Station Health Check-Up:
Preparing for the Spring Book

Part One: Ratings and Music

By Daniel Anstandig

Arbitron’s Spring survey runs this year from March 31 – June 22. Here are some important questions to ask yourself as you poise your station for the most competitive and important book of 2005.

RATINGS

- First, what can you learn from your station’s historical Spring performances? Is there a particular month in the Spring survey that is traditionally difficult for your station? Are there changes in market or audience conditions that you can predict? For instance, what day do most schools get out in the market? How will your audience’s lifestyle or usage of radio change after that day?

- In reviewing your station’s historical ratings performances, are there observable patterns in listening that can help you plan your programming or promotions? What are the highest rated hours on your station and highest PUR (persons using radio) hours for your market? Are you offering the best programming possible during those hours?

- Have you checked your “Station Information Profile” (SIP) at www.Arbitron.com to ensure that your slogan or station moniker is on file with Arbitron?

- Are there any stations in the market reporting a slogan in their SIP that they are not using on-air according to Arbitron frequency standards?

- Are your rotations on target for the TSL on your station? Do TSL trends on your station, market, or in your competitive situation warrant any adjustments to your music rotations?

MUSIC

- Are there any renegade songs in your music library? Have you checked and double checked to ensure that you’re playing the hits and playing them often? If you are unsure of the hits, have you considered purchasing a “safelist” of music from a consultant or research firm?

- If you have research at your station, have you considered trading your research with other stations of similar format inside your company or social circle? Comparing the “power” songs in your test to the “power” songs in other tests from stations in your format can help to identify the cast-iron power titles for your format. (of course, you’ll want to have permission from your General Manager before you willy-nilly distribute your research to other stations and companies)

- Are your higher testing/mass appeal songs playing in higher rotation than the secondary or tertiary songs in the library?

- Keeping in mind that most listeners hear your station in small pockets, does every 15 minute time-frame on your station serve as a representation of your product’s musical “center sound?”

- In your music scheduler, have you set up safeguards to prevent fringe songs from playing too close together?

Daniel Anstandig
VP/Adult Formats
McVay Media