in an hour. The station pushed 'you're never more than 15 seconds away from another song'. The concept was sold on the idea radio was the worm on the fishing pole that hooked the fish (customer) and the business directory at the station website reeled them in. Businesses liked the idea and writing copy went like this: tell me the one most important thing you want everybody to know about your business.
Now, would hearing one 8 second commercial about 7 times an hour be better than, say, 5 to 7 back-to-back commercials at 30 and 60 seconds twice an hour?
Is the length of the commercial break more important than how many times the music is interrupted for a commercial of any length?
There have been many ideas tossed around like going back to 4 breaks an hour of no more than 2 commercials per break. Some argue that might bite you on your quarter hour numbers. There were always those that tried to hit stop sets before competitors and be back in music by the time the competitor stop set started. Give and take...I'll give you mine when my commercials play but I'll get them back and some of yours when your stop set starts.
Another possibility is length. A station in a small city analyzed the market. It was a low budget operation initially. There was no cash to have a local news department and high school sports was wrapped up by competitors including college football and pro sports. The station knew the competitors carried network newscasts (one was CNN and one a State News Network). One station was satellite delivered with three 3.5 minute spot breaks hourly. The other station ran 2 lengthy stop sets an hour. This startup was music intensive and to 'feel' local, recorded persons in the community doing station liners (they gave their name). The idea was you likely knew or knew of one of those people you heard each hour.
For commercials, the station centered a package around their website and short commercials. Online you got listed in the station business directory. The business was allowed a picture or two and could have whatever text they chose. On air they got 2 spots a day, 5 to 10 seconds in length. The station did 'stand alone' spots. Although the limit was 7 an hour, there was only 35-70 seconds of commercial time in an hour. The station pushed 'you're never more than 15 seconds away from another song'. The concept was sold on the idea radio was the worm on the fishing pole that hooked the fish (customer) and the business directory at the station website reeled them in. Businesses liked the idea and writing copy went like this: tell me the one most important thing you want everybody to know about your business.
Now, would hearing one 8 second commercial about 7 times an hour be better than, say, 5 to 7 back-to-back commercials at 30 and 60 seconds twice an hour?
Is the length of the commercial break more important than how many times the music is interrupted for a commercial of any length?